We're entering an age in which artificial intelligence tools are transforming all sorts of business processes, and ChatGPT represents a brave new era for everything from customer service to content creation.

One application of this tech that is worth exploring is that of lead generation, so let's talk about how ChatGPT applies in this context, and what you need to do to leverage it effectively.

A quick primer on ChatGPT

Created by OpenAI and launched in November of 2022, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that hit the headlines in early 2023 when it became available to all and sundry, showcasing its ability to respond to user questions and conversations with incredible depth and adaptability.

While the underpinnings are immensely complex, the potential is straightforward to understand. ChatGPT, and the GPT-3 model on which it's based, are capable of generating text based on user prompts which are more impressive in their scope than anything we've seen before in the mainstream.

The lead generation use case

Let's say you want to come up with a few new ways to generate leads for your business, focusing primarily on digital marketing campaigns.

Of course it's useful to take a multifaceted approach, combining demand generation with lead generation to generate interest in your product before you go in for the hard sell. If you need more info on lead vs demand generation, Leadfeeder explains it comprehensively.

So what are some examples of how the power of an AI chatbot can be brought to bear on lead generation in a practical way?

Here are a few potent options to try out yourself:

Keyword brainstorming

Finding the right keywords to click with your audience is a challenge, particularly if you want to avoid the most hotly contested phrases.

You can of course use tools to do in-depth research, but a quick prompt entered into the GPT-3 playground will generate useful keywords that will be a good starting point for your own efforts.

As an example, here's what the chatbot came up with when asked to generate 5 longtail keywords around digital marketing:

1. Digital Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

2. Social Media Strategies for Digital Marketing

3. Content Marketing for Digital Growth

4. Email Marketing Tactics for Increasing ROI

5. Digital Advertising Best Practices for Generating Leads

Quick ad copywriting

It's not just short lists of keywords that can be conjured from the machine learning mind of ChatGPT; if you want it to write the copy for your search or social media ad, it can do this in a matter of seconds.

Obviously you don't need to use exactly what the bot pumps out, and in fact it is better to take this as a starting point and make tweaks to ensure that it's up to the standards you'd expect.

However, being able to specifically request writing styles, tones, language use and audience relevance settings when putting together a copywriting prompt makes it incredibly powerful if you're short on time or resources, or just stuck for an idea of how to improve your lead generation attempts.

The same principle applies to any scenario in which you want to put together compelling copy without jumping through a lot of hoops. Perhaps you've got an email marketing campaign that you want to get written up swiftly, or the script for a video that you need prepared in a short timeframe; whatever the case, ChatGPT is able to empower you.

Final thoughts

So long as you don't assume that AI tools like this are foolproof and infallible, they can go a long way to enhancing your lead generation and general marketing abilities. Now is the time to learn the ropes, as the likes of ChatGPT will only become more influential going forward.