We may not always be able to predict our next auto repair, but we can always bet the house that marketing and communication will evolve, requiring new skills, knowledge and approaches.
A marketing writer since the 1990s, The Eloquent Arrow has observed the rolling landscapes of message format and delivery as they’ve shifted contours to connect. Some people will remember the dominance of direct-mail and print marketing; others will look up from their smartphones or iPhones with a raised eyebrow.
If technology has been ushering the evolution of marketing content, AI and algorithms now have the heaviest feet on the pedals, even replacing content once created only by human thoughts and typing hands.
AI and search engines are in our room. They chose their seats and won’t be going anywhere. But as we know, change is opportunity. Remember too that AI and algorithms are human constructs: They start with what we inform them.
When we view technology as passenger instead of opponent, we can infuse our content with what it offers to teach and direct us within proper limitations.
The following are five tenets we can follow as we use and collaborate with available tools for keeping content distinctive.
1. Information Gain & Content Ownership
As we move further into the late 2020s, the expectations for online content will remain driven by what is referred to as information gain.
Information gain centers on providing new data or insight that improves users’ understanding of content. Content cannot be generic or simply reheated. Today’s AI and search engines can recognize and flag stale or repetitive points from the past.
The engines are sophisticated in distinguishing original content with substance from that which merely masks its second-rate nature with touch-ups. What we write and distribute must be credible, well-researched and presented with a voice of our own.
This content distinction also includes detection by the engines if they intuit that text borrows too much from AI assistance. The engines are increasingly apt at spotting cut-and-paste copy from tools such as ChatGPT.
We can use AI to help fill small content gaps or to source or inform a data-reliant point we present, but we cannot lean on it to do our primary lifting. Our content will be better embraced, indexed and ranked if we properly measure our use of AI to support it.
2. Short-Form Video as Content Support
Short videos on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram now permeate the attention economy. Anyone who browses a media platform or app can often be presented with dozens if not hundreds of short-video messages daily.
While short videos are commanding greater attention, they do not render text-based content obsolete. Targeted, well-written content and short-form video can often be strategic complements.
To reinforce information gain for the audience, we will aim to create short videos that visually express or support a data point our written content is making. A video might also demonstrate what our content discusses.
When paired with proper focus and intent, short videos and written content can help convert casual scrollers into active audience members who return to us because they recognize we offer original insight of value to them.
3. Authenticity & Authority
Today’s online content is being measured according to how it establishes the originator’s experience, expertise, subject authority, trustworthiness and expression of principles.
The audience wants to feel they’re engaging our content because it balances credibility and insight with a personality they know and like.
In addition to writing with style and relevance, we can further substantiate content with elements such as author bios, personal anecdotes, real-world case studies and distinctive brand or personal narratives.
We can also refer or link to reputable sources where they apply.
4. Data-Driven Tools & Insights
Advanced analytics tools such as Google Analytics are now standard. With machine learning fully integrated into content and communication, such platforms eclipse mere data supply by providing predictive insights and strategic recommendations.
Because of these tools, we can pursue and identify our own approaches to content value and information gain. Beyond interpreting keyword difficulty or search volume, we can use available data to establish patterns, predict market movements and trends, and offer fresh context that readers may have not yet considered.
By translating raw numbers into meaningful observations, we can deliver real information gain that distinguishes our content even where it competes with countless alternatives.
5. Page Experience & Integrated Conversions
Easy, comfortable user experiences are vital in the age of infinite content. Technical SEO and UX optimizations for content are now mandatory if we wish to be followed and read.
Elements such as embedded forms and customer relationship management (CRM) programs can now help drive conversions without distracting or frustrating an audience.
They can intersect with information gain as well. A content page that’s simple to navigate and rich in structured data can swiftly supply the details users need, enhancing their perception of our content’s value to them.
When readers of our content discover what they’re seeking with ease or even what they might not have expected, they will be more incentivized to return to it with trust in our brand or personal voice.
a call to be resolute writers
Information in the past might circulate for years and still be held as prevailing wisdom or knowledge. Those days now recede at warp speed. Current content-tracking tech tools are requiring us to be earnest and honest in moving content value forward.
Writing for information gain, authenticity and accountability; making optimal use of analytical tools; and striving for ease of content reading and locating: With these in our quiver, we can do more than hit the bulls-eye of targeted marketing and communication. We can also attach AI and algorithms to our arrows as they fly.