5 genuinely great AI tools (that aren't ChatGPT) and how to use them

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending The Marketing Meetup, where Heather Murray from AI For Non-Techies delivered an enlightening talk about AI tools for marketers. If you haven't encountered The Marketing Meetup before, it's a brilliantly inclusive community of 46,000+ marketing professionals, hosting events from London to Tokyo. What I love most about these meetups is their focus on learning and sharing rather than selling—exactly the kind of environment where genuine insights flourish.

Heather, who specialises in making AI accessible to non-technical professionals through her consultancy and training programmes, shared five tools that are transforming how marketers work. As someone who's always keen to optimise my workflow (and help others do the same), I couldn't wait to share these insights with you.

Heather’s suggested AI companions

1. Claude: The Copywriting Powerhouse

While ChatGPT gets most of the attention, Claude stands out as the superior choice for creating compelling marketing copy:

  • Brand voice mastery: Exceptional at adapting to and maintaining your unique tone

  • Long-form content: Excels at creating engaging blog posts, website copy, and marketing materials

  • Strategic thinking: Helps develop comprehensive content strategies that align with your goals I particularly loved Heather's emphasis on Claude's copywriting capabilities—something I've found invaluable for crafting everything from social posts to full marketing campaigns.

2. Circleback: One of Many Great Call Capture Tools

While Heather uses Circleback for call transcription, she emphasised that any good transcription tool can work:

  • Meeting capture: Transforms conversations into searchable text

  • AI integration potential: Works brilliantly with tools like Claude for deeper analysis

  • Flexible options: Similar tools (like Supernormal, which I use) offer comparable features The key isn't which tool you choose, but how you use the transcripts to mine insights and identify opportunities.

3. Letterly: Voice-to-Strategy Conversion

This fascinating tool transforms your verbal thoughts into structured content:

  • Voice recording: Capture your stream-of-consciousness ideas

  • Thought organisation: Converts rambling thoughts into coherent lists and action plans

  • Brain-aligned processing: Uses advanced AI to understand and structure human thought patterns Perfect for those moments when you have great ideas but struggle to organise them coherently.

4. Perplexity: AI-Powered Search Reimagined

Think of this as the perfect hybrid between Google and ChatGPT:

  • Real-time search: Pulls current information from across the web

  • AI analysis: Processes and synthesises search results intelligently

  • Fact checking: Provides sources for verification, unlike traditional AI chatbots Brilliant for research that requires both breadth of search and depth of understanding.

5. Ideogram: Visual Content Creation Made Simple

For those of us who need to create engaging visuals:

  • Custom imagery: Generate unique visuals that align with your brand

  • Style consistency: Maintain visual coherence across campaigns

  • Quick iterations: Test different visual approaches efficiently



What is generative AI? Let’s discuss this in another post!

Making AI Work for Your Marketing

What struck me most about Heather's presentation was her emphasis on accessibility. As she puts it, "You don't need to be 'techie' to use AI now. Everyone can optimise, create and innovate." Here's how to get started:

  • Begin with one tool that addresses your biggest pain point

  • Create a simple workflow that combines tools (like the Circleback + Claude example)

  • Always review and refine AI-generated content

  • Focus on how these tools can enhance rather than replace your expertise

The Bottom Line

These tools aren't just alternatives to ChatGPT—they're specialised solutions that can transform specific aspects of your marketing work. The key is finding the right combination for your needs and integrating them thoughtfully into your workflow.

Want to Learn More?

If you're interested in diving deeper into AI for marketing:


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