Marketing is key for any business in the event industry, where competition is fierce and standing out is essential. Industry veterans remember the days when managing just a few funnels was enough. Now, the dozens of lead-generating opportunities to drive revenue can be overwhelming.
The main hurdle? Traditional marketing methods can be time-consuming and expensive. Limited resources and fierce competition demand efficient and effective marketing strategies.
Enter AI chatbots—or tools that use natural language processing to generate conversational dialogue similar to human interactions. These game-changing resources can streamline your marketing efforts, enhance customer engagement, and drive growth.
For small businesses in the event industry, this type of AI presents great opportunity to compete with larger players.
Identifying the right AI strategies
Start by evaluating your current marketing strategies and overall business goals. Identify areas where using AI could give your business a boost, such as content creation or SEO-keyword ideas. One of the best advantages of AI chatbots in marketing is their ability to repurpose and repackage your content into different types, freeing up valuable time to focus on more strategic activities.
Next, research AI solutions that will work for you and your needs. Consider things like ease of use, cost, scalability, and the specific features offered by each solution. Available AI technologies include a wide range of capabilities, most of which are more advanced than the needs of the average event professional.
And of course, seek out educational opportunities like Catersource + The Special Event, webinars, or workshops to learn about the latest AI trends and applications.
AI chatbot options
Unsure where to start? ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, provides a simple entry point into the world of AI, offering a basic interface that doesn’t require advanced technical skills. Plus, the setup is basic and user-friendly.
Several alternatives to ChatGPT exist, each offering their own unique features. Here are some notable competitors worth looking into:
- Google Gemini
- Claude
- Microsoft Copilot
The key is to find the one that you can get the most familiar with as quickly as possible. ChatGPT is the overall winner as a free starting point for any age and tech level.
Now that you know where to start, you might be thinking, “How does this help with my marketing?”
Enhancing content creation with AI chatbots
Nothing is worse than staring at the cursor on the screen when it’s time to write social media captions, blog posts, or articles.
Chatbots can brainstorm and generate creative ideas for blog posts, articles, and social media content. By providing a starting point or topic, you can use these tools to overcome writer’s block, refine your ideas, or flesh out thoughts.
AI chatbots can even help improve the clarity of your written content by suggesting edits, restructuring sentences, or providing alternate phrasing. Just copy and paste your writing into the platform and give it the right prompt.
Is there one blog post on your website that’s performing well? Chatbots can expand on existing content by providing additional information, examples, or insights, helping enrich the content and offering more depth and context.
Have you been hoping to rank your website for more keywords? Chatbots can help optimize content for search engines by incorporating relevant keywords, phrases, and topics. By analyzing SEO trends and best practices, these tools can help improve the visibility and ranking of content in search engine results pages.
Is your current content falling flat? Quality content is crucial for engaging your audience and building brand credibility. AI chatbots can analyze vast amounts of data to determine what type of content resonates most with your target audience.
Now that you know what they can do, the real question is how to get better results.
Unlocking maximum potential
The first step is to train the model! It’s your job to provide chatbots with sufficient background data and feedback to improve performance and accuracy over time.
These smart virtual assistants can provide instant responses to your requests, also known as prompts. Effective prompts are a necessity to get the most out of ChatGPT.
- Be clear and specific: Avoid vague terms and be direct about what you want. Clear instructions help it understand your request accurately. Re-read your prompt before submitting, adding in adjectives and qualifiers anywhere possible.
- Relevant responses: Give context to your prompt so that ChatGPT can provide a more relevant response. For example, “I’m a small business in the event industry. What are some effective marketing strategies?” Consider specifying the perspective or role that ChatGPT should take. For example, “As a social media marketing manager, create a detailed Instagram content strategy including ideas for Reels, Carousels, Posts, and Stories.”
- Ask open-ended questions: Open-ended questions typically get you more detailed answers. For example, instead of asking, “Is social media marketing effective?” ask, “How can social media marketing benefit my (type of) business in the event industry?”
- Explore multiple perspectives: Prompts like “What are the advantages and disadvantages of [xyz]?” encourage the model to explore different angles of a topic.
- Build on previous responses: Use follow-up prompts to dig deeper into a topic. If the initial response is too broad or misses certain points, ask for more. For example, “Can you give more details on how...?”
- Clarify and refine: If the response isn’t what you need, provide feedback and clarify your prompt. For instance, “That’s helpful, but can you focus more on...?”
- Specify the format: If you need a list, summary, or a specific format, mention it in your prompt. For example, “List five [xyz] of...”
- Set the tone and style: If you need a formal, casual, or technical response, specify the tone. For example, “Explain [xyz] in a casual tone.”
- Set limits: If you need a concise response, set word limits. For example, “Explain the benefits of [xyz] in under 200 words.”
AI is not just a buzzword but a powerful tool that can revolutionize marketing for businesses in the event industry. By embracing AI chatbots and other tools, businesses can streamline their processes, gain valuable insights, and deliver personalized experiences that resonate with their audiences.
As AI technology continues to evolve, its potential to transform marketing will only grow, offering even more opportunities to thrive in a competitive market.
