The Benefits of Using AI in Digital Marketing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a huge set of transformative tools for digital marketers, with content creation standing out as one of its most immediate and powerful applications.
This is music to the ears of many website owners who may lack writing skills, have no internal resource to create content, or like many businesses, may simply be short on time.
This where AI can be hugely helpful.
However, generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Perplexity are simply tools to assist in writing and should not be used to 100% generate content, for numerous reasons:
Is That Your Brand Voice?
If you put a prompt to generate an article into any AI tool it will create that content for you. But is it you? Is the output what you would have written? Does it have your brand’s tone of voice, is it your personality in there?
So, if it’s not you, then who is it?
- Brand personality: Does your brand use a friendly and playful style or is it serious and authoritative? Is your brand language formal or do you use the storytelling experience? Wherever your brand sits on the scale, be true to it.
- Show as Well as Tell: Many brands describe themselves as something they believe to be positive and will resonate with their audience. You need to demonstrate these traits as well as talking about them. Do this in your content.
- Consistency Breeds Brand Recognition: Having a consistent voice in your content marketing fosters a sense of recognition. Think about early BrewDog campaigns. They’re not nearly as disruptive as they used to be, but they still maintain their “punk ethos” as a strong part of the brand.
Ultimately, be authentic. Be true to your values and you will create recognisably on-brand content in your marketing campaigns.
Demonstrate Real-World Experience and Expertise
If there’s one thing no generative AI has, it’s your real-world experience and your expertise. You’ve lived your experience and honed your expertise through that, usually in highly personal and unique ways.
Unless you’ve already shared every unique insight and experience onto the public internet for an LLM to learn from, that deep, proprietary knowledge remains your significant competitive advantage.
Google’s very own Quality Raters are a team of humans who physically analyse webpages to see if they contain that very experience and expertise, alongside authoritativeness and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
And it’s not just you, your brand is your whole team, your business. So, remember to:
- Share Your Unique Insights: Don’t just rehash common knowledge, as many AI tools tend to do. What unique perspectives has your team gained from years in the industry? What lessons have you learned from challenges and successes?
- Highlight Your People: Put faces and names to your content. Feature your experts in articles, videos, and podcasts. Let them share their stories and insights directly. This builds instant credibility and that oh-so valuable human connection.
- Demonstrate Your Experience: Instead of just saying that you’re experienced, share your case studies, testimonials, and other detailed examples of how you’ve solved problems for others. This is what really demonstrates your practical knowledge.
- Back It Up with Data and Research: While your personality and humanity are absolutely key, solid facts and well-researched information really bolster your authority. Show that your insights are grounded in verifiable data.
Sharing your expertise through real-world experience is a clear demonstration that you’ve not just been a professional for a long time but that you get results for your clients too.
Connect Through Genuine Storytelling and Empathy
Human beings are hard-wired for a good story. They help us understand, remember, and even get a feel for the narrator. It’s this vital empathy that ensures your content genuinely addresses your audience’s needs and emotions.
- Tell Human Stories: Share anecdotes, customer success stories, or even challenges that your team has overcome. These narratives will make your content relatable and memorable.
- Understand Their World: Truly step into your audience’s shoes; What are their pain points, their aspirations, and daily struggles? Craft the content that directly addresses their issues with genuine understanding and compassion.
- Speak Their Language: Use the vocabulary and tone that resonates with your target audience, making them feel seen and heard. You should avoid jargon unless it’s common within their specific community or it’s part of your industry (And explain it too, link to a glossary or knowledge base for inquisitive users).
Storytelling in marketing was trendy some years ago, you could attribute its rise to Seth Godin’s 2005 book “All Marketers Are Liars (Tell Stories)”. Since then, it’s been in and out of vogue again. But remember, it’s a great skill that you can use to your advantage in these days where you need to stand out and resonate with your audience.
Foster Interaction and Community
Content marketing isn’t a monologue, a one-way channel, it’s a conversation, a two-way thing. If you can build a community around your content that will make it far more impactful.
- Encourage Dialogue: Ask questions, invite comments, and actively respond to audience feedback. You should make your audience feel that they’re part of the conversation.
- Create Spaces for Connection: Whether it’s a vibrant comment section, a dedicated online group, or live Q&A sessions, you should provide opportunities for your audience to connect with you and with each other.
- Listen More Than You Speak: Really pay attention to what your audience is saying, both explicitly in comments and implicitly through their engagement patterns. This sort of feedback is invaluable for shaping future content.
Content marketing isn’t just about your brand’s output; it’s about audience and customer input too. Make it a virtuous cycle.
Prioritise Authenticity and Transparency
Again, in a world where people are increasingly questioning what’s real, being authentic and transparent is a huge competitive advantage.
- Be Yourself: Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Your brand’s unique quirks and genuine voice will attract the right audience.
- Own Your Mistakes: If something goes wrong, address it openly and transparently. “Owning it” builds trust far more effectively than trying to you’re your imperfections.
- Behind-the-Scenes Glimpses: Share insights into your company culture, your team, and your processes, just like we do here at Air Social. This really humanises your brand and fosters deeper connections with your community, audience, and customers.
We can’t stress enough how much you should put into your brand marketing. But where the focus goes, the energy flows, and your genuine enthusiasm and efforts in content marketing will reward your business.
Conclusion
By focusing on these human elements, you’ll be creating content that doesn’t just inform, but truly connects, inspires, and builds lasting relationships with your audience. This is where the real power of content marketing lies, and it’s something only human creativity and empathy can fully deliver.
Yes, AI is brilliant at creating a lot of content, but it’s not got you, your brand, it’s not got your personality or experience, that’s something only can provide. Use AI as a tool, for ideation, to generate frameworks and structure. But ultimately only you can connect with your audience.
Next Steps
If your business is looking to differentiate itself from the competition, to stand out from an increasingly AI-influenced crowd, then speak with Air Social’s team of digital marketing experts. While we’ll always advise you on the most strategic ways to utilise AI for your commercial advantage, it’s the unique human element that ultimately builds stronger connections with your audience.
