ChatGPT is here to stay; so it’s time to get on board. Here are answers to your most common questions, including how to use AI for keyword research, competition analysis, and more.
Artificial intelligence is a divisive topic . . . and one about which many people have an opinion. But whether you love it, hate it, or know nothing about it, AI is here to stay. You can either jump on board or risk falling behind the curve.
Of course, jumping onto the AI express train requires some basic knowledge about the tool, its uses, and how it’s proving useful to business owners like yourself. As always, our team is here to help. Consider this your introductory guide to using artificial intelligence, and specifically, ChatGPT.
Here’s a little secret: the odds are pretty high that you are already using AI in some way. Chatbots, grammar checkers, and writing tools are all founded on artificial intelligence technology. Of course, it’s your right to avoid this technology like the plague, but here’s why we recommend you embrace it (at least a little):
As different artificial intelligence platforms and applications continue to go mainstream, the technology is going to improve exponentially. If you dip your toes into this world now, it will be easier to follow the trends and decide when and where to apply them to your business.
While there are many different platforms in which you can interact with artificial intelligence, the current heavy hitter (as of 2023) is ChatGPT 3. We’ve written extensively about ChatGPT in this article.
In short, what you need to know about ChatGPT 3 is it’s an AI chatbot that participates in human-like conversations with its users. You can give it a prompt and receive an almost instantaneous response. You can also allow it to perform certain repetitive tasks—which is where it really comes in handy.
If you ask ChatGPT a question, it will give you an answer. But it is much, much more than a search engine.
A search engine, like Google, will take your question and direct you to the “best” place online to find the answer. ChatGPT, on the other hand, will take your question and create its own answer based on the huge amount of relevant texts it processes. (In both cases, you can’t assume that the answer you receive is 100% correct or unbiased.)
Another difference between ChatGPT and Google is that ChatGPT provides an ongoing experience. So, you can ask questions and follow-up questions. With search engines, each interaction is its own separate experience.
When ChatGPT first went mainstream, there was a lot of talk about its ability to create fresh new content within seconds. This is true . . . but if you try to use the app to write blog posts, emails, or website copy, you’ll find that it’s far less capable of creating engaging content than humans are. At least for now.
That said, there are some tasks that you can turn over to AI to aid in the content creation process. We’re about to cover some of those tasks in the next section . . .
As a business owner, you know that a huge part of playing the game is staying ahead of the competition. ChatGPT can help you do exactly that. Here are a few tasks that are made easier with AI:
If you ever need to translate a text into another language, ChatGPT 3 can be hugely helpful. By most reports, it works even better than Google Translate at interpreting foreign text into English and vice versa.
In the past, we’ve used ChatGPT to translate emails that are sent to recipients who speak another language. We’ve also used the app to help a client build versions of the same webpage in various languages. This was hugely helpful to the client, who was marketing a training course for pastors throughout several 3rd-world countries.
With all of this in mind, we do recommend that you be wary of translating texts that contain a lot of jargon, cultural references, or other phrases that are unique to a particular language. Like most translation apps, ChatGPT is more accurate when working with simple, easy-to-understand sentences. For that very reason, we recommend having someone fluent in the language proofread the result before you go live with it.
If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that content creation is huge for social media marketing, website creation, and SEO. But when you’re trying to create something new, fresh, and relevant, certain tasks can begin to feel repetitive. And heaven knows, even the most prolific of writers run into creative blocks from time to time.
ChatGPT 3 can be hugely helpful in this regard. We recommend that you start by asking it to generate headline options for blogs or website sections. Most likely, you won’t want to use any of the responses verbatim. But simply scrolling through the different options can kickstart your creative juices.
When you are sitting down to write your hundredth blog post or your thousandth email, it’s easy to feel like you are scraping the bottom of your creative well. When you find yourself in a rut, ChatGPT can help you generate fresh new ideas. Try interacting with the app by posing these kinds of prompts:
As you read through the responses you get from these prompts, you may find new ideas immediately. Or, you could follow a trail of thought by asking follow-up questions that lead you to your next great idea. Either way, you’ll get where you need to go.
Unlike traditional keyword research tools, ChatGPT does not have access to certain metrics like search volume. However, it can still be helpful throughout the process. Just like with content, you can brainstorm keyword ideas via simple prompts like, “Give me a list of hot tub SEO keywords.”
You can also check on industry trends by posing a question such as, “Who are the five most popular spa influencers?” Then, you can follow up with a prompt like, “You just gave me a list of popular spa influencers. Based on the posts and writings of those people, provide me with a list of relevant keywords.”
After you’ve gained a broad list of possible keywords that are relevant to your business, you can take those keywords to your favorite keyword research tools (like Semrush or Ahrefs) and further refine your process.
ChatGPT is great for analyzing data that is publicly available. So, instead of doing all the competition analysis yourself, you can turn to the app with a clearly worded prompt and receive data in a much quicker, simpler, and more direct way.
We recommend starting with a prompt like, “Name the five most successful hot tub companies in Ohio.” Then, you can follow up with a question such as, “How does my company, ToasterTubs, compare to these competitors?” Or, “Who is the customer base for [name of competitor].” From there, you can ask for ideas on how to target a similar audience, find ways to differentiate yourself from the competitor, and gain access to feedback about similar products.
These are just a few ideas to get you started with AI. The more you interact with the app, the more you can expand your vision and find new ways to integrate the technology with your daily, weekly, or monthly routines. As you do, remember that it’s a good idea to keep up with the latest trends regarding artificial intelligence. As the technology expands, so will its uses.
To stay in the loop, we recommend that you follow a relevant online resource or two—such as MIT Technology Review or AI Trends. You can also enroll in online courses or attend local events and seminars to keep up with the latest innovations and develop new skills. We also recommend following our resource section, because we won’t ever leave you in the dark about new and relevant digital marketing information!
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