Content marketing post-ChatGPT

Creation of tools like ChatGPT that are powered by AI systems, is set to create new playing field for copywriters. Will we see more brands resorting to ChatGPT and eliminate need for human writers?

Brands are expected to become content factories. With the attention span of consumers shrinking, there is a need for newer and newer bits of information from a brand. GE, in fact, has set up a content factory to create content that can engage with their customers on a regular basis. In the WARC article on “Five crucial B2B marketing lessons from General Electric” (WARC Event Reports, ANA Masters of Marketing, October 2013), the author speaks about how GE has used five levers to engage with its current and future customers/employees/stakeholders. The five levers mentioned are: the birth of micro-relevance (finding things that can engage not with millions of consumers but maybe just 400 radiologists), a content factory (creating a constant stream of content), convening the conversation (collaborating to create more content), mindshare over market share (creating excitement, not just awareness) and inviting others (creating more affiliation by hosting online communities).

As a company tries to embrace the “content factory” ethos, it needs varied types of content. They can be broadly classified as “hero”, which is high-impact content; “hub”, which is consistent content that creates engagement and trust; and finally “help” content that is helpful to a consumer. If you are a baked goods manufacturer you may want to create the biggest Christmas cake in your town and write a long story about how it was created; this story could become the talk of the town and get written about. That is your “hero” content. You may want to send regular wishes and news to your consumers and potential consumers about new offerings. That is your “hub” content. Finally, you may want to help your consumers use your baked goods to create their own recipe of dishes, which becomes your “help” content. These could be recipe ideas, stories behind various ingredients, etc.

Now imagine the above being done by thousands of small, medium and large businesses around the world. There is a virtual content tsunami. The need for writers, visualisers and videographers has never been greater. In the past, a writer may have written one brochure for the said baked goods brand and the said brand may have used that for a year or more. Now, the same copywriter has been asked to write a monthly column on cakes that can be shared on all the social media handles of the brand. Content creators never had it so good. Then came ChatGPT.

The creation of tools like ChatGPT that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) systems is set to create a new playing field for marketers and copywriters. Will we see more and more brands resorting to ChatGPT and eliminate the need for human writers? I decided to ask ChatGPT this question, and here is the answer:

It is difficult to predict exactly how ChatGPT and other language generation AI systems will impact the advertising and content copywriting industries. On the one hand, these systems could potentially make it easier for businesses to produce large amounts of written content quickly and efficiently, which could lead to increased demand for copywriting services. On the other hand, the use of language generation AI systems may also lead to a decrease in the need for human copywriters in certain circumstances.

Ultimately, the impact of ChatGPT and similar systems on the advertising and content copywriting industries will depend on how widely they are adopted and how they are used. It is possible that they will lead to some changes in the way that these industries operate, but it is also likely that there will continue to be a need for skilled human copywriters to produce high-quality, creative, and effective marketing materials.

ChatGPT seems to be a little modest in estimating its impact on the content marketing world. In fact, even Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT, is rather timid when he tweeted: “ChatGPT is incredibly limited, but good enough at some things to create a misleading impression of greatness. It’s a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now. It’s a preview of progress; we have lots of work to do on robustness and truthfulness.”

While those words may be true, I believe that brands can gain a lot if they start using AI-powered tools as a part of their content creation and marketing strategies. It is likely you will still need the copywriters and the content creation agencies, but you now have a virtual treasure trove of content in case you want to look at options. As far as copywriters and content creation agencies are concerned, it is vital that they understand and use ChatGPT as a stepping stone to create content that is more relevant, engaging and personal. Content that consumers will find relevant, useful and valuable.

If ChatGPT can provide us with written content, by using DALL-E, we can even get visualisation done as per our brief. In short, brand content factories are now going to see some serious AI-powered action soon.
 

Ambi Parameswaran is a best-selling author, independent brand coach and founder, Brand-Building.com a brand advisory. He can be reached at ambimgp@brand-building.com