Many companies are already taking advantage of AI and automation. These tools streamline workflows, resulting in greater efficiency. AI chatbots, for example, are helping with customer service.
AI recruiting tools help with talent management. Hiring processes are more transparent. The focus is on skills, without fear of bias. A company looking for writers can use AI to find the best candidates.
AI will analyze writing samples based on specific criteria. It will then pick those that fit the bill. In this way, it frees up the HR from going through the samples.
And, marketers and PR practitioners can apply AI-powered automation to content creation. There are so many benefits, as we will outline below.
Why would AI be important to those in communications?
The answer lies in the demands of the job. PR practitioners understand the value of good content. You only have seconds to capture the interest of the audience.
Take the example of a press release. The first two paragraphs must hold all the information you need to share. A news editor does not have time to go through tons of words. Imagine how many other press releases they have waiting for their attention.
You are also competing for a share of voice with many other companies. Modern consumers want fast information that conveys what they need.
Yet, the truth is that content creation can be challenging, even for those with experience. Maintaining relevance while ensuring quality is tricky.
But, what they lack is a way to gather deep insights from the data they have. They can then recommend actions or predict outcomes. Artificial intelligence provides a fantastic tool for in-depth customer data analysis in real-time.
So, what other benefits can content marketers get out of AI?
1. Discovery of content ideas and topics
As a practitioner, you spend a lot of time surfing the internet. You use it for information as well as competitor analysis. The job can get repetitive and is quite tedious. It is also possible to miss critical information that helps with content generation.
Artificial intelligence gives better accuracy in the search process. You can generate tons of critical information without spending hours online. It uses technologies such as natural language generation (NLG).
You can convert data into a legible, accurate, and well-written format. Once you automate the process, AI can analyze themes, keywords, and domains. It uses metrics like social share volume to determine what is relevant.
AI for content generation is not a new concept. Media companies like Washington Post have been using AI applications for content generation. The Heliograf covered over 850 stories in the first year of its launch. The company uses it to help generate stories around various events such as elections and congressional hearings.
2. Predictive intelligence to deliver unique experiences
Predictive intelligence helps understand individual customers. Companies can then personalize content that addresses their interests and needs. It is also critical for lead scoring that helps rank customers on how likely they are to buy.
The scoring places leads as hot, warm, or cold. Marketers can focus efforts on hot and warm leads. Such have higher chances of conversions. All these processes depend on insights from data on the target group.
Marketers can utilize the insights to generate content that is relevant to such. Companies like Netflix use viewer analysis to recommend content and shows. Amazon and Apple voice assistants also give product recommendations. They base it on an analysis of past purchasing behavior.
3. Optimizing content for search engines
Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for marketers and PR practitioners. The aim is to achieve the greatest visibility for the clients or brand. One of the ways to achieve this is to get good rankings on search engines.
Yet, SEO best practices continue to be a challenge for practitioners. Many feel that it is complex because of the constant changes. They have to stay on top of their game to see benefits. Further, many clients do not understand the importance of SEO. It makes it hard for them to invest in something that does not give immediate, tangible ROI.
AI can help with tasks like generation, comparison, and prioritization of content. PR practitioners also get recommendations for relevant keywords and variations. AI SEO is also essential for the analysis of top-performing content.
It then recommends the best strategies to use for optimizing content. Other uses are the ability to carry out website audits and fixing duplicate content.
4. AI for better targeting
Marketing and PR practitioners can use AI to develop audience segments. The advantage is better targeting of messages. AI mines large amounts of customer data. It then recognizes patterns that characterize individual customers.
With the insights, it is easy to group audiences depending on shared characteristics. It saves marketers from blasting out messages without specific targets in mind. You can no longer depend on chance to get your message to the right people.
With audience segmentation, strategies like email marketing will yield more significant results.
5. Data-driven feedback
It is important for marketers to measure the impact of their activities. The same applies to content marketers who must ensure audience engagement with information. That is the only way they can improve or optimize their offering.
AI provides feedback based on data. Industry players refer to it as content intelligence. The software and AI systems give higher reliability and accuracy in the insights. It helps remove guesswork or assumptions that marketers may draw from consumer behavior.
Final thoughts
As we have highlighted above, AI has a lot to offer content marketers. But, Content marketers still have a critical role to play. There is an aspect of relatability that machines cannot achieve. Humans refer to real-life knowledge and experiences to make the content richer.
AI-powered automation will help with tasks that are repetitive and tedious. Marketing and PR practitioners can maximize the insights from the data. They get a better understanding of the target audiences. It makes it easier to personalize messaging, resulting in better reach.
Further, content creators get help with SEO. The result is better visibility on the search engine. Ai helps overcome challenges like identifying the right keywords and content auditing. AI in marketing is still in the developmental face. It’s an exciting space, and PR and marketers have a lot to look forward to.
