ChatGPT now has a powerful new feature called Deep Research that can help you to save tons of time when working on the research parts of your marketing strategy - think customer research, competitor analysis and market trends.

Using ChatGPT on a laptop for deep marketing research

What is Deep Research in ChatGPT?

Deep Research in ChatGPT is a powerful tool for carrying out customer and competitor research using AI, without you needing to spend hours scrolling the internet.

You simply type in a question or topic, and ChatGPT goes off and searches the internet for you - scanning articles, blog posts, PDFs, and more. It then pulls everything together into a clear, organised report, so you get real insights from real sources.

Now, Deep Research is in rollout and so it’s only currently available within the paid versions of ChatGPT and in certain countries, I’m on Pro (currently around $20 per month) and with that, I get 10 deep research queries a week. If you have access, definitely get it a try!

How to Use Deep Research in ChatGPT for Marketing

To access Deep Research, head to ChatGPT and login. You then simply click the ‘Deep research’ button in the message composer (shown on the image below), and then type your question or prompt. You can also attach files to your question like a spreadsheet or PDF document, for further context.

Because Deep Research takes a lot of complex processing power, it takes longer than regular ChatGPT responses. Depending on how complex the request, it can take from 5-30 minutes to form a response.

The final output appears in a detailed report format, which can provide a great starting point for you to then use as part of your wider marketing analysis.

You can find out more about how Deep Research works in this helpful article from Open AI.

With Deep Research, you can ask ChatGPT to investigate anything you like. In the context of marketing, you may want to focus on areas such customer research (pain points, behaviours, questions), market or product trends, competitor research or content ideas.

Prompting Tips for Better ChatGPT Deep Research Results

Just like with regular ChatGPT, the result is only as good as the prompt and the information provided to Chat GPT.

Always be specific to avoid broad answers. So for example, rather than saying ‘research the education industry,’ be specific and specify which part of the industry, which country, what sources you want ChatGPT to use, and what date range you want the research to include. This will ensure the research is recent and relevant for what you need.

Example prompt:

Research current digital marketing challenges faced by small business owners in the UK education sector, using forums like Reddit and industry reports, between 2022–2024.

You can also ask ChatGPT to ask you clarifying questions, which is helpful in case you forget to include something important.

ChatGPT Deep Research Example: Customer Research Prompt

Above is a real-life example of how I used Deep Research in ChatGPT for small business customer research. I wanted ChatGPT to help with customer analysis, to uncover the type of questions my target market (small business owners) were asking, and what their marketing challenges were.

I gave ChatGPT some context and also stated that I wanted the data to be recent (in the last 2 years) and from the UK only. I also asked if ChatGPT needed any further details.

On reflection, I could have also specified which sources to use (e.g. forums like Reddit, industry reports etc). And if I wanted to, I could have uploaded a document with my business strategy to provide ChatGPT with more context.

ChatGPT came back with some follow-up questions (below), which I answered:

ChatGPT then went away and did its research, which took 13 minutes. Much quicker than it would have taken me to consolidate this research! It presented the research in a report format with an introduction, common marketing challenges for new entrepreneurs, FAQs by new business owners, top marketing skills and areas where help is sought, how and where entrepreneurs seek help, and pain points and opportunities for me.

It also listed all the sources, so that I can then go and look into the points further. I especially liked the Reddit quotes, as it felt like I was hearing directly from real customers!

The FAQs asked by new businesses is especially useful, as I can use this as a basis for the type of courses I might want to create, or what content to focus on. As I really want to make sure my content is valuable for small businesses.

Benefits of ChatGPT Deep Research for Small Business Marketing

The main benefits of Deep Research for small business owners is that it helps to save time. I would definitely recommend checking and verifying the sources used by ChatGPT, and following up on its output with your own research. However, it offers a solid starting point and saves hours of time. It would probably take me days to write a report as detailed as ChatGPT produced in 13 minutes!

It’s perfect for areas like researching customers, competitors, content ideas and your specific market/industry. You can also experiment with how you word your question in order to get the output you want. For example, I would probably reword my question to be more specific around sources. That being said, I still think the output is very impressive.

Limitations of ChatGPT Deep Research You Should Know

As with ChatGPT in general, Deep research is not perfect. It’s still being developed so of course there will be issues with it. According to Open AI, it can sometimes make up information, make incorrect inferences and use unreliable sources. However, they say that this is at a lower rate than regular ChatGPT. There may also be formatting errors and it’s not always great at expressing uncertainty. This is why you should always check and verify the sources that it has used. However, I’m sure as time goes on and the model is improved, these issues will become less common.

In my opinion, despite the limitations, it is still an incredibly powerful tool for using as a starting point for your marketing strategy and research.

If you're looking to simplify the research phase of your marketing strategy, Deep Research is 100% worth exploring. It won’t do all the work for you, but it gives you a seriously solid foundation to build from.

FAQs About ChatGPT Deep Research

What is ChatGPT Deep Research used for?
It’s designed for in-depth online research, including market analysis, customer insights, content planning, and competitor research.

Is Deep Research in ChatGPT available to everyone?
Not yet - it’s only available on the Pro and Plus plans and still rolling out to some countries.

How long does Deep Research take in ChatGPT?
Anywhere between 5–30 minutes, depending on how complex your prompt is.

Can I use ChatGPT for my small business marketing strategy?
Absolutely. From creating a strategy to generating content ideas, ChatGPT - especially with Deep Research - is a valuable tool for small business owners.

Want to learn more about ChatGPT and marketing strategy?

My latest Skillshare course walks you through how to create a winning marketing strategy for your small business, using ChatGPT. This class is for anyone looking to save time, reduce stress, and create a strategy that drives results.

Join my free Skillshare class on ChatGPT for marketing and start building your marketing strategy today.

Happy Learning!

– Louise

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How to Use ChatGPT Deep Research for Smarter Marketing Strategy