A Need-To-Know Guide To The Impact Of AI On Content Marketing

In the world of search, there is a big change afoot. But the changes needed in terms of content marketing may not be a big as we think. Here are some headline changes along with some information on what we as content marketers need to do to stay ahead of the game…

There is no doubt that AI will continue to have impact on the way we create and consume content, particularly when Google launches its AI search engine ‘Search Generative Experience’ (SGE). The question on everyone’s lips now is ‘if people get the answers from AI, why would they read my content’? Fundamentally, the answer remains the same as it’s always been when content is going up against its competition – you need to create something significantly better than what AI can produce. Whether that be the personal stories, testimonials, ‘how to’ guides and case studies featured in your blog, or a YouTube video providing useful product information. Whatever the content is, it needs to create a more personalised experience than AI can.

We’re expecting Google to push its AI search engine SGE when it launches, but those Google geniuses have also been emphasising the significance of incorporating first-hand experience into content. Notably, they have even updated their search quality rater guidelines, adding an extra ‘E’ to the start of their acronym EEAT to underscore the importance of Experience, in addition to Expertise, Authority, and Trust.

So, despite Google’s efforts to streamline search results through AI, there’s equal encouragement for us humans to add more experience to the content we publish to reap recognition in the search engine. This might involve sharing personal experiences, providing unique perspectives for the Perspectives tab, or utilising the notes feature in search comments.

Google seems to be striving to provide users with the flexibility to choose between a personalised experience and a generic AI response. Despite the impressive capabilities of tools like ChatGPT or an AI search, certain searches will inevitability prompt visitors to seek firsthand experiences from individuals well-versed in the topic. So, emphasising the credibility of both your information and your company is more critical than ever before.

The Fundamentals Of Content Marketing Will Remain

The main thing to note is that core principles of content marketing remain steadfast. Your primary goal remains the creation of engaging content, whether in written, visual, or audio form, tailored to your audience’s preferences in reading, watching, or listening.

Users may seek guidance for a purchase, search for information, or simply desire entertainment. The pinnacle of effective content marketing goes beyond meeting these needs; it should guide users towards making a purchase, as that is ultimately the intended outcome.

However, content marketers should also continue to focus on creating the sort of content that makes people come back to your website time and time again…

Keep People Coming Back To Your Website

Content marketers should try to consistently prioritise the creation of content that encourages repeated visits to your website. The key to doing this is to:

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE WELL.

If you do nothing else in 2024, make sure you spend some time really understanding your target audience. If you have a wide target audience, consider breaking it down into sub audiences in order to resonate specifically with each one.  For example, we currently work with a large care home group who have a very wide audience and we have found that breaking their content marketing strategy down into subcategories based on the type of care they provide is working well for them.

Another of our clients works in the home solar industry and knows their audience is interested in sustainability and energy efficiency. So we focus their blog content on search focused material as well as other topics that we know their audience is going to be interested in. Some of these blogs do pick up visibility in search, but they’re also the type of topics that helps the audience get to know their company, understand the personality of the brand and build a deeper connection.

The fitness clothing experts Gymshark are a good example of a big brand that have embraced audience sub branding. Recently they created sub branded insta channels, such as GymsharkLifting (a dedicated channel for those wanting to lift heavy weights in the gym) whereby the content is tailored for this audience niche. They have also sectioned out their website content in a similar way to target those interested in ‘conditioning,’ ‘lifting,’ ‘rest day’, ‘pump cover’ etc. Portioning out their main offering into sub niches in this way has done wonders for their visibility and engagement.

Producing content your audience loves or finds helpful makes your company a reliable source of information. Delivering what they need in their preferred format (video, written, visual, etc.) builds trust. Over time, this keeps your audience coming back to your website or social channels instead of relying on artificial intelligence.

Use Short And Long Content

When aiming to rank your content in organic search, it’s crucial to align its style with what’s already ranking well for your target keyword or phrase. This consideration is gaining significance with search engines like Google and SGE. In the past, longer content tended to perform better, but nowadays, shorter pieces can also rank effectively. Consider adopting a content strategy with shorter, focused pieces linking to a more extensive, longer form, detailed guide or downloadable content. This approach, which we refer to as a content hub and spoke, not only pleases search engines but also creates a user-friendly hub of information for visitors to easily explore and navigate.

Google Perspectives

We’ll be keeping an eye on new tools from Google that are being introduced to search. One tool we’re particularly interested in is ‘Perspectives,’ which allows you to dynamically filter search results based on firsthand experiences. If Perspectives becomes prominent in our clients’ content searches, we may adjust our content strategy to create the type of content that performs well in Perspectives. Similarly, if Google’s notes feature gains popularity and visitors are leaving notes on competitor searches, we can explore this for our clients by encouraging users to leave their own notes on our content after clicking through from search.

How Can AI Help Content Marketing In 2024 And Beyond?

AI tools are quickly embedding themselves into a knowledge worker’s daily routine. Unsurprisingly ChatGPT is the most popular.

However, using ChatGPT for all content marketing activity is not a move that we would support. We have yet to see examples of great content that has been solely produced by AI.

Think about it, if you’re only posting content generated by ChatGPT, what’s the advantage compared to someone going directly to ChatGPT for the same information? People aren’t fooled; they can easily spot the difference between AI and human-created content. AI content can often be hard to read and lacks a personal touch, making it seem dull. On the other hand, content crafted by a passionate human expert who shares firsthand experiences offers a more engaging and relatable experience. This is crucial, especially for longer content. You want to grab the reader’s attention and keep them on the page for an extended period.

We’ve found that the best content emerges when an expert collaborates with AI. AI is excellent for generating ideas and exploring different approaches, while the expert transforms it into a compelling and useful article. Try it yourself! Visit ChatGPT and ask it to write an article on a topic you’re truly an expert in. Ask yourself if you would genuinely put your name under that article.

On another note, it’s good to diversify your content too by producing videos. Videos help people connect faster; a view can make them feel like they know you, even if they haven’t met you. This is more challenging to achieve with written content.

In short, content marketing is evolving, but there’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase and benefit from these changes. Stick to these key principles and your efforts will be rewarded:

• Craft content with your target audience in mind.
• Strive to be as useful, interesting, and exciting as possible.
• Share your passion and individual experiences to build a strong connection and trust.
• Avoid going fully AI in your content generation; it won’t create the same kind of connection.

We’ve had great success with long form content for clients, so if you want to take your content marketing to the next level and keep your business visible despite Google’s new search tools, get in touch with the MML team  at your earliest convenience.