Generative AI for Marketers: Practical Tips and Best Practices to Get Started

Marketing is changing and Generative AI is the driving force. This breakthrough technology is transforming how we conceive and implement marketing strategies. These are my thoughts on how you can start exploring this new technology when you create marketing.

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content or data that wasn't there before. Unlike traditional AI, which might just sort data or make predictions based on existing information, Generative AI can actually "imagine" new things. It's like giving the computer a bit of creativity! This makes Generative AI an incredibly useful tool when creating marketing. Here are some examples:

• Content Creation: It can help quickly generate high-quality content like blog posts, social media updates, and email campaigns, saving both time and effort for the marketing team.
• Personalization: Generative AI can tailor marketing messages to individual consumer preferences, leading to more effective engagement and higher conversion rates.
• Data Analysis: It can sift through vast amounts of consumer data to uncover insights and trends that human analysts might miss, helping you target your audience more precisely.
• Visuals: Whether it's creating brand logos or promotional graphics, Generative AI tools can come up with unique designs based on specified parameters.
• A/B Testing: Generative AI can create multiple versions of an ad or webpage and test them in real-time, helping to identify which one performs best and why.
• SEO: Generative AI can help in automating keyword research, suggesting content improvements, and optimizing site architecture for better search engine ranking.
• Campaign Optimization: It can analyze campaign metrics in real-time and make adjustments to strategy, ensuring that marketing spend is allocated in the most effective manner.
• Customer Interaction: Chatbots based on Generative AI can interact with customers in a more natural and personalized way, improving customer service without human intervention.

By automating and optimizing these aspects, marketers can focus more on strategic planning and creative tasks, while also achieving more effective and efficient campaigns. Astonishingly, 73% of U.S. marketers are already utilizing AI.

So to keep up, you need to get moving. Generative AI tools that can be used in marketing are already here and are remarkably accessible. It′s easier than you think and a lot of fun. Some examples to get you started:

• Automated Content Creation: Prompt AI to create blog posts for you. The tricky thing is to make sure the Generative AI understands your brand's "tone of voice." To do this, you'll first need some example marketing texts to train the Generative AI. Tools: ChatGPT Plus, Jasper AI
• Creation of Campaign Visuals: Employ visual and prompting tools to create campaign visuals. The quality is close to photo-realistic. However, all image engines add their own look and feel in the images so often some extra work in Photoshop is needed. The fast response time makes it possible to iterate and create many versions. Tools: Midjourney, Firefly, DALL-E2
• Enhancing Existing Content: Optimize your content with GenerativeAI insights. Here you need data like web analytics or ad performance numbers. Then you can ask for patterns and recommendations. Tools: ChatGPT Plus
• A/B Testing and SEO: Employ AI to conduct multiple versions of keyword research, marketing assets, and more. Tools: ChatGPT Plus and Keyword managers
• Campaign Targeting and Optimization: Utilize advertising networks to refine your campaign targeting, focusing on COS and ROAS metrics. You will have to implement some tracking tech to get this to work. Tools: Ads Managers for Facebook, Meta, Tiktok, etc.

Now you've started experimenting with Generative AI. It will probably not turn out as you expected. Keep experimenting and try to solve tasks that you run into in your daily work. The experience can be quite transformative and perhaps you will start to work in new ways.

Generative AI sets the stage for a symbiotic relationship between human intuition and machine capabilities. It allows for creative collaboration and rapid iterations that can be very productive. However, it is important to consider the balance between automation and high-quality human input. Often a “human hand” in the process is necessary to make sure facts are correct and the “brand” is not lost in the process.

Companies need to prioritize AI in their marketing strategies, which involves budget allocation and onboarding skilled professionals. The 70/20/10 rule—spend 70% on proven methods, 20% on techniques that are gaining traction, and 10% on experimental strategies—can guide successful digital transformations. To truly leverage the potential of Generative AI, consider the following:

• AI-Specific Budgets: Allocate funds specifically for AI initiatives.
• Diverse Use-Case Exploration: Don't put all your eggs in one basket; test multiple use-cases.
• Commercial Generative AI Taskforce: Create a cross-functional team to explore and implement AI opportunities.
• Low-Hanging Fruit: Identify and target simple, high-impact use-cases.
• Pilot Programs: Start small with targeted experiments and scale as you see success.
• Employee Training: Invest in training your team on the basics of Generative AI.
• Robust Guidelines: Implement rules to safeguard data and ensure the quality of AI-generated content.

So, now I think you also can agree that Generative AI is reshaping marketing. To stay updated I would like to advise you to follow these YouTube channels: Matt Wolfe, MattVidPro AI, and Control+Alt+AI. Keep exploring and feel free to contact me for further discussions.