Here’s Why AI Cannot Replace Your Marketing Team

With the rollout of ChatGPT, Bard and Firefly and other AI-powered tools, it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room: Do we still need marketers, writers, designers and creatives or will technology take over these jobs too?

With all the hype, I decided to put ChatGPT to the test by running many different tests and experiments to see what we’re up against. Read on to find out what ChatGPT is good for and how you can use it in your marketing.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an extraordinarily advanced chatbot that uses conversational language (called Natural Language Processing or NLP) to answer questions and assist you with tasks ranging from writing a blog to finding bugs in code to drafting a packing list for an upcoming vacation and so much more. The tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) to source information from the internet and create an output.

Type a prompt into ChatGPT and you can expect to get a sophisticated answer, further probing questions or even a complete essay in response.

Experimenting with ChatGPT

From writing website copy to social media posts, a letter, a biography, a blog and more, I tested it all and while we were continuously surprised by the outputs, I realised there are limitations:

• As stated on the platform, it is possible for ChatGPT to occasionally generate incorrect information, idiosyncrasies and illogical statements. Plus, it doesn’t necessarily know everything.
• It could create a variety of content and it sounded great. However, reading it again, I realised that although it was grammatically correct and flowed well, it was very general and nothing about it was particularly unique or specific. That’s a problem, as it doesn’t differentiate your business from competitors.
• Lastly, the platform also states that ChatGPT may produce harmful instructions or biased content. While we didn’t really experience this, some recent media coverage highlights that AI is a tool to be used with care.

Can ChatGPT Help With Your Marketing?

While ChatGPT isn’t perfect, its possibilities to generate ideas for content are tremendous. It can be a useful tool to do things like:

• Getting unstuck when you have writer’s block
• Going from an idea to a draft faster
• Generating ideas for an outline of a blog
• Creating different email subject lines, as well as variations for ad copy for A/B testing
• Searching for information to help research an idea

Thus, ChatGPT can assist marketers by providing valuable information, but it cannot generate original content that defines what makes your company stand out. Establishing a clear differentiation is crucial for any marketing to be successful as it helps create an emotional connection with your audience and sets you apart from competitors. In order to achieve this, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your brand, target audience and unique value proposition. Therefore, your marketing team still plays a crucial role in achieving your marketing goals.

ChatGPT actually agreed when I asked it this exact question:

“As an AI-powered tool myself, I believe that AI can certainly augment and enhance a marketing team’s capabilities, but it cannot entirely replace them. Marketing is a complex and multi-faceted discipline that involves creativity, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of your target audience.

While AI can assist in automating certain tasks, such as data analysis and personalized content creation, it cannot replace the human touch in developing brand messaging, building relationships with customers, and understanding their needs and preferences.”

While this may be the case, I anticipate that with the ease and affordability of AI-powered tools, many companies will jump on the opportunity to ramp up their content output at a reduced cost. This will result in a wave of generic marketing material that doesn’t differentiate one company or brand from the next, creating opportunities for companies that continue to invest into their brand by producing unique content to stand out — especially with the increasing importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Do you agree? Let me know. Join the converation below.

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Complete article originally published on my blog at https://www.the-emms.com/blog/can-chatgpt-replace-your-marketing-team, 4 May 2023.