When to use AI in marketing

When you need a brainstorming buddy

Brainstorming is one of the most popular AI use cases: according to Adobe, 64% of people use AI for research and brainstorming. A Mediaforta survey also found that 62% of content creators use AI for idea generation. You can ask a tool like ChatGPT to generate any number of potential content topics related to your subject matter, and just like that, you have a large pool of ideas to choose from.

This is a great way to quickly fill up content calendars – a process that, when done manually, can be lengthy, exhausting and limited by your own gaps in awareness. But AI excels in generating large quantities of information from a much larger database than the one in our brains – it can even suggest angles you hadn’t previously considered. Even if you don’t like any of the suggestions, they will probably still lead to ideas of your own.

When you need a work assistant

Creative work involves a great deal of ruminating. Copywriters, for example, spend a lot of time searching for the perfect word, formulating the most impactful tagline, or crafting a seamless segue from one idea to the next. It takes much time, effort and failed attempts to produce a brilliant final product.

However, this process is also time-consuming – worse, it can cause the infamous writer’s block. An AI tool can help push past this block: when I get stuck on a word, AI can quickly offer a number of relevant synonyms, for example, or suggest ways to rephrase or polish a sentence so I can move on with the rest of my work. Mediaforta’s AI survey reveals that 59% of content creators also use AI for writing assistance, aiding them with research, questions, ideas, translation, outlines and editing.

AI can also help develop a general idea and break it down into subtopics, and even suggest a structure for a website page, article or blog post. However, this approach works best in the hands of experts: someone who can’t recognise good writing won’t be able to spot mistakes, robotic or unnatural phrasing, gaps in logic or clunky transitions.

To critique your work

One of the hardest parts of marketing and creative work alike is not knowing how it will be received by the intended audience. Before putting it in front of their eyes, it can be helpful to ask AI to imagine what the recipient might think.

For example, if your target audience is small business managers in the insurance sector, you could ask AI to read the copy on your website from that person’s eyes. It will give you an idea of how it’s coming across and give you tips to improve it for that audience. To take the most advantage of this use case, you should have already developed a detailed client persona and understand their needs, preferences and pain points.

To automate repetitive tasks

Marketers can spend hours on rote work like writing and scheduling social media posts, image alt texts, emails, meeting notes, data entry… and it’s not always the best use of your time. However, study after study finds that marketers spend a large portion of their time on routine tasks – one study by Airtable and Lawless Research found that marketers spend an average of 18.8 hours per week on manual tasks; another survey by Asana discovered that such work makes up around 63% of marketers’ time.

Despite this, Mediaforta has found that only 31% of content creators use AI for automation. Still, those who do find it useful for tasks like transcriptions and SEO, which can free up time for strategy, planning and creating. Other ways to automate tasks with AI include content repurposing – for instance, turning a white paper into social media posts and scheduling them automatically. You can also ask AI to generate a pithy, engaging summary of a recent blog post for your newsletter.

To write content… but not really

A writer colleague once said that she sometimes asks AI to write articles for her – not to use the final product, but to know what not to write.

AI generates an amalgam of what everyone else is already saying about this topic on the internet, so use it to think outside the box. What is your point of view on this topic? What can you add to the conversation that’s original and exciting?

What to leave to the humans

Relationship building

Human beings have a unique ability to form bonds: we’re social creatures, after all, and rely on each other to survive and thrive. Our relationships are rooted in physical interactions, communication, cooperation and empathy – something that no technology, no matter how advanced, can ever replicate. In fact, a recent study by KPMG has found that one of the biggest concerns around AI use is the loss of human interaction and connection.

Only a human can talk, listen and truly empathise with another human. This ability to connect with others and see things their way is paramount for impactful creative work and successful marketing. Building lasting relationships is what keeps teams together and customers loyal, and it’s worth every ounce of effort.

Cultural sensitivity and nuanced perspectives

Very often, marketing involves spending hours each day in someone else’s shoes: strategies and content need to resonate with an audience that you don’t necessarily fit into yourself. This demands a level of contextual awareness that a machine can’t match: marketers are experts at developing a deep insight into the cultural, social and professional context of their target audience.

In addition, if you’re dealing with sensitive topics or social issues, it can be risky to outsource efforts to AI, as it can come across as tactless. Human beings are still the best at navigating situations that require nuance and sensitivity.

Work that requires deep expertise or first-hand experience

A person who has spent years developing their craft and acquiring knowledge is irreplaceable, and the most qualified for tasks that demand specialist insight, contextual understanding and critical thinking. These skills are acquired through hard-won experience, which gives them the discernment to evaluate complicated circumstances, weigh layered issues and make judgment calls.

Actual creative work

According to a 2023 report by the World Economic Forum, jobs that require creative thinking and emotional intelligence are among those that AI can’t replace.

Creative work is a quintessentially human skill that has the potential to inspire, move and transform. Humans have mastered how to tap into joy, compassion, frustration, empathy, curiosity and all other emotions through their creative work – emotions that AI can only ever mimic.

No technology can experience the depth and breadth of human emotion, nor can it produce anything truly original and meaningful. It hasn’t gone through typical human experiences. It cannot relate to a person on an emotional level. It cannot understand what motivates you, what inspires you and what frustrates you. Our very human ability to use creativity to connect with one another is our greatest and most invaluable resource.