AI Copywriting : The Pros & Cons for Your Businesses' Marketing Strategy
From Spotify playlist recommendations to customer support chatbots, artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. AI copywriting is changing the way we use the internet, the way we communicate, and the way we do business.
In the marketing world, AI has become an increasingly popular tool to generate content, with marketers’ use of AI rising from 29% in 2018 to 84% in 2020. Marketers are using AI to write blogs, emails, social media posts, and more. Anytime robots do human things, we start to feel anxious. Naturally, us copywriters wonder if we’re being replaced. Paranoid nightmares about the machines taking over keep us up at night. (We really don’t want to have to rely on Keanu Reeves to save us.)
So, do we have anything to fear? And should businesses use AI to write content? In this blog, we’ll cover the use of AI for content writing and the pros and cons that businesses should keep in mind when incorporating these new technologies.
What Are AI Writing Tools?
AI writing tools are software that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing to generate text based on user input. Users supply certain parameters like a topic, some keywords, and tone of voice, and the tool spits out a mass amount of text in seconds. AI writing tools are primarily used to save time and money by automating repetitive tasks and eliminating errors. However, the machine doesn’t always get it quite right.
The Pros and Cons of Using AI for Content Writing
As with any new technology, there are benefits and drawbacks. Here are some of the pros and cons of using AI for content creation and marketing.
The Pros
More Content, Faster
One of the greatest benefits of AI copywriting tools is their ability to generate a mass amount of content quickly. No matter how fast you can type, a human simply isn’t capable of churning out ten fully thought-out blogs within a matter of seconds. If your biggest constraint is time, AI can help you create content and complete projects at a faster rate. You’ll also be able to write more content at a lower cost. How quality will that content be? That’s up for debate–but more on that later.
Fewer Mistakes
AI will automatically watch for and correct spelling and grammatical mistakes. This makes the editing process easier, as there won’t be too much to fix. It’s like having a built-in proofreader.
Brainstorming
AI tools are a great way to get a first draft started, especially if you’re struggling with writer’s block. Sometimes just having some words on the page can help you gain momentum, rather than staring listlessly at a blank document. Copywriters and marketers can use AI tools to brainstorm and put together an outline, making the writing process less daunting.
Research
Performing in-depth research on topics can take up valuable time and resources. AI tools can automate some of the research process, pulling together a thesis or talking points to guide your writing.
High Converting Copy
Do AI writing tools have a place in SEO? Sort of. SEO is all about making sure a website and its content are as visible in search as possible. SEO writing aims to create high-ranking content to bring in new sales and leads. AI copywriting tools like Jasper AI claim to generate articles that are “keyword-rich and plagiarism-free.” They can be a good starting point to create several versions of copy to play around with for higher conversion rates. However, they have their limitations.
The Cons
Repetitive
Content written by AI tends to be repetitive. It can only produce what it has been programmed to write about, and doesn’t have the ability to diversify its content. You’ll notice that AI-written blogs may repeat the same line or message several times throughout the text. Although it’s not technically an error, no one likes to read the same thing over and over again. Plus, it could have a negative impact on your SEO ranking.
Lack of Creativity
AI’s ability to find patterns in data is simultaneously its greatest strength and weakness. AI can’t think creatively, and it will never produce something as unique and engaging as a human writer can. It can only make suggestions based on what it has learned from past projects, so whatever content it comes up with won’t be particularly original.
Lack of Nuance
AI writing is bland and a little too straightforward. There’s just no…spice. Your brand’s tone of voice is a reflection of who you are as a company, your values and culture. Whether it’s a social media post or an email campaign, your messaging should match your brand’s tone of voice. AI is limited when it comes to picking up on the nuances of human language. This is fine if you’re writing something that calls for a formal tone, but it’s not the best option for showing off your brand’s sparkling personality. Don’t expect any pop culture references, metaphors, or jokes, either. While these elements may not be essential, they help bring content to life.
No Human Touch
The main way that AI platforms fall short relates to the human experience. It’s important to have a human element, especially for creating effective advertisements. People want to know that there is a real person behind the brand. AI writing may be informative, but it probably won’t make you feel anything. Showing empathy, being persuasive or witty, finding your voice, and connecting with your audience are all things that a human provides and that AI simply can’t.
The Best Uses For AI-Generated Content
The best uses for AI-generated content are ones where you just need something grammatically correct that fits the assigned purpose, and it doesn’t matter whether it lacks personality. (Even then, humans still need to do the heavy lifting and act as an editor.) AI tools are adequate enough to write simple things like meta descriptions, product descriptions, and headlines. Especially in cases where you need a large amount of content, they can simplify tedious and overwhelming tasks. However, they’re not the best option for social media posts or ads, where you’re trying to make an impact or connect with your audience on a personal level.
What Does AI Writing Mean For The Marketing World?
All of this is to say that you definitely should NOT ditch your marketing team or replace your copywriters. AI copywriting can be used as a tool to improve the writing process and create content faster. They’re helpful when it comes to saving time if you need to meet a deadline, or automating a tedious task to free up the creative brain power of your writers for more important projects.
Should you choose to use AI copywriting tools, human writers should intervene to add creativity, flair, and emotional connection to the copy. Even if the AI generates a draft or outline, you still need a writer to connect those ideas in an elegant way. Editors need to vet content before it’s posted to ensure that the tone and messaging is right for your brand. It’s also important that the content is thoroughly researched, fact-checked, and layered with the right context. This not only makes it more interesting for your audience to read, but helps make complicated topics easier for non-industry experts to understand. AI assistants are exactly that–assistants. They are not replacements for copywriters, and hopefully they never will be. (Because then it really will feel like the robot apocalypse.)
Ready to put out awesome, unique content that captures your brand voice and gets you more leads? Reach out to KARMA jack Digital Marketing, an entirely human team of digital marketers.
