3 Ways to Use ChatGPT for SMS Marketing
ChatGPT is all the rage, but how can it enhance your SMS marketing strategies? Read on to find out more.
OpenAI’s newest technology, ChatGPT, began making headlines in late 2022 as the public started experimenting with this hyper-intelligent chatbox. Some were asking the tool to write college-level research papers, while others were using it in quirkier ways, like prompting it to draft a script of a “Seinfeld” scene in which Jerry needs to learn the bubble sort algorithm—complete with jokes and notes of audience laughter.
While it’s fun to ask it to write a poem about your cat named Leonard in the style of Edgar Allen Poe (yes, we tried it), there are other real-world applications and ways it can benefit you, particularly in the workplace.
In our guide below, we address some of the benefits and limitations of this AI technology and then discuss some potential ChatGPT SMS uses for marketers.
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What is ChatGPT?
Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is a chatbox that delivers text-based responses. An example of generative AI technology, it’s a natural language processing tool that has conversations with the user. In short, you can ask it questions or give it instructions, and it’ll provide a response using its database of information. The technology is programmed to understand words in context and string them together to make cohesive sentences.
So, what exactly can ChatGPT do? Well, it depends on what you’d like to accomplish. ChatGPT can hold a conversation with you (go on, ask it what you should eat for breakfast today), help you solve math problems, write poetry, and even code for you.
As for the best uses of ChatGPT in the marketing world, it can compose emails, product descriptions, social media posts, ads, and blog articles. It can also answer customer service inquiries, conduct customer surveys, analyze customer data, and more.
Want to experiment with the tool yourself? Head to OpenAI.com and create a free account.
Pros and Cons of ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a powerful and intelligent tool, but of course, it has limitations, so we listed a few pros and cons of using this technology in the workplace.
Benefits:
This chatbox has a lot of interesting perks, but some of the best ones involve doing big tasks in less time than it would take a human. For example:
- It can create content at scale: Sometimes, you just need a lot of copy all at once, but organizing all those writers and editors takes time you might not have. ChatGPT can produce high volumes of content at the drop of a hat.
- It can analyze and organize data in minutes: Have some data to sift through? ChatGPT can turn unstructured data into structured data and summarize findings.
- It can brainstorm ideas for you: Whether you need help ideating around a new product or coming up with blog topics, ChatGPT can assist.
Limitations:
As impressive as this technology may be, it’s not something you can turn on and let rip without any oversight. ChatGPT is still very much in its infancy, meaning it still requires human intervention to ensure it’s producing accurate content. Some of its limitations include:
- You have to “teach” it: ChatGPT doesn’t always get it right the first time, so you may need to tweak your instructions and provide additional information until it better aligns with your request.
- You have to edit it: ChatGPT has good grammar, but that’s not to say its content doesn’t need a second set of eyes. This technology is still learning, so it may not catch every nuance, understand all idioms and slang, or realize the need for a semi-colon in a particular instance.
- You still have to fact-check: ChatGPT doesn’t have access to the internet, so it works solely off its trained data, leaving room for errors. Moreover, the tool has limited knowledge of the world past 2021.
3 Ways to Use ChatGPT for SMS Marketing
With a clearer picture of the strengths and weaknesses of this tool, let’s discuss ways you can use ChatGPT in marketing and how to incorporate it into your SMS strategies.
#1
Content Ideation
Not sure what to discuss in your SMS marketing messages? Or have you hit a wall while brainstorming new ideas? ChatGPT can help.
If you’re looking for some high-level ideas, you can enter a simple request, such as asking for content themes around a certain subject.
In the example below, we asked ChatGPT to provide text messaging themes focused on a company’s at-home exercise equipment. It suggested writing content around convenience and accessibility, versatility and flexibility, and health and wellness—not bad, right?
The more information you provide, the more elaborate the response.
As you can see in the following example, the more detailed instructions generated a more detailed answer. We offered details about the exercise equipment company and the products it offered.
In response, ChatGPT gave SMS marketing ideas focused on time-saving workouts, personalized fitness plans, and innovative technology. Using these suggestions, you could create a robust SMS marketing campaign around those topics (or ask ChatGPT for help with that, too).
#2
Content Creation
If ChatGPT can write poetry and research papers, you better believe it can help you craft SMS marketing content, too. You can put it to work, drafting sample text messages to send to your customers.
For example, we asked ChatGPT to give us some SMS messaging ideas around a summer blowout sale at a clothing shop. It spits out various messages, including aspects we didn’t mention, such as “breezy dresses” and “stylish shorts.”
You can always tweak the copy to align with your inventory or adjust your instructions for a more refined output.
For instance, in the next example, we provided more details, including when the sale ended and the kinds of attire we sold, to get a more tailored response. Further, we gave it a character limit to keep within the SMS parameters.
These examples can certainly be helpful, but when using ChatGPT for marketing, it’s sometimes best to use them as inspiration rather than exact matches. After all, your customers still appreciate a human element in your copy. And remember, the tool isn’t always 100% correct, so you’ll still need to edit and fact-check all marketing copy before clicking “send.”
#3
Streamline Research
Much like a search engine, ChatGPT can help you with market research, too. The beauty of this tool is that it provides easily digestible information specific to your queries.
Let’s say you’ve just opened your organic skincare brand in San Francisco, but you’re having trouble narrowing down your target audience for your customer profiles. Again, ChatGPT to the rescue!
When we asked for assistance, the tool offered several angles that might help you find your niche, such as focusing on those who are environmentally conscious or who have sensitive skin. It even provided suggested demographics.
From here, you could provide it with more information you already know about your customers to see if it brings up other helpful insights. Of course, you’d want to do additional research, but this offers a helpful starting-off point.
Bonus: Collect Data
As for additional ChatGPT digital marketing purposes, you can use it to collect customer data./
For instance, you can illicit ChatGPT’s help requesting feedback or asking your customers for additional information, like their email addresses and locations.
In the next scenario, we prompted the tool to offer text message examples asking surf shop customers to complete a survey. As you can see, the technology even got creative with surf lingo, adding a Hawaiian twist to the marketing language with words like “aloha” and “mahalo.”
In other instances, you could enter information, from customer data to sales results, and the tool would organize and summarize the findings for you. Again, cutting down the time it would take for you to manually sift through the data yourself.
Regarding the ChatGPT marketing sphere, this technology can benefit the industry, but marketers, rest assured, it’s not robust enough to take over your jobs just yet. This technology still requires a lot of hand-holding and human oversight. For now, we see it as a promising tool to enhance—not replace—existing marketing tasks.
Find Out More About EZ Texting
SMS marketing opens up a new way of communicating and engaging with your customers. If you’re ready to take your marketing strategy up a notch, it’s time to learn more about our EZ Texting SMS platform. Contact us to learn more!
