Our guide to AI content creation for boutique operators.
“Artificial Intelligence, commonly referred to as AI, is the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. It involves the creation of intelligent systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and problem-solving.”
We are already using AI every day.
In our daily lives, most of us - except for those who have not embraced the digital world or have chosen to take a break from technology - have been using AI for some time now: facial recognition, google maps, smart home devices, social media feeds, chatbots, digital voice assistants, e-platforms, and e-commerce.
The use of AI in Marketing in Business.
The tools are already there to support businesses to use AI within their digital marketing and content creation. Grammarly, Jasper AI, Norton AI, Lexica ART, Photo Room, Chatfuel – the list goes on, with new tools being developed all the time. These tools complement existing marketing platforms and services that are integrating AI technology within their available range of tools for businesses to access.
A Case Study:
Platform: Magic Media – AI image generator within Canva Pro.
Image Description: ‘morning coffee’
Image Generation Process: undertook the image request multiple times.
Learnings:
The same AI generated image was never duplicated twice.
Whilst some of the images generated could have been used, others had issues with many with objects within the image not reflected correctly; and as you can see in the image we ultimately selected – there are some significant flaws.
When using AI generated content, you need to ensure you are undertaking a thorough edit, and if unsure have someone else provide an opinion, or do not use it.
In a recent HubSpot survey of marketing professionals, the following results were reported:
64% of marketing professionals said they use AI tools in some form within their jobs; however, only 21% reported that it is extensively integrated within their day-to-day work environment.
The top three uses of AI within digital marketing are:
Data analysis and reporting – 40%.
Research such as market research of summarising articles – 39%.
Content creation – 38%.
Only 6% of marketers publish AI generated content without editing.
The Pros for using AI for Content Creation.
Can streamline the writing process: AI-powered SEO tools can easily conduct keyword research – saving time and effort.
Can be used as a starting point within the creative process: developing an idea, an outline or generating a few sentences from which the creative content can flow.
Can assist with the writing process, by suggesting alternative words, phrases.
Can be a useful tool to produce multilingual content.
Can be more time efficient, if needing to produce large amounts of content quickly.
The Cons of using AI for Content Creation.
Can lack creativity, appearing robotic, not reflective of your brand’s ‘tone of voice’ and lacking in personality that is present in human content development.
There may be accuracy issues and, or the most current data not incorporated: AI does not always have the same level of knowledge or empathy as content generated by a human – particularly when related to more complex subjects – potentially leading to errors or omissions.
Without the personal touch that is found in human-written content, your content may not be as engaging for your audience.
AI can only produce content based on the data that is have been trained on, limiting it in its ability to generate content on subjects or in writing style that it has not been trained for.
AI is dependent on technology: resulting in content that may not always be as reliable as that written by humans.
Not subject to the same level of scrutiny as content written by humans, there is the potential for misuse.
Here are some additional guidelines for businesses that are looking to incorporate AI within the content creation.
Be aware of your (ethical) obligations to build trust with your audience and being transparent by always declaring if your content has been generated using AI-generative tools.
On META social media platforms, you are required to label photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that has been generated or altered, including with AI. Whilst they do not require you to label images that have been created or altered with AI, they may still receive a label as their systems detect that they were AI-generated or altered.
Whilst AI generated content is not subject to copyright, it may be using content that is which could place you at risk of copyright infringement – particularly when relating to images. If you plan to use AI within your business, ensure you are using AI tools that have been trained on public domain images.
Will AI replace content writers?
In tourism and hospitality, whilst the guest experience will vary between hotels and this is reflected in nightly rate that is charged, fundamentally we are all providing clean accommodation that features a freshly made bed, a bathroom, a selection of guest amenities that travellers are seeking – no matter what the star rating is. Aside from the physical accommodation experience, how we position ourselves to differ from our competitors is by ensuring we are delivering unique and personalised experiences that are tailored to each of our guests.
In our marketing activities, yes there may be a ‘call to action’ but at the very core, we are providing an experience. We are storytellers and our content should reflect that in its creativity, its passion about our brand, the partners we align with and our location. AI struggles to replicate human emotion and intelligence so yes, there is and will always be a place for content writers, and stories that come directly from the heart.
