Should You Use ChatGPT for Content Marketing?

Content marketing is hotter than ever right now and shows no signs of slowing down. As a recent Forbes article explains, “Effective marketing and content creation are inextricably linked. It’s one of the best ways to regularly connect with your audience while boosting your reputation and credibility. ...[So,] in today’s digital-first consumer ecosystem, it’s increasingly important to generate content for potential and recurring buyers.” Echoing this sentiment, HubSpot has declared content marketing to be the most effective form of marketing today, saying, "Consistent, high-quality, and engaging content impacts audience decision-making more than any other technique."

As content marketing continues to be an effective lead generation and customer acquisition tool, companies are starting to evaluate whether new AI-based tools like ChatGPT can provide low-cost assistance with their ongoing content creation efforts.

The answer to the question of whether ChatGPT can save a company money compared to the cost of hiring a professional content writer or digital marketing company is obvious. Using ChatGPT costs a fraction of what a professional service of any type would charge because anyone at any level of the business can generate an article on any topic in a matter of minutes. There is no first-hand knowledge required or research needed to get an article created. You simply need to ask a few questions and copy/paste the answers into a document and voila, you have an article. The hours of brainstorming, researching, outlining, and writing that an experienced content writer would normally spend are replaced by an AI algorithm that aggregates existing content into an article in a matter of minutes. It’s free and it’s fast.

Sounds great, right? Maybe not.

Topics: Brand Management Marketing Trends Brand Integrity Inbound Marketing Content

Learning from the Sherwin-Williams Debacle

A colleague of mine has been living in his basement Airbnb rental for almost four months as he renovates the rest of his home. As is typical these days, every part of the project took longer than expected with the contractor running into delays getting materials and problems finding subcontractors to do the work. Finally in the home stretch, he and his wife gave the contractor an exact shade of Sherwin-Williams paint that they wanted used on the walls. This is not their first home renovation, and as such, they are picky about their paint. Previous experiences, both good and bad, have made them die-hard Sherwin-Williams brand loyalists.

But when the painting was complete, they immediately recognized that the paint they had requested had not been used. They asked if the painters had used Sherwin-Williams paint. They insisted they had.

Topics: Brand Management Brand Integrity

The Revenue Implications of Women Leaving Your Company

The pandemic hit many industries and demographics hard, but some shouldered the burden more than others. Women, especially working mothers, were overwhelmingly negatively affected.

In fact, the 2020 Women in the Workplace report revealed that 25% of working women and over 30% of mothers with young children were “contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce” with mothers citing increased domestic and child-care responsibilities as their primary motivation for doing so. The study summarized,

“Women in particular have been negatively impacted. Women—especially women of color—are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed during the COVID-19 crisis, stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security. The pandemic has intensified challenges that women already faced. Working mothers have always worked a ‘double shift’—a full day of work, followed by hours spent caring for children and doing household labor. Now the supports that made this possible—including school and childcare—have been upended. Meanwhile, Black women already faced more barriers to advancement than most other employees. Today they’re also coping with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community.”

While these challenges impact women individually, the cumulative effect of women leaving the workforce significantly affects the companies they work for as well.

So, how can B2B companies keep women among their ranks and on their leadership teams?

Topics: Revenue Growth Profit Leadership Strategic Revenue Growth B2B SMART Revenue Revenue Generation Sales Training Excellence Business Culture Business Development Brand Integrity Revenue Development Action Plan Change Management

How to Develop Your Company's Purpose

The second foundational question (FQ) in the Revenue Development Action Plan is:

What is your company’s purpose? Why are you here?”

In the early stages of creating a business there is a strong focus on developing a vision, a formal mission statement and company values. However, the company purpose is something that is often more elusive.

Most new businesses are primarily focused on generating enough revenue to be sustainable. Business owners may have a strong personal sense of why they formed the business, but that purpose is not always reflected throughout the company. As businesses grow, however, they may naturally begin to develop a purpose that drives strategic decision-making. This direction must be refined into a clear purpose statement or the company will aimlessly wander.

Topics: Brand Management Strategy Business Development Brand Integrity Revenue Development Action Plan

“Becoming a Thought Leader” – CAMPS Leadership Forum

Another Leadership Forum is happening in March for members of Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound (CAMPS).  The forum will be at the offices of Clark Number in Bellevue, WA on March 27. I will have the honor of presenting on the topic of “Becoming a Thought Leader”.

Topics: Leadership Events Brand Management CAMPS Brand Integrity

The Social Media Reality - Feel Good Sizzle but Without the Meat (Value)

Social media is an astounding tool in the new world of media. There is an opportunity to monitor ‘buzz’ (if that matters), make introductions and invitations, appreciate and recognize remarkable, tell a story and use as a customer service tool.

When you want to know the latest about volcanoes in Hawaii or hurricanes in Florida, there is no longer a need to wait for the 5:00 News. Twitter to the rescue, Facebook photos and videos are available. Many are provided by the humans who carry a camera and mini-computer connected to the Internet in their pocket. Government agencies and news companies are catching up and use social media tools to deliver ‘the latest’.

Topics: Brand Management Brand Integrity Social Media

The Reality of What’s What – Branding, Social Media and Humans

A hundred goals (maybe more) exist in the heads of those who are going bigger, conquering the world or changing the community. It can be difficult to line up the goals swirling in their heads. These goals are in the same mind soup, side by side with ‘old truth’ vs ‘new truth’, rumors, advice from future experts, news, big data, and ideas from a bestselling book.  (With potential distractions from ‘competitors’.)

As a result, the goals are not always aligned, and it is tempting to get ‘speed think’, make a decision now to get things done.

Today we want to remind you that ‘It is still a pig”, and a few other observations to keep it real for you about branding, social media and humans.

Topics: Brand Management Strategy Brand Integrity Social Media

Only Half of Americans Trust Business – What to Do About it

 

The public’s trust in business is in a period of steep decline. However, business is not the only casualty in this modern era of skepticism and distrust.

News headlines and everyday conversations reveal that trust in government, media, science, religion, law enforcement, and the judicial process are all dwindling as well. In fact, the 2018 Edelman Trust Index report declares,

“In a year marked by turbulence at home and abroad, trust in institutions in the United States crashed, posting the steepest, most dramatic general population decline the Trust Barometer has ever measured.”

It goes on to say that the cumulative effect of this distrust has negatively affected the American brand domestically and abroad.

Trust in American-based businesses has fallen 5% in the last year alone, adding to a disturbing downward trend that has left US businesses lagging behind their competition in other developed countries. This 5-point drop was the largest decline of any country surveyed globally.

Topics: Marketing Trends Statistics Brand Integrity