AI, Marketing & Hysteria
Hysteria or not, AI is not going away.
Unless you live under a rock, you recognize there is a huge debate going on about artificial intelligence. Let me start out by confessing that several years ago I was totally against AI. I can’t say I had a good reason because I hadn’t used it nor had I done any real research into the topic. If I’m being honest, I think my pushback was simply one of the typical, “I don’t like change.”
Also, I had come to the conclusion that AI was cheating. In my mind, real people wrote the articles and books, not some agent. Of course, this was the early days of ChatGPT, where AI was used in a more basic fashion than it is today, but you get my point.
As I watched AI grow, I soon came to the realization that it wasn’t going away and I had a choice; fight it or embrace it and learn how to use it for my benefit. I choose the latter and haven’t turned back since.
Today, I pay for several AI subscriptions. Not a day goes by without my jumping into one or more of these platforms to get feedback, brainstorm ideas, or have it create an image like the one in this newsletter!
There is no doubt that bad people will do bad things with AI. You see this already with hacking and other nefarious activities. And, I do believe that, as was the case with computers and almost any other advanced technology, we need to be cautious and intelligent. Could we have potential issues in the future? Absolutely. But that’s like saying the creation of the automobile was ultimately bad because people die in car accidents. I know the doomers won’t like that analogy but the point is that history has shown that there is always a segment of the population that projects the worst-case scenarios with the latest and greatest inventions.
The Point
Hysteria or not, AI is not going away. The key is to leverage it to make your life easier and your business run smoother and more efficient. This is particularly true for solopreneurs and small business owners who often wear many hats every day.
I’m beginning to use AI for bigger projects and multi-tiered tasks but when it comes to marketing, here are just a handful of the ways in which you should consider using AI in your day-to-day business. I’ve broken them down by category of task, from what I believe are the most common small business owners utilize.
Content & Social Media
Brainstorm content ideas based on your audience’s questions and problems
Draft social media posts from your own train of thought message
Repurpose one piece of content into posts, emails, clips, and articles
Create stronger hooks, headlines, captions, and calls to action
Build a realistic content calendar
Client & Prospect Communications
Draft newsletters, educational emails, and client updates
Write personalized follow-up messages for prospects
Create welcome, onboarding, and re-engagement email sequences
Develop clear responses to frequently asked questions
Adjust messages for different client groups or stages of the buying journey
Sales, Offers & Promotions
Develop and refine offers, packages, bonuses, and promotions
Create sales scripts, discovery questions, and presentation outlines
Identify likely objections and prepare effective responses
Improve promotional messaging by emphasizing benefits and outcomes
Role-play sales conversations to practice asking for the sale
Advertising & Lead Generation
Generate ad concepts, copy, headlines, and creative directions
Create lead magnets, checklists, quizzes, and downloadable guides
Draft landing-page and opt-in-page copy
Build email nurture sequences for new leads
Develop multiple ad variations for testing
Business Development & Branding
Clarify your ideal customer, positioning, and unique value
Establish a consistent brand voice across platforms
Explore new products, partnerships, audiences, and revenue opportunities
Market Research & Marketing Analysis
Research competitors, customer interests, and emerging market trends
Analyze reviews, surveys, comments, and customer feedback for patterns
Review campaign results and identify possible improvements
There are dozens of other ways in which you can use AI, but you get the point. The bottom line is that I once had to pay a designer hundreds of dollars to make a flyer and now I can do quickly and immediately without those costs. I once paid anywhere from $5-$50 to buy a single stock photo and now AI can create one for me and it only costs me $17 a month for endless variations and downloads. Truly, it is extraordinary.
Questions to Ask
If you’re reading this newsletter, you probably are already using AI. The question is, are you truly leveraging it? Ask yourself the following:
What marketing task am I repeatedly doing that takes more time than it should?
What content have I already created that AI could help me repurpose?
Where am I currently stuck—ideas, consistency, writing, design, follow-up, or analysis?
What could AI help me do faster without sacrificing my voice or the quality of my work?
Takeaways
AI is incredibly powerful, but it is not a substitute for your experience, judgment, creativity, or knowledge of your customers. Think of it as a very enthusiastic assistant who works around the clock, never asks for a vacation, and occasionally makes things up with astonishing confidence.
You still need to provide the ideas, ask good questions, check the facts, and make sure the finished product sounds like you. AI can help you work faster and better, but it should support your thinking, not replace it. Those that rely on AI to write for them usually sound like everyone else. I know I can almost immediately tell when someone has relied exclusively on AI to write something! That’s why I write all my stuff and then run it back through AI for suggestions on how to improve. 😊
The people who will benefit most from AI will not necessarily be the most technologically advanced. They will be the people who learn how to use it practically, intelligently, and consistently.
Your Next Move
Choose one marketing task you need to complete this week. Maybe an email, social media post, client follow-up, promotion, or newsletter. Use AI to help you do it.
Don’t try to automate your entire business by Friday. Just take one task that normally takes too much time and see whether AI can help you complete it faster or improve the final result.
The hysteria may continue. In the meantime, the rest of us have businesses to grow.
