AI technology is developing very quickly – it’s already integrated into many of the things we use daily like our phones or entertainment subscriptions. Some industries are already making good use of AI for their work, and marketing is no exception.
As marketers, we need to be creative to help come up with engaging campaign ideas and drive results for our clients. Can AI really help with that? While AI technology isn’t perfect, it definitely has its uses to give your campaigns a boost.
Whether you’re new to AI or you want to discover new ways to use it, take a look at following ways you can use AI in your marketing campaigns successfully, and the things you need to avoid.
Use it to help you get organized
Working in marketing means deadlines, workflows and project management – all of which require strong organization skills. While some people find this easy, it can be one of the worst parts of the job if your focus is more on the creative side!
One of the best things about AI is that it can help you out with everyday tasks that eat into your time. Used correctly, AI tools can help you manage your diary, help you take notes and even help take of dull admin tasks – all of which can make your day a little easier!
Check out tools like Microsoft Copilot which works with your existing applications and internal data, to see how it can help you stay on top of things.
Help with your campaign plans
Campaign plans are a must for marketers, serving as a blueprint for how you’ll execute your campaign. Campaign plans are there to help you analyze your target audience, your objectives and find the best ways to appeal to them. But campaign plans are often loathed by marketing professionals, and it’s easy to see why – they take up a lot of time!
AI can be used to help reduce the time and effort you spend on your marketing campaigns. Tools like ChatGPT can work to your chosen template, helping you fill in key details and give some insights you might not have thought of yourself.
While it will still need tweaking and molding to be exactly what you need, using AI as your collaboration partner can make your marketing campaign plans stronger, while saving you time.
Tackle your writer’s block
All good writers suffer from writer’s block from time to time. That’s fine when you’ve got all the time in the world, but when you’ve got a pitch to deliver or a deadline to make – you need to get going!
One of the things AI can be good for is generating written content. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it can help give you a starting off point to help get your brain working so you can write something better.
Prompt your chosen AI tool to come up with titles, outlines and headings for your work. This can save you a lot of time at the beginning, so that you can focus the rest of your energy on the actual writing. AI can be particularly useful for generating social media copy, which is handy if you need to write 20 different posts to promote the same product.
Take the guesswork out of ad placement
You might already be familiar with some of the ways AI is transforming digital advertising. From ad optimization with Meta Ads to dynamic pricing, AI is making improvements that can make your digital ads work smarter, resulting in better ROI.
Some of the ways AI is revolutionizing digital advertising include predictive analytics and enhanced personalization. Its ability to make the most of detailed datasets means it can provide some incredibly useful insights for your campaigns, taking the guesswork out of your ad placement.
While it may not be able to completely predict the future, it can certainly help you get one step ahead of the algorithms and trends that can affect your ad performance.
Get help with image generation and content creation
One of the cool things AI can do is image generation. While some people report some hilarious results thanks to extra hands or images that completely miss the brief, there are some instances where it can work.
An AI face generator can be used to create images using your likeness (and that of others, with their permission) to give you some useful visuals for different campaigns. While you’ll always need to cast a human eye over things, and possibly admit defeat sometimes, these tools can be useful when you need them. But it doesn’t just end with image generation.
Using AI tools can help make light work of video editing too. Even the tools used within platforms like Instagram and TikTok use forms of AI to set video to music, etc. Content creation tools can be incredibly useful when it comes to sustainable content marketing, saving you time and ensuring those schedules are filled with useful and engaging content.
Make your email campaigns pop
Email marketing campaigns are still one of the most effective ways of reaching audiences, especially if your brand is trying to target its existing customer base. Writing email campaigns isn’t always the most exciting of tasks, but AI can make things a little easier.
Whether you need help identifying your most important point or you need to generate some headlines, AI can be your best friend for making email campaigns pop.
Things to avoid
For all of the great things AI can do, there are plenty of things it shouldn’t. If you think AI can completely take over your job, then guess again – marketing will always need that human touch to appeal to audiences and create authentic campaigns. Some of the things you should avoid when it comes to AI include:
Letting AI do all the work for you
You may think you’re being clever by getting AI to do everything for you, but it will soon show. AI can be easy to spot, especially for experienced editors and readers. While it can be useful to get ideas and even some first drafts from AI, try not to let it do all the work – it could be more obvious than you realize.
Ignoring data protection
Maintaining data privacy is another key consideration for using AI. Many businesses already have policies in place for using AI tools, so it’s important to check what they are before you start feeding applications information that could be sensitive.
It’s also important to consider whether using AI is ethical for what you’re doing. Many platforms offer the option to declare AI content, and doing this can be a good way to avoid some scandals down the line. If you’re unsure of whether a tool can be trusted, don’t use it. Maintaining data protection is far more important than saving yourself time on a campaign.
Letting it replace your creative skills
Once people start using AI for their work, it can be easy to become too reliant on it, which could affect on creative skills. Try to avoid an AI-first approach all the time – grab some pen and paper and use your creative brain to generate ideas.
Getting the chance to come up with ideas is one of the best parts of working and marketing, so don’t lose it to a computer that won’t appreciate it! As you can see, AI has its uses for marketing, helping to save time and become your collaborative partner.
While there are some useful tools already out there, it’s important to use AI wisely, seeing it as a nice addition, instead of replacing your work. With the right approach, you can give your marketing campaigns a boost and deliver the best possible results for your clients.
