In response to the popularity of AI technologies, Google has recently developed a conversational AI service called Bard. Google Bard functions like any other AI chatbot such as ChatGPT and provides users with endless writing content. Google Bard is a great tool marketers can use to write posts, blogs, etc. As a digital marketing agency, we decided to test Google Bard’s features for marketers to let you know if it really is as great as it seems.
Can Google Bard Write Social Media and Blog Posts?
Google Bard does a great job at gathering content for Instagram posts. After inputting “Write an Instagram post for an Italian restaurant”, Bard generated a post about “Spaghetti alla Carbonara” and included an image, caption, hashtags, call to action, and other tips. The caption was very detailed; it included the dish’s ingredients and popular hashtags relating to Italian food. Furthermore, the call to action: “Come try our version of this classic dish today! We’re open for lunch and dinner, and we’re located at [address]” was a great addition to the post because it encourages users to come in and try the dish.
We also tested how well Bard generated blog posts, specifically for a Vietnamese restaurant. Similar to the social media posts, Bard broke the blog post into multiple sections including a title, introduction, body, conclusion, call to action, and other tips. The title was creative and the introduction gave a brief summary about Vietnamese cuisine. The body included various Vietnamese dishes with pictures of each dish and the conclusion encouraged readers to try the dishes described.
Can Google Bard Set Up Automated Customer Response Messages?
AI has proven to be a great tool for quickly responding to customer inquiries. Most large companies include a chat box on their website to answer commonly asked questions. Since customer service is key to maintaining relationships, we tested Bard to see if it was capable of automating customer response messages.
After entering a generic question: “What flavors of bubble tea do you have available?” Bard responded, “Sure, here are some of the flavors of bubble tea that we have available” and proceeded to list a few flavors along with pictures. After listing the flavors, Bard wrote, “We also have a variety of toppings that you can add to your bubble tea, such as tapioca pearls, popping boba, and jelly. I hope this helps!” Bard answered the question thoroughly and followed up with suggestions on how to enhance the bubble tea experience.
Can Google Bard Do Competitor Research?
Understanding the competition is key when owning a restaurant or small business. The restaurant industry is highly competitive, especially in large cities with plenty of options. With that being said, we asked Bard to do some competitor research on sports bars in St. Louis.
In response, Bard generated a list of the top-rated sports bars in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the response was pretty generic. It is easy to find information on the top-rated sports bars from other websites such as Yelp and OpenTable, so this information wasn’t very useful.
Can Google Bard Help With Email Marketing Campaigns?
Email marketing is essential for keeping customers up to date on specials, events, etc. We asked Bard to generate an email marketing campaign for a New York deli.
Similar to the social media and blog posts, Bard broke the campaign into multiple parts: subject, body, and a call to action. The subject was fun and creative which is great for catching customers’ attention. Furthermore, the body included some new items on the menu as well as a coupon, “NEWMENU at checkout to get 10% off of your order.” Bard did a great job of creating a campaign that encourages customers to purchase online and try new menu items.
Final Thoughts
Overall, our test of Google Bard for marketing was a success. Almost everything we asked Google’s chatbot to do, it completed well. Although there is still some room for improvement, Google Bard is a great marketing tool for small businesses.
Looking for assistance with Google Bard or any other digital marketing for your small business? Let BYK Digital Marketing help. We’re a marketing Swiss army knife and can help take your restaurant marketing to the next level.
