Creating, enhancing, and automating content is the number one application for generative AI (GenAI) today. In fact, according to a recent Salesforce study, more than half (51%) of the over 1,000 marketers surveyed already use GenAI. Another 22% of respondents said they plan to use GenAI soon.
The most common GenAI use case among marketers is content creation, with usage breaking down in this way:
- Basic content creation, cited by 76%
- Writing copy, 76%
- Inspiring creative thinking, 71%
- Analyzing market data, 63%
- Generating image assets, 62%
The number one driver for using GenAI tools in content marketing is productivity. GenAI users report saving an average of 11.4 hours per week.
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As we kick off a new calendar year, let’s dive into GenAI-powered content learning and takeaways.
To up our marketing game, let’s outline where marketers are seeing success in capitalizing on the power of GenAI for content in marketing applications. The most significant advantage is automating repetitive tasks and processes. Marketers report the ability to work smarter, not harder.
- Do apply GenAI to make existing content and your innovative ideas better. Marketers are creating more impactful content in multiple ways. Getting creative juices flowing to develop content can be difficult. GenAI tools are powerful for creating first drafts and constructs. In the same spirit, GenAI tools are elevating the quality of content — from editing tools like Grammarly to GPT tools to suggesting rewrites based on tone of voice requirements and formats.
- Do count on GenAI to activate and amplify existing content and messaging. I’m working with several marketers to plug their content into public and private tools and models to promote their content better and more efficiently. For example, marketers use ChatGPT prompts by plugging in their content asset and asking GenAI to write three tweets, two LinkedIn posts, and two Facebook posts. In addition, marketers can take existing webinars, transcribe using AI tools, and plug in the content to write summaries, whitepapers, and social media post drafts. It is an incredible time saver in terms of jump-starting content creation.
- Do go beyond just public models (like ChatGPT); train your learning models. Another essential consideration is training GenAI using public or private learning models. Public models can help capture a broad swath of information for creating content. In contrast, private models trained on a company’s creative assets and data are more valuable for producing strategic, on-brand content while protecting your intellectual property. This is what we’re doing at Acceleration Economy with AnalystGPT.
- Do use GenAI for images, presentations, and written text. While there’s less adoption than writing tools, image and video creation capabilities are increasing rapidly. While these tools can’t replace the nuance of an expert creative director, they offer an alternative to commodity imagery and stock photos and graphics.
Now let’s consider four lessons on pitfalls to avoid:
- Don’t overly rely on GenAI-generated content. Human touch and storytelling are essential in the content generation process. AI’s ability to mimic the creative aspects of marketing, like creativity and copy generation, will produce content, but today, it does not consistently deliver your brand voice and messaging points. While AI can summarize and describe, it lacks a voice for thought leadership and strategic positioning. Humans still need to review the AI output.
- Don’t try a bunch of different tools and see what sticks. Marketers report that it can quickly become a full-time job to learn a bunch of new AI tools and processes, undercutting the efficiency gains of GenAI. The challenge with AI isn’t the lack of use cases; it’s identifying the right ones. Like any good procurement or onboarding tech process, pull together a team to determine your needs and research your options. LinkedIn, marketing communities, and search are intelligent ways to organize options. You can assign individuals to lead the evaluation of each type of tool.
- Don’t fully outsource generative AI. AI-powered content generation is both an art and a science, requiring hands-on work and experimentation by the team. But how do you get your teams engaged, motivated, and working with GenAI tools and processes? One popular approach is to hold “ideathons” or “hackathons” with your teams to learn, evaluate applications, and share their work. You can also bring in GenAI coaches to accelerate GenAI learning within your marketing team.
- Don’t sign long-term GenAI vendor contracts. New GenAI content tools are developed, improved, and made available every month. Marketers should limit any signed tech vendor contract to less than one year. And the tools keep improving in terms of ease of use and functionality.
Content is the key to engaging, inspiring, and informing our prospects, customers, and audiences we serve. The problem for many marketers is meeting quality and quantity requirements to deliver on diverse content needs. The good news is that GenAI is making a significant difference today. The better news is that GenAI technology is improving, and marketers’ mastery of GenAI tools in content marketing is rapidly increasing.
