AI in Marketing: How to get started on your AI journey

03/20/24 • 26 min

The Marketing Mix: Thought-starters for B2B Business Leaders

Are we ready to take advantage of AI in Marketing yet?
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is quoted as saying that AI could automate 95% of tasks currently performed by marketing agencies. I don’t agree with the number, but it’s a bold enough statement to pay attention to. And, for sure, AI is going to have a significant impact on how we “do” marketing over the next few years.
So in this episode, I talk through the options that marketers should consider as they start to look into AI; share some examples and use cases of how to incorporate AI into your daily workflows; and consider where we might be with AI tools a year from now.
Really, though, this episode is an encouragement to “Just Do It” (to use a turn of phrase!). If you’re not yet using AI, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start to play around with AI tools - whether that’s a standalone AI assistant like Chat GPT or Claude; or tapping into the AI features of the software you’re already using. And we’re giving you some pointers to get your journey started.
Plus, since the subject of Large Language Models and AI in Marketing is constantly changing, I share some of the resources I’m using to stay ahead of the curve!. See below:Timestamps:
04:35What to think about when you think about AI
07:05Which AI Assistant should you use?
12:10Three use cases to get you started
19:20How is this going to change the way we work?
Articles and Newsletters mentioned in this episode:

Sam Altman’s “95%” quote. Link
“Best Practices for Working with Large Language Models”
- The New Stack column, by Jon Udell. Link
“Claude 3: ChatGPT finally has a serious rival"
- Understanding AI Newsletter by Timothy Lee. Link
“Your guide to Google Gemini and Claude 3.0, compared to ChatGPT”
- AI for Good Newsletter by TarenSK. Link
"Which AI Should I Use?”
- One Useful Thing Newsletter by Ethank Molik. Link
“Microsoft promises Copilot will be a 'moneymaker' in the long term”
- The Register. Link
The Gartner Hype Cycle. Link
Fuggedaboutit Cocktails “Bot” By Michael A McConachie
- Link

The Mobster Mirage Cocktail Recipe:

[Verbatim, from the Fuggedaboutit Cocktails custom GPT]

1 oz Whisky: Pick a good one, something with character but not too overbearing.
1/2 oz Cointreau: For a hint of sweet citrus to brighten things up.
1/2 oz Dark Rum: Adds depth and a bit of mystery.
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice: To cut through the sweetness and add some zing.
Dash of Simple Syrup: Only if you like it a bit sweeter, see?
Garnish: Lime wheel or a twist, for that touch of class.

Chill Your Glass: Get a nice cocktail glass and fill it with ice or stick it in the freezer for a bit to get it nice and frosty.

Mix Ingredients: In a shaker, combine the whisky, Cointreau, dark rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup if you're using it. Fill that shaker with ice.

Shake It Up: Shake it like you mean it, but with respect

Strain: Strain it into your chilled glass. You want it smooth, with no ice chunks crashin' the party.

Garnish: Add that lime wheel or twist. It's like the suit jacket on a well-dress

The Mobster Mirage Cocktail Recipe:

[Verbatim, from the Fuggedaboutit Cocktails custom GPT]

1 oz Whisky: Pick a good one, something with character but not too overbearing.
1/2 oz Cointreau: For a hint of sweet citrus to brighten things up.
1/2 oz Dark Rum: Adds depth and a bit of mystery.
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice: To cut through the sweetness and add some zing.
Dash of Simple Syrup: Only if you like it a bit sweeter, see?
Garnish: Lime wheel or a twist, for that touch of class.

Chill Your Glass: Get a nice cocktail glass and fill it with ice or stick it in the freezer for a bit to get it nice and frosty.

Mix Ingredients: In a shaker, combine the whisky, Cointreau, dark rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup if you're using it. Fill that shaker with ice.

Shake It Up: Shake it like you mean it, but with respect

Strain: Strain it into your chilled glass. You want it smooth, with no ice chunks crashin' the party.

Garnish: Add that lime wheel or twist. It's like the suit jacket on a well-dress

Previous Episode

Engage, Deliver, Repeat: Where Marketing and Delivery Meet w/ Chris Heffernan, Founder and CEO of Dlivrd

In this episode, we talk with Chris Heffernan, the co-founder and CEO of Dlivrd. Think DoorDash, but for restaurant catering and same-day food delivery. Chris shares his insights on marketing as a founder, and how it has helped him scale his business.

He discusses Dlivrd's unique positioning in the delivery ecosystem, at the intersection of technology, logistics and customer experience. They’ve created a business culture around the importance of a positive driver experience and building strong relationships with their partners – Chris tips his hat towards the “Happy cows make better milk" slogan from California! And that’s the main thrust of their marketing too - focused on events that celebrate and engage the drivers, and then taking content from those events to share through media channels.
Chris is a big proponent of using video in marketing, and shares his tips on how to get started with shooting your own material. He may not take all his business advice from Instagram(!), but he sure knows how to get attention through his very personality-driven videos

Key Takeaways:

Hosting driver events and creating engaging content from these events has proven to be an effective marketing tactic
Realtors put their photos on business cards for a reason. How do you create that emotional connection?
If you’re not comfortable with being on video, start with a voiceover and some b-roll
Chris believes in making marketing fun and enjoyable, focusing on projects that highlight the company's core values. If it’s not fun, he’s not interested!

Resources:

Check out Dlivrd’s story here

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn here
And watch the pizza challenge video here!

Next Episode

SEO and AI: The value of the" Human Layer" w/ Greg Brooks, CMO of SearchTides

If you’re worried about how “search” is going to be impacted by AI...then you’ve clearly been paying attention! But beyond all the hype, what are the most likely outcomes in the next year or so. Should your SEO strategy be changing? Should your marketing investment be going in different places?
Greg Brooks and his team at SearchTides spend their time thinking through these exact issues – based on data and their own experience. And on The Marketing Mix, Greg shares some of his thoughts on the changes that are already happening. And how marketers and business owners should be adapt.
We start off by talking about foundational elements of SEO; consider the long term value of content marketing as a search strategy; and think through the overall marketing approach as search becomes smarter.
Will the "Human Element" be the thing that makes the difference, and keeps you ahead of the game?
Key Takeaways:

Current SEO best practices - authority, relevance, and technical optimization - will continue to be the bedrock of search. But we need to consider an additional “human” layer to boost its value.
If AI is driving the cost of producing content to zero, how do you add value? Expertise and Experience are the areas where human input can improve on AI generation
Google's continued focus on 'helpfulness' should guide the strategy, rather than looking to AI-specific tactics and shortcuts. Make your content useful, and – whatever Search becomes - it will be found.

Find Out More:
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn
Read more about SearchTides, and dig into their research
Timestamps:
05:20 The Role of SEO in Business Growth
08:40 Impact of AI on Content Marketing
14:15 Google wants to be Helpful
26:15 The Human Era of SEO:
36:00 A Drink at The Search Bar

The Marketing Mix: Thought-starters for B2B Business Leaders - AI in Marketing: How to get started on your AI journey

Transcript

How has AI changed your work day? For many people the answer, right now, will be “not too much”. Maybe you’ve been playing around with ChatGPT and other AI tools. Maybe you’ve even integrated it into some of your daily workflows. But from what I see, most of us are just scratching the surface of how AI might transform our processes.

The aim of this episode is to reassure you that it’s not too late to embark on your own AI journey.And to give you some thought starters.

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