AI in Marketing – The Dos and Don’ts

AI is everywhere; it’s on social media, in your phone, and it’s even in the washing machine. So, it’s no surprise that it’s present in marketing. But there are tactful ways to use it and others that we discourage. 

Remember, it’s a Language Learning Module (LLM) and therefore predicts the most common answers, sharing what it thinks you want to hear. That’s why it’s important to fact-check and be critical in your thinking.

We’re sharing the Do’s and Don’ts of AI in Marketing so you know what you can implement and when to steer clear.

The Do’s of AI in marketing

AI is a valuable tool, and utilising it can help you stay ahead of the competition. It can streamline your workflows, keep fresh ideas flowing and assist with reaching your target audience more successfully. 

When harnessed and used correctly, it’s an effective way to improve efficiency, boost creativity and help make marketing decisions.

These are some of the ways we use AI in our day-to-day:

• To brainstorm potential audience groups
• To start social media captions, before they’re adjusted
• To render or airbrush marks on photographs or generate graphical elements
• To discover trends in the market
• To create frameworks or templates for documents
• To find resources 

At Red Herring Digital, we use AI thoughtfully, leveraging it to enhance our productivity and check off time-consuming tasks with the click of a button. There are never enough hours in the day, so using AI to our advantage means we can accomplish more.

How our team uses AI 

Zahra, SEO Specialist 

I use AI to help with keyword research, generating content ideas, on-page SEO checks, and writing copy, like meta descriptions.

It makes the process faster and more efficient, but I always review and refine the results to ensure they’re accurate and match the strategy.

The formula I use is: SEO + Human touch + have an accurate goal for each piece of content

My AI Don’t

Don’t rely on AI content without editing. It still needs a human touch to be helpful and rank well for SEO.

Phil, Creative Director

Lately, I’ve been using AI a lot. I use it to code lengthy HTML code that would take 10 times longer to do if I had to type it all out manually. AI is great for bulk HTML coding, allowing me to style it myself to suit the application.

Aires, Developer

I use AI to whip up bits of custom code. That way, I don’t need to install big, clunky plugins that do 10 things when I only need one.

My AI Don’t 

Don’t rely on AI-generated content alone. AI isn’t foolproof, and using it to troubleshoot may not solve the problem. Speak with an experienced specialist; they’ll understand what AI may have missed.

Alana, Head of Strategy

I use AI to dig deeper into industry landscapes, uncovering valuable research, patterns, and resources that help us better understand the markets our clients operate in. It ensures we don’t miss critical context when building strategies. 

I’m also using AI to help develop a scalable data infrastructure that supports smarter, more consistent decision-making across projects.

Kim, Copywriter

I use AI as a creative springboard. It’s a handy tool for brainstorming, planning and sparking ideas. It helps collate research, which can otherwise be time-consuming, and points me in the right direction.  

By streamlining the planning stage of the writing process I can spend more time focusing on creating copy that aligns with brand voice and resonates with the target audience. Especially when there is a tight turn around.

Do you think AI is leading to a creativity crisis? Read more in The Creativity Crisis- AI and You

What not to do with AI in your marketing

AI is a great tool and when used well it can be an asset but misuse can have negative outcomes. We’ve seen some AI-generated shortcuts that might seem like time or money savers, but they can do more harm to your marketing strategy in the long run. 

These are some of the uses of AI we wouldn’t recommend:

• Don’t post blogs entirely written by ChatGPT

If you’re asking ChatGPT a question, it’s almost certain your competitors are asking the same thing. This means there’s a high chance of overlapping words, which will confuse Google and might result in them penalising your website or blog.

• Don’t use overly AI-generated content on social media

There is a lot of negative consumer sentiment toward AI-generated imagery. It’s seen as lazy and might harm your reputation with your audience.

• Don’t use Advantage+ Creative in Ads

Allowing AI to have free reign on your website and social content without the ability to approve designs is risky for your brand.

• Don’t allow AI to alter your website’s structure

Doing this can impact hyperlinks throughout your website and negatively affect your website’s ranking.

• Don’t solely rely on AI for ideas

Use it as a starting point to help you brainstorm, but add the human element back in. Plus, it’s likely suggesting the same ideas to others, asking the same questions. 

How to Use AI in your Digital Marketing

With the rise of AI, digital marketing has had to adapt to remain effective at reaching audiences where they are searching. When used strategically, AI can give your brand a competitive edge. 

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is a growing practice that puts your business in AI-generated responses on programs like ChatGPT. Instead of just ranking in search engines, we can help your brand rank and position it to be suggested to users who are shopping, browsing, or researching using AI tools. 

On social media, AI is a valuable asset. With interest-based targeting being phased out, let creative lead the way with Meta Ads, where you can have AI learn who your ideal audience is through their response to the creative elements of your ads, so it can target them more effectively.

Digital marketing is using AI to its advantage, to be more strategic, smarter, and creative, and your brand can benefit with the help of a forward-thinking digital marketing agency like Red Herring Digital. 

When leveraged properly, AI can be a powerful asset in your marketing toolkit. The key to harnessing it is knowing when to use it, how to guide it effectively, and, of course, when to lean on human expertise.  

Want smart, strategic marketing that can leverage the best of AI alongside years of real-world digital marketing experience? Book a strategy session today and see how Red Herring Digital can give your business a boost.