AI Automation for Marketing

🧠 31 Jul 2025 Session Overview

Hosted by Dr. Lau, CEO of Acute Technologies, specializing in AI and machine learning.
Focus: Using AI agents and automation for marketing.
Audience: Mix of returning and first-time attendees.
Format: Live demo, Q&A, and interactive discussion.

🚀 Key Concepts Introduced

Automation Types:
- DIY (Do It Yourself)
- DWY (Do With You)
- DFY (Do For You)
Three Pillars of Automation:
- SOP (Standard Operating Procedures)
- Platform (e.g., N8N)
- Programming (not necessarily coding)

🧰 Tools & Platforms Discussed

N8N : Visual workflow automation platform.
WATI: WhatsApp Business API integration platform.
Twilio: Alternative to WATI, requires purchasing foreign numbers.
OpenAI, Gemini, GLM 4.5: AI models used for agents.
Google Sheets: Used for storing and triggering workflows.
Markdown Viewer: For displaying AI-generated content.

💬 AI Agent Use Cases

WhatsApp Chatbot Setup:
- Trigger via webhook.
- AI agent responds using FAQ and memory.
- Integration with OpenAI for responses.
Social Media Content Generation:
- AI agent creates Facebook ad ideas for products like curry puffs.
- Output stored in Google Sheets.
Birthday Email Automation:
- AI agent crafts personalized birthday messages.
- Emails sent via Gmail integration.
Form-Based Workflow Deployment:
- Collect user data via form.
- Trigger AI agent to generate responses.
- Deploy using production URL.

💡 Insights & Best Practices

AI agents are intermediate solutions; automation platforms like N8N offer more scalability.
Importance of using third-party platforms to avoid account bans (e.g., WhatsApp).
Data sensitivity levels:
- Public
- Sensitive (can be sanitized)
- Confidential (should be processed locally)
Hosting options:
- Cloud (scalable)
- Local (secure, cost-effective)

📚 Certification Program Highlights

AI Agentic Automation with N8N:

- 2-day workshop with hands-on training.
- Includes 5 premium workflows + 1 group project.
- Covers chatbot, HR, fin8nce, admin, web scraping, PDF processing.
- Post-training support via WhatsApp group.
- Fee: RM2900 (general) / RM3500 (HRDF claimable).

🔍 Comparison of Platforms

Platform	Pros	Cons
Make.com	Easy for beginners	Costly at scale, limited customization
Zapier	Large catalogue	Linear workflows, limited flexibility
N8N	Open-source, flexible, scalable	Requires some learning curve

Q&A Session

🔧 Technical & Platform Questions

Can I use WhatsApp Business API directly?
- Yes, but it’s risky. Mistakes can lead to account bans.
- Recommended: Use third-party platforms like WATI or Twilio for safer integration.
Difference between WATI and Twilio?
- WATI: Supports local numbers, centralized inbox, easier setup.
- Twilio: Requires foreign numbers, more technical setup, flexible API.
Can I use non-official WhatsApp APIs?
- Yes, for experimentation, but they are unreliable and not recommended for production.
Can N8N integrate with other platforms like Facebook Messenger or Telegram?
- Yes, N8N supports triggers for major chat platforms including Messenger, Telegram, Slack, etc.

📊 Data & Security

Is it safe to connect business data to AI workflows?
- Depends on data type:
  - Public data: Safe to use.
  - Sensitive data: Should be sanitized before use.
  - Confidential data: Should be processed locally or with self-hosted models.
Is Evolution API safe to use?
- No API is 100% secure. For sensitive data, self-hosting is recommended.
Can I feed my own documents to AI models?
- Yes, using vector databases, SQL, or memory nodes in N8N.

💰 Cost & Pricing

Is it free to use AI agents and automation tools?
- Some models (e.g., GLM 4.5 via OpenRouter) are free.
- WhatsApp messaging, OpenAI API calls, and platforms like WATI/Twilio incur costs.
How much does OpenAI cost?
- GPT-4.1 Mini:
  - Input: $0.40 per million tokens
  - Output: $1.60 per million tokens
  - Cached input: $0.10 per million tokens

🛠️ Workflow & Deployment

Can I deploy workflows to production?
- Yes, N8N provides production URLs for workflows.
- You can embed forms, chatbots, and automate email or WhatsApp messages.
Can I generate certificates or PDFs using N8N?
- Yes, similar to mail merge workflows, using PDF generation or canvas tools.
Can I host N8N locally?
- Yes, it’s open-source and can be run on Docker or cloud servers.

🎓 Training & Certification

Is the training suitable for non-technical users?
- Yes, designed for both technical and non-technical participants.
- Focus on process understanding and practical implementation.
What are the limitations of N8N?
- Mostly limited by process design and available nodes.
- Highly customizable with support for custom code and APIs.
Do participants get access to N8N platform?
- Yes, via free trial or self-hosted setup taught during the course.

Why We Need a Johor Bahru Edition

Convenience for participants from Johor, Melaka, and Singapore.
Growing tech interest in southern Malaysia and Singapore.
Opportunity to build a local community of AI practitioners and business innovators.

Q&A List of AI Automation for Finance on 20 Aug 2025

Q: What AI tools can I use to work on Excel?
A: You can use Google Sheets, Gemini, or Excel with Copilot.
Q: Is it true companies are not using AI?
A: Most companies claim they use AI, but often it’s just basic chatbot usage.
Q: What’s the difference between ChatGPT and agents?
A: ChatGPT is a chatbot; agents can plan, reason, and execute tasks with supervision.
Q: What’s needed for automation?
A: SOPs, a platform (like n8n), and programming logic (no coding required).
Q: What’s the difference between n8n and RPA tools?
A: RPA is linear; n8n is more flexible and visual.
Q: Can n8n be used for web scraping or sending mass messages?
A: Yes, but be cautious to avoid getting blocked.
Q: Can n8n analyze PDFs and extract structured data?
A: Yes, using models like Mistral, especially for text-based PDFs.
Q: Can n8n extract data from scanned images or receipts?
A: Yes, using Gemini or ChatGPT with OCR capabilities.
Q: Can n8n handle Chinese characters?
A: Yes, it can analyze Chinese text accurately.
Q: Can n8n consolidate multiple Excel files?
A: Yes, through workflow nodes, not formulas.
Q: What’s the best way to host n8n locally?
A: Use Docker or direct install; Mac Mini is a good starting spec.
Q: Is there a free version of n8n?
A: Yes, open-source version is free if self-hosted.
Q: Can n8n be used for financial analysis and reporting?
A: Yes, it can automate invoice scanning, bank reconciliation, and more.
Q: What’s the difference between n8n and tools like Power Automate or Zapier?
A: n8n offers more flexibility and visual workflow design.
Q: Can n8n integrate with ChatGPT or Gemini APIs?
A: Yes, APIs are pre-configured in n8n.
Q: What’s the minimum hardware spec to run n8n locally?
A: 16GB RAM, 10-core CPU recommended; GPU not required unless training models.
Q: Can n8n be used in property development for monitoring and approvals?
A: Yes, it can automate file uploads, data extraction, and reporting.
Q: How to manage secrets and environment variables in n8n?
A: Use environment files in Docker or server setup.
Q: Can n8n be used to build chatbots?
A: Yes, it supports chatbot workflows and integrations.
Q: Can n8n be used for HR, marketing, and operations automation?
A: Yes, with premium templates and multi-agent workflows.

@lerlerchan by LerLer Chan

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