AI Tools for CMOs

A curated list of AI tools I actually use to amplify marketing strategy and execution.

This isn't an exhaustive list of every AI tool. These are the ones I use regularly with clients to drive real impact. Tools are organized by use case, not hype.

Content Creation & Writing

ChatGPT / Claude: The foundation. Use for first drafts, ideation, outline generation, and editing. Custom GPTs for specific brand voice and content types.

Lex: AI-native writing tool. Great for long-form content where you want AI assistance without leaving your editor.

Jasper: Marketing-focused content generation with templates. Good for teams who want more structure and brand consistency.

Research & Market Intelligence

Perplexity: AI-powered search that cites sources. Essential for market research, competitive analysis, and customer insight gathering.

Claude (with web search): Deep analysis of long documents, reports, and research. Excellent for synthesis and strategic insight.

Gong / Chorus: Conversation intelligence tools with AI analysis. Surface patterns from customer calls and sales conversations.

Visual & Design

Canva (with AI features): Quick design generation, background removal, and template customization. Perfect for marketing teams without designers.

Midjourney / DALL-E: Image generation for blog headers, social posts, and conceptual visuals. Not photorealistic, but great for branded illustrations.

Remove.bg / PhotoRoom: Background removal and image editing. Fast and accurate for product shots and profile images.

Data Analysis & Reporting

ChatGPT (Code Interpreter): Upload CSV files and ask questions. Creates charts, identifies trends, and analyzes performance data.

Tableau / Looker (with AI features): Enterprise analytics with AI-powered insights and anomaly detection.

Julius AI: Data analysis and visualization specialist. Good for teams without dedicated data analysts.

Automation & Workflows

Make (Integromat): Visual workflow automation. Connect AI models to your marketing stack for custom automation.

Zapier (with AI actions): Simpler automation platform with growing AI capabilities. Good for no-code teams.

n8n: Open-source automation. More technical but highly flexible for custom AI workflows.

Email & Outreach

Lavender: AI email coaching. Scores emails and suggests improvements before you send. Great for sales enablement.

SmartWriter / Copy.ai: Personalized outreach at scale. Use carefully�personalization is only valuable if it's genuinely relevant.

SEO & Content Optimization

Clearscope / MarketMuse: AI-powered content optimization for SEO. Analyzes top-ranking content and suggests improvements.

Surfer SEO: On-page optimization with AI scoring. Good for content teams scaling organic traffic.

Frase: Content research and optimization combined. Helpful for creating comprehensive topic coverage.

Meeting & Note-Taking

Otter.ai / Fathom: Automated meeting transcription and summarization. Capture customer insights without manual note-taking.

Notion AI / Mem: AI-powered note management. Surface insights from past meetings and documents automatically.

How to Actually Use These Tools

Having a list of tools is meaningless without a system. Here's what matters:

  • Start with the problem, not the tool. What's broken? What's slow? What's inconsistent? Then find the AI tool that solves it.
  • Build workflows, not one-offs. The value isn't in using ChatGPT once. It's in creating repeatable prompts, templates, and processes.
  • Train your team. Tools are useless if your team doesn't know how (or why) to use them. Invest in training and documentation.
  • Measure impact. Track time saved, output increased, or quality improved. If you can't measure it, you can't optimize it.
  • Don't replace thinking. AI amplifies good strategy. It doesn't create it. Use it to execute faster, not to avoid the hard work of strategic clarity.

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