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AI isn’t taking over the world (yet)
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The AI/content marketing partnership
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Generating ideas and topic angles
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Research
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Outlining
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Drafting
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Editing
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SEO optimisation
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Personalisation and analysis
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Visual enhancements
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Repurposing content
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Harness the power of AI, but recognise its limitations
I recently conducted a LinkedIn poll on the use of artificial intelligence in content creation. The question was “will content copywriters and marketers become redundant in the AI age?”
The survey may not have received quite as many votes as the UK’s general election, but I was more surprised by the result: 90% of respondents said no, AI wouldn’t put them out of a job. That’s a far cry from what the AI prognostications would seem to suggest.
Which isn’t to say AI (especially generative AI) won’t take some parts of copywriters’ and marketers’ roles. To stay relevant and add value, copywriters will instead need to learn how to adapt with the evolving technology and match its strengths with the unique qualities humans can bring.
As Seth Godin’s recent blog on the Western Union trap observed: “When the telephone began to gain traction, the monopoly of the time, Western Union, decided to get even better at sending telegrams.”
Any writers and marketers wanting a future in the field can’t make Western Union’s mistake.
AI isn’t taking over the world (yet)
First, some perspective is in order.
A quick Google search reveals a mass of surveys and statistics around the use of AI in business in general, and content marketing in particular. Given the lag time between conducting a survey and publishing the results, many of those figures will be out of date. What is clear though is that more people are experimenting with GenAI tools all the time. And with new, better versions being rolled out with startling frequency, the use cases will expand.
Yet despite the advances, quality problems remain AI’s Achilles heel. Large language models are susceptible to producing plausible errors of fact and errors of logic, making them risky tools to rely on. Plus much of what they do produce is boring.
The AI/content marketing partnership
Artificial intelligence (for the time being at least) may not be able to replace the work of an expert human. But it can help. Areas where human copywriters and marketers can usefully leverage the power of AI include:
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Generating ideas and topic angles
AI tools can analyse industry trends, news events and emerging developments to suggest thought leadership topics likely to engage your audience.
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Research
A major AI strength is its ability to access and analyse vast quantities of data from disparate sources. It can identify relevant statistics, trends and insights writers can employ to inform their content (checking its veracity of course!) in a fraction of the time it would take to do manually.
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Outlining
Shaping powerful information into a logical, easy-to-read structure is the foundation of quality content. AI tools can help create an outline that covers the salient points and makes subsequent writing easier.
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Drafting
AI can generate initial drafts based on the identified topic information and relevant keywords, saving writers from the brain-freezing perils of the blank page. The writer can then add their style, depth, humour, insight and other human qualities that make the piece interesting and unique.
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Editing
Tools such as Grammarly can catch spelling mistakes, flag punctuation issues, correct grammatical errors and suggest ways to make sentences easier to read. Help with the technicalities can free writers to focus on enhancing the message.
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SEO optimisation
AI can create SEO-optimised headline options to improve the chances of attracting readers. It can also identify relevant keywords and phrases to incorporate into the content, along with sub-headings and meta descriptions to boost search engine ranking results.
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Personalisation and analysis
By analysing audience behaviour and preferences, copywriters can better tailor content to specific demographics or user segments, helping improve engagement and conversion rates. AI can subsequently track how content performs by views, engagement and conversions, providing insights into what works and what doesn’t.
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Visual enhancements
AI can suggest/create images, videos and infographics to break up the written content and make it more engaging.
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Repurposing content
Tools can repurpose or adapt existing content for a different audience or format, for example turning blog posts into social media posts or newsletter articles.
Harness the power of AI, but recognise its limitations
While AI may make propagating content easier, churning out a flood of output at the press of a button breeds its own problems. Creating materials permeated with biases and inaccuracies is one risk. Producing content misaligned with brand values is another.
AI-generated output needs to be properly governed. Yet many organisations currently lack appropriate guidelines to ensure content adheres to brand and compliance standards, and will engender reader trust.
Lack of originality and creativity is a further issue. AI regurgitates and remixes existing information, often resulting in repetitive, mechanical material bereft of the emotion and engagement a human writer can add.
When allied to a human’s creative flair, AI can speed up and personalise content creation, helping organisations produce powerful materials that resonate with their audience. But beware its limitations. AI remains a flawed assistant. Use it, but use it with care.