Are you wondering how to use ChatGPT to level up your small business marketing? Are you an AI skeptic not buying into all the hype?
Whatever your experience with artificial intelligence and natural language processing, one thing is for sure: it is here to say.
At Full Sail Media, we’ve been exploring the potential of ChatGPT for small business marketing over the past few months, including its best practices and potential pitfalls.
Today we’re sharing some of our findings to help you get a better understanding of how ChatGPT works, and how you can use ChatGPT for your own small business marketing.
Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or a newcomer to the world of AI, read on to learn how ChatGPT is turning the world of small business marketing upside down.
What Is ChatGPT And How Does It Work?
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence tool that uses natural language processing to generate human-like responses to prompts or questions.
These tools work by analyzing huge amounts of text data and learning how to generate human-like responses to a wide range of prompts. For ChatGPT, that data currently comes from the internet up till 2021, though recent upgrades and add-ons have made it possible to share your own inputs as well.
Natural language processing is, in short, the ability to process how we speak and write. So instead of having to write lines of code to speak with the tool, you can write questions like you would to a friend or coworker.
Now, what does that mean for small businesses?
ChatGPT is part of a new generation of AI tools that have the potential to revolutionize small business marketing by providing personalized and engaging customer interactions at scale.
How Does ChatGPT For Marketing Work?
By using ChatGPT to automate certain tasks, small businesses can save time and resources while providing a more personalized experience for their customers.
That’s just the content-generation level. It can also be used in more advanced ways to engage with customers in a more human-like manner, providing personalized responses to inquiries and even recommending products based on their preferences and behavior.
This is a non-exhaustive list of the areas ChatGPT could assist you with for your small business marketing:
- Branding and business development
- Blog content writing
- Chatbot creation
- Consumer research
- Customer service
- Email marketing, including subject lines and copy
- Facebook and Google ads
- Marketing strategy development
- Social media management
However, it’s important to note that ChatGPT is not a one-size-fits-all solution for small business marketing.
While it can certainly enhance your marketing efforts, it cannot – and should not! – replace the human touch and expertise that comes from either your marketing employees or marketing agency.
ChatGPT vs Other AI Tools In Marketing
ChatGPT may be the most talked-about AI tool, but it is hardly the only one.
So, how does it differ? Unlike other AI and machine learning tools that operate more on the backend, ChatGPT is designed to be customer-facing and to facilitate direct interactions with customers.
While other AI tools may be used to analyze consumer data or automate certain marketing tasks, ChatGPT is uniquely suited to creating chatbots and engaging with customers through natural language conversations.
By using its chat-based language processing to understand and respond to customer queries, ChatGPT can provide a more personalized and human-like experience for customers.
Best Practices For Using ChatGPT For Small Business Marketing
While ChatGPT can be a lot of fun to play around with, the first results you see may leave something to be desired.
To make sure you get the most out of this tool, we’re sharing five tips on best practices to keep in mind to ensure quality output.
- Use detailed prompts – Most people just write one line or one question when asking for ChatGPT’s assistance. That’s going to result in repetitive, not-so-useful information. Instead, provide detailed prompts that guide ChatGPT towards producing the desired output. This can include specifying the tone, style, and structure of the content, as well as providing keywords and topics to be included.
- Ensure human review – While ChatGPT can generate content quickly and efficiently, it’s important to have a human review the output to ensure accuracy and coherence. This can involve reviewing the generated content for grammatical errors, factual inaccuracies, and tone inconsistencies.
- Enhanced workflows, not replaced workflows – When you see how quickly ChatGPT creates outputs, it’s tempting to think how you can replace entire workflows in your business. It’s better yet to see how you can enhance those workflows by identifying areas where ChatGPT can add value, such as generating content or handling customer inquiries.
- Focus on personalization – By using customer data to generate personalized content and product recommendations, businesses can improve the customer experience and increase engagement. This can involve using ChatGPT to generate personalized emails or chatbot interactions that take into account the customer’s previous interactions and preferences.
- Keep monitoring its performance – To ensure that ChatGPT is contributing to your marketing goals, it’s important to monitor its performance and make adjustments as necessary.
When To Be Careful With ChatGPT For Small Business Marketing
So far we’ve talked about what ChatGPT is capable of doing and producing.
Keep in mind that there are certain caveats and concerns.
Below are three issues that you should consider when using ChatGPT for your small business marketing.
- Not fact-checking – While AI and ChatGPT can generate content quickly and efficiently, it’s important to fact-check the output to ensure accuracy and avoid potentially damaging mistakes. Failure to do so can result in reputational damage or legal issues, which can have long-term consequences for a business.
- Lack of control – Without proper guidance and oversight, ChatGPT may generate content or responses that are inconsistent with the business’s messaging or tone. Therefore, you should carefully monitor interactions with customers and intervene when necessary to ensure that the tool is serving its purpose.
- Ethical considerations – As with any form of AI, there are ethical considerations to be aware of when using ChatGPT for small business marketing. For example, businesses should be transparent with customers about their use of AI and how it is being used to collect and analyze their data. Additionally, businesses should ensure that their use of AI does not perpetuate biases or discriminatory practices.
Listen To Our Podcast For More On Using AI As A Small Business
While it can feel overwhelming to consider the implications of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT, it is important to take some first steps.
We hope this article has been a helpful guide and introduction to ChatGPT for small business marketing.
If you want to learn more about how our marketing agency is working with AI to benefit our clients, head over here to check out our recently released podcast!
