Does AI Content Work for Digital Marketing?

The emergence of AI content creation in the golden age of digital marketing has been a game-changer for marketers worldwide. Tools like GPT-3, Jarvis, and Copy.ai have paved the way for businesses to produce content at an unprecedented scale and speed.

According to Blogging Wizard, nearly 60% of marketers use generative AI tools and techniques to create text, including emails, web copy, social media posts, blogs, and articles. However, the question remains: does AI content work for digital marketing from a search engine optimization (SEO) perspective?

In this post, we'll highlight the growing importance of AI-generated branded content and share its benefits and drawbacks. With our expert insights, you can determine whether AI content creation is a bane or boon for digital marketers today and in the future.

   

The Rise of AI in Digital Marketing

AI in digital marketing started as this cool, futuristic idea, but it's pretty much everywhere now. Think of it like going from flip phones to smartphones. Along the way, we got some nifty AI content creation tools that help marketers create content faster than brewing your morning coffee, including:

• Jasper (previously known as Jarvis)
• ai
• ChatGPT
• Writesonic
• Wordtune
• Rytr, etc.

These tools have turned the content game on its head, making everything more personal, catchier, and much easier to get out there. Here are some interesting stats by MarkerSplash you should know about the integration of artificial intelligence in content marketing:

• Adoption Rate Among Businesses: As of recent data, 52% of business leaders have incorporated AI content generation tools into their content marketing strategies, with expectations that nearly 65% will have experimented with AI content generation tools by the end of 2024.
• Generative AI's Acceptance: 73% of marketing executives from both B2B and B2C sectors have welcomed generative AI into their companies, highlighting the broad acceptance and integration of AI technologies across different marketing strategies.
• Marketing Professionals' Perspective on AI-Generated Content: Thirdly, 82% of marketing professionals consider the quality of AI-created content to be on par with that produced by humans, indicating strong confidence in the capabilities of AI to generate high-quality content.

Benefits of AI-Generated Content for Digital Marketers

Here's why AI content creation tools have been stealing the show in recent years:

1. Scalability and Efficiency

AI enables the production of large volumes of content quickly, reducing the turnaround time from weeks to hours for projects that would typically require significant human effort.

Forbes uses an AI-powered tool called Bertie to assist in content creation, significantly increasing their content volume. Bertie helps draft articles by providing reporters with first drafts and templates, speeding up content creation.

2. SEO Optimization and Improved Google Rankings

Advanced algorithms can optimize content for specific keywords and SEO rules, improving a website's search engine visibility and potentially increasing its rankings without constant human intervention.

One great example of this is Hubspot's new AI algorithm that assists in identifying gaps in content for SEO purposes. The tool helps suggest topics likely to perform well based on search engine demand, thereby improving HubSpot's visibility and ranking on Google.

3. Cost-effectiveness and Resource Allocation

Reducing the need for a large content team, AI allows for reallocating budget and human resources towards strategic planning, creative campaigns, and other areas where human creativity and strategic thinking are indispensable.

Using AI, the Associated Press was able to automate the generation of earnings reports, freeing up journalists' time to work on in-depth articles and analyses. This move saved time and allowed the AP to cover more companies' earnings reports than would have been possible manually.

Challenges and Limitations of AI Content Creation

AI content tools aren't perfect, so you can't expect them to take charge of content production and other tasks. They work better as assistants, and that's due to several challenges and limitations, including:

1. Quality Concerns

The biggest concern with AI content creation is that it might not always capture the subtleties of human emotion or the depth of expertise required for certain topics, potentially leading to content that feels generic or misses the mark in engaging the audience deeply.

CNET, known for its tech reviews and news, openly used AI (specifically ChatGPT) to write some content, marking a significant move for a site with such journalistic prestige. It faced criticism for potentially compromising on journalistic research and expert opinions in favor of cost savings. The controversy intensified when inaccuracies in AI-written articles emerged, leading CNET to reduce its volume of AI-generated content significantly.

2. Overcoming Google's Guidelines

Google's emphasis on original, high-quality content poses a challenge for AI-generated content. It must be carefully managed to meet these guidelines and avoid being penalized for low-quality or duplicate content.

One great example of this is Bankrate. Initially, the personal finance website was very open about using AI for content creation, attaching disclaimers to its AI-generated articles to inform readers. They published 213 AI articles with disclaimers at their peak. However, over time, the number of articles with disclaimers decreased, suggesting reduced reliance on AI-written content.

This shift might indicate challenges such as the AI content not performing well on search engines or not saving as much time as anticipated. Despite these challenges, Bankrate's AI content had previously ranked high on search engines, showing that AI-generated content can perform well when helpful, accurate, and fact-checked

3. Maintaining Brand Voice and Authenticity

Achieving consistency in brand voice across AI-generated content requires sophisticated training of AI models and ongoing oversight. There's a risk that without careful management, content might lack the unique personality or authentic tone that customers associate with a brand.

Coca-Cola experimented with AI to generate creative ads. However, maintaining the brand's unique voice and ensuring the AI-generated content aligned with Coca-Cola's branding standards posed challenges, requiring close oversight and adjustment by human marketers to ensure consistency and authenticity.

Best Practices for Implementing AI in Content Strategy

When blending AI into your content strategy, think of it like adding a new member to your creative team. Here's how you can ensure this new member works harmoniously with the rest of your crew:

1. Integrating AI with Human Oversight for Quality Assurance

Mixing the speed of AI with the keen eye of human editors is key for keeping content on the mark. Think of it like having a safety net. For instance, The Washington Post uses its AI technology, Heliograf, to churn out quick reports on elections or sports. But it doesn't stop there; real live editors give the AI's work a once-over to ensure everything's up to snuff. This way, they make sure their stories are fast but also accurate and trustworthy.

You, too, can achieve this by hiring a content writing service specializing in AI content humanization, like Content Development Pros.

2. Mixing AI with Traditional Digital Marketing

Incorporating AI into traditional marketing strategies transforms them into more targeted, efficient, and engaging campaigns. Imagine using AI to sift through customer data, like a skilled analyst, to uncover insights that inform personalized marketing efforts. This approach allows marketers to craft messages that speak directly to the consumer's preferences, like how Netflix uses viewing habits to recommend the next binge-worthy series.

In other words, you've got your tried-and-true digital marketing tactics – email blasts, social media posts, you name it. You can use AI to automate and accelerate the creation process for these short-form tasks. Similarly, you can leverage human expertise and AI to create engaging reads for long-form content like blogs and articles.

3. Keeping Up with Evolving SEO Trends and AI Technology

Keeping up with SEO trends is essential, like staying in step during a dance-off, where moves constantly evolve. Take BuzzFeed, for example. They smartly use AI to determine which content will grab your attention and rank well on search engines.

They're always tweaking their approach with the latest SEO insights to make their content visible and engaging. It's a dynamic strategy—always changing to keep their content fresh and interesting. They're not just following the crowd; they're leading it, using AI to stay ahead.

The key here is finding the perfect blend of AI to boost our efforts while ensuring the human element keeps the content genuine and compelling. It's about using AI to add value to our creative and strategic work, not to take over completely. This balance between technology and human creativity makes content stand out.

Expert Content Writing Services from CDP

Does AI content work for digital marketing? Absolutely. Google itself claims it doesn't care about the creation method but rather the quality of the content. So, with that said, AI content creation is only effective if you focus on producing content that provides real value to your audience, is engaging, and meets the high standards expected by both users and search engines.

Looking to elevate your digital marketing strategy with content that stands out? Content Development Pros is here to help. Our team of skilled writers doesn't just stay on top of the latest trends and tools – we leverage them to craft humanized content that cuts through the digital noise. Whether you aim for higher engagement, better SEO rankings, or quality content that resonates with your audience, we've got you covered.