When ChatGPT burst into our consciousness just over two years ago it promised to revolutionize how humans work, think and live. AI soon became a buzzword that for many signified replacing humans with machines. And like many buzzwords, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also misunderstood. While it is transformational, it is not a do-everything click a button solve a problem program. So, is it possible to create a marketing plan with AI?
AI has impacted marketing, offering tools to automate tasks, analyze data, and generate ideas. Yet, like any technology, it has limitations. Over the next few weeks we will explore how AI can assist in various marketing tasks. To maximize the value of the blogs, I am making all of my prompts available for your use. Please try them out yourself. Look for areas where the prompts can be improved and share them. And after you run the prompts, please let us know your findings.
I am going to start with how to create a marketing plan with AI. This blog explores how AI can assist in creating a marketing plan, while highlighting the areas where human oversight is essential for success.
AI’s Strengths in Marketing Plan Development
AI excels in its ability to process large volumes of data quickly. It identifies trends, suggests strategies, and generates tailored recommendations. By analyzing audience behavior, industry trends, and competitor activities, AI can outline a framework for your marketing plan.
For example, AI-generated plans often include both inbound tactics, like blogs and email campaigns, and outbound methods, such as digital ads and public relations. This balance ensures comprehensive coverage across multiple channels. However, while these suggestions provide a solid starting point, they aren’t always nuanced or aligned with the unique characteristics of a business.
Case Study: Fertility Clinic
An AI-created marketing plan for a fertility clinic identified private equity consolidation within the fertility industry. This insight could be valuable, yet the AI failed to recognize it as either an opportunity or a threat. Additionally, the AI plan assumed low conversion rates were solely due to targeting issues, overlooking the role of the sales process.
When analyzing media recommendations, AI missed critical opportunities in traditional advertising, such as print or TV, which are still effective in some demographics. Furthermore, the AI’s suggestion to create more blogs, seminars and workshops felt generic. This particular center already excels in these areas, highlighting AI’s inability to recognize existing strategies being promoted.
Case Study: Personal Injury Law Firm in NYC
AI’s marketing recommendations for a New York City personal injury firm revealed both its strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, when prompted, the plan recognized the importance of focusing on specific practice areas like premises liability and birth injuries. However, the AI identified competitors that were irrelevant to the field, showing its limitations in understanding market dynamics.
Media allocation was another area where AI fell short. The plan suggested splitting a $180,000 traditional media budget evenly across billboards, transit ads, and local radio/TV. In the NYC market, this allocation is insufficient to create impactful campaigns in any of these channels. Moreover, the AI plan ignored programmatic advertising, a critical component for targeting younger demographics through CTV, native ads, and streaming video.
When creating a marketing plan for Metro Valley Advertising, again AI examined competitors who were out of market. In one case, we were compared with an agency in Seatle, WA. One of AI’s suggestions for improving my Unique Selling Proposition was good and has provided “food for thought”.
The Human Touch in AI-Driven Marketing
AI often relies heavily on digital media and grassroots efforts, like events and workshops. While these can be effective, they may not align with every organization’s goals or audience. For example, the AI’s heavy emphasis on community outreach may work for smaller firms but could underperform in high-stakes metropolitan markets. And as these tactics came up in almost every plan they felt “cookie-cutter”.
Humans bring depth and creativity to the table. Unlike AI, marketers can conduct interviews, understand a company’s culture, and uncover unique selling propositions (USPs). For instance, in one scenario, AI’s analysis of a brand’s USP was superficial. It lacked the context and emotional intelligence to offer new directions for differentiation.
Enhancing AI’s Output with Human Expertise
To get the most out of AI in marketing, marketers should view its suggestions as a foundation, not a final answer. Here are some ways to improve AI-driven plans:
Deepen Insights: Use AI to gather data, then apply human expertise to interpret and refine the results.
Focus on Messaging: AI can identify trends, but crafting emotionally resonant messages requires a human touch.
Provide as much Detail as Possible: Don’t assume that AI will know what is really most important to your company. Tell it. Create as much sales data as possible. From initial call to follow up emails, document the sales process is granularly as possible. Then give it to AI. These platforms thrive on data. Feed them.
Validate Competitor Analysis: Verify that the competitors identified by AI are relevant and adjust positioning strategies accordingly. You are better off listing your competitors than having AI guess.
Optimize Media Plans: Reassess media budgets and tactics suggested by AI to ensure they align with market realities. See if AI’s suggestions match your real-world data.
Combine Tactics: Integrate AI’s grassroots suggestions with scalable strategies like programmatic advertising to achieve a balanced approach.
Conclusion
AI is a powerful tool for creating marketing plans, but it is not a replacement for human expertise. We often talk about AI as an assistant. Use it as such. Its ability to analyze data and suggest strategies provides a valuable starting point. However, to develop a truly customized marketing plan, marketers must refine AI-generated insights, adapt media recommendations, and align tactics with business goals. AI is not sentient. Humans need to provide the real-world experience to the computer generated suggestions.
But, if you combine AI’s efficiency with human creativity and real world knowledge, you can create a marketing plan with AI that resonate with your audience and deliver measurable results.
For a copy of my prompts please email me: john@metrovalleyadv.com
