How to Use (& Not Use) ChatGPT in Your Marketing

Jaquilyn here. I just returned from a business retreat with my mastermind group — my first in almost 6 years of business — and let’s just say, it was life-changing. 

Not only was the women-supporting-women vibe a balm for the soul, but it was fascinating to see inside so many different types of businesses and in so many industries. It drove home the simple truth that there is no one right way to do business. We each get to do it our way.

One of the topics that naturally came up in our conversations was… AI-generated content. ChatGPT, to be more specific. We had a long conversation about how to use it — and not use it — in our businesses. To keep things concise, I’ll be sharing:

• Pros and Cons of ChatGPT
• How to Use & Not Use It in Your Business

Let’s dive in…

The Cons of Using ChatGPT

The biggest downside of using AI-generated copy, at least right now (spring 2023), is that platforms know when you’ve used it — and they penalize you for it.  

• AI-generated blog posts and website copy get flagged as spam, which hurts SEO
• AI-generated newsletters are being sent to spam folders
• AI-generated social media posts are getting hidden

The other downside is that ChatGPT, while wildly smart and endlessly resourceful, ends up spitting out “the average.” It can sound very generic — yes, even if you teach it how to replicate your voice. It also doesn’t understand the nuances of your business goals, ideal clients’ pain points, and other nuances that are unique to you. In summary:

• AI-generated copy can sound very generic; you will need to add your voice to it
• AI-generated copy does not understand your unique client’s pain points (yet!)
• AI-generated content does not understand your specific business goals

***Huge Upside: As a copywriters, we LOVE the idea that more people are going to be using ChatGPT to create content, because that means the market is naturally going to shift toward feeling more generic. The businesses that create custom and inject their unique voices into their brands WILL STAND OUT, purely by default. Use this to your advantage!!

The Pros of Using ChatGPT

That said, there is absolutely no reason not to take advantage of such a rich resource. It truly is remarkable what it can do, and a little experimentation and creative thinking can make arduous tasks easier and more efficient. For example: 

• It’s great for discovering topics that are popular for SEO in your area
• It’s great for generating content and marketing ideas (but you have to be the final judge on whether they are relevant and strategic for your ideal client)
• It’s great for research and getting more information about a certain topic since it scours the internet for you and aggregates results
• It’s great for generating internal material for your business, such as an employee handbook (anything that isn’t shared digitally)
• It’s great for knowing what “everyone else” is doing — so that you can be different!

Bonus Tip: Use ChatGPT to learn about ChatGPT. Ask it questions about its own limitations, and you’ll be surprised by its honest responses.

How to Use Chat GPT in Your Business

I hinted at these in the sections above, but in case you skimmed down here (I see you), here’s a quick list you can save:

• Do generate content ideas for you & your team to consider
• Do ask questions around topics that are good for SEO (again, consider if they are right for you)
• Do generate content outlines or headlines that you can customize yourself
• Do research topics that you want to learn more about and use the information
• Do generate internal material for your business, such as employee handbooks, team values, design process outlines, etc.
• Do ask ChatGPT whether using the content it outputs is going to be a risk to your business
• Do use it to write pitches for press outlets (but be careful sending it by email without heavy editing)
• You get the idea.

Avoid Using ChatGPT for These Tasks

• Generating copy for blog posts, newsletters, and social media posts
• Generating website copy
• Any other copy that is digitally shared and could get flagged as spam

All this said, the technology is new and evolving (spring 2023), so it is possible that these lists could change over time. To avoid hurting your business, we recommend following these guidelines to start and doing the research when you have questions down the road. 

At the end of the day, ChatGPT is a TOOL and neither bad nor good. And like other new tech (remember when social media entered the scene?), it’s up to each of us to decide how we want to use and engage with it in our businesses. 

Until next time, have fun with it!

Jaquilyn

P.S. Need help with custom strategy and copywriting for your business? That’s what we do.