Nowadays, people want to achieve results as quickly and efficiently as possible. Our patience is put to the test when that order from Amazon can only be delivered in three days’ time, and we suffer a mild heart attack when we see that there are four other people waiting for us at the counter. It’s hard to imagine that 20 years ago we had to wait several minutes for our desktop computer to start up. And maybe it is precisely this digital (r)evolution that has made us so impatient? After all, with a laptop and smartphone at your disposal all the time, everything can be done within seconds.
Companies also place a high priority on efficiency. After all, this pays off for both the company and the customer. We are therefore increasingly looking for tools and software that help us to increase the efficiency of various matters. Dazzle, for example, already makes use of Weglot, an automatic translation tool. This way we no longer spend days translating different websites, we don’t have to use expensive freelancers, and we offer our clients a fast and more economical way of translating. But it doesn’t have to stop there, of course. Recently, we came across two new efficiency tools and as an ever-curious and innovative company, we looked at the possibilities.
Jasper.ai
The name Jasper may not immediately ring a bell, as this tool was previously released under the name Jasper. This AI tool promises users original and creative content that is SEO-proof, and in over 25 languages. It sounds like a wonderful dream for copywriters suffering from writer’s block, but can probably charm any company with the promised efficiency.
Jasper.ai put to the test
You enter a title (optionally), a short description, some keywords, choose a tone of voice and Jasper gets to work. Depending on the chosen length of your text, AI Jasper will produce a text. You will have to keep providing new information so that the tool provides further content. Then you can re-phrase, remove grammatical errors from the text, and choose the option ‘explain it to a 5th grader’. You will have to make sure that Jasper does not repeat itself, something that the tool unfortunately quickly falls into, but luckily the platform offers simple tricks to circumvent this.
While Jasper sounds very interesting on paper, our experience with the tool showed that it will not be equally profitable for everyone. Are you a large company that has to process a large quantity of texts every day? Then Jasper will certainly create added value. However, the added value for small companies that do not constantly have to provide texts seems minimal to us. Taking into account the high price ($29 per month for a standard subscription and $59 per month for a ‘Boss Mode’ subscription, plus extra if you want to write more words), not every company will get sufficient return from such software. Do you have a copywriter who writes fluently and creatively? Then they will probably be just as efficient. In addition, one of my biggest concerns is that Jasper is not up to date at all. For example, Jasper does not know that we are currently in a pandemic and has no knowledge at all of Covid-19. Jasper has knowledge of everything up to January 2020, but what happened in the world after that is unknown to this AI system. A bit strange in today’s world, I think.
Doodly
The name says it all: Doodly is software with which you can easily create doodle videos. You don’t need any technical or design skills to work with Doodly, and this is precisely what the tool tries to distinguish itself with. Doodly offers hundreds of images, but you can also upload your own images thanks to smart technologies. Voice-overs can be recorded directly in the tool and music is also available.
Doodly put to the test
There is no doubt that it is easier to hold the attention of your customer or visitor if you combine text with video. After all, people are visually oriented and that’s something you can’t ignore. Doodly therefore seems an ideal tool. However, we immediately asked ourselves how relevant doodle videos still are these days. In Doodly, you can easily place all sorts of drawings on a whiteboard and yes, it is a very fun tool to play with. But whether Doodly really adds value to your business will depend on your company. Do you often play this type of video? Are you currently paying a lot of money to have these videos designed? If you answered a resounding yes, then Doodly could be a cheaper and fun option for you. For $39 or $69 a month, you can enjoy fun animations, scenarios and fonts. But if you only want to use video minimally, and don’t want to keep falling back on the same kind of videos, Doodly will not be the solution for you.
In conclusion
Are Jasper.ai and Doodly good tools? Definitely, but not for everyone. Ideally, you should use Jasper if you are a larger company that produces a lot of texts, or if you are without an efficient copywriter. Your content process will certainly get a boost in efficiency, although the cost of Jasper can quickly become very high. However, for smaller companies that only need to provide content sporadically, Jasper will not be cost-effective. Similarly, if you want to write about recent issues such as the hyper topical coronavirus, Jasper will not provide with its outdated information. Fact checking also remains an important task if you want to use Jasper.
Where Jasper has to contend with outdated information, Doodly has to contend with a somewhat outdated concept. If your company already uses doodle animation videos or wants to start using them strongly, Doodly can offer added value. But if you want more variety in your video offer, and are not limited to Doodly’s doodles, I would pass on this (rather expensive) tool. You can certainly use your own images in the tool, but then you still need a graphic designer to create them, which does not compensate for the cost.
Jasper.ai: 6.5/10
- Relevance: 5/10
- User-friendliness: 8/10
- Price/quality: 6.5/10
Doodly: 6.8/10
- Relevance: 5/10
- User-friendliness: 8.5/10
- Price/quality: 7/10
