(As Seen on CUInsight) – For those outside our field, “marketing” sounds like one specialty area. But for those of us who are marketers, we understand that the term is shorthand for many areas of expertise. Writers, strategists, videographers, photographers, and graphic designers are among the many roles marketing encompasses, and within those areas are even more specialties: product marketing, social media, digital advertising, email marketing, webmasters, and the list could go on.
As marketers, we take pride in our craft. We pursue professional development opportunities, read the latest trade publications, listen to industry podcasts, and collaborate with each other to be sure we stay ahead of the curve as our field continues to evolve. But the pace at which marketing is changing is snowballing, moving faster and faster by the day.
It is imperative that, as marketers, we continue to grow and learn how to scale our content creation by leveraging the tools available to us. Credit union marketers often wear many hats and finding ways to save time and gain efficiency is always a win. The key is learning how to use those tools in ways that support our work—without sacrificing our unique voice as writers.
AI Isn’t on the Horizon: It Has Arrived in a Big Way
Artificial intelligence is here to stay. Writing has always been my superpower and, when AI began to really take off, I will admit I was a bit resistant to wanting to learn how to use it. It felt like cheating. I had spent years learning how to be an effective researcher, author, and editor. How on Earth could I start working with a robot?
Numerous marketing experts have said a version of, “AI will not replace your job. But someone who knows how to use AI will.” So, I began exploring. And experimenting. And devouring information about ways I could integrate AI into my MarTech stack and overall writing process. And I quickly realized the value of this incredible tool, which I now use daily. It is an evolving technology and there is something exciting about being part of learning it alongside everybody else. Be wary of anyone who says they are an expert in AI at this moment: we are truly learning it together and there are new tips and tricks to learn every day.
AI is not a replacement for us humans. We are the authors, editors, and publishers, in control of the final pieces of content we share with the world. We’ve long collaborated with colleagues and vendors. That doesn’t stop, AI just becomes part of our teams and routine processes.
There are tens of thousands of AI tools available today with more added all the time. Whether we are aware of it or not, AI is more and more often baked into tools we’re already using. As a standalone AI platform, ChatGPT is what I use most often, but it by no means is the only one to consider. Find what works for you, which may partially be determined by your organization’s AI policy.
What AI Has to Say About It
Despite this article being about AI, I did not start with AI. I already knew what I wanted to cover and took the traditional route of starting with the blank page and just writing. But I also asked ChatGPT, “What are some practical recommendations that you would give to a marketing writer on ways they can use AI as part of their process?” Part of the response simply couldn’t be stated better: “Great question—AI works best for marketing writers when it’s treated as a collaborative assistant, not a replacement for strategy, voice, or judgment.”
The key to working with AI successfully isn’t using it everywhere, it’s using it intentionally.
Putting AI Into Practice
Use all the tools in your toolbox, including AI. If as a writer you are trying to figure out where to begin, how to expand on your use of AI, and how to work with it in a way that feels ethical, authentic, and practical, here are a few use cases.
1. Brainstorming
Sometimes, content just pours out of us. Other times, the blank white page can be ominous—a daunting thing we somehow must fill. When the words aren’t flowing, AI is a great place to start. For a prompt, enter your general topic into the AI conversation pane and any key points you know you’d like to cover. Using a large language model (LLM) in a platform like ChatGPT, your question shouldn’t go in like a search engine query. Rather, it is a conversation that doesn’t have to end when the response is produced. You can ask follow-up questions, request further explanation, or even simply ask for additional options if nothing produced is resonating with you. Your brainstorm could be for blog, email, social post ideas, themes, or article outlines. AI is a fantastic tool for brainstorming multiple versions of headlines and subject lines. When using it as a brainstorming tool, you’re not looking for final, polished pieces, you’re looking for ideas that you can build on.
2. Editing
Repeat after me: everyone needs an editor. Even the strongest, most astute and experienced writers need a second set of eyes on their pieces. It is extremely difficult to proofread one’s own work because you know what you meant to say. It is easy to gloss over the typos and phrases that need to be reworked because it makes sense to you as the author. AI is an editor that is available 24/7. Just like with a human editor, some edits you may not like or agree with—and that is okay! You are the human in charge, the CEO of your writing. Some suggestions you will immediately recognize as making your writing stronger. Others you can decline to make if they don’t make sense or sound like you. Sometimes I’ll add a full piece to ChatGPT for feedback, but more often, I’ll be writing a paragraph or blurb of copy and simply ask, “Are there ways you suggest editing this piece to make it stronger?” or “How can I make this flow better?” Sometimes, the feedback is fantastic and other times not. You are the judge and author, and you have the final say in what goes into your piece.
3. Social Media
This may be my single biggest favorite in terms of using AI to assist with content creation. Whether you have an email campaign, an informative how-to document, or a piece of correspondence, any piece of content can be shared with AI, along with a prompt asking, “Can you please provide me with X number of social media posts for [insert platform here] based on this piece?” Within moments, you will have social media ready posts, complete with emojis (if you wish) and hashtags. It is very, very important to carefully review the output and edit as necessary. You want the posts to match your overall style and voice, and you need to ensure any stats and facts are reflected correctly.
4. Content Creation for Many Channels
In addition to social media content creation, a similar prompt can be used to repurpose content across many channels. A primary article can be repurposed into social posts, email copy, advertising, snippets, newsletter summaries, and more. Your prompt should specify the variations you are seeking, as well as any specific criteria such as word count, audience, and a call to action. Again, you are the judge and author: editing the output is essential and the final product is up to you.
5. Research
AI is an imperfect tool that is always learning and evolving. At this moment in time, it sometimes hallucinates and makes things up. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful as a starting point in research, and it is improving each and every day. Using it like a research assistant, not the final authority, is the right approach. Enter queries for research and ask that it include sources in the output. Always, always fact check anything you gain that you intend to use as a citation in your work. In addition to generating resources, AI can be used to help curate common themes and to create interview questions that you can use to obtain information from known subject-matter experts.
6. Ensuring Voice, Brand Standards, and Style
If your credit union has multiple authors, it can be helpful to use AI to ensure your voice, brand standards, and style are consistent. AI can be trained by providing samples or your style guide. Then, you can add pieces to AI and request edits be made that align with the samples and style guide you’ve provided. One caveat: Never add confidential or proprietary information into AI tools. AI is always learning and will take any inputs you provide to pull from for future outputs. There are enterprise AI options available that do not add your input to the greater LLM, but a best practice is to avoid pasting confidential or proprietary information at all.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest technological leaps of our time. Just like every major leap before it, knowing how to approach it can feel overwhelming at first. Using it little by little builds to a level of comfort that will grow alongside the advances it continues to make. AI doesn’t diminish our value as marketing writers; rather, it gives us more time to focus on the qualities that are uniquely human.
About the Author
Sarah Farwell is the Director of Marketing at Synergent, where she leads strategic marketing initiatives and helps shape the organization’s voice across channels. With over a decade of experience and a strong foundation in content and communications, she brings expertise in strategy, research, planning, writing, and editing. Her work spans marketing and product communications, and she partners across the organization to translate solutions into clear, purposeful messaging that keeps credit unions informed.
