In this episode of the Marketing Smarts Live Show, we're diving deep into a topic that's been buzzing in the marketing world: ChatGPT. Is it a marketing dream come true or a disaster in the making?
Today's episode features Chris Carr, the founder and CEO of Farotech. Chris and Marketing Smarts host George Thomas explore the ins and outs of using ChatGPT in B2B marketing.
Why Being Human Matters
In a world where AI technology is compared to the invention of the printing press or even the atomic bomb, the question arises: How do we maintain our humanity in the looming digital landscape?
Chris Carr emphasizes that marketers can't afford to be ostriches, burying their heads in the sand. The AI wave is coming, and you can either ride it or get swept away.
But here's the kicker: Being human in your marketing efforts is not just a nice-to-have; it's a must-have.
Chris fears, however, that the future of AI could lead to the dilution of Internet content. If anyone can churn out content on any topic, the Internet could become a wasteland of misinformation.
So, how do you navigate that problem? By focusing on value. Chris suggests that before putting ChatGPT to use, companies ask themselves, "What kind of value can I bring?"
Are you just filling a keyword void, or are you genuinely adding value to the conversation?
The Brief: Your Secret Weapon
Chris recommends companies not write prompts from scratch. Instead, they should compile a brief that includes valuable information (i.e., text) they've already produced, industry statistics, and buyer personas.
The brief will guide ChatGPT to produce content that aligns with your brand and adds value to your audience. It's like having a treasure chest of insights that your AI assistant can draw from, ensuring that the content produced is not just fluff but valuable information that resonates with your target audience.
Success in the ChatGPT World
So, what does success look like when using ChatGPT?
According to Chris, success means you're able to bring more value because you're not bogged down with the mundane tasks that a robot can do. You start where the robot ends and take it beyond, layering value at the 50-yard line and sprinting into the end zone.
It's not about cutting corners; it's about enhancing your content strategy to deliver more value to your audience.
* * *
The episode with Chris Carr leaves us with a lot to ponder. As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of B2B marketing, the key takeaway is clear: technology should be an enabler, not a replacement for human creativity and value.
So, are you ready to ride the ChatGPT wave, or will you be swept away?
Make sure you don't miss any future episodes: Subscribe to the Marketing Smarts Live Show on YouTube. And to catch up on all previous episodes, check out the full playlist on YouTube.
Episode Details, Guest Information, and Referenced Links
Episode No. 50
- Live date: September 18, 2023
- Episode link: youtube.com/live/ZZetyawYgns
- Original podcast episode: ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster? Chris Carr on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]
Guest's social media profiles:
- Twitter: @Farotech
- LinkedIn: Chris Carr
MarketingProfs resources referenced in the show:
- The AI Conundrum: Should B2B Communicators Embrace ChatGPT?
- Six Ways B2B Marketers Can Use ChatGPT to Save Time and Improve Their Workflow
"In B2B News" article referenced in the show:
"From the #mpb2b Community" links referenced in the show:
Transcript of 'ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster? Chris Carr on Marketing Smarts
Chris Carr compares AI technology to the invention of the printing press or the atomic bomb—a massive shockwave that will change the world.
"If you are in the marketing space, you can't be an ostrich, you can't bury your head in the sand, and you can't pretend like this wave isn't coming," Chris says
You can either get ahead of it or get run over by it."
Among Chris's many fears about the future of AI is the dilution of Internet content.
If anyone can churn on content on any topic, after all, why not go to town and create the most content possible regardless of its accuracy or quality?
This and more with Chris Carr on this week's Marketing Smarts Live show.
Hello to all my Marketing Smarts Live viewers today. I'm excited to bring you EPISODE 50 of the Marketing Smarts Live show.
This week's topic is all about ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster.
So, if you're ready to learn, buckle up, and let's get ready to rock and roll.
Hey, I'm your boy George B. Thomas, speaker, trainer, catalyst, and host of this show, the Marketing Smarts Live show, as well as the Marketing Smarts podcast found on your favorite podcast app.
Our guest clips today are brought to you by none other than Chris Carr.
Chris Carr is the founder and CEO of Farotech, an award-winning digital marketing agency.
He started Farotech over 22 years ago, and he is widely considered an expert in digital marketing, Web development, and video production.
Chris is a contributor to Forbes and a member of the Forbes Agency Council.
He has also been a keynote speaker at various events, including Semrush, ExporTech, and International Trade Association. Chris hosts two podcasts, Thought Leader Magazine and Digital Marketing Masterclass.
Now, remember the clips of Chris Carr today are pulled from the full Marketing Smarts podcast episode, and if you want to listen to the full interview with Chris Carr and myself, make sure to tune into the Marketing Smarts podcast, link to the full show will be in the description below after the live show ends.
Now, in this episode, again, I'm talking with Chris Carr about ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster.
The fun thing about AI being released into the world is that id did not get shipped with a user manual. You have all types of people trying to use it in all types of ways.
Some in great positive strategic ways and others, well… not so much.
In our first clip, I asked Chris how the heck can people get started with ChatGPT in a way that makes sense and is a little more human and a lot less robotic.
Here's what he wanted to share.
Chris: Yes. I think that a lot of what companies don't do is that every time they write from scratch, what I recommend you do, is have a brief. The brief is everything of value that you've ever written. Then go to something like, if you do a simple Google search and type in HubSpot marketing statistics. Every year, they compile every marketing statistic. I also have in manufacturing industry, I collect all of their marketing statistics. Before I ever write a single article, I have plugged in what my buyer persona is, I put in statistics of the industry, I put in facts of everything I've written, I put in the quotes that I like.
I say to the AI before I start, "This is the buyer persona I'm reaching, please read everything above so that when you give me answers that you're using the proven statistics above, the approved quotes above, and as I write this article, please reference the things I've posted rather than the open Internet. Do you understand?"
Then I write an outline. I ask for statistical information on nearly every paragraph. From there, I have transition and contextual statements above and beyond so that the meat comes from approved stuff that I've already battle tested, I've already found out is it real, so that I don't put out hallucinated jargon
Are you writing from scratch or do you have a brief?
Do you have a bank of statistics for your industry?
Are you giving ChatGPT the instructions and information it needs to give you a quality output vs. possible junk and lies?
I'm curious. As you watch this, put an answer in the comments below.
Have you used ChatGPT to create an article and publish it live to the world yet?
Put the answer to that in the chat pane or let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #mpb2b and, of course, tag me using @georgebthomas.
We'll get back to Chris Carr and his thoughts on ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster, But first, I have to ask...
Are you part of the MarketingProfs community? If not, become part of the MarketingProfs community by heading to mprofs.com/mptoday - That's mprofs.com/mptoday.
Now, it's time for one of my favorite sections...
In The B2B News - Where we talk about breaking B2B news or really important tips we find on the Google news tab related to you and your B2B business. This week, the title is...
AI-powered marketing and sales reach new heights with generative AI By Richelle Deveau, Sonia Joseph Griffin, and Steve Reis
AI technology has revolutionized marketing and sales; now, generative AI promises to disrupt the way B2B and B2C players think about customer experience, productivity, and growth.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in marketing and sales.
And now, with the ongoing step-change evolution of generative AI, we're seeing the use of open-source platforms penetrating to the sales frontlines, along with rising investment by sales-tech players in gen AI innovations.
Given the accelerating complexity and speed of doing business in a digital-first world, these technologies are becoming essential tools.
Inevitably, this will impact how you operate—and how you connect with and serve your customers.
In fact, it's probably already doing so. Forward-thinking C-suite leaders are considering how to adjust to this new landscape.
This article will outline the marketing and sales opportunities (and risks) in this dynamic field and suggest productive paths forward.
To read this article, check out the link below when the live show ends.
So, let's get back to Chris Carr and his Marketing Smarts podcast episode.
In this clip, I wanted you to hear what Chris had to say when I asked what hurdle or hurdles Chris thought most companies might face when leveraging ChatGPT for their marketing efforts.
Chris: The easy thing is that they're not asking the critical question they should have asked before they had ChatGPT. What kind of value can I bring? What they are doing, unfortunately, we used to call it VOD, looking for keywords without high visibility, with less competition. They're flooding the less competition market. In other words, you're ranking for that because no one else wrote about it. That phenomenon is going to go away very quickly.
The problem is that just because you're ranking for that keyword now doesn't mean when they read it that they got any value from it. You just optimized for a keyword. What you're sort of doing is ruining the value chain of the Internet. I want you to think about you have a bigger responsibility as a company that if you're going to write content, don't be a mill, be a pillar.
Are you just filling the keyword void as your content creation strategy? This will be gone real quick.
Are you focused on maintaining the value chain of the Internet?
Are you creating content that adds value in a human way?
Are you focused on being a pillar of the Internet (AKA quality) or a mill of the Internet (AKA quantity)?
Now, those are some thoughts to think of!
We will get back to Chris Carr in a few minutes, but first, it's time for some...
Dope B2B Learnings From The Vault of MarketingProfs Articles
That's right; It's time to dig into the treasure trove of valuable information and pull out two pieces of gold to help you be a better B2B marketer.
Article one this week is: The AI Conundrum: Should B2B Communicators Embrace ChatGPT?
by Judith Ingleton-Beer
ChatGPT made history as the fastest-growing online platform; and, as of this writing, it has just 0.03% paid visitor traffic.
However, it has left B2B marketers and PR professionals scratching their heads and questioning just what the AI development means for their future business, sales, and marketing strategies.
The AI debate has set the scene for polarizing discussions in B2B communications. At the beginning of 2023, online polls asking how communications pros intended to use ChatGPT received divided results.
Many said they would let the generative AI tool write press releases or provide customer service responses, but others were keen to avoid the tool completely!
So, how should B2B communicators dip their toes into the AI waters before fully embracing it?
Article two this week is: Six Ways B2B Marketers Can Use ChatGPT to Save Time and Improve Their Workflow by Colm O'Regan
Marketers and copywriters are losing their minds over ChatGPT. Not all of them, mind you. But many people think they'll lose their jobs in the coming months and years.
There's no point in burying your head in the sand: Generative AI is here to stay, and it's only going to become more popular.
The good news is technology marketers can use AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Jasper to make their lives a lot easier. AI tools can lighten your workload, save time, and allow you to focus on more high-impact work, such as strategy.
In this article, Colm outlines six ways you can use ChatGPT to do that.
Want to keep learning more? If so, check the links in the description below after the live show to get access to both fantastic MarketingProfs articles.
OK, back to Chris Carr... Let's dive back into this conversation of ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster
In our third clip today, I wanted to get Chris's thoughts on what ChatGPT success looks like pertaining to content creation and B2B marketing efforts.
Here are his thoughts.
Chris: I think that what ChatGPT should be able to do is it should be able to say I was a content marketer, I ran an agency, and there was a ton of value that I wanted to bring my clients, but if you were to add up all the cool stuff that I wanted to do for this content piece, it was financially not viable for me to sell to a client. They don't want to buy a $4,000 blog from me. But now if I've saved time through ChatGPT, I'm not going to say I have cost savings, I'm going to say I am going to get to the extra value that I couldn't squeeze in because it was financially not possible.
What success means is not that you shave time and do nothing with it. Success means I'm able to bring more value because I'm not making the doughnuts, I'm not doing things that a robot can do. Success means that you have gone from the beginning to as far as the robot can take you, and then you've layered value at the 50-yard line and brought it well past the finish line.
That's what success looks like to me. Then, obviously, results-driven. Does it work? Does it stick? Does it rank? Does it say your mission? Does it sound like you?
Are you using ChatGPT to streamline your process?
Are you leveraging it to add more value to your clients if you are an agency or your customers if you are a company?
How are you making more time and adding more value to the Internet?
Are you layering value at the 50-yard line and well beyond?
Does your content sound like you?
We'll get some words of wisdom from Chris Carr here in a few minutes, but right now, it's time to turn the spotlight on you, the MarketingProfs community. Yep, time for...
From The #MPB2B Community
We searched far and wide in the #MPB2B universe to find amazing information and conversation to bring to the masses.
So, first, make sure you are using the hashtag, and second, make sure you have fun and add value to the community.
Then, we'll spotlight you or your crew on the show. This week, it's...
Lane Ellis - Social Media & Content Manager at TopRank Marketing, 10+ Year Pubcon Lead Editor, Search Awards Judge, 39+ Years Online
His post goes a little something like this…
What do top B2B marketers ?? love about the art and ?? science of B2B marketing? TopRank Marketing's new #FeelingB2B infographic offers up 12 ?? exciting takes from top speakers who'll be presenting during MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023 in Boston and online during the Oct. 4-6 event, including
- Ann Handley
- Joe Pulizzi
- Pam Didner
- A. Lee Judge
- Ahava Leibtag
- Wil Reynolds
- Mark Schaefer
- Michael Brenner
- April Dunford
- Andy Crestodina
- Justin Levy
- Lee Odden
Join me, and let's explore what makes B2B marketing ?? lovable: ? https://lnkd.in/gCkK67Jd
#B2BMarketing #MPB2B #Infographic #MarketingEvents #ElevateB2B
But you need to check out the description and click that link to check out the post and read and learn more!
Also, I hope to see you there!
Marketing Smarts viewer, I have to ask... are you going to be next to get the spotlight?
Remember, community, use the hashtag #mpb2b on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter and get the light shined on your awesomeness in the next episode or a future episode of the Marketing Smarts Live show!
Pro-tip: it won't hurt if you tag me in your post as well.
I'm @georgebthomas on LinkedIn and Twitter.
OK, let's kick it back to Chris Carr and some words of wisdom around this topic of ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster.
Here is what Chris Carr wanted to leave us with...
Chris: I think if you are in the marketing space, you can't be an ostrich, you can't bury your head in the sand and you can't pretend like this wave isn't coming. You can either get ahead of it or you'll get run over by it.
Henry Ford said, "If I asked them what they want, they would say they want a faster horse." If I was really honest, if I had my choice between a faster horse and the scariness of what AI is going to bring, I would choose a faster horse. I think it's better for society than the unknown that we have literally just unleashed. We set the beast out in the countryside, we set this fire, and we don't know if it's going to stop.
I do think to love the people around and love the ones you're with, because I think society is going to have massive changes whether you like it or not. If you keep the main thing the main thing, and you really try to focus on the values of why you started a business, why you started a family, why you have friends, why you're on the planet, just make sure you know that, because when something this seismic comes and hits with such a shockwave, don't let it take your soul.
Are you acting like this AI wave is not here or not coming?
Make sure you are learning about it, understanding how to use it, and also keep in mind what is essential in your life.
Now's the time to focus on your values and hold on to those tightly.
Stay human, and don't let AI take the souls out of your content creation or business value propositions.
Have you enjoyed today's journey? Let us know.
Use that hashtag #mpb2b on whatever platform you are joining us on.
* * *
It's time, ladies and gentlemen!
Head to the description below, click on the link to the full Marketing Smarts podcast with Chris Carr, and keep on learning more about ChatGPT: Marketing Dream or Marketing Disaster!
Remember, these were just a few clips for the original Marketing Smarts podcast interview. If you got value from today's show, hit that like, and better yet, share it with a friend.
To keep learning more, hit subscribe or watch additional MarketingProfs videos on your favorite social channel or head over to our YouTube channel if you're not there yet. Or, you can go tune into the original Marketing Smarts podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app.
Don't forget to become part of the MarketingProfs community by heading over to mprofs.com/mptoday - That's mprofs.com/mptoday
And as always, remember to be a happy, helpful, humble B2B marketing human, and will see you on the next episode of the Marketing Smarts Live show next week.
