ChatGPT was the first publicly available AI language model that can write content, do research, write code and more. Notwithstanding the controversy about AI in general, ChatGPT can be a useful tool to help with your marketing.
In addition to ChatGPT, there are now also more targeted AI writing tools such as Grammarly and Microsoft Copilot, which can help create content for your website and other marketing channels.
How can ChatGPT help small businesses with their marketing?
ChatGPT or another AI writing tool is a great addition to your arsenal of marketing tools. Remember ChatGPT may not always tell the truth and it definitely has some limitations. In particular, it pays to review the text ChatGPT generates as a lot of it just doesn't sound natural enough to feature on an Aussie website.
Here are some suggestions for how to get started:
Ask ChatGPT to help you come up with ideas for a business name or domain name (caveat - you will then need to check if that business name or domain name is actually available as ChatGPT doesn’t seem to be able to do that for you - yet)
This can be a great starting point to help you come up with your own ideas, even if ChatGPT's ideas don't quite hit the mark.
Ask ChatGPT to write content for you, e.g. some headlines for your homepage or copy for a Facebook ad. Eliminate writer’s block. Forget staring at a blank page and ask ChatGPT to get you started on something you can then refine. Or start writing your content and ask ChatGPT to correct or reword it.
Ask ChatGPT to do some market research for you (caveat - it doesn’t have access to the data in real time so the information may be a little outdated, or it may refuse to give you a straight answer as in the example below)
ChatGPT tells some porkies
I asked ChatGPT if it could help with a marketing project, and it was keen on the job and then suggested that we establish communication channels so that we can stay in touch during the project, such as “email, phone, video conferencing, or other messaging tools.”
This had me a little stumped so I asked: “Do you have a phone number?”
The answer: “As an AI language model, I don't have a phone number as I don't have a physical presence.”
I guess that rules out the suggested video conferencing and email communication too 😉
Can ChatGPT help build a website?
ChatGPT can help create content for a website, and it can also write code. It can't build an actual website but it can certainly:
- Help with ideas for the website structure and features
- Help with content creation, e.g. by suggesting text for pages or blog posts that can then be refined by humans
- Help with SEO content, e.g. optimising text and headlines for specific SEO keywords
- Help with coding, e.g. it is very useful for writing custom code snippets to add functionality to the website.
Who can use it?
Anyone can use ChatGPT for free. All you need to do is to create an account with OpenAI and you can start asking ChatGPT questions and start interacting. Start here >>
In summary
At this point, the most useful application for ChatGPT is to help with generating content ideas.
Clients often struggle with content for their website. Of course the ideal scenario would be to hire a copywriter who can create unique content that speaks to your brand and personality, but this is not affordable for everyone. Rather than looking at a blank page, have a play with ChatGPT to get the creative juices flowing.
I don’t think ChatGPT will replace the human touch any time soon, but it can definitely be a useful tool for many small businesses and organisations.