ChatGPT for Paid Marketing: Top 5 Use Cases for 2024

ChatGPT has recently dominated headlines and changed how we think about text content. First, however, it’s crucial to dive deeper into this new technology to understand how to use it correctly and what it can take on. 

Interested in learning more? Keep reading to learn how to use ChatGPT in paid search marketing today.

A Quick Intro to ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the latest release from OpenAI, a company at the forefront of generative AI. OpenAI is responsible for ChatGPT, GPT4, its predecessors, and the AI art generator DALL-E. GPT3 and GPT4, the basis for ChatGPT, is a Large Language Model (LLM) currently considered one of the best models.

You may have seen news stories or people on social media praising, criticizing, or thinking it’s the end of writing as we know it.

In reality, it’s an impressive technology, but it’s not the end of using experts to write and refine your paid marketing ads. However, it does have some robust use cases you can use immediately to streamline and improve several aspects of your paid marketing campaigns.

Let’s briefly discuss expectations and how to write prompts, then dive into robust use cases so you’re ready to put ChatGPT to work to help your marketing efforts.

Have Realistic Expectations for ChatGPT for Paid Marketing

Before we get into the exciting ways you can use this new technology 

• Prompt engineering is vital: Some people use ChatGPT and are amazed at the results, while others walk away thinking it’s nothing but a gimmick. A big reason for these varied reactions is the prompts themselves. We’ll explore this more below, but for now, understand that writing the perfect prompt is necessary for any possible use case you want to explore.
• Information is a few years old: GPT3, the LLM behind ChatGPT, was trained on a 2021 dataset. This means ChatGPT will not know about recent events, data, or companies that didn’t exist back then. This isn’t an issue for many eCommerce businesses, but it’s worth considering depending on your market and use case.
• Use ‘human in the loop’ (HITL) processes: ChatGPT automation is undoubtedly possible using OpenAI’s API. However, OpenAI’s safety best practices suggest using HITL processes to review any content before it’s used in any public-facing manner. So while you may be able to use the API to automate ad copy or headlines, you should still have a marketing manager reviewing output before it’s used.
• You can always regenerate the response: Sometimes ChatGPT will produce a completion you don’t like or doesn’t even make sense. You can click the ‘regenerate response’ to tell it to try again. But first, click the down thumb within the app to provide feedback to OpenAI.

Don’t get us wrong; we’re excited about ChatGPT and what it can do for marketing. Yet, realistic expectations are vital to set the stage for the use case we’ll discuss below.

Writing a ChatGPT for Marketing Prompt

So how do you actually use ChatGPT? Start by heading over to chat.openai.com and setting up an account. First, you’ll have to verify a phone number; then, you’re ready to go.

As of this writing, ChatGPT is a ‘free research preview.’ That further highlights its limitations and indicates it won’t be free forever. However, if we look at OpenAI’s other platforms, which are paid per usage, we can see how ChatGPT will likely head in the same direction. So if it becomes a permanent part of your processes, be prepared to pay for it down the road.

ChatGPT is all about prompts. The platform analyzes your prompt to generate the text, called a completion, that it believes best addresses the prompt. Additionally, you don’t need to ask questions. You can instead tell it what to do.

A strong prompt is extremely specific, while a weak prompt is too vague. For example:

• Weakest prompt: Write an ad for my online store
• Weak prompt: Write a Facebook ad for our new line of shoes
• Strong prompt: Write a Facebook ad for an ecommerce store selling men’s and women’s shoes from Nike and Adidas.
• Strongest prompt: Write a Facebook ad for an ecommerce store selling men’s and women’s athletic shoes from Nike and Adidas that comes in white, black, and red.

You can see how the more specific, the stronger. We’ll dive into specific output examples in the use cases, but you can try those prompts to get familiar with ChatGPT. Discover how the more specific you get, the better the result.

How to Actually Use ChatGPT for Paid Marketing

Let’s dive into how to use ChatGPT to enhance paid marketing efforts now that we’ve set the right expectations and you know the importance of prompts.

1. Create Ad Copy to Refine and Test

ChatGPT can help you come up with ideas you may not otherwise think of since it’s based on a massive amount of Internet content related to your business. 

Let’s use our strong prompt from above to see what ChatGPT comes up with:

Write a Facebook ad for an ecommerce store selling men’s and women’s shoes from Nike and Adidas.

Looking for the latest Nike and Adidas shoes to complete your wardrobe? Look no further than our ecommerce store! We offer a wide selection of men's and women's shoes from two of the biggest names in sportswear, with styles to suit every taste and budget.

Whether you're looking for running shoes, basketball shoes, or just a stylish pair of kicks to wear out on the town, we've got you covered. Our selection includes classic styles like the Nike Air Max and the Adidas Superstar, as well as the latest releases from both brands.

Plus, with free shipping on all orders and a hassle-free returns policy, shopping with us is easy and stress-free. So why wait? Browse our selection today and find your perfect pair of Nike or Adidas shoes!

You can see how it’s not perfect, but it’s also not unusable. You can pick and choose what you like and what you don’t like to create the backline of your next paid search marketing or social media marketing ad.

The above completion also highlights why you need a marketing expert to refine ChatGPT’s completions and make them truly effective ads. Then, run ads with the final result and thoroughly measure and test results.

Below, you can see how the Varos platform demonstrates your results alongside your industry peers. You can then improve your conversion rate, CPC, and other metrics to catch up to the pack and maximize your budget.

2. Conduct Competitor Research

You may be able to use ChatGPT to research the competition. For example, the below prompt can help you identify new competitors:

What are the top 10 companies like [your name or leading competitor’s name]

You can then conduct further research into each company independently or with additional ChatGPT prompts about what customers think of a company.

However, keep in mind that ChatGPT is based on a 2021 dataset. Therefore, it might not know about your actual competitors and make companies. That also applies to specific research — there’s nothing about ChatGPT that focuses on accurate information.

So it’s better to use the technology for broad research and drill deeper using more reliable methods.

3. Optimize Landing Pages

Landing pages are a vital element of your conversion funnel and directly determine the success or failure of your ad campaigns in generating revenue. You can use ChatGPT to create new copy or even use your existing landing pages to generate new copy.

For example, if you want a brand new landing page, you can say:

Write a landing page about a line of dresses for women from leading fashion brands for a store that offers free shipping and a 30-day return policy.

Welcome to our online store, where you'll find a stunning line of dresses from some of the world's leading fashion brands. Our collection is carefully curated to offer you the latest trends, timeless classics, and everything in between.

Whether you're looking for a formal gown, a chic cocktail dress, or a breezy sundress for the summer, we have something for everyone. Our collection includes styles from renowned brands such as Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger, to name just a few.

We’ve omitted the rest of the completion, but you see the overall idea. ChatGPT’s completion gives us a decent foundation to refine and improve.

You can also give ChatGPT links to work with. Your link can be your own landing page or a page you like. For example:

Write a landing page similar to [LINK] about a line of dresses for women from leading fashion brands for a store that offers free shipping and a 30-day return policy.

You’ll have a completion similar to the above, but it will also be informed by the link you provided. This technique also allows you to provide ChatGPT with newer information than the 2021 dataset.

4. Generate Email Campaign Ideas

This technique uses ChatGPT in a different way than the above use cases. Rather than asking for it to generate copy to improve and put to use, use it to help better understand what your customers might want to learn more about. For example:

What are people asking about athletic shoes before they buy?

Before buying athletic shoes, people often ask various questions related to their specific needs, preferences, and concerns. Some of the common questions people ask before buying athletic shoes are:

What type of athletic shoes should I buy for my activity? (e.g., running shoes, basketball shoes, cross-training shoes)

What is the best brand of athletic shoes for my feet and activity?

What is the right size and width of athletic shoes for my feet?

What materials are used in the shoes, and are they breathable and durable?

[Completion continues but is omitted]

You use these questions to drive your email campaigns. For example, your first campaign can address broader questions like what type of shoes to buy, then focus on materials or activity levels.

Additionally, you can use this same technique to inform creating new content for your site and social media posts.

5. Conduct Keyword Research

We should once again remind you that ChatGPT is trained on datasets from 2021 before diving into this use case. So if your business is in an industry that didn’t exist or was still new in 2021, you may need to wait for the next version of ChatGPT.

Additionally, remember that the platform is not doing real-time research about keywords. 

Yet, since it was trained by analyzing Internet content, it can offer unique insights about what keywords to consider for your search marketing campaigns and overall strategies. For example:

What are the top 10 keywords for athletic shoe stores?

Here are ten possible keywords for athletic shoe stores:

Athletic shoes

Running shoes

Sneakers

Cross-training shoes

Basketball shoes

Fitness shoes

Performance shoes

Sports shoes

Footwear

Sports gear

That completion has nothing remarkable, but what if you did 100 keywords? Or 1,000? Generating a massive list of keywords and then moving on to your established keyword research processes.

Team Up with Varos to Maximize Your Paid Ad Marketing

ChatGPT is a valuable tool, and its use cases will undoubtedly continue to grow and mature as the technology evolves. It can already be used to help streamline several essential marketing tasks but remember that it’s not perfect. You or a marketing team should still be closely involved with the ad creation process and follow tried and true testing methods to determine what works.

Partner with Varos to better understand the results of your ChatGPT-powered marketing efforts. Our platform displays your real results right alongside your peers so you always know how you compare, as you can see below:

Ready to unlock real-time competitor benchmarking to make the most of every marketing dollar? Sign up or book a demo with Varos today to get started.

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About the Author

Yarden Shaked

Co-founder & CEO at Varos

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