AMA Cincinnati was proud to host the recent event “AI for Marketing Professionals – What It Is and How to Prompt It,” which took place on Wednesday, June 21, from 11:30 am to 1 pm EDT. The event brought together a group of digital marketing enthusiasts and industry experts eager to explore the groundbreaking world of Artificial Intelligence and its transformative impact on the marketing landscape. As AI continues to revolutionize the way businesses connect with their audiences, this engaging session explored how AI can be used to enhance marketing efforts focusing on how marketers can craft effective prompts for AI tools like ChatGPT providing practical tips for how to work with AI including:
- Generative AI for visual design
- Generative AI for copywriting
- Generative AI is the best / worst employee you ever had
- Applications: research, SEO, social, copywriting, more
- What is generative AI trained on; mistakes and biases
- Legal, licensing, risks, and social dangers
Featured speakers:
- Mark Sund, CMO Studio Director at Sund + Co
- Sarah Crawford, Freelance/Creative Director at Sund + Co
- Dino Pelle, Partner and Digital Director at Engage321
The following article will give a recap of some of AMA Cincinnati’s key findings and takeaways from this event.
A brief history and overview of AI
The fascinating journey of Artificial Intelligence (AI) traces back to the early to mid-1950s when the term was first coined, gaining popularity after John McCarthy organized a groundbreaking “Artificial Intelligence” workshop at Dartmouth. Over the years, AI has made remarkable strides, reaching new heights of sophistication and innovation. In 2016, Microsoft introduced “Tay,” a chatbot that stirred up considerable attention. Through a Twitter account, Tay engaged with users on the platform, learning and adapting from their interactions. However, unforeseen consequences emerged when users deliberately trained Tay to respond inappropriately, leading to its abrupt shutdown within just 16 hours. Such events have driven the evolution of AI, giving rise to the platforms we use today like Chat GPT, which rely on comprehensive training data and pre-existing knowledge, steering away from real-time user inputted information.
AI-Driven Content Creation: Crafting Compelling and Relevant Marketing Material
In the ever-evolving landscape of AI, a thought-provoking question arises: does it truly matter whether content is written by a human or an AI, as long as it effectively meets the user’s needs? Dino Pell, Partner and Digital Director at Engage321, brought this intriguing query to the forefront as a speaker at our recent event. With AI’s rapid advancements in generating both long and short form copy, the issue of distinguishing between human and AI-generated content has sparked significant interest, leading to discussions and debates across various industries. As we venture into this uncharted territory, many of us are contemplating what it means to incorporate AI into our day-to-day roles.
During the event, Mark Sund, CMO Studio Director at Sund + Co, shared his insights on what it’s like to work with AI.
Working with AI is like:
- An Intern
- Giving someone too tight of a deadline
- A natural liar
- An incurable pleaser
- A brainstorming partner
- Managing a team of employers
To summarize, AI is still largely in its infancy, it gets things wrong, but it will try to solve the problem, even if that means giving an incorrect answer.
“AI won’t challenge you, it won’t ask questions, it will treat every request you have like a reasonable request”
- Mark Sund, CMO Studio Director at Sund + Co, Speaker
So how should we work with AI when it comes to copywriting?
AI writing tools like ChatGPT 4, New Bing, Bard AI, and Perplexity are making waves on the internet. As marketers, leveraging these tools in our copy creation process can help us save time and streamline our writing workflows.
Dino Pell provided his steps on how to best work with AI when it comes to creating copy and how marketers can incorporate SEO best practices into this process.
- Research topics and keywords via the method you prefer. When creating copy using AI it’s critical to perform your keyword and topic research beforehand. Generative AI like chat GPT can provide keyword recommendations if you would like them to, but it’s imperative to make sure you check the recommendations before proceeding with them in accordance with marketing best practices.
- Prompt outline. Craft an outline for your content, either by developing one yourself or seeking AI-generated suggestions based on your selected keywords. To ensure a well-structured piece, Dino recommends comparing the top three outline proposals from AI to determine the best layout for your copy.
- Prompt writing. To avoid redundancy and excessive fluff, the key here is to work section by section. Rather than requesting AI to generate the entire article, take a gradual approach, using your outline as a guide. Make sure you keep honing the copy as you go – continue iterating and asking questions. Dino states it best, “The less you prompt the worse your results, the more you prompt the better. It takes edits. Start broad and hone it down.”
- Rewrite in your own words. While AI tools provide an excellent baseline for copy, it’s essential to recognize them as new additions to our marketing toolkit, not replacements for human creativity. It’s 100% ok to utilize AI to streamline processes and enhance outcomes, but remember to infuse your unique voice and expertise into the final copy.
- Proof for Grammar. Grammar checking is an important step in any copywriting process but especially when working with generative AI. To ensure accuracy and conciseness of your content be sure to run any copy created through a reliable grammar checker.
- Edit for style. Finally, run your created copy through tools like Hemingway to proof for style.
By following these practical steps, you can effectively utilize AI-driven copywriting to enhance your content creation process. But what about using AI for imagery or video creation?
AI for Visual Design
The emergence of AI-generated images and videos has taken the internet by storm, with platforms like Dall-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Runway showcasing the potential of AI in design. Even established design services such as Adobe and Canva are incorporating AI tools into their software, expanding the realm of generative imagery.
When it comes to using AI to create new designs there are some limitations to be aware of. Platforms like Dall-E, currently lack a full grasp of fonts and text, treating them as artistic elements rather than functional components which can impact the legibility and clarity of the design. These platforms also don’t always understand the intent behind messaging prompts. During the event, Mark Sund pulled up platform Dall-E to give an example of this in real time:
Mark asked Dall-E to create a logo for his brand Sund + Co. Dall- recognized the word “Sun” from his last name “Sund” and created lots of images that included a sun.
Mark then used the following prompt:
“Create a logo for Sund + co don’t use a sun use a smile instead”
Despite specifying not to include a sun and to use a smile instead, Dall-E generated many images that combined both elements, showcasing the challenges in conveying precise instructions to AI systems. Our takeaway? Using AI for logo or design creation can take multiple iterations and a variety of prompts to create something close to the desired outcome.
Ethical & Privacy Considerations
As AI gains popularity, responsible use of these tools is crucial. Protecting consumer data privacy should be a top priority when utilizing AI. Instead of using sensitive or confidential data, opt for simulated data that closely resembles your organization’s information but without risking exposure of sensitive details. Platforms like OpenAI are exploring subscription options for business professionals seeking more data control. However, until then, refrain from entering any sensitive information into the platform. By following these practices, we can harness AI’s potential while maintaining data security and ethical standards.
In summary, AI technologies have revolutionized marketing and content creation. Tools like ChatGPT 4 and Dall-E offer time-saving solutions for marketers. However, responsible use is essential to protect consumer data privacy. By striking a balance between human creativity and AI-driven efficiency, we can navigate this transformative landscape and deliver engaging experiences to our audiences. A huge thank you to our speakers Mark Sund, Sarah Crawford and Dino Pelle for putting together the content for this event and to our Digital Community Leaders Betty Hakes and Barry Williams for organizing!
Want to stay connected to new developments and trends related to AI in marketing? Check out our upcoming events: https://www.amacincinnati.org/events-calendar/
Interested in getting more involved with AMA Cincinnati? We’re currently recruiting volunteers for the 2023-2024 chapter year! Learn more here: https://www.amacincinnati.org/get-involved/
