The Future Of Content Marketing In An A.I. World (#118)

TL;DR

Content marketing in an AI world will shift from producing large volumes of adequate material to creating distinctive work built on point of view, humor, personality, and clever ideas. AI can automate much of the research, first-draft writing, and editing while making video creation easier, but the speakers do not consider current tools ready to publish on the first attempt. Read on for the strategies brands and creators can use to stand out.

Transcript

(upbeat music) - In today's show, we're gonna talk about how every company should move from a content marketing team to a team of creators. Because point of view, humor, unique and clever ideas are what's really gonna succeed in a world where content is commoditized by artificial intelligence. I'm Kipp Bodnar, the CMO at HubSpot, and I'm joined by ... Read More

Key Insights

• AI is commoditizing content creation, making unique and clever ideas crucial for success in marketing.
• The traditional content marketing playbook is being disrupted by AI, necessitating new strategies.
• AI will automate research, first drafts, and editing, but will struggle with creating truly unique content.
• Video content is expected to become more prevalent, as AI simplifies the creation of visual media.
• The scarcity in the AI-driven content world is unique, simple ideas that differentiate a brand.
• Creators with distinct personalities will become more valuable as they can connect with audiences in ways AI cannot.
• Programmatic content might diminish, with a shift towards creating hits and building brand communities.
• Brands will need to partner with creators and have a clear, differentiated message to succeed in an AI era.

Questions & Answers

Q: How is AI changing the content marketing playbook?

AI is automating much of the research, first-draft writing, and editing involved in content creation. The speakers expect this to raise many average creators into the “good” category, while exceptional content will still depend on personality, distinctive angles, and ideas that resonate with an audience.

Q: Should companies replace content marketing teams with teams of creators?

The show argues that every company should move from a conventional content marketing team toward a team of creators. Its reasoning is that point of view, humor, personality, and unique ideas become more valuable as AI commoditizes routine content production.

Q: What content work can AI automate?

AI can automate much of the research, generate useful data points and first drafts, and reduce editing work. It can also help add video and unique images, although the speakers say the tools are not yet good enough to publish their first output without iteration.

Q: What separates great content from good AI-assisted content?

Great content has an additional layer of personality, original angles, and audience resonance. AI may help an average creator produce good work, but the speakers question how much it can help good creators cross into the exceptional category.

Q: Why will unique ideas and brand personality matter more?

AI enables an effectively unlimited number of robots to create content, dramatically expanding its supply. In that environment, unique and clever ideas, humor, a clear point of view, and recognizable personalities give audiences a reason to notice one creator or brand.

Q: How will AI affect personalized content?

The speakers expect AI to become much better at tailoring content when given a persona and its characteristics. They describe its current performance as merely fine rather than great and say they would not use it yet for that purpose.

Q: Why is video expected to become more prominent?

AI video and image tools make it easier for people to express their ideas visually. Because that barrier is falling, the speakers predict that much more content will become video and that audiences will consume more video in the future.

Q: Why did inbound marketing originally become popular?

Inbound marketing grew as internet users began conducting their own research and consuming useful information before paying a company. B2B businesses responded with educational blogs and other content, then expanded into entertainment, podcasts, video, and creator programs to become part of customers’ daily lives.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• AI is transforming content marketing by automating many aspects of content creation, but it struggles to replicate unique and creative ideas. Brands must focus on developing distinct voices and personalities to stand out.

• The future of content marketing will see a shift from programmatic content to creating hits and building communities. Brands will need to employ creators and establish a clear brand message to thrive.

• As AI commoditizes content, the importance of unique ideas and differentiated presentation increases. Companies should invest in creators and community building to maintain a competitive edge.