Folks in marketing tend to have mixed opinions about using AI, and I’ve been one of them. I’ve heard everything from concerns about decreasing job opportunities for marketers and writers to all marketing should be shifted to SEO-optimized AI output. While each thought process has merit, I feel that the right answer exists in between - let's chat about it.
Like most tools, there’s a right way and a “Did you really just do that?” way to use AI. While AI may not entirely replace human creativity (sorry, robots), it has become an invaluable ally, especially for whipping up some seriously cool marketing content. But let’s not get carried away—AI’s effectiveness hinges on savvy use of prompts, guidance from skilled marketers, and a healthy dose of caution.
5 second summary:
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AI is a helpful tool in marketing, but human creativity and insight remain essential for crafting content that resonates with audiences.
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AI can streamline content creation and curation, saving time and effort, but marketers must guide it with clear prompts and refine the output.
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Relying too heavily on AI for for content creation can backfire, as search engines prioritize high-quality, human-driven content over AI-generated material.
AI for Content Creation Can be a Powerful Helping Hand in Content Creation
For the modern marketer, one of the more useful capabilities of AI is its ability to analyze and summarize an incredible amount of information to automatically generate infographics, social posts, and even draft blogs. For B2B marketers this is particularly beneficial. Additionally, AI-powered tools can pull up pertinent content, eliminating the need for extensive research. This can eliminate a lot of time and effort that would otherwise hold up your content creation process.
Artificial intelligence can also be particularly helpful when your idea well runs dry. Sometimes you have a fantastic topic in mind, but struggle with structuring the blog you want to write. Maybe you need a new perspective on an existing topic or need to condense some long-form content in a few social media posts. AI can be used in these instances as a content tool to refine your work.
Content creators can also start with with an AI-powered content creation tool to write content, and then personalize the content to align better with their brand’s voice and messaging.
In the words of Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs: "AI is transforming marketing by taking over mundane tasks, freeing marketers to focus on strategy and creativity, which are irreplaceable by machines."
AI and Social Media are Besties
Social media is another area where AI shines. AI-driven content curation plays a crucial role in keeping feeds fresh and relevant. For B2B audiences, this is particularly beneficial. Artificial intelligence can surface pertinent content, eliminating the need for extensive manual research.
This AI-curated content is perfect to leverage on personal and company account pages as an opportunity to share experiences and expertise via social media posts. This can be handy if you’re trying out social selling on LinkedIn.
However, marketing strategists must set parameters and continuously adjust them to ensure the AI-curated content aligns with their marketing campaign goals.
This combination of using AI content creation tools and AI-curated content can be used to enrich your social media presence, enhancing audience engagement, and overall digital marketing effectiveness.
The Savvy Marketer's Role in AI-Driven SEO: Make sure to be selective with AI for high-quality content creation
While AI offers many benefits, it's important to recognize its limitations, especially in the realm of SEO. Using AI content creation tools and search-engine optimized content that is not edited by a human, could lead to content that lacks the nuanced context and real-world insight that human writers possess. This can lead to content that, while technically optimized for search engines, won't resonate with your target audience.
Also, keep in mind that search engines are becoming increasingly sophisticated in detecting AI-generated content. Consider this: Google's algorithms are designed to identify patterns typical of AI-generated text and penalize content that is spammy or lacks quality. Tools such as Winston AI claim to detect AI-generated content with up to 99.6% accuracy (CrafterCMS) (Winston AI).
Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) prioritize high-quality content that is original and offers genuine value to users. Relying too heavily on AI for writing SEO content can result in content that fails to rank well or is pushed out after being detected as spam (Google).
The Role of AI in Marketing: Enhancing Your Very Human Creativity
While using AI for content creation has revolutionized the landscape of B2B marketing, its effectiveness hinges on the quality of the input it receives. Using AI for writing marketing copy still demands detailed prompts, specialized knowledge of the market, and deep industry insights. Marketers must guide AI tools with clear and precise instructions to generate relevant content that resonates with their target audience. This creative process involves continual refinement to ensure the output of your content generation tool aligns with your brand's tone of voice and quality standards.
With that in mind, it's super important to remember that AI should not be used as more than a tool to enhance your creativity. This statement stands, regardless of the types of content you are creating (such as blog posts, video content, social media posts, visual content, etc). The unique perspectives and nuanced understanding that human marketing teams bring to the table cannot be duplicated, no matter how smart the AI tool is.
AI can assist in the initial stages of the content creation process, but the final touch (and the bulk of the work) must come from a human who can infuse the content with originality, emotion, and a deep connection to the audience. In essence, AI is a powerful ally, but it is the human touch that will truly bring your content marketing to life. Because, in the end, no one wants boring, out-of-touch content to represent their brand.
Let’s Wrap This Up
The main point I want you to take home is that AI is like that super-efficient robot vacuum: it’s amazing for doing the heavy lifting and saving you time, but you still need a human to handle the delicate stuff, the creative stuff, the deep industry insider knowledge stuff. AI content generators offer significant advantages in efficiency and data-driven insights, but they should merely be seen as your trusty sidekicks. By letting AI handle the initial stages of content generation and curation, you and I can focus on the fun part—adding unique value and insight.
Looking for more than just a sidekick? You might need a full-service marketing agency. Let’s chat today and see how we can help elevate your technology company's marketing strategy.
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