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Convince and Convert’s Take on ChatGPT & AI

Convince and Convert’s Take on ChatGPT & AI

While AI has certainly been around for many years, ChatGPT has only been available since November 2022. It’s blown up in the marketing community really since the new year of 2023 and is taking over conversations in every industry like wildfire. 

This genie isn’t going back in the bottle and we need to continue to understand it, leverage it for the good it can bring, and be aware of the pitfalls as it accelerates. 

In fact, in Gartner’s Top 5 Marketing Predictions for 2023 they shared that, “By 2025, organizations that use AI across the marketing function will shift 75% of their operational activities from production to more strategic activities.”

First, understand the fundamentals of ChatGPT. 

Google says, “As its acronym indicates, Generative Pre-training Transformer, Chat GPT is a generative language model based on the ‘transformer’ architecture. These models are capable of processing large amounts of text and learning to perform natural language processing tasks very effectively.”

ChatGPT says, “ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI that can be used for natural language processing tasks such as text generation and language translation. It is based on the GPT-3.5 (Generative Pretrained Transformer 3.5) model, which is one of the largest and most advanced language models currently available.” 

What this means in real talk: Very smart developers created a code which consumes massive amounts of content across the web. Think of it as it reads every page on Google and can categorize and retain all of that information. They also coded the platform to have a predictable level of “human” speak as well. When the system is prompted it rapidly pulls the details from the massive database, applies its level of human speak to that information and displays a result for the user. 

As of now in early 2023, the platform is free but all indicators are pointing to this being a paid platform sooner rather than later. Additionally, there are already many paid platforms with a similar working premise as ChatGPT but none to the scale. 

By 2025, organizations that use AI across the marketing function will shift 75% of their operational activities from production to more strategic activities.
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I love what our friend Chris Penn from Trust Insights said in his latest newsletter around content AI. Give his Youtube-version of his newsletter a view below to further understand the technology behind content AI. His example at about halfway through (minute 7 or so) on how he used ChatGPT to take HIS words and make them more grammatically correct and readable (vs. speakable) is a great way to consider using the technology as well.

Second, leverage ChatGPT for the good it has potential to bring. 

We at Convince & Convert see this as a tool to support a human job NOT as a replacement for any human jobs. Just like a baker may use an electronic mixer to mix ingredients, ChatGPT can be used by content creators as an acceleration tool. 

Undoubtedly, it has the potential to reduce the initial amount of work, and the ongoing skills set of content creators of all kinds. For the marketing leader, this should enhance your content marketing team’s abilities NOT replace them. 

By using ChatGPT, essentially first drafts of written content could be created in the platform then finessed and refined by the human content creator. Of course, it takes a human to prompt the platform in the first place, but the ability of the platform to cull from a massive database of information should reduce the time to get to a first draft of a blog post, eBook or other written piece and allow the human creator to add on to that draft and apply more critical thinking skills. 

Other uses for increased efficiency could be simple ad headlines, short body copy, test copy blocks, and other smaller copy needs that could be more quickly iterated through ChatGPT. 

This also has the potential to grow the content creator role to a more strategic thinker. The ideation and planning of content become even more critical roles to have on your team, but the content creation — the literal words on pages part — shifts to draft editing and refinement and can be sped up by allowing the platform to do the basic research and cull on a topic. 

Writer block, procrastination, time to final draft could be positively impacted when the planning and prompt input are the human focus up front and enhancement and editing are the skills on the other side of the ChatGPT output. 

Particularly for regulated industries, human review will always be needed for the nuances of the business, disclosure and specifics of a message. 

An analogy our team uses is the invention of email didn’t make the postal service extinct. It changed the volume and reliance on mail carriers but we still need them. 

With ChatGPT (or any generative AI), a human will still be needed to plan, prompt, and at the very least polish the platform output. 

3 P's of AI
Plan, Prompt and Polish using AI

Third, be aware of the potential pitfalls of using a tool like ChatGPT. 

The brilliant Ann Handley said in her newsletter about ChatGPT recently that,

“You write faster first drafts, but you can’t shortcut relationships.”

We could not agree more, Ann. 

Relationships with your audience for one. ChatGPT can never replace a human touch and understanding of the audience you serve. 

Likewise, it should never interfere with the quality of relationship with your co-workers or clients. Being transparent on how copy was created and the relationship of your team to that copy should remain at the forefront. As discussed above, a human still has to plan, prompt and polish a ChatGPT content piece. Use that as an opportunity to advance your relationship with your audience and not hide it. 

Specific questions of legality such as copyright and ethical applications are still emerging. We’ve already seen higher ed institutions question the use of it for entrance essays. This proves tricky since AI detection software is also quickly being released. 

Lastly, it’s not always right. Yes, it’s fast. Yes, it pulls information from around the web BUT is that information actually correct? It’s incumbent on the user to check the information and the grammar just as if you were pulling it fully yourself and critically think about the content you choose to publish. 

Our bottom line is and remains: humans first, always. Tools can be great enhancements to how we do work, but should not overcome the relationships between each other. 

More about AI on the Social Pros:

Greatest Hits: How AI Impacts <a href=Social Media” width=”490″ height=”245″ srcset=”https://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/EP-559-Blog-Image-768×384-1.jpeg 768w, https://www.convinceandconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/EP-559-Blog-Image-768×384-1-300×150.jpeg 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px” />

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What Does “Strategy” Actually Mean to CMOs?

What Does "Strategy" Actually Mean to CMOs?

As the new year approaches, CMOs are working with their teams and vendors to set their 2023 marketing strategy. But what does “strategy” actually mean to them?

As president of the only PR agency in the U.S. dedicated to B2B SaaS, representing companies from growth-stage to publicly traded, “strategy” is a word I hear often. 

To you, strategy might be developing specific tactics to achieve definitive outcomes. To me, strategy could mean combining art and science to reach a broader goal. To your CEO, strategy might mean something completely different than either of us. 

The ambiguity about the word “strategy” is that it can be defined as all, any or none of the above.

I recently spoke to top SaaS CMOs about what strategy means to them. Here’s what I heard:

“Strategy” means…

  • Playing chess, not checkers — thinking about the long game.
  • Creating defined objectives and key results.
  • Making data-driven decisions.
  • Using competitors and the market to inform actions.
  • Determining the “how” and “where,” not the “what.”

So, what does this all mean for you?

Figure out what “strategy” means to your CMO.

“Strategy” touches every single line on a CMO’s priority list — from defining brand purpose to putting measurement practices in place, which are two of the areas Forrester recently cited as CMO trends to drive B2B marketing growth.

It can be an interesting conversation when your CMO walks in and asks, “What’s the strategy for our _____ efforts? (insert “PR,” “content,” “advertising,” etc.)?” if you haven’t quite yet figured out what they mean by the word. Sure, you could guess what they mean because you probably know them pretty well — but if we’re honest, we’ve all been there at least once, and we know it typically ends up in piles of rework. While the examples I shared above give us a good idea of how your CMO might define strategy, they aren’t your CMO’s exact definition so you have to figure it out for yourself.

If you don’t already know the overall marketing strategy which maps to the larger business strategy, start there! You need to understand your organization’s broader business goals to align your departmental strategy. Then, ask questions to get to the heart of their expectations, like, “What aren’t you seeing in our current plan that you need to see?” and “What do you see as the ideal outcome of executing a ___ (again…insert “PR,” “content,” “advertising,” etc.) strategy?”

Reframe your work to fit their strategic lens.

Sometimes, “strategy” is just reframing what you’re already doing to fit the lens your CMO is looking through by asking the right questions. Often, a robust discussion about competitors, data, the market or specific campaigns can leave the CMO feeling you are aligned on strategy — even if it doesn’t change anything specific about the tactics you’re executing. 

Once you get to the bottom of what “strategy” means to your CMO, you can reposition your current efforts to align with how they define the term. 

For example, as a PR firm, while we execute similar tactics across our client base, we always develop a unique strategy that changes based on a client’s growth stage and business objectives. For a Series B company focused on customer acquisition and expansion, our announcement strategy (there’s that word again) will look different from an announcement strategy for a Series D company focused on business optimization for an exit. The same goes for a thought leadership strategy for a CEO focused on employee retention versus a thought leadership strategy for a CEO looking to exit in the next 12-18 months. 

The bottom line

Strategy means something different to everyone, and that’s OK. As a marketing team member or vendor, your job is to uncover how the CMO defines the term and adjust your communication and tactics accordingly.

About Lindsey Groepper

As President of BLASTmedia, Lindsey is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and operations of the B2B SaaS PR agency, as well as driving client acquisition. Over the past 15 years with BLASTmedia, Lindsey has managed PR campaigns, led account teams and brought key clients on board for the agency, ranging from well-funded SaaS start-ups to publicly-traded powerhouses. 

Lindsey is both a featured speaker and regular media contributor to outlets like Forbes, Inc. and MarketingProfs. In addition to her role at BLASTmedia, Lindsey was Principal at a recently-acquired digital advertising agency and BLASTmedia Ventures, an investment company providing capital and marketing support to technology start-ups.

Prior to joining BLASTmedia, Lindsey worked at Fleishman-Hillard Chicago in the consumer marketing practice group. At F-H, she was responsible for executing national PR campaigns for global brands like Nike, Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Abbott Labs.

Lindsey graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, major of Public Relations.

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