ChatGPT is NOT your marketing department!

I’d like to start this article with a facepalm, a facepalm so hard it should hurt!

We have had several people get in touch with us recently, who are seemingly relying far too much on AI.

AI generated content

The most common, and most obvious AI reliance seems to come from people who quite likely type “write me a web page about X” in to their favourite large language model, then cut and paste. The end result being a page of em dashes (triple dashes), hypens, tick box graphics and, in the examples I’ve seen, minimal and poor content that will never convert.

I’m not saying that AI platforms shouldn’t be used for inspiration, but at least give them a decent prompt, fill in the gaps, add some personalisation, and make it your own!

AI generated marketing plan

Would you really rely on artificial intelligence to create your SEO or digital marketing plan? I certainly hope you wouldn’t, but some people are. They are quite literally trusting the fate of their business to ChatGPT.

The person that contacted me last week wanted Webbed Feet to optimise their content for search engines, but based on keywords that an AI suggested. Keywords that absolutely no one searches for. Do you see the issue? Oh, and this person had blatant AI generated content as well, brilliant.

AI generated project brief

“What specification should I give a web agency if I am after X, Y and Z?” Well, don’t put that question in to an AI and then send the web agency the result! Maybe start by telling the web agency what you’re after and seeing what they come up with… it’s their job.

We’ve had project briefs that were so specific they would alienate the majority of web agencies that received it, and those that did reply would quote themselves out of consideration anyway. The specification was massively overcomplicated, dated and contradicted itself. What we did was tell the client that the brief was blatantly AI generated and could they tell us what they were actually after.

Yes, large language models (LLMs) and other artificial intelligence systems are a very handy tool, and we use them in our marketing, of course we do!

But use them cautiously, and certainly don’t blindly follow what they generate, it’s a fast road to nowhere.

There are professionals who actually know what they are doing, maybe use them? Just a thought.

Worrying all of the examples above are from marketing folk, so maybe I’ll shut up and get my coat!

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