Are the rules changing for content marketing with generative AI? Pre-AI trends suggested they already were…
Content marketing has come a long way from text-heavy blog posts and ad-hoc product review sites of the early Internet (phase 1) to smart brand plays like P&G’s beingGirl.com and Amex’s Open Forum (phase 2) to sophisticated even-bigger budget efforts like BMW films, Red Bull Media (phase 3). Many marketers dedicated budget and talent on digital content in pursuit of quality awareness, leads, and even customer loyalty (even sophomoric stunts like Will It Blend? by Blendtec have apparently been effective). Like many digital marketers, I’m looking at the ongoing arms race of digital content and wondering whether generative AI will disrupt efforts for the better…or the worse (maybe phase 4?).
In the early phases, the marketing economics were generally there, as website and social platform engagement data suggested that compelling content to bring an audience closer to ‘the brand’ paid off…for some marketers quite handsomely. The ‘good times’ for content marketing however, might be ending; three recent trends (which precede the new generative AI tools…related more to the increase in social media usage) point to a rough road ahead for marketers investing heavily in digital content marketing strategies and plans; and might require us to re-think the approach…
Trend 1: Higher cost. Less and less content is visible to consumers without paid support. The days when clients would say ‘make it viral!’, thankfully, are over, but so (perhaps) are the days where quality content got a marketer organic reach. With digital advertising getting more expensive, and content marketing efforts generally considered a long-term investment, SEO and insights-based content have led to some truly stunning case studies. But will this continue? Recent data show that almost 97% of digital content receives no traffic from Google — and 5 years ago it was 90%. So, marketers are paying for content that requires inefficient paid advertising support — constantly — in order to reach any consumers, let alone the most valuable. The result? More SPAM, especially on social media platforms.
Trend 2: Lower quality. Content that is likely to be shared continues to be low-value, inaccurate (misinformation/disinformation) content — and research suggests that even the process of sharing content online blurs the line between fact and fiction for internet users. Groan. The result? With more and more content being shared, and of decreasing quality, marketers will need to work even harder to establish and protect their content’s authenticity and authority. Careful with how you integrate influencers into your content marketing strategy, guys…buckle down on old school SEO techniques like citing reputable sources, getting high-quality backlinks, and using social platforms carefully and with high brand-trust audiences.
Trend 3: Insight-free. Content marketers who succeed have done the hard work of mapping out where best their efforts can serve prospects and customers across the journey. We’re taught that basic audience research — something which many marketers still do, thankfully — improves the chance (duh) that content will address a specific need, and thus deliver a desired result. But that’s changing…recent research suggests that markers are paying less attention to marketing effectiveness overall, let alone their content marketing efforts. The result? More SPAM and fuzzy performance evaluation will turn away audiences and annoy our finance partners who fund our efforts. Fundamentals, people!
In sum, with generative AI looking to be an accelerant to marketers creating even more branded content that will be “unfound, unconsumed, and unloved” across the internet, it’s time to take stock of what works. If your content marketing efforts are long-term, niche B2B prospect nurture or customer loyalty-focused, you’re probably welcoming generative AI as a time saver and the above trends don’t apply to you. Congrats. But, for many marketers — facing pressure to invest in content for a short-term, performance goal — think about where you have a “right to win” with your content marketing efforts. That means you’ll need to focus —use keyword research and other audience insights to spot the gaps in your customer’s content needs and fill them with a lower amount of high-quality content. Look for partners to do this wherever possible (embrace that they might be ‘frenemies’ too…). Resist the temptation to use generative AI to create volumes of SPAM. Recycle content that works over creating a branded BuzzFeed that excites the team but has no shot of remaining funded over the long haul. And make content marketing’s ‘phase 4’ a success for the industry — our audiences and partners deserve that much…
