Starter kit: How to create an AI marketing assistant

By 
The Tavus Team
July 4, 2025
Table of Contents

Build a powerful AI marketing assistant using Tavus’s conversational video AI to automate workflows, personalize engagement, and scale your marketing operations with ease.

Technical prerequisites and requirements

Before you dive into building your AI marketing assistant, make sure you have the right tools, data, and permissions set up. Establishing a solid technical foundation is essential for seamless integration and smooth operation of your assistant.

To get started, you’ll need access to the Tavus API. Sign up for a Tavus account and generate your API key in the Developer Portal. This key unlocks Tavus’s advanced video AI features. Next, select your preferred large language model (LLM) provider—such as OpenAI, Gemini, or Claude—and obtain the necessary API keys. These models will drive your assistant’s conversational logic.

Set up accounts for marketing automation platforms like Zapier, HubSpot, or Salesforce, depending on your workflow needs. These tools streamline and automate your marketing processes. You’ll also need access to your CRM, CMS, and analytics platforms, either through REST APIs or cloud storage. This data is crucial for personalizing interactions and tracking your success.

Decide on your authentication methods—OAuth, SSO, or API keys—and define user roles, such as marketer, admin, or end-user. Proper authentication ensures secure, role-based access to your assistant’s features. Always make API calls over HTTPS, and assign API keys the minimum permissions necessary to prevent unauthorized access.

Tip:
Check Tavus’s API documentation for the latest authentication and integration requirements. If you run into permission errors, double-check your API key scopes and network security settings.

If you’re new to AI marketing tools, many platforms offer intuitive dashboards that simplify setup and management. This user-friendly approach means you don’t need extensive coding skills or a computer science background. As a result, you can focus on strategy and creativity instead of technical hurdles (Done For You).

Phase 1: Define use case and business value

Begin by clarifying the specific tasks your AI marketing assistant will handle and how it will benefit your team and customers. Identifying the right use cases helps you maximize the impact of AI in your marketing operations.

Identify core marketing tasks to automate

Think about which marketing workflows you want to automate—such as content creation, lead qualification, campaign follow-ups, or customer engagement. Focus on tasks where conversational AI and video-driven experiences will make the biggest difference. For example, you might use the assistant to qualify leads through interactive video conversations or deliver personalized onboarding videos to new customers.

Document each workflow and specify which steps will use Tavus’s conversational video interface (CVI). This documentation will guide you as you design your assistant’s persona and configure the right automation pipelines. According to OpenAI, pinpointing areas where AI can deliver immediate improvements accelerates your path to success.

Establish success metrics and KPIs

Set clear, measurable goals for your assistant, such as boosting lead conversion rates, increasing campaign velocity, or reducing average response time. Use these KPIs to inform your technical setup and track your assistant’s impact over time.

Plan to integrate analytics endpoints and event tracking (see Phase 4) from the start. This approach aligns with best practices for deploying AI solutions and ensures you can continually optimize your assistant’s performance (Done For You).

Map user journeys and integration points

Visualize how marketers and customers will interact with your assistant across web, email, and chat channels. Identify where Tavus-powered video AI can enhance engagement. For instance, you might embed video responses in chatbots or send personalized video emails.

Ensure your technical architecture supports embedding Tavus-generated video assets and real-time conversational sessions across all your chosen channels. This strategic planning is key to seamless integration and maximizing the business value of your AI assistant (Tribe AI).

Phase 2: Technical requirements and prerequisites

Prepare your environment and gather all the tools and data you’ll need for a smooth implementation. This phase sets the stage for a successful deployment of your AI marketing assistant.

Assemble required APIs and tools

To build a robust AI marketing assistant, you’ll need several APIs and tools. Start with the Tavus API for conversational video AI, persona management, and video generation (Tavus API documentation). Choose your LLM API provider—such as OpenAI, Gemini, or Claude—for conversational logic. Set up accounts with marketing automation tools like Zapier, HubSpot, or Salesforce, and make sure you can access your data sources, including your CRM, CMS, and analytics platforms. Be sure to obtain API keys for all services, generating your Tavus API key from the Developer Portal.

Data preparation and knowledge base setup

Collect your business knowledge, marketing collateral, brand guidelines, and customer data. Prepare this information so your LLM can ingest it and Tavus can use it for video personalization.

Structure your data and make it accessible via REST endpoints or cloud storage. This organization streamlines both your LLM and Tavus video generation workflows, ensuring your AI assistant delivers personalized, contextually relevant interactions.

User authentication and permissions

Define user roles—marketer, admin, or end-user—and choose your authentication method, whether OAuth, SSO, or API keys. Set up access controls for the Tavus API and other integrated services.

Always use HTTPS for Tavus API access, and restrict API key permissions to only what’s necessary. This approach boosts security and aligns with industry standards for data protection and compliance (Skool).

Phase 3: Core implementation—building the AI marketing assistant

Now you’re ready to build and integrate your assistant, focusing on Tavus’s conversational video capabilities. This phase brings your AI marketing strategy to life through technical execution.

Configure conversational AI logic

Design your conversation flows using your chosen LLM. Implement prompt engineering, intent recognition, and fallback logic to handle a wide range of user inputs. Integrate your marketing data so the assistant can provide contextual, relevant responses.

For example, you might use an OpenAI prompt like this:

system_prompt = """
You are an AI marketing assistant for Acme Corp.
Use the latest campaign data and customer insights
to answer questions, recommend actions,
and deliver engaging, brand-consistent responses.
"""

Your backend should orchestrate communication between the LLM and Tavus’s video API. This setup ensures seamless, real-time conversational experiences, allowing your assistant to interact naturally with users (M1-Project).

Integrate Tavus conversational video AI

Step 1: Create a persona for your marketing assistant

Define your assistant’s behavior, tone, and capabilities using the Tavus Persona API. Refer to the Persona configuration guide for all available options.

For instance, your persona configuration might look like this:

{
  "persona_name": "Marketing Assistant",
  "pipeline_mode": "full",
  "system_prompt": "You are Ava, a proactive
  AI marketing assistant for Acme Corp.
  You help marketers automate campaigns,
  qualify leads, and engage customers with
  personalized video content.
  Always use a friendly, knowledgeable tone.",
  "context": "You're interacting with
  marketers and customers via video,
  providing campaign updates,
  answering questions,
  and delivering tailored marketing messages."
}

Be specific in your persona’s prompt and context to ensure consistent, brand-aligned interactions.

Step 2: Create a conversation session

Start a new conversation with your persona using the Tavus API. The endpoint is POST https://tavusapi.com/v2/conversations.

Here’s an example using cURL:

curl --request POST \
  --url https://tavusapi.com/v2/conversations \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: <api_key>' \
  --data '{ "persona_id": "<your_persona_id>" }'

The API response will include a conversation_url for joining the session.

Store the conversation_id and conversation_url for session management and for embedding in your frontend application.

Step 3: Join and manage the conversation

Direct users—marketers or customers—to the conversation_url to start the video session. Tavus’s real-time pipeline manages perception, speech-to-text (STT), LLM, and text-to-speech (TTS) layers.

Configure perception and STT layers for optimal marketing interactions. For advanced options, check out the AI Interviewer configuration.

Step 4: Generate and deliver personalized video assets

Use Tavus’s video generation endpoints to create personalized onboarding, campaign, or follow-up videos. For detailed instructions, see the Video generation quickstart.

Personalized video content boosts engagement and can be triggered automatically based on user actions or campaign milestones. This capability sets your marketing apart by enhancing customer experience and driving success (AI Marketing Assistant).

Connect to marketing automation workflows

Set up triggers—such as new lead creation or campaign launch—to invoke Tavus video generation or start a conversation session. Use webhooks or native integrations to sync with tools like Zapier, HubSpot, or Salesforce.

For example, your webhook configuration might look like this:

{
  "event": "lead_qualified",
  "action": "POST",
  "url": "https://tavusapi.com/v2/conversations",
  "body": {
    "persona_id": "<your_persona_id>",
    "callback_url": "https://yourapp.com/tavus/callback"
  }
}

Monitor webhook delivery and handle Tavus callbacks for video status updates or conversation events. This keeps your workflows in sync and your marketing operations running smoothly (AI Marketing Assistant).

Phase 4: Enabling multi-channel engagement and personalization

Expand your assistant’s reach and create tailored experiences across every marketing channel. Multi-channel personalization is essential for engaging customers and enhancing their journey.

Deploy across web, email, and social channels

Embed Tavus-powered video sessions or assets in landing pages, chat widgets, email campaigns, and social posts. Use the conversation_url or video asset URLs for easy integration.

Ensure your embeds are responsive and maintain consistent branding across all channels. This strategy not only improves user experience but also reinforces your brand identity at every touchpoint (Braze).

Personalize content and video messaging

Leverage user data—such as name, segment, or campaign—to personalize both text and video content. Pass personalization variables to Tavus’s video generation API.

For example, your video personalization payload might look like this:

{
  "template_id": "<video_template_id>",
  "variables": {
    "first_name": "Taylor",
    "campaign_offer": "Spring Sale"
  }
}

Test variable substitution and video rendering for each campaign segment to ensure high-quality, relevant outputs. This level of personalization can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates (Enreach.ai).

Integrate analytics and feedback loops

Connect to analytics platforms to track user interactions, video engagement, and conversion outcomes. Use Tavus’s webhooks for real-time event delivery. For setup details, see Webhooks and Callbacks.

Set up event listeners to capture and analyze engagement data. Use these insights to optimize your assistant’s performance over time. A data-driven approach is essential for continuous improvement and achieving your marketing goals (Uberall).

Phase 5: Testing, monitoring, and optimization

Ensure your AI marketing assistant is reliable, secure, and always improving. Rigorous testing and ongoing monitoring are vital for maintaining high performance and user satisfaction.

Functional and UX testing

Test all conversation flows, video generation endpoints, and integrations across different devices and channels. Validate error handling, fallback logic, and video delivery to guarantee a smooth user experience.

Use Tavus’s Errors and Status Details to handle API errors gracefully and provide clear feedback to users. This proactive approach minimizes disruptions and builds user trust (Revv Growth).

Monitor performance and user engagement

Set up real-time monitoring for API calls, video rendering times, and user engagement metrics. Create alerts for failures or performance issues so you can respond quickly.

Keep track of Tavus API usage and quota limits to avoid unexpected service disruptions. Staying vigilant ensures your assistant remains responsive and effective at all times (Done For You).

Continuous improvement and model updates

Regularly update your LLM prompts, video templates, and workflow automations based on analytics and user feedback. Keep your knowledge base current and retrain models as needed to maintain high-quality interactions.

This iterative process helps you adapt to changing market conditions and user preferences, ensuring your AI marketing assistant continues to deliver value (PageOn).

Phase 6: Best practices, patterns, and Tavus integration tips

Follow proven patterns and Tavus-specific recommendations to create a robust, scalable solution. Adhering to best practices ensures your AI marketing assistant is both effective and sustainable.

Modular architecture and scalability

Design your assistant using microservices or modular components. Isolate Tavus video generation as a reusable service that you can call from different campaigns and workflows.

This modular approach enhances scalability and simplifies maintenance and updates, making it easier to adapt to new requirements and opportunities.

Security, privacy, and compliance

Encrypt all data exchanges with Tavus and third-party APIs using HTTPS. Follow GDPR, CCPA, and any industry-specific compliance guidelines for user data and video content.

Maintaining high standards of security and compliance protects user privacy and builds trust—both essential for long-term success in AI-driven marketing.

Tavus-specific integration guidelines

Take advantage of Tavus’s batch video generation for large campaigns to save time and resources. Use digital twins or AI avatars for brand-consistent spokesperson videos. For advanced features like real-time video synthesis and webhook callbacks, consult the Tavus documentation. Always monitor API usage and quota limits to prevent service interruptions.

By following these phases, you’ll be able to deploy your AI marketing assistant, monitor its performance, iterate, and expand its capabilities. This approach helps you maximize automation, engagement, and business impact. Start integrating Tavus’s conversational video AI into your marketing stack today to transform your workflows and deliver personalized experiences at scale.

References:
- Tavus documentation - Conversational video interface - Persona configuration - Video generation quickstart - Webhooks and callbacks

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