Misunderstanding AI is Easy... When You Don't Know How to Use It

Here's How to Actually Talk to it

Look, we get it—marketing can be a tough egg to crack. Sometimes it feels like you’re crammed between work you can’t get to fast enough and work that never stops piling up. When you already have a dozen plates spinning, adding anything else can be overwhelming.

The good news is, AI is designed to cut through a lot of that noise. It can help you organize your thoughts, outline difficult tasks, strategize non-linear workflows, and sift through long content to find what matters. As long as you know AI isn't a Magic 8-Ball that can do everything, it can take on the tedious parts of your marketing tasks (like compiling research or summarizing content).

But to make it useful, there are a few things you need to know.

The Biggest Mistakes You Make When Talking to AI

Most people treat AI like a human—but a frustratingly slow or dumb one. In reality, AI is more like a searchable library: fast, literal, and deeply pattern-based. Once you understand how it “thinks,” you’ll get way more out of it.

1. Expecting AI to Read Your Mind

AI can’t intuit anything. It needs clear, direct prompts.

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Bad prompt: “Tell me about marketing.”

✅

Better prompt: “Explain three high-impact marketing strategies for a B2B SaaS company, with examples.”

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Why it works: Clear instructions with industry, quantity, and format all defined.

2. Thinking AI Is “Dumb” When It Misses Obvious Things

AI processes data literally. It follows patterns, not logic.

Example:

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Prompt: “What color was Napoleon’s white horse?”

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AI: “Napoleon’s horse was white, as the question states.”

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Why? Because AI doesn't infer or joke—it just responds based on literal interpretation.

3. Forgetting to Give Context (or Save Your Work)

Each conversation is a blank slate. AI doesn’t remember prior threads unless you feed it back.

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Bad prompt: “Write me an email.”

✅

Better prompt: “Write a professional email introducing my marketing agency, FMK, to a potential client. Highlight our expertise in HubSpot automation and WordPress development.”

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Why it works: You’re providing context, purpose, audience, and brand-specific details.

4. Asking Vague or Open-Ended Questions Without Direction

The broader the prompt, the more generic the answer.

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Bad prompt: “Tell me about social media.”

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Better prompt: “What are the top three social media platforms for B2B lead generation in 2025, and what types of content perform best on each?”

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Why it works: You’re narrowing focus for a useful, actionable response.

5. Expecting AI to Replace Critical Thinking

AI generates probable answers. It doesn’t analyze, assess, or make decisions.

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Bad prompt: “Should I invest in influencer marketing?”

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Better prompt: “What are the pros and cons of influencer marketing for a B2B SaaS company, and what factors determine success?”

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Why it works: You’re asking for insights to guide your thinking—not a binary answer.

How to Get the Most Out of AI

Most people throw in vague prompts, get weak answers, and blame the tech. But AI is only as good as your input. Here’s how to improve your prompts—and your output.

1. Be Specific

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Bad: “Write a blog post.”

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Better: “Write a 1,000-word blog post on email marketing trends in 2024, with data points and actionable insights.”

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Bad: “Summarize this.”

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Better: “Summarize this in three bullet points for a LinkedIn post.”

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Pro tip: Define length, format, tone, and audience.

2. Break Complex Requests Into Steps

AI works better in a workflow.

➤ Example flow:

Step 1: “What are some B2B lead generation strategies?”
Step 2: “How does LinkedIn automation fit into this?”
Step 3: “Write a LinkedIn outreach template for a SaaS company.”

3. Use Examples and Comparisons

AI mimics tone and structure.

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Bad: “Write a creative ad.”

✅

Better: “Write an ad in the style of Old Spice’s witty humor, promoting our SaaS product.”

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Why it works: You’re providing a pattern to model.

4. Fact-Check and Edit Everything

AI doesn’t know—it guesses. Don’t treat its responses as ready-to-publish.

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Bad: Copy-pasting directly into a pitch deck.

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Better: Review, edit, and fact-check the content before using.

5. Iterate and Refine Your Prompts

AI gets better with feedback.

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Bad: “Write me a sales email.”

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Better: “Write a concise sales email for a B2B SaaS company targeting mid-sized marketing agencies. Keep it friendly but persuasive, and include a clear call to action.”

When AI Isn’t the Right Tool for Marketing

Yes, it’s shiny. No, it’s not a magic wand.

AI can’t:

Check facts reliably
Parse nuance or emotional tone
Handle sensitive or regulated content
Replace human creativity or lived experience
Create strategy from scratch

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Use AI for: outlines, summaries, research starters, content drafts

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Use humans for: brand voice, content strategy, storytelling, campaign execution

When Not to Rely on AI

✔️ Legal, medical, or financial advice – AI is not a certified expert

✔️ Breaking news or real-time data – Training data is often outdated

✔️ Strategic planning – AI lacks industry intuition and business context

✔️ Original creative work – AI pulls from what already exists

FMK Agency’s Commitment to Human-Facing Content

At FMK Agency, we believe great marketing starts with people—not prompts. We use AI tools to support our process, but every campaign, article, and design is refined, fact-checked, and polished by real humans who understand: