AI: Content Marketers on Steroids
I've been dating AI for a while. No, I'm not talking about Replika.ai, even though anyone can see the potential: get yourself multiple girlfriends, boyfriends, and friends-friends without any of the guilt. On your screen or smartphone, for fun and without any strings attached. Perhaps pay for a subscription?
Plenty to write on that niche and how it will redefine social interaction, but surely, some other day. It has been a while since I've revisited my AI mistress, and the last time I did, we were in a loop of less-than-fascinating interactions. Plus, my wife got jealous, and I really need the computer(s) in one piece for work.
Content marketers are faced with one of the grimmest crossroads ever. We're scared senseless, and for a good reason. Regardless of everything that's been written on the topic, Language Models such as ChatGPT are a game-changer.
The reasons have been widely discussed, particularly here on LinkedIn. Highly-experienced marketers have a place in this world, while those arriving late to the party may need further help to become more competitive. Generic content, the sort you order from a content mill, will definitely see the end of the tunnel first.
Whether AI will reboot our concept of content production and expertise right away depends on several factors. Has it already, and we're fighting hard not to notice it? Let me paint a more beautiful scenario for those of us who have been creating content for years and feel, rightfully so, threatened.
To Evolve or Die
Remember when you first heard of SEO? You felt like every bit of content you produced before being acquainted with the concept fell down the drain - but it didn't. You learned new skills and adapted. Whatever situation you were faced with in life, that was always the path to growth and self-improvement.
That first time you picked up WordPress or any other CMS? You thought to yourself: I'm not here to code. I'm not an IT geek. I can't do this. And now look at you, rushing to fix that external link, and include another line of simple code, all while remaining aware of its positive impact on your SEO score.
Imagine you ignored SEO. Imagine you passed on learning any basic CMS, or any of the other ten or twenty skills you harvested over the past few years. Learning how to work with AI alongside you is scary? It can be but think of the benefits instead. Even more so, think of the cost of resisting AI completely and finding yourself obsolete in far less time than you imagine.
So how can you start working with AI today if you're a content marketer? Fortunately, content producers don't sleep. So there is already a ton of material for you to study and learn. There's a lot of rubbish, too, as the attempt to capitalize on anything new and interesting overlaps the quality of what's on offer.
Content Marketers and AI: A Symbiose
What are you most scared of? Waking up one day to no clients? To an e-mail from your company thanking you for the years of service? To become completely obsolete in the career path you invested so much time and effort in?
I'd say yes to all of the above. But I also know marketers, in particular, must remain hungry. Ever-developing, and not merely paying attention to trends out there, but most importantly, owning what happens on their desks.
If you're still one of those people who snub the many benefits of Grammarly (which you can subscribe to with a cool discount here), Ahrefs and dozens of other tools that make your work faster and better, then why postpone a meeting with AI tools?
Imagine you're working with someone by your side. A non-judgemental character, filled with instant ideas and concepts, and able to deliver anything at your request. Whether you require a structure (brief), the principles for an effective content strategy, the right SEO strategy or even unique images to portray your intention.
Would you seriously let that person out of your process? Plus, we're not talking about a human being with many flaws - and fascinating insights - who might take your job when you're not looking. Well, it might still do so, but that's a different discussion. We're talking about the most talented ally you've ever met. Isn't it at least worth considering such a partnership?
What The Next Months/Years Will Look Like
Let's refresh the new normal concept. AI IS the new normal. It isn't everywhere yet, but it will be. Particularly because we can't get enough immediate answers, immediate knowledge and, ideally, immediate results.
There is nothing judgemental here. We can't wait to have the next set of domestic appliances that will do anything and everything with a simple command. We will love the idea of having our mundane tasks taken over by better-performing actors. Don't you adore your robot vacuum? I do, and its rudimentary AI is so limited compared to what we are looking at now.
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Lead your AI companion to create the best website you've ever built. Elaborate on the most intricate piece of copy you've ever written. Empower your imagination and upscale everything with time to spare.
We want 4-day weeks and flexibility. If AI can't offer that in the next couple of months, nothing will. Our finite time, our painful, time-consuming interactions with dozens of tools to complete what are, at their core, somewhat simple tasks? Tell AI to fix them for you.
I'm not saying it will play out exactly like this, but that's what my gut tells me. I'm no expert, but I started writing in the offline world. We wrote our first blogs on rudimentary WordPress websites and implemented the first principles of SEO and multi-language platforms.
This generation, the same who flipped the switch from analogic to digital, is well-prepared to work alongside tools that can make our work more agile and valuable. We're barely distracted by low-value content - you know who you are, Tik-Tokers - so there might still be hope.
Most Content is Out There to Die a Slow Death, Anyway
It's not just me saying it. The UCR (Useless Content Ratio) is astonishing. One of the funniest databases out there is The Useless Web. It's a practical joke, particularly if you believe clogging the web is the way to go.
You'll read endless posts bragging about an insane rate of content production and results. Through context, smaller, pin-point strategies reached far better results over a far longer period. It's easy to create an avalanche of pointless content if you have enough money to spend. It's much more valuable to pick up a one-man band or small agency and obtain growth in the thousands.
Here enters AI. While everyone is trying to capitalize on the bottom tier, outputting endless content strings that read alike for very little cost, the big players are finding new ways to fuse humans and AI.
The result is to create unique and better content, the very same principles that support Google's algorithm and put food on every marketer's table.
Put simply, low-quality crap is crap anyway. You can hit the high notes, but they won't sustain, and though that's been proven again and again, the appeal is too strong to resist.
Your Next Move
Are you taking advantage of AI at all? Are you resisting? In either case, is it merely an emotional reaction to change, or are you seriously fascinated by the many uses it already provides?
I find it natural that people fear the unknown. In fact, that's probably the most human reaction of all. But should we constantly push ourselves to leave our comfort area, we usually tend to find experiences which enrich our lives.
If you have the time, there's nothing wrong with playing with several AI tools. They'll only keep getting better and at an incredible pace. The more we interact with them, the more we're fine-tuning their output.
That's partially what an AI prompt writer or AI prompt engineer does. Create the right interaction with software to ensure the most accurate output. It's like teaching a child to think and talk, all while admiring the pace at which it does.
Is it scary? Yes. Is it incredible? Yes.
Should your next move be to remain open-minded, there's much to learn and grow. It will be a hell of a ride, and we won't always feel at peace. Let's imagine we can get AI to help us solve the issues we've been unable to solve.
How can we turn our backs on such a proposal?