Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming marketing as we know it. It may be the buzzword on everyone’s lips today, but we’ve been subconsciously integrating AI tools (maybe without realising it) for some time now. Email marketing platforms, search engine advertising solutions, e-commerce software, and tools designed to assist with content creation have all employed some kind of AI functionalities for years, but the technology is becoming increasingly more mainstream and popular since the pandemic. When integrated into your marketing strategy, AI tools have the capacity to improve efficiency, data analytics and competitor insights, streamline content creation, boost creativity and even enhance your overall ROI, so what’s the catch?
Recent McKinsey research revealed that AI adoption has more than doubled in the past five years alone. The Financial Times also disclosed that investments in Generative AI exceeded US$2 billion in 2023, which is a clear indication of investors' and companies growing interest in this technology. Emerging AI tools are disrupting the pace of content creation and marketing strategies. While the jury is still out on the best practices of implementing AI tools in marketing, as the industry is constantly evolving, there’s no doubt that content marketers must prepare for a future where AI is integrated more seamlessly into their marketing mix. So, read on as Wordsmith shares a few insights on how we, as copywriters and content marketers, can future-proof our approach to content creation, by working collaboratively with AI – without sacrificing the human touch.
Do A Content Audit On What You Currently Have
Before you even begin to start thinking about how AI tools can fit into your current strategies and content processes, it helps to identify existing gaps with a content audit. This allows you to examine your processes for opportunities where AI tools can help to either streamline your efficiency or amplify your existing marketing output. As we’ve previously touched on in the past, there are many benefits to doing a content audit, as Digital Marketing Strategist Karina Tama-Rutigliano, rightly summarised, “One of the great things about online content is that it isn’t static like print content. You can change it any time you want… It’s like casting a wide lens over the content you have already posted, analysing it and deciding what will work best for you right now. A content audit will drastically improve the quality of your content, which will drastically improve your traffic.”
Successful content audits should take an in-depth look at Key Performance Indicators, (KPIs) such as digital engagement, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, search engine rankings and customer acquisition cost (CAC), as these numbers show where performance may not be aligning with your content strategy’s goals. If you find that content pieces are buried on the 5th or 6th Google search engine results pages, it may be because they’re not optimised for the latest algorithms. An audit could shed light on SEO inefficiencies which could encourage you to think about outsourcing your SEO, so you can keep ahead of the curve. A content audit could also reveal areas where AI could enhance your existing processes. You could use AI tools to generate blog post outlines and brainstorm trending topics, but it’s essential to have an expert copywriter on hand to ensure every piece of content you create adheres to your brand’s voice, values and personality.
It's also important to remember, that while AI may produce content faster than humans, key search engines like Google will always prioritise content that’s written by humans. Google doesn’t rate AI content highly because AI-generated copy will never become an experienced expert on any topic, as it does not meet Google’s E-E-A-T search ranking standards: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Only experienced human authors on a topic, that publish on expert topic sites, are recognised as an authority and trustworthy, and it’s this type of content that Google’s search raters are looking for, and will ultimately prioritise higher on Google search rankings, as the content is novel and not regurgitated from scouring the internet’s history. Even though Google no longer sees AI-generated content as spam if it is “helpful” & created for “people first” and “not used to manipulate search result rankings”, it still doesn’t meet the E-E-A-T standards to rank high in Google SERPs because it’s not a human author, which means any AI tools you use to streamline your content creation needs to be carefully refined by a copywriter or content marketer.
Work together with AI To Create Laser-Focused Content for Different Parts of Your Customers’ Journey
AI-driven content tools, like ChatGPT, may be able to churn out bullet-point answers and paragraphs based on the criteria you give them. However, you can rest assured that ChatGPT won’t be replacing copywriters and content marketers – we are still very much in the driver’s seat when it comes to editing, curating and publishing pieces for various stages of the buyer’s journey.
For example, AI doesn’t have the knowledge to differentiate between a customer who’s looking for possible solutions to their pain points to a customer who simply wants further in-depth information on a specific product. The software doesn’t know if it should lead customers towards an informative blog post or a how-to video. So, your content team’s input will still be essential at every stage of the customer journey, in order to efficiently move audiences through different levels of the sales funnel.
Where AI can help is with research and personalisation. It can collect insight and analysis faster than humans (which helps to narrow down predominant customer pain points) and it also enables hyper-personalisation by analysing customer data to segment audiences more effectively so copywriters can tailor messages to ensure that customers receive relevant and engaging content. Filmmaker and Founder of Studio 15, Jia Rizvi urges content marketers to watch this space as “AI is set to become even more integral in shaping customer experiences. It can already predict customer needs based on past behaviour and real-time data analysis. So, it's about using that technology to create meaningful interactions that resonate with customers individually.” Planning and testing the efficiency of your content with the help of AI tools through every stage of the buyer’s journey will ensure your marketing strategy is robust enough to satisfy your audiences who are looking for more personalised customer experiences.
Focus on Bolstering Your Thought Leadership Pieces
The very term “thought leadership” was coined by Joel Kurtzman, former editor-in-chief of Strategy and Business magazine and Harvard Business Review decades ago as someone who “possesses a distinctively original idea, a unique point of view, or an unprecedented insight into their industry”. When it comes to brands, CEOs and their savvy copywriters can become thought leaders in their own right, spearheading change in the industry with fresh perspectives, unique observations and innovative case studies – by taking human insights from AI-led research. But this doesn’t mean you can rely on AI to create your thought leadership content for you, as this would be detrimental to your brand’s authority.
John Hall, Sales Keynote Speaker and Advisor for growth marketing agency, Relevance, adds, “AI equals “Average Information.” It basically reads the whole internet and summarises it, and because of that, it gives you the most cookie-cutter answers to your questions. AI-generated content can’t throw a punch because it has no values, and doesn’t have a reason to take a stand. Because of that, thought leadership has become more valuable than ever before. You have to add expertise, and a noteworthy perspective to your content to add value for consumers. There’s more competition for an audience’s attention than ever before.”
This is great news for copywriters and content marketers, as telling stories and capturing customers' attention with novel ideas and real-life examples is what we’re best at. But as we’re swiftly edging into the era of human-AI collaboration, it couldn’t hurt to utilise AI tools for research purposes when creating your next thought-leadership piece. Smart content marketers will seek out AI tools with advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, data analysis capabilities and personalised recommendations. Some AI tools are designed specifically to advance a brand’s thought leadership by unearthing insights, up-to-date trends and emerging developments in different industries. So why not try tools like rasa.io, Scoop.It, UpContent or Social Animal? Once you’ve integrated your chosen AI tool into your content management system or workflow, you can curate and organise the data you want to see, then add in your own expertise, unique commentary and analysis.
Thanks to the advent of the internet which has brought ease of access to information and lower barriers to sharing opinions on social media, traditional methods of promoting thought leadership have become increasingly outdated, so not only should brands and content marketers use AI tools for research purposes but they should also consider utilising AI tools when it comes to how they automate and distribute their thought leadership messages, to keep up with shorter attention spans and an increasing preference for snackable content. AI can help with scheduling posts, creating targeted ads, and optimising content for different platforms. So, you should try and embrace new formats like video with short copy and interactive elements that make your content easier to engage with and share among other interested audiences. Brands that adopt AI tools in this way can improve efficiency at scale without sacrificing authenticity or quality.
While AI tools may excel your efficiency and precision in the marketing sphere, copywriters and content marketers must continue to use their voice to preserve the cornerstones of creativity, empathy and nuanced decision-making to meet the demands of customers and Google Bots alike. AI is a disruptive force, changing the way copywriters and content marketers work, but if we learn to find the sweet spot between utilising AI tools while maintaining a human-centric leadership over the content we create, the possibilities for truly connecting and resonating with key audiences can only get better.