This month our feature article and a number of our editorials again dive into the fascinating, thought-provoking world of artificial intelligence.

We are so fortunate to have incredibly intelligent people around us to explain the high-tech science and provide us with the most down-to-earth circumstances in which we can capitalize on it.

While some may worry it will replace them at their jobs, I’m coming to think of it as an assistant that helps me do parts of my job quicker or more efficiently. One of my Babcox Media colleagues said to use it as if it’s an intern.

So think, what do you often ask interns to do during their time at your dealership? I can think of some intern tasks that AI can’t do just yet, such as shuttle vehicles, pick up lunch or sweep the floors, but it can absolutely help with your store’s social media presence.

Social media is an important marketing platform for dealerships. Bridget McPhillips, the social media coordinator at Babcox Media, says, “An effective social presence fuels brand visibility, site traffic, lead generation, sales and much more. With compelling creative and strategic audience targeting, you can accelerate growth through social while building enthusiast communities and relationships.”

But if you don’t have the resources to devote a full-time employee to the job, putting generative AI into the hands of your marketing manager can provide them with a powerful tool to better reach a larger and more diverse audience through social media.

Prompting the generative AI tool, such as ChatGPT or Bard, with a request to turn your content into a social media post can turn this:

Here is a small sample at some of our NEW
stock we have at Home Town Auto Dealer!
Silverados, Colorados, Equinox, Blazers and more.

 …into this:

That added punch took seconds to generate and can result in higher levels of engagement.

Or if you need ideas on what to share in your social posts, you can ask ChatGPT to help you brainstorm. You can establish a calendar for the coming weeks or months ahead that will encourage audience participation, such as polls or questions.

The more you prompt the tool with information, the more targeted your responses will be. If you provide information on the audience you’re hoping to reach, it will tailor the message to that group, including what it “thinks” are appropriate emojis and hashtags. Not only can this enhance the caption but may also increase the visibility of your posts.

Always, and I repeat always, re-read what ChatGPT generates. You’ll want to personalize the content to properly reflect your dealership’s brand and give it a human touch before you hit Share.

Now if I could just get it to go get me a coffee!