VIEWPOINT: Taking an AI approach to digital marketing

The rise of AI-generated copywriting and video scripts has been rapid and, in some corners, difficult to keep up with. Marketers who are not yet familiar with generative AI and large language models are already falling behind their peers. Harnessing these tools can make the creative process for marketers more efficient and, in many cases, improve their final product. Less than a replacement for human talent, AI can assist digital-marketing efforts in a variety of situations. Consider small businesses who might not have the ability to hire a marketing agency, relying instead on an internal team of one or two people trying to repurpose more marketing copy than they could ever hope to read. Outsourcing the first draft to a generative AI script can be a massive time-saver. Even large teams might not have the manpower to scour the internet to research a topic on short notice, optimize a video script for search, or capture the most relevant keywords for a campaign. Here’s an in-depth look at these and other uses of AI that can be applied in marketing today.

Performing research online

The perfect email blast template for one client might be great for another — were it not for state- or country-specific regulations around their industry that dictate what language you can and can’t use in marketing copy. Need help generating copy that can comply with those regulations? An AI script can digest large amounts of legal information and turn around a first draft that won’t run afoul of the law. This is just one example of how AI can be used to perform research online. That draft will need editing, but the first step in the research process is a real time-saver compared to reading websites or books, and calling subject-matter experts who may or may not have the expertise you’re seeking.

Generating recommended copy

When typing a text message on an iPhone, it’s common to see word prompts that help complete your sentence. That’s because the phone has been trained to “learn” your linguistic habits — names, places, things you refer to often enough that they regularly come up in your own texts. The same principle can be applied to generate recommendations for completing all sorts of marketing copy — a text blast, a newsletter, or a video script — depending on what words the AI script has been trained to “learn.” You can even train a script to digest your own brand voice as it exists online, eliminating some of the ethical qualms that copywriters might have about borrowing verbiage from another campaign.

Transcribing

AI tools can be used to transcribe short videos and audio files into text, a massive time-saver for anyone who’s spent time transcribing the words they need to complete a task. Those transcriptions then can become part of the written record you “learn from” when generating a first draft, broadening the range of possible source inputs for your next project. Want to hop on the phone with someone to brainstorm ideas for a newsletter? Consider using an app to transcribe the recording of your call, then using an AI script to generate newsletter ideas from your conversation while you brew a pot of coffee.

Video-script ideas

Video scripts come in all shapes and sizes. Consider the kinds of scripts that translate well to various social-media platforms — TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, et.al. There isn’t always a lot of overlap between those mediums. AI can be trained to learn the best practices for each platform and generate a 30-second script, for example, based on what’s already being shared far and wide on each platform. For inexperienced video-script writers struggling with their first draft, or marketing professionals simply looking to expand a client’s reach into new platforms, this can be a timesaving first step in that process.

SEO-friendly copy

Leveraging Google Trends to learn what people are searching for in connection to a marketing campaign is a user-friendly process. It still requires knowing what trend words to search for, however, and that won’t always get the best keywords into your final copy. Using ChatGPT, for example, to formulate copy around the most popular keywords that boost SEO is a useful shortcut. The first draft might not be in your brand’s voice, but that’s the point — it’s suggesting essential words you might never have thought to use in the first place. AI can be a strong tool to maximize the marketing content you have already created, and to bring in other sources of information as needed to inform new campaigns. Remember: it’s your content, your brand, your brand voice. Think of AI not as a replacement for your human resources, but like a super-helpful intern who can do some of the work for you. AI can take the best-practice copy that you know to be doing well based on data and use it to help you repurpose it in other formats and other ways.      

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Andrea Ness is media strategy and oversight director at the marketing agency, ddm marketing + communications. She provides leadership and oversight to ddm’s media team.