I've seen a lot of discussion of AI this week. It’s creeping into literally every single conversation I am having.

It's a bigger threat to achieving carbon neutrality than fossil fuel industry say those reporting from COP29. The tech giants are already scrambling to get their PR in place as the carbon footprint of data centres grows.

It's going to take away our jobs say writers. It’s actually already taking away our jobs.

There's a lot of speculation and worry and not all of it is justified in my view.

From my perspective as a writer, I have yet to be impressed by it. 

In the same way a chatbot cannot really replace human interaction, AI cannot at this moment in time replace a writer who has years of experience of their sector. It cannot provide the insight or creativity to make a piece of copy stand out.

While it has a clear role in the content marketing sales funnel, analysing data to gain insights into your potential customers and developing personas cannot replace the deep analysis required to entice a sophisticated B2B audience.

It’s a bit like comparing a chatbot to a human conversation, whether that’s on the phone or in person. The empathy ultimately required to ensure customer satisfaction is simply lacking.

In some ways it reminds me what SEO agencies were promising 10 years ago or so: we'll write your content (without any real knowledge of your sector) by making it key word rich so that it ranks higher on Google. Never mind that we are writing actual nonsense.  Thankfully Google became wise to this, with the various updates it has published over the last few years.

Which leads me back nicely to AI. To date research, while still nascent, is finding that human-written content is outperforming AI content on Google.

Having tried ChatGPT for a few months now, I have found some limited use for AI, in searching specific terms and synonyms for them, or if I need to do some very initial brainstorming (although I say this with a huge caveat, as it has the potential to mislead if you are not a sector expert).

The reality is, that ChatGPT specifically spews out what it thinks the reader wants to see. It does this by building up a picture of you based on the prompts you give it. 

I say series because it's not based on one question. The more you give it the more it will give back of what it thinks you want to see, also known as predictive content customisation. It is, to say the least, very concerning, and should be setting off alarm bells about the potential for plagiarism, not to mention the security of any confidential data you are sharing.

Similarly, while some may say that it can help with content strategy, given that AI uses existing data for content, it cannot by its nature come up with fresh or innovative ideas.

All in all, while AI has a clear role in repetitive tasks, such as the initial sales funnel, it's not currently a threat to content writers, as it simply cannot replace the art of storytelling and of human creativity, which is ultimately what good content should be about.

Are you still sending out the same ‘on brand’ social media cards across your organisation, promoting your latest deal, your latest ranking and your latest award?

The churn that social media can encourage runs contrary to anything that speaks to your audience and potential clients. It can in fact do quite the opposite and disengage those you are trying to engage with.

Authentic content comes naturally to SMEs, which by their very nature, thrive on differentiating themselves from the norm, but it is just as vital to bigger more established brands. It is in fact what will make you stand out. 

Of course, authentic content requires original thought, something that time-poor professionals rarely have time for.

So how does a brand create that authenticity that will spark the conversations you want to be engaged in?

It’s worth considering LinkedIn and Edelman’s 2019 Impact Study at this point, highlighting the value of thought leadership content. Thanks to Andrew Rogerson of Grist, who drew my attention to it.

The study is based on a survey of just over 1,200 US business decision makers and purchase influencers and found that 89% believe that thought leadership enhanced their perceptions of an organisation. In addition, 55% use thought leadership as an important way to vet organisations they are considering working with, and 48% said it influenced their purchasing decisions.

So, what exactly is thought leadership?

The LinkedIn/Edelman study describes it as ‘free deliverables organisations…produce on a topic they know a lot about and feel others benefit from their perspective on’.

It is not content that is focused on promoting your services or products.

Creating quality content is key, as confirmed by the study, which found that US decision makers only rated 18% of the pieces they were reading as ‘excellent’.

So, it really is about being authentic and creating content that adds to the conversation and gives your readers valuable insights into their sector and competitors.

Thought leadership can take many different forms. Data-led marketing is the current buzzword, and will provide an invaluable insight into your target clients, allowing you to segment relevant markets and analyse them in greater depth, but there is similar if not more value in human conversations.

Some of the best thought leadership reports I have worked on have been a combination of data gained from surveys as well as data that already sits in your own internal databases, combined with C-suite interviews and conversations in the form of roundtables.

Interviews with sector leaders for a report can often provide an opportunity to link a target client or connection with your brand. Getting other sector commentators involved in the report can have a similar effect.

Creating a report which links the data, conversations and interviews in a meaningful is the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle and provides the perfect platform for you to start conversations and give original insight into your market.

And, to come full circle, also provides the sort of social content, made up of original research, data and quotes from market leaders that will make you stand out in a crowded news feed.

Goal setting is key to good content

I've seen a lot of talk of video content and podcasts recently in my professional network. Aren't they clever, and aren't we clever for thinking of them? So the thinking goes.

As someone who has worked in content for nearly 20 years, from hard copy to digital, ranging from social media to short films and podcasts, my honest answer would be that some of it could do with a rethink.

As with anything in life, before setting out on any content project it's worth thinking about what you are trying to achieve and to whom you are reaching out.

The aim of your content should be to inform, to educate, to entertain and lastly to impress. In that order. Videos and film are not new concepts. Bringing out a short film is unlikely to achieve anything of itself, and is very unlikely to impress anyone, with the possible exception of your kids, although if they are anything like my teenage son they are likely be able to do a better job of it! The truth is we are all bombarded with far too much content.

Informing and educating is key. Why should anyone want to spend a couple of minutes of their time watching or reading your content? Think about your topic. Are you adding to the conversation? Are you starting a new conversation? Thought leadership is one of the most powerful marketing tools out there if executed properly.

If you're not sure which conversations you should be having, think about bringing someone in who does. Let's be honest, not everyone has the time to network and stay on top of sector news. I am often brought in to help formulate ideas on any given market. My specialisms are real estate, housing and the law. If I can't help, I will put you in touch with other market commentators who can.

Finally, decide if the medium you've chosen is the most appropriate one for this particular conversation. Hard copy content still has a place, and can actually fulfil the 'impress' brief far better than anything else.

If you do decide to make a corporate video, think about its length, as much as it's content. Anything over a couple of minutes, and you've lost your audience. Get the timing and content right by informing and entertaining, and you have the potential to go viral. The impress will swiftly follow.

Why write?

As an editor of a legal journal, the question I get asked the most is why it is worth the effort writing for us, or indeed any publication when your time could be better spent servicing your clients.

This post is about why you should be writing, why it’s worth the effort and why you should be doing it more when you don’t have the time.

To answer this requires an understanding of the way readers engage with content.

Engagement matters

Whenever your content appears in an external print publication, paywalled or not, subscribers to a publication make up only a small part of how your content will be read by the wider world.

It will be shared on the publication’s social media channels. If it’s a good it will be liked by anyone who is in any way engaging with those social media channels. Why is this important? Because it leads to further engagement. All the while you are building up your profile in the sector, and outside it.

Most publications will allow you as a contributor to reuse that content. It’s always worth checking what the requirements are when it comes to doing so. Sometimes a simple source acknowledgement is required, sometimes more may be involved. Always check what the publication’s specific requirements are.

So why not just write for our own channels?

So, why write for an external publication when I could just be writing for my own website?

The answer to this is simple. Engagement on one platform should not deter engagement on another. Or to put it in simple terms: writing for your own website should only form a small facet of your wider content marketing strategy. It cannot replace the credibility of content that has been edited and published by an external magazine, website with an established reputation. Now this is key when considering whether you should write at all. No matter how clever your digital marketeers, there is no substitute for having your opinions published on a reputable external platform. None.

Be a thought leader

There is still a huge amount of confusion around the importance of thought leadership and I will be doing a longer post on this soon.

For now, what’s important to know is that your thoughts and opinions matter and will make you stand out from a very crowded market.

Every time you write you are adding to your reputation as a thought leader and an expert in the sector.

If you’d like further help with your content do get in touch.