Introduction to ChatGPT

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

What is ChatGPT?

Perhaps the most well-known text-based generative AI tool is Open AI’s ChatGPT. According to ChatGPT itself:

ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI, and it’s based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture. It’s designed for natural language understanding and generation, making it well-suited for a wide range of conversational applications. ChatGPT is capable of understanding and generating human-like text based on the input it receives.

You can enter a query (or prompt) into the ChatGPT input field, and it will generate a text-based response. The more specific and detailed your prompt, the better the result you’ll get from ChatGPT.

You can use ChatGPT for both content ideation and creation. For example, you could ask it to suggest topics to write about, based on a list of keywords or buyer persona characteristics. Or you might ask it for ideas for social media posts, based on a current trend or a new product launch. Or you may simply use it for research for an article, by asking it specific questions or for suggestions.

Benefits of Chat GPT for digital marketing activities

ChatGPT offer several benefits for digital marketers:

• The first is content ideation: ChatGPT is ideal for brainstorming and initial content research. You can use it to suggest topics based on keywords. It can also create content outlines based on topics or learning outcomes that you suggest.
• Another benefit is content creation: You can use ChatGPT to generate the first drafts of your content. If you create detailed prompts, it’ll be able to create content that aligns closely to your needs. However, be prepared to review, fact check, and polish these AI-generated first drafts!
• And a third benefit is content optimization: ChatGPT can also optimize existing content. For example, you can enhance it for SEO, make it more concise or engaging, or summarize it for shorter content pieces.
• Linked to this is content personalization: With ChatGPT, you can rewrite your content for different buyer personas and target audiences. For example, you can ask it to suggest or rewrite blog posts or email content for different demographics.
• ChatGPT also enables more efficient content repurposing: You can use ChatGPT to turn your blog post into a series of social media posts, for example.
• Greater efficiency is another benefit: The great advantage of ChatGPT is its speed. It can generate complex content at staggering speeds. This can enable you to quickly publish content in response to emerging trends or breaking current events.
• And a final benefit is increased scale: In other words, ChatGPT enables you to generate massive amounts of content that previously would have required large teams of writers to deliver.

How ChatGPT can support digital marketing

Companies can use ChatGPT to automate workflows, act as a collaborative creative partner, and generate personalized content. It can also be used for data analysis and reporting, as well as data cleaning and organizing.

Here are some examples of how ChatGPT can be used by digital marketers:

• Keyword research: Generate a list of long-tail keywords for a given topic.
• Content ideation: Generate 10 blog post ideas for a given topic.
• Content briefs: Create a content brief for a blog post on a given topic.
• Text workflows: ChatGPT can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Power Automate to create text completion workflows. This allows users to effortlessly generate text for various purposes such as email responses, social media posts, and much more.
• Email newsletters: Generate a series of emails about a given topic that will be included in a newsletter series.
• Social media: Generate social media posts for a given topic for a given set of platforms.
• FAQs: Create an FAQ article for a given topic.
• Content checking: Use ChatGPT as an editing and proofreading tool by pasting your copy into GPT and asking it to check it for errors, or for use of the passive voice, and so on.
• Content translation: Use GPT to translate content into one or more other languages.
• Meta descriptions: Write a meta description that accurately describes an online tool or website and that includes the most relevant SEO keywords.
• HTML title tags: Generate HTML title tags of no more than 60 characters for an article on a given topic.
• Data analysis: Generate Excel formulas to help analyze marketing data in a spreadsheet.
• PPC: Use GPT to generate PPC copy for Google Ads and for the associated landing page on a website.
• IT support: ChatGPT can be used for IT support tasks, such as resetting passwords, providing information about software or hardware, and troubleshooting common issues.

Limitations and caveats

Although ChatGPT is an efficient tool for content brainstorming, research, and drafting, you do need to be aware of its limitations:

• Its output is only as reliable as the source material it draws upon. In other words, it could perpetuate existing inaccuracies or deliberate misinformation in online content.
• The output is only as detailed and relevant as your prompts. If you enter vague prompts, you’ll get vague responses.
• Content returned by ChatGPT may be plagiarized or violate copyright.
• It’s not always alert to the nuances of human language and style.

For these reasons, it’s important to always regard ChatGPT content as a first draft. Ensure you review it so that it meets quality and ethical standards. And add your own human style and brand voice to the content. Human intervention is needed to ensure responsible and effective use of the technology and to avoid a very bland output!

Like the work of an intern, always regard the output as needing work, or as a first draft. Knowing the cut-off dates of the training data is worth mentioning. Also bear in mind that Claude won't currently browse the internet for you so is less real-time than Gemini or ChatGPT.