By now, you’ve probably used or seen some form of AI. From creating impressive digital masterpieces in Midjourney to crafting content and driving personalised marketing campaigns in ChatGPT, AI is revolutionising how we design and produce creative content.
Since its release, AI has taken the world by storm, opening our eyes to the way of the future and highlighting the many opportunities we can take advantage of and access at the click of a button.
But is it leading to a creativity crisis? Or can brands like yours harness the power of AI to get ahead?
Pros of AI
- Fast to generate
- You have control over the input
- Cost-effective tools that are free or have low subscription fees
- Great for idea generation and templates
- Can process and analyse large amounts of data quickly
Cons of AI
- Lack of control over the output
- Limited to information the AI has been programmed with
- Can lack strategy if you don’t understand the why behind your inputs
- It uses language patterns and search engine information, so it can’t necessarily create new marketing or campaigns that are tailored specifically to your business needs.
- You can accidentally enter an information echo chamber, limiting yourself by what you want to hear.
Entering information into AI tools can lead to privacy concerns.
Notable tools
New AI tools are constantly popping up, with some notable ones quickly becoming favourites among businesses, artists, students, and data analysts. These include:
- ChatGPT
- Midjourney
- DALL-E
- Canva and Photoshop have integrated AI into their content creation
- Jasper
- Descript
- Murf
- Synthesia
- Asana and Notion
While we have enjoyed exploring the possibilities of these AI tools within the Red Herring Digital team, it’s important to note that they do have their limitations. Understanding these limitations is essential in making the most of these tools and managing expectations.
You know what the biggest problem with pushing all-things-AI is? Wrong direction.
I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.— Joanna Maciejewska—Myth-Touched is here! (@AuthorJMac) March 29, 2024
AI is very general in its suggestions
We recently shared our thoughts on consistency in branding and the power of letting your brand personality shine. In today’s highly competitive market, the last thing you want is for your brand to be a patchwork of similar AI-generated suggestions given to users seeking the same outcomes as you. With common inputs and trends, AI can generate similar content across users, and what was once innovative is now copy-paste.
Emphasising your brand’s individuality is key to standing out in the market. Your branding should reflect your unique values, voice, and vision to set you apart from the competition. This distinctiveness not only helps attract your target audience but also builds a loyal customer base and resonates with them on a deeper level.
For this reason, we don’t recommend using AI to generate content. Without variability, this can negatively impact your search engine rankings and customer loyalty.
However, if you are going to implement AI, use it to generate ideas as a creative spring-board for your content so you can ensure the final output aligns with your brand’s unique voice and identity. Also, personalise and refine any AI-generated content to inject the human back into otherwise flat and reused content.
People buy from people, not templates or amalgamations
Whether it’s buying into ideas that people share with them, through referral marketing, or listening to the experiences of their friends and family, consumers generally rely on trusted recommendations when making decisions. This word-of-mouth impact highlights the importance of authenticity and trust in marketing strategies.
Meta has recently announced you can flag your content as AI-generated. This raises some important questions: Is this something you’d be proud of as a creator? Would you announce that a computer generated the work you’re sharing? Would people resonate with that?
Unless you are in the AI industry, relying on AI-generated content can diminish trust with your audience, especially if you are not transparent about what content is AI-generated.
While creating visual and other creative content with AI might be impressive and quick, it’s essential to consider whether your audience would resonate with it.
For example, in the right industry, tech-savvy audiences might view AI-generated content as a symbol of forward-thinking and efficiency in using cutting-edge technology. Alternatively, brands that focus on personalisation, artistry and storytelling may find their audiences value a human touch and may feel deceived by AI-generated content.
Using AI-generated content should align with your brand’s values and audience expectations. If you are going to incorporate AI into your brand, use it for idea generation, ensure that you refine the outputs, and insert your brand’s unique personality to help set it apart from the competition.
Stand out from the crowd by being you
At this stage, people can generally distinguish between what is AI-generated and what isn’t—from tone, flow, and formality of writing (Yes! This blog was written by one of our very own team members) to the several extra fingers in images of people generated by AI.
Audiences are craving authenticity, and raw, unpolished content is currently on the rise on social media platforms. So, how can brands be more authentic on social media? Simple.
- Consistency is key. Build trust with your audience by creating content with your brand’s values and messaging in mind.
- Interact with your audience. Spend time interacting with your followers to promote engagement and show your audience that you care what they have to say.
- Share UGC. People want to hear from real people; they no longer want to listen to what big, polished influencers are selling to them.
- Behind-the-scenes. Share what happens behind the scenes. Give your audience a glimpse into what happens off-screen to create a personal connection.
Ultimately, we will increasingly see AI develop and integrate into our daily lives. However, at this early stage, AI has limitations in what it can achieve for your brand and may not align with your values and the expectations of your audience.
Consumers value human interaction and opinion, so opting for a human touch and authenticity on social media can help your brand stay ahead.
We can help you tell your story. We can produce content to show why you created your brand and help your audience share in celebrating your brand.
We love all things marketing, photoshoots, videos and content! Give your brand some oomph with a marketing campaign or video shoot with Red Herring Digital, or take advantage of our EOFY offer and get a free content shoot valued up to $2,500 when you sign on for social media, SEO or paid ads for 6 months.
