AI and content at scale: why more isn't always better

You want to produce content at scale and use AI for that but don’t know where to start? Before you take off in your AI and AI automation journey, there are a few things to consider to ensure success.

AI and AI automation are not a magic wand. 

And realize that in 2017, a whopping 60% of all content was clutter (Havas), and for sure, that hasn't improved over the last few years. 

Your content challenge

I get it; you're understaffed, budget-cut, and turn to content as the relatively cheap marketing solution. But please realize that content starts with hard, grinding work based on strategic thinking, expertise, and experience. AI is the tool to help, not the solution.

This is content in 2024.

• The reason why you want more content is because you want your message out there to get the sales in. More is better, right?
• Thanks to AI, now you can produce content at scale. As a result, there will be more and more content, adding to the vast amount of content that’s already there.
• And something that’s available in abundance loses its value. So does your content.
• So no, more is not better. If you want to get your message across, you need to stand out in quality, not in quantity. It’s better to have a few pieces of highly converting content than to have a pile of AI-generated content that brings in a few low-quality leads.

→ If your end objective is to get more sales in by using content (at scale), you should focus on quality first, quantity second. 

And it’s exactly the quality that’s already mediocre due to budget cuts, understaffing, and shortage of talent. These are the very issues that currently hinder the production of content at scale.

More isn't necessarily better; better is better. 

It's the quality that makes the difference, and there is a whole extended preceding process to get that. 

Enhancing content quality: essential steps

The biggest misconception is that AI is the answer to produce content at scale. It can help to speed up and, in the end, with one push of the button, get more content. 

From my experience, this is what you need to do to increase and secure your content quality.

1. Cultivate talent and mindset

Get the right talent and train them for a different, more innovative, and agile mindset. This is not per se getting new talent in; you can train the amazing team you already have. A nice side effect is that you stay relevant as an employer to keep the talent in. 

And realize that this also means that you, as a manager, need to manage them differently: 3 things managers need to know to embrace AI.

2. Crystal clear brand identity and leadership

A crystal clear, prompt-ready, brand identity and tone of voice with a simple description of your leadership and reasons to believe. Why should customers buy from you? How is your product going to solve their problem? 

All in a human, easy-to-understand language, defined in the finest detail. No fuzz, no jargon, no corporate BS. 

3. Invest in AI configuration and train the team 

Take the time to set up the tools and own it. Don’t hire an agency to do the prompt job for you; ask them to teach you how to play the AI game. 

Please realize that implementing AI goes along with fostering an innovative mindset in your team. With the high-paced changes, it’s not plug-and-go; it’s learning and growing along the way.

4. Educate senior management

Train senior management and the board as well. AI is not a Millennial or Gen Z thing; it’s vital for all ages. If you want to lead the way as a leadership team, leadership must grasp AI's role in business and everyday life. 

Include social savvy in their training; an outdated online presence, like your CMO's hidden LinkedIn photo, reflects poorly on your brand's modernity and innovation. 

Once you have this in mind, it's essential to look outside of your organization at what's happening in the digital landscape in 2024. 

Navigate the 2024 digital landscape

We know these changes are coming; we don’t know the impact except that it is huge. Below are the three biggest changes we can foresee right now (January 2024).

Google SGE AI search: a game changer

Google SGE will turn the SEO world upside down. The shift is from keyword matching to user intent with your content AI-generated displayed in the Google eco-system. This means no more clicks to your .com. Google will still do SEO, but that will shift down on the page, probably below the fold. 

The urgency to update your .com

AI will use your content to feed its audience. It will crawl into all the nooks and crannies of your website, so you better make sure everything you published is now up to date. You don't want AI to surface something old and feed that to your audience. 

New KPIs for email marketing 

New Gmail standards change the email game. Quality over quantity. Your KPI for your brands’ thought leadership email marketing should shift from the size of your subscriber database to the quality. 

The open rate already fell off the table, and the click-through is not always applicable, as the best emails have the content natively in them. Unfortunately, I don’t have a new one-size-fits-all KPI answer, as that strongly depends on your business and industry.

Conclusion: AI in content creation, a balanced approach for success

So, first and foremost, realize that more isn't necessarily better; better is better. Before embracing AI and AI automation to produce content at scale, first, understand that you need to vamp and lock in the quality before you look at the quantity of your content.

Second, understand that the impact of AI is more disruptive and extensive than it may initially appear. I can't emphasize enough that it’s essential you train your team to innovate and embrace AI. Let them own it, and you let them feel safe to test, fail, and learn. Don’t get an agency to do the AI job for you; ask the agency to teach you. A nice side effect is that you stay relevant as an employer to keep the talent in. 

Steps to enhance content quality while using AI

1. Cultivate talent and mindset
2. Crystal clear brand identity and leadership
3. Invest in AI configuration and (again) train the team 
4. Educate senior management

Changes in the digital landscape in 2024

• Google SGE AI search: a game changer
• The urgency to update your .com
• New KPIs for email marketing 

That all said, don’t forget to have some fun along the way.

Are you ready to redefine your content strategy with AI? 

Let's focus on quality and innovation for impactful results. Embrace the change, lead with innovation, and unlock the true potential of AI in your content strategy. 

Reach out for a free 30-minute consultation, and let's make your content not just more but better and smarter.