Do's and Don'ts for Cannabis Marketers Using AI-Language Programs Like Chat GPT
Leveraging AI-Language Programs Successfully in Your Cannabis Marketing
Artificial intelligence (AI) seems like it’s everywhere in the marketing world these days, with marketers across many sectors experimenting with leveraging AI-language programs like ChatGPT to efficiently create content at scale. These programs can serve as a valuable tool for cannabis marketers, but they do come with their own set of challenges. Let’s dive into some key do's and don'ts for using AI-language programs like ChatGPT in your cannabis marketing.
Do: Experiment with AI-Language Generators
The best way to learn is by doing. We recommend experimenting with different AI-language programs in your marketing campaigns. AI-generated content can be especially useful for startups and companies with very little marketing budget. With the strategic ideation and skilled editing of a talented cannabis marketer at the helm of your content program, you can harness AI to create excellent content for blogs, emails, social media and more.
Do keep in mind, however, that you won’t be the only brand using AI-generated content in your marketing—far from it. Many marketers are now utilizing AI-language programs to varying degrees, which may lead to a general homogenization of content across the web, or worse. In a world where cannabis brands are fighting against the biggest cannabis enemy—commoditization—don't make your marketing just another commodity.
This is where talented cannabis marketers who can follow the tenets of journalism and differentiate their content with unique perspectives, lived experiences and creative writing will demonstrate outsized value.
Don't: Neglect the Importance of Human Expertise
While AI-language programs are great for rapidly creating content, they cannot replace the expertise that skilled cannabis marketers bring to the table. This is especially true for longer, more complex pieces of content, and for highly creative marketing projects. AI-language programs can create solid first working drafts for a lot of content, but they usually don’t come out looking ready for prime time.
At Grasslands, we’ve spent a lot of time creating different types of content with various AI-language platforms, and one thing they all have in common is that they need fairly heavy editing from a human. Much of the time, AI-generated content simply isn’t that engaging or clever unless it’s edited by a skilled human writer.
Many pieces of AI-generated content also suffer from issues like inaccurate or outdated information, fabricated sources, odd narrative structures, typos, missing punctuation and so forth. It’s also worth remembering that AI-language programs are trained using content from the internet, and in the case of cannabis, a lot of the available content is riddled with prohibitionist messaging and other problematic views.
Given the tight regulatory landscape and delicate sociopolitical context surrounding cannabis, you will always want an editor who is well versed with your brand and with cannabis marketing to review the AI-generated content you produce.
Do: Use AI-Language Programs to Create Personalized Cannabis Content
One of the best advantages of AI-language programs is that their efficiency can empower marketers to create personalized content tailored specifically to individuals and target audiences based on their interests and browsing history. By gathering customer information to create robust buyer personas, and then leveraging those to customize your content, you can amplify engagement and boost conversion rates. For instance, if you're aware of a customer's interest in edibles, you can send them a targeted email containing exclusive promotions tailored to their preferences.
Don’t: Spray and Pray AI-Generated Content
While there are no doubt many skilled, thoughtful and strategic marketers utilizing AI to create high-quality content, there are also many not-so-skilled marketers and bad actors who are using AI to pump out tons of meh content that they are publishing with little to no human editing. Saturating the web with low-quality content is not a smart SEO play. Google considers this a violation of its spam policy and is very good at automatically identifying and weeding out this type of content.
Do: Utilize AI-language Programs for Social Media Content Creation
AI-generated content is becoming a powerful tool for social media marketing in many industries, cannabis included. With AI-language programs, you can easily create and schedule posts for your social media channels. Many AI programs can also analyze trends and monitor engagement rates to optimize your content for higher conversions.
AI-language programs are especially good at generating short bits of relatively simple, straightforward content, making them well suited for social media post copy. Just remember to check that any AI-generated content complies with all applicable marketing rules and regulations before you share it on social media.
Don't: Over-Rely on AI Tools for Your Cannabis Marketing
AI isn’t a silver bullet for your content program. While AI-language programs can provide valuable assistance, they cannot replace great marketing strategy or genuine creativity. The cannabis market is complex and rapidly evolving, and AI programs are often playing catch up.
Innovative content and clever brand differentiation are key to standing out in a competitive landscape like cannabis. And AI-language programs can’t yet replicate the creativity and innovation of talented humans. Marketers who are skilled at utilizing AI-generated content to enhance their efficiency while maintaining their creative edge are golden.
Do: Stay up to Date with Emerging Technologies and Regulations
Technology is constantly advancing, and we’re only in the early days of AI large-language model programs. We’re likely to see many technological and regulatory developments in the coming months and years. Staying informed about emerging technologies will help you stay ahead of the competition and create more personalized experiences for your customers.
Want to learn more about how Grasslands can leverage AI to supercharge your cannabis brand's content marketing program? Let's talk!
Note: This blog was drafted by an AI-language program and took about 2 hours to revise and edit. Curious to see what this blog looked like before I edited it? Here ya go:
