Content marketing strategy is more than pretty words on paper – or, more accurately, our computer screens. Smart marketers know that brands need a unique voice, tone, and personality to win over their audiences.
With the recent popularity of ChatGPT, everyone wants to know how AI will change the marketing landscape. The truth is AI is here to stay whether we like it or not. But you’ll be happy to know the era of human-generated content is far from over. In fact, it’s superior to AI-generated content in several ways. So, before logging into ChatGPT, let’s go over all the ways you can use AI to your benefit—and when it’s best to keep it in the background.
AI writing tools like Grammarly, Jasper, and Copy.ai have been around for quite some time. Writers everywhere have worked hand-in-hand with AI tools to improve their grammar and write more succinctly.
However, only recently have we been able to have an active conversation with an automated tool. OpenAI’s Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (more commonly known as ChatGPT) takes things to a whole other level. ChatGPT allows users to have an intuitive, two-way conversation with their AI tool, giving them the ability to fine-tune their messages like never before. While ChatGPT is certainly impressive, it comes with clear limitations, namely around being authentic, which we will get into further.
ChatGPT is an advanced AI tool that uses a state-of-the-art neural network to communicate through advanced natural language processing. When ChatGPT is prompted with a question, the system accesses a massive library of pre-trained data to produce a response. Translation: ChatGPT has a huge database full of user-provided information that it can draw from whenever we ask a question.
On paper, that seems pretty intimidating if you’re a writer. How can we compete with a single program that can access an entire internet of information in seconds? The truth is, there are many areas where human-created content is far superior to AI-generated content—and it all comes down to how we interact with one another as humans.
It’s easy to assume that ChatGPT may lead to the death of human-generated content as we know it, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just like Grammarly didn’t lead to the end of copyeditors, there is plenty of room for ChatGPT and copywriters to work together hand-in-hand. ChatGPT, even at this early stage of development, is proving to be an excellent tool for writers in all professions. Here are just some of the ways we’ve used ChatGPT to great effect:
ChatGPT is not without its problems. While it’s managed to trick some people into believing its content is indiscernible from human-generated content, its flaws become far more apparent when it makes the switch to long-form.
This is namely due to the way ChatGPT constructs sentences. When people communicate, they do so to get their point across. If someone asks us a question, we may answer in several different ways depending on the context and who we are speaking to. For example, we speak to small children much differently than our best friends because we understand kids have limited experiences to draw on. On the other hand, we may not have to say much to communicate with the people closest to us because they understand us on a deeper level that’s rooted in all the interactions that preceded, both verbal and not.
In contrast, ChatGPT constructs sentences from existing internet databases. It attempts to mimic human language by repeatedly predicting what the next word in a sentence should be. Rather than answering in a way best suited to the asker, it pulls language from those databases. As a result, ChatGPT can sound stilted and inauthentic.
For example, if you ask a friend if they liked a recent John Wick movie, they might say, “It was so good! I love Keanu Reeves. He brings so much to a role.”
Here is an actual response from ChatGPT when asked, “Is John Wick 3 good?”
“’John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ received generally positive reviews from both critics and audiences. Many praised the film for its intense and well-choreographed action scenes, stylish visuals, and strong performances by the cast, especially Keanu Reeves. The movie also expands the world-building of the franchise, delving deeper into the mythology and backstory of the criminal underworld in which the story takes place.”
While this is certainly an accurate answer, it lacks that human touch that makes it sound natural. In essence, it lacks authenticity.
Being authentic is a key component in any content strategy. It’s what connects audiences specifically to your brand over your competition.
In our day-to-day lives, we seek people we can relate to. Understanding motivations and identifying commonalities are just some of the ways we build connections amongst ourselves.
The same can be said about creating connections with your brand. When your brand speaks in an authentic human voice, other people with like-minded interests pay attention! That’s why it’s essential to keep humans at the forefront of the creative process in any content marketing strategy. Here are some of the reasons why you should take a people-first approach to your marketing strategy:
One of AI’s biggest issues is that it doesn’t always provide accurate information. For example, ChatGPT’s machine learning is done during scheduled learning sessions. Rather than pulling information directly from the internet, it constructs sentences based on previous training. ChatGPT’s last session was in September 2021, so it does not have data on any events after that date. As a result, it will argue facts that may be completely incorrect based on outdated information.
AI is not designed to think out of the box. It’s programmed to focus on techniques that work now. This is a problem for marketers looking to trailblaze new and innovative ways to connect with audiences. If you’re looking to stay up to date with the latest marketing trends—or create some new trends of your own—AI is not the solution.
Maintaining your brand voice is essential to being authentic. Just as the people in our lives speak in a way that makes them unique from others, brands also need to differentiate themselves from competitors in their industry. For example, while ChatGPT can change its tone to a degree when prompted, its voice stays consistent. At its heart, it’s still a chatbot designed to provide information, not inspire curiosity or provide reassurance. When it comes to maintaining a brand voice, the job is best left to people.
Everyone is different based on their age, upbringing, lived experiences, and more. This is why savvy marketers always start by creating a range of personas that represent our target audiences. Whether speaking to a high schooler in Idaho or a retiree in Florida, AI talks to everyone the same way. Content marketing takes an in-depth understanding of people and their unique needs to truly connect with them, and to date, humans are best equipped to deliver that.
AI is shaping up to be a great tool that can help content writers perform a number of tasks in record time! However, when it comes to creative ways to capture audiences, it is best to leave that job to professional marketers.
It’s important to understand the limitations of AI and all the ways it can work against you when creating compelling content. The best we can do now is slowly incorporate AI tools into our processes while still relying on tried-and-true marketing methods. While we’re facing a major shift in how we create content, it’s important to remember what moves people and drives their decisions.
If you’re looking for ways to make your brand sound more authentic, reach out to the Agital team today!
