Using AI for Marketing

So, as usual, my blog article is due, and I need to find a quiet time when I can come up with some brilliant ideas before I can write it.  Yet, we are currently in the busiest time of our year, with Microsoft’s year-end fast approaching (they close on June 30). My proverbial plate is full with a Messaging Lab, updating assets for the SMB tech sector, facilitating a co-sell event, creating new proposals for Business Development, AND handling annual taxes.  Needless to say, I don’t have any quiet time, nor brilliance, to spare on our own marketing (the cobbler’s kids… you know the story).

My first idea was an interview-style blog about co-op marketing. How to get it, use it, make the most of it, and ensure reimbursement for it. I reached out to a client of ours, who does an excellent job with their co-op, to see if they were available for an interview. But alas, they were also too busy with their own marketing. 

So, I stewed.

And stewed.

And stewed about what I could do for my blog.

And then it hit me. We have this new technology called AI! Of course, I have known about AI for years since we create marketing assets to showcase its benefits.  I’ve even provided consulting on its potential for marketing activities. However, I do consider it the largest plagiarism tool out there right now (remember Cliff Notes?), so I don’t use it to create anything that requires original thought.

I lean towards using it for information gathering and have learned a few dos and don’ts to get the best result. 

The top three recommendations for how to use AI for blog creation.

1. The right prompt is key

Alright, I logged onto ChatGPT and typed in the prompt “Write a blog telling stories about co-op”. 

What I got back was an Aesop’s fable (“The Ant and the Grasshopper”), a story about Apollo 13, and The Miracle of Dunkirk, all talking about cooperation and how important it is for success. 

Okay, so that wasn’t what I was looking for.

2. Refining the outcome I want

I didn’t want a dissertation around cooperative marketing that was just out of a textbook.  Instead, I wanted something personable – something that told a story of how co-op works, why it’s so vital, and the importance of eking out every penny you can from it.

We KNOW, from working with lots of tech companies, that co-op dollars can be a great way to test a new campaign, event, or even sales technique, without too much risk.  We have seen clients create industry-specific materials, like an interactive eBook, video, and infographic for the Healthcare industry (check out the eBook here), or a landing site with focused messaging for the Financial Services industry, complete a playbook, video, and infographic (check out www.financeinthecloud.com).

Yet, partner companies still do not take advantage of their co-op dollars.  They either forget they have it, think it’s too much trouble to deal with the paperwork, or don’t recognize its value and what it might do for them.

With that in mind, the outcome I wanted is to have AI create a relatable story that narrates the essence of how co-op operates and demonstrates its critical importance.

3. Defining keywords and order

Keeping my goal in focus, I did some brainstorming on keywords. This will help me to get the outcome I was looking for. The results were better, but I had to adjust again putting the keywords in the right order. After a few more attempts, I was able to get a decent (albeit non-original) blog about Co-op Marketing Success. 

Here is a link to the blog article.  See what you think. 

If you have any comments or want to geek out with me around AI, send me an email.  I’ll be the one buried in an ocean of tasks 😊.