Brought to you by Alex Kinker, Junior Account Director at Girlilla Marketing

Artificial Intelligence isn’t some far-off sci-fi concept anymore. It’s here, and it’s rapidly changing the way we work. While there’s excitement about what AI can do, there’s also a very real sense of panic. That panic isn’t unjustified. There is a tremendous amount of work we need to work together on to protect our integrity as human creators. With automation threatening to replace parts of the creative process, it's easy to feel uncertain about the future. But rather than resist it, I believe the better approach is to engage with it, thoughtfully and intentionally.

When I first started using AI, I didn’t dive in headfirst. I started small. One repetitive task. One platform. For me, it was social media captions. I typed into ChatGPT:

Was it perfect? Absolutely not. I removed most of the emojis, softened the tone, and rewrote it to sound more like my client. Now, several months in, AI is my best intern. I still guide it. I still edit and refine. But the rough first draft gets me past the blank page and saves me time on the hardest part: getting started. And because I spend less time stuck on the “how do I start?” part of a task, I have more time to focus on the things only I can do: strategic thinking, creative storytelling, and building meaningful client relationships.

If you’re new to AI, here are 5 ways I’m using ChatGPT right now:

1. Drafting Copy: Caption? Blog post? Email Newsletter? Provide a tone and topic, then edit from there.

2. Brainstorming Ideas: Ask for 10 short-form video ideas for the topic of choice.

3. Short-Form Video Scripts: Ask to turn the short-form video ideas into video scripts.

4. How-To Guides: Need to explain a specific platform tool to a client? Ask for a step x step guide.

5. Fast Math: Calculate percentage increases for monthly, mid-year, and yearly reporting.

Recently, there was a trend gaining momentum that I knew would be great for a client. To my surprise, Chat GPT knew the trend I was referring to, and with a couple of client descriptors, it provided several ideas for relevant text to add to the video. While the answers weren’t perfect, it helped jumpstart my creative process and I was able to quickly jump on a timely trend in a meaningful way. That was a huge win!

AI capabilities are evolving quickly, and as digital marketers, it’s our job to stay on the pulse, experiment, and adapt. If you are curious about AI tools that can assist you in your digital marketing endeavors, here are some options I’ve either explored or am excited to learn more about:

1. Chat GPT 4.0: The paid upgrade offers stronger writing, better creativity, higher image and file upload limits and advanced data analysis tools.

2. Canva Magic Studio: Offers text-to-image design tools for visual content.

3. Blaze.AI: Helps generate brand-consistent content like social posts, blogs, newsletters, emails, and ad copy, then schedules and repurposes it across channels.

4. Ocoya: Combines AI writing, design templates, and scheduling with a focus on visual tools.

5. Jasper: Helps create branded, multi-channel content. Its strength is in strategy and tone alignment.

At this present moment, AI isn’t here to replace us. It’s here to support us. It can’t build real relationships. It doesn’t understand nuance, emotion, or what makes your client unique. It doesn’t know their voice, their values, or their why. That’s still our job and privilege as digital marketers to convey and drive home to their audience. But AI is an incredible tool that can help you get started, stay consistent, and work smarter. So, try your best not to panic. Experiment. Take what’s helpful. Leave what isn’t. And make AI work for you.

Stay informed,
Alex