Tips and Tricks: Generative AI for Content Creation

Generative AI is changing the way marketing professionals create content and engage with audiences, enabling them to create tailored and captivating content while reducing the hours needed to create it. In fact, according to a recent study, 76% of marketing professionals reported using AI for basic content creation and copywriting.

In today's market, businesses are under pressure to generate content, and engage with audiences with personalised messaging. Because of this, generative AI technology is a game-changer for marketing teams looking to enhance their marketing materials and increase their output.

In this article, we'll explore top tips to help you get the most out of your generative AI journey.

Tip 1: Understand the basics of generative AI

Generative AI uses algorithms and models to generate new content, such as images, audio, video, or text. It works by analysing existing data and patterns to create new content that is similar in style or structure to human created content.

There are various types of generative AI tools to choose from. Functionally, they share the commonality of generating an output based on the provided input data. For example:

● Variational Autoencoders (VAEs): VAEs are designed to capture the probability distribution of a dataset and create new samples that fit the same criteria. By learning probabilistic representations of the input data, VAEs can generate new samples that follow the learned data. VAEs are commonly used to generate images, but they can also be applied to text and audio.

● Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are a type of neural network that comprises two key components: a generator and a discriminator. The generator's primary goal is to produce highly realistic data, while the discriminator's objective is to differentiate between real and generated data. Both components work together in an adversarial manner, with the generator attempting to deceive the discriminator, and the discriminator improving its ability to identify differences between real and generated data.

● Auto-Regressive Models: Auto-regression models operate by predicting the probability of the next sequence based on previously generated data. The model predicts the next element in the context of existing data and generates samples to create new data. This form of generative AI has been particularly useful for generating text, and is used in the ever popular Chat GPT AI system.

Tip 2: Align your marketing challenges with generative AI use cases

When it comes to implementing a significant change such as generative AI, it's important to first identify the challenges and understand why you need it. This will allow you to create a content strategy and establish a clear vision for the type of content you wish to generate, and how generative AI can be integrated into the process.

Janis Thomas, Managing Director at Look Fabulous addresses some of the key challenges when it comes to implementing generative AI.

“I think one of the key things when integrating generative AI into marketing workflows is to consider why you’re doing it. What’s the benefit and the potential impacts, both positive and negative? It’s really important for all companies to set the ethical parameters about how they will and won’t use AI.”

Join Janis and other leading generative AI experts by registering for our upcoming Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024. Attend the event in person to hear them speak and participate in the discussion on generative AI.

Consider the following when considering your generative AI case use:

● Creative pains point and challenges: It's important to identify the challenges your organisation encounters with content creation. For instance, does your team struggle with efficient creative workflows and generating content quickly? If so, you may want to consider using Generative AI as a solution. It can be especially helpful in streamlining content processes, providing support in creating initial drafts, editing work and generating fresh ideas.

All of this will help you consider how generative AI will enhance your content strategy. Ask yourself questions such as what types of content you want to create, what topics to cover, and what tone and style you are seeking.

● Key marketing and business objectives: When striving to achieve your KPIs, it's important to consider your key marketing and content objectives. Generative AI can be a valuable tool in this regard. If your email marketing copy isn't generating the desired number of opens, consider using AI to create new, compelling straplines and content. Similarly, if your social media content isn't receiving high engagement, generative AI can help enhance it with attention-grabbing imagery.

● What data do you have available: Depending on the complexity of the model or case, it may be necessary to train your generative model to ensure that your AI tool reflects your brand's style, tone, and audience. This can be achieved by providing it with an appropriate dataset that is diverse and representative of what you want to create.

● Technology stack: It's important to assess what type of generative AI tool you require and how it can be integrated into your workflow or existing technology stack with ease.

Tip 3: Find the right generative AI tool

The market is brimming with generative AI tools, making it difficult to find the one that best suits your organisational needs. While there tends to be a lot of crossover, some tools excel in written content, while others cater to visual content, such as video and imagery. Even then, popular content marketing creation websites like Canva have incorporated generative Ai products into its offerings, so it is important to conduct thorough research and choose the solution that aligns with your content requirements.

Commonly used generative AI tools include:

● ChatGPT: ChatGPT is best known for its ability to generate human-like text based on the input it receives. The fact that it has a free version and Its ability to understand and generate human-like language has made it a widely popular tool for various applications, including content creation.

● GPT-4: GPT-4 is a state-of-the-art generative AI solution that offers advanced capabilities. One of its key strengths is being multimodal, meaning it can handle image and text input, to generate outputs.. Additionally, it boasts impressive image integration capabilities and also provides users control over tone and style.

● DALL-E2: DALL-E2 is an AI solution for generating images that are highly realistic. It works by translating text prompts into visuals, enabling users to create highly realistic images for content marketing purposes, while also accommodating a wide range of image types and styles.

● Designs.ai: Designs.ai is an innovative generative AI tool that offers various graphic design solutions. Its features include text-to-logo, image, video, and voice-over. Moreover, it also has a text-to-design template function that assists users in creating a vast array of marketing materials in seconds.

● Copy.ai: Copy.ai is designed for professional writers, providing assistance in generating written content such as engaging marketing copy and slogans. It also offers several features to streamline the content creation process, including localization, interpretation, translation, transcription, and personalised email creation.

Learn more: 2023 REPORT: How Generative AI Will Transform the Enterprise 

Tip 4: Explore unique uses for generative AI 

We all know that generative AI is most utilised to create visual and text-based content, but its potential extends beyond these applications.

We spoke to Melanie Moeller, CEO & Founder of GenFuturesLab, about the most effective ways to use generative AI. Here's what she had to say:

● Content Management System: Generative AI can be incorporated into CMS platforms to automate content creation and updates. Marketers can input a brief, and the AI can generate an article, social media post, or any other content piece, ready for review and publication.

● Design Tools: Generative AI can also create visual elements like banners, logos, and other graphical content, which can be integrated into design software for fine-tuning by human designers.

● SEO Tools: Generative AI algorithms can produce SEO-friendly content, generate meta-descriptions, and even suggest adjustments to existing content to improve search rankings.

Here are other unique ways to use the power of generative AI to supercharge content creation.

● Generating new ideas and brainstorming: Creative blocks can be frustrating when trying to generate fresh ideas for content. One effective solution is to utilise brainstorming prompts. For example "Generate a list of 5 unique ways to build engagement on social media about XX topic." This method can help you overcome creativity obstacles and develop new ideas.

● Personalisation: One of the most significant benefits of utilising generative AI is the ability to produce hyper-personalised content. To make the content even more personalised, consider adding multiple variables to your prompts, such as industry, target audience, age, location, interests, and more. With the ability to create custom content on the spot, you can tailor your marketing collateral, social media posts, and product descriptions to unique customers.

● Laying the foundation with first drafts: A great way to enhance content creation is by using an AI writing tool to create a template. For instance, ask the tool to “generate an outline for your article with five headings and summaries for each heading”

● Editing and proofreading: If you have a piece of content that needs work – whether it's a full article or just a few lines of text – consider using a generative AI tool to enhance it. By using prompts like "rewrite," "expand upon," and "proofread," you can streamline the writing process and get your first draft done quickly. To get the best results, be sure to provide as much information as possible in your prompts.

● Research: Generative AI tools can significantly accelerate the research process. These tools can perform several functions such as condensing lengthy papers into a few key paragraphs for better understanding, identify related studies and experiments in seconds, and even uncovering gaps in research that are worth exploring.

● SEO and keyword research: Keyword research is a critical yet time-consuming task, often requiring you to carefully sift through various pieces of content in search of shared keywords. Generative AI tools can compile a list of relevant keywords in seconds and even categorise them into related topics.

● Translation and transcription: Take advantage of generative AI tools to interpret and transcribe audio content into various languages. Not only is this a cost-effective alternative to expensive translation and transcription services, but it also provides your content team with the opportunity to reach new audiences.

● Repurposing content: If you already have a library of established content, you can breathe new life into them by using generative AI to repurpose it. For example, you can spin long blog posts into short articles, transform articles into text for infographics, reformat content and create data visualisations from text data.

● Multimodal content creation: Multimodal content creation involves integrating multiple media types, including visuals, audio clips, text and videos, into a single cohesive piece of content. This approach is especially useful for designing infographics and illustrations, where in the past, AI-generated images with text were often unreliable.

● Update your data sets iteratively: Training AI models is a significant investment of time and resources. It is essential to track progress over time and have human employees regularly review outputs and suggest refinements.

Tip 5: Understanding the constraints of generative AI

When it comes to the limits of generative AI, the concerns fall into three primary categories, according to Daniel Hulme, Chief AI Officer at WPP. These include “implementing AI safely and responsibly in production, preventing intentional misuse of the technology to cause harm, and mitigating the potential macro risks we may face, such as post-truthism, super intelligence, technological unemployment, and surveillance capitalism.”

Whether you're just starting out or well on your way in your journey with generative AI, it's important to understand the limitations of the technology. Here are some key factors to keep in mind that will make your use of generative AI more effective:

● Data privacy: Protecting both customer and company data is of the utmost importance. Be sure to take measures to prevent any misuse of sensitive data, such as using it as an input for generative AI.

● Upskilling team members: When introducing a new technology tool, it's crucial to ensure that your staff is well-equipped to use it. Your employees must be trained not only in how to generate content using generative AI, but also how to use it safely.

● Be mindful of bias: To fully utilise generative AI, it is important to use a diverse and unbiased dataset. Thoroughly analyse your data to ensure its high quality. This will minimise the risk of publishing content that is inaccurate or misrepresentative of specific groups.

● Promote transparency: As the use of generative AI becomes more widespread, it's essential to adhere to any regulations regarding its safe use. For example, generated content, particularly for AI and video, will need to be labelled as AI-generated.

● Combine human creativity with AI assistance: Although generative AI offers huge potential, it is not without flaws. To maximise its use, consider it as a tool in your creative arsenal, which can assist in expediting human creativity and expertise. Many organisations use generative AI as a springboard to enhance their content, rather than relying solely on it to produce the final product.

● Maintain a strong ethics posture: Generative AI is a powerful tool, but it must be used ethically. It is crucial for your organisation to stay current with the most recent regulations and best practices, and also obtain consent for data used to avoid copyright infringement. If you plan on utilising generative AI in your marketing, consider developing an AI governance framework to help with compliance.

Learn more: A-Step-by-Step Guide: How to Mitigate the Risks of Using Generative AI

Conclusion

Generative AI has opened up a new world of possibilities for marketers. By developing a deeper understanding of how Generative AI functions and following the above tips, such as setting clear content marketing objectives, identifying content types, and exploring unique use cases such as hyper-personalisation and content repurposing, you can make the most of generative AI. However, it's essential to remember the limits and adhere to best practices such as upskilling team members, avoiding bias, promoting transparency, and maintaining ethical standards.

Want to stay up-to-date with the latest developments and insights in Generative AI?

Join the first event for strategic marketing leaders to come together and explore generative AI: Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024

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