Social media platforms are filled with AI content creation gurus singing the praises of tools like ChatGPT. They offer step-by-step instructions on how anyone can gain Google’s favor by following their guidance. Technically, some of their techniques work (even if just temporarily). One of the latest brags online is how easy it is to boost your brand’s SEO by asking AI to create thousands of articles focused on top-performing content from your competitors. It’s true you can quickly and easily create large batches of optimized content for your website with ChatGPT and other similar tools. The downside is the AI output is neither authentic nor high-quality. Still, it’s hard to resist leaping head-first onto the AI bandwagon when you see marketing folks posting screenshots of the insane traffic they’ve generated with the technology. Let’s explore both sides of the coin to help you decide whether AI-generated content is a friend or foe to your content marketing strategy. The rise of AI content creationAI-powered technologies such as natural language learning processing and machine learning algorithms paved the way for AI content creation. The release of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT-3 in 2020 made the technology accessible to everyone. Entrepreneurs and small business owners can now choose from ChatGPT, Jasper, Claude, and Google Gemini (to name a few) to instantly produce articles, social media posts, and website copy by simply entering a few prompts. AI is convenient, affordable, and fast, evolving from an emerging novelty to a widely accepted marketing and business solution for automating and scaling your content creation. The pros and cons of AI content creationUsing AI for SEO gains is a controversial topic these days. On one hand, data supports the notion that AI-generated content can perform well in search rankings. On the other hand, concerns continue to grow that AI-produced copy is pushing high-quality human-created content off page 1 of the search results. A quick perusal of Google’s preferred top content validates the fear that subpar content is taking over. Google’s ranking system is supposed to be designed to reward high-quality content. However, it doesn’t penalize content produced with the assistance of AI unless it’s used nefariously to manipulate search rankings (we’ll talk more about that later). For now, let’s take a comprehensive look at the pros and cons of using AI to support your SEO goals. The prosAI chatbots collect user behavior and preferences, plus other feedback data that can inform SEO strategies. There’s no doubt this is a valuable service with long-lasting effects on the SEO industry. Some of the other benefits of AI tools include:
The consIt’s easy to get excited about all the ways you can use AI tools to boost your content marketing strategy and forget that it’s not all sunshine and roses. One of the most significant issues with relying too heavily on ChatGPT and other AI chatbots for content creation is the potential loss of control over search rankings and referral traffic. Human content creators provide backlinks to the source material, giving the original creators credit for their hard work. Those backlinks, in turn, boost the original author’s credibility with search engines, making their content more visible. AI doesn’t provide attribution unless specifically requested by the user prompting it. Other downsides to AI content creation include:
The infamous SEO heist (and how it backfired)Remember when we said that we’d talk later about how trying to use AI to game the SEO rankings can backfire? It’s later. We’re about to give you a real-life example of how misusing AI to manipulate Google and other search engines can end up negatively impacting your SEO efforts when you’re caught. Case in point: tech entrepreneur Jake Ward gleefully bragged on his social media about how he stole 3.6 million clicks in what he dubbed an epic “SEO heist.” Here’s how he did it:
Wrong. While he managed to generate 3.6 million in total traffic in 18 months, the gains didn’t last long. Other content marketing professionals began calling him out for his tactics, which attracted the attention of Google. Let’s just say Google wasn’t amused with the gaming of their system. The search engine giant downgraded the site that was used to pull off the heist. Ward is unapologetic about the methods he used to achieve these SEO gains, even though they can be easily classified as Black Hat SEO. He also argues that no one was harmed by his actions. The business owners who run Exceljet – the website AI scraped to create that 1,800 pieces of content – disagree with Ward’s assessment. Exceljet co-owner David Bruns commented publicly on Ward’s brag post on LinkedIn about what he’d done. You can see a screenshot of his comments below. Ward’s tactics failed to follow the EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trustworthiness) model Google uses to determine the credibility of websites. He may have cheated the system successfully for a while, but Google and other algorithms continue to evolve, making it harder to get away with this kind of unethical behavior. It’s about the conversions, sillyBesides getting penalized by Google, there’s another problem with Ward’s approach to using AI to boost SEO. Getting traffic to your website is just one phase of a solid content marketing strategy. Converting that traffic into paying customers is the real measure of your content’s value. Traffic vs. conversions is another one of those heated topics among content marketing professionals. Yes, you need traffic to your site to make sales. However, once you get eyeballs on your content, is it going to engage your ideal customers and convince them to part ways with their hard-earned money? If you’re not sure you can answer that question with a resounding yes, then you have a big problem. More traffic doesn’t automatically mean more sales. You must target your audience and give them the kind of content that educates and entertains. Create something new instead of using AI to simply regurgitate content that can be found on all your competitors’ websites. That’s the secret sauce for targeted traffic that turns into guaranteed conversions. Future of AI content creation for SEOGoogle isn’t opposed to AI-generated content. There’s no evidence it’s penalizing copy written entirely or in part by the likes of Chat GPT, Google Gemini, or Claude. However, the key to continuing to rank well for SEO is to make sure all of your content is produced for people first, and SEO second. Not sure how to do that? The key is to find an AI content creation consultant who understands how to create compelling copy that engages and converts your readers while following SEO best practices. About the Author - Shari Berg
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How to Strategically Reinvent Your BrandService-based small businesses experience a similar challenge at some point in their journey. They onboard more clients than they can reasonably handle out of fear of not having enough income to survive. Eventually, the pressure of finding more hours in the day to meet all their clients’ needs leads to burnout. That’s where Elena Herrera of West Coast Psychology Specialists found herself at the end of 2023. A licensed psychologist, she worked in agencies and as a supervisor for psychologists in training before transitioning into private practice. She operated her private practice part-time at first, continuing to serve in her other positions. In January 2023, she decided to go all-in on her independent therapy services. Thirteen months in, she began to feel the pressure of being a service-based small business owner. “I love the work that I do,” she said. “I work with couples, men in tech careers – especially engineers – but it’s stressful relying on my appointments for income. Whenever people cancel, that’s income that I’m losing. For peace of mind, I knew I needed a backup plan.” Establishing a Small Business Plan BElena didn’t want to completely abandon her desire to help people. It’s why she became a psychologist. Instead, she began exploring options that would allow her to use her psychology degree to continue to make a difference. What she landed on was consulting opportunities that required her expertise. One of her passions as a therapist was helping men in technology careers. “The way engineers cope and reach out for help is different,” she said. “One of the biggest stumbling blocks for these men is they feel like they must use logic to solve problems and therapy can feel vague and unclear at first.” When she was regularly counseling men in this industry, she discovered a lot of their anxiety stemmed from the way they were treated in the workplace. Drawing on that experience gave her an idea for her new business direction. While she could offer stress-management workshops for men in tech, she decided her time was better spent addressing the root of the problem. “Where the work needs to be done is with leadership,” Elena said. “I think smaller tech companies would be more receptive to this.” Leading the way to a healthier workforceElena doesn’t envision a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. She must ask a few questions – some of which might be uncomfortable to explore – before she can work her magic. The first step is to uncover what’s going on with the leadership team, which requires a leadership assessment. “Are they on the same page?” she asked. “How do they communicate their expectations with their employees? Once I know the issues, then I can intervene and customize a plan that fits the situation to solve the real problems.” She doesn’t believe in taking an “I know more than you do” approach because that doesn’t help people feel comfortable enough to open up and trust her throughout the entire process. Now that she has a new service model in place, Elena said she’s excited about the possibilities. “It’s a way of doing something new using my brain differently,” she said. “The expectation that I have is that I’m going to make some good connections and use my style – which is approachable and connective – to come in and help people.” Navigating the bumps in the roadFiguring out a new direction doesn’t mean the journey is without bumps in the road. For Elena, one of the biggest challenges she faces is cutting through the noise to stand out among her competition. There is a lot of competition in the mental health therapy space with therapists who have made a similar transition. They’ve left their clinical roles completely to write articles and do consulting work. She’s discovered the key to getting noticed sometimes comes down to who you know in the industry. “It’s inspiring and frustrating at the same time,” she said. “Inspiring because they’re women who have all taken these bold steps. Frustrating because they aren’t necessarily any more skilled than I am, but they’ve met the right person or have the right connections. I’ve learned that’s really the key. I feel like that’s a roadblock because if you don’t have that, you’re just hustling and hustling.” Marketing strategies to support the shiftElena said she has learned to take a deep breath and continue putting herself out there. To overcome some of the obstacles standing in the way of her new business growth, she’s spending a lot of time networking with others in the industry. “As a naturally introverted person, I’m doing things that make me feel very uncomfortable,” she said. “I’m posting a lot on Alignable and LinkedIn, which I never did before. I’m networking with a lot of people and planting seeds. I don’t see it as a waste of time. I’m making valuable connections.” Besides virtual networking, Elena said she plans to host a paid event for other therapists who are early in their careers. She’ll offer them advice about how to build their practices and give practical tips for growth strategies that work. She also welcomes any interviews or speaking engagements where she can discuss her new business direction to generate new leads. “I’ve already been on two podcasts for people who have a passion for working with men,” she said. Small business owners who want to share their expertise as part of their marketing strategies can find opportunities on HARO. Additionally, she’s working on revising her website to align with her new business direction. Getting active on social media is another way to generate awareness and connect with your ideal customer. Small business owners struggling to find their footing with social media content creation can schedule a 1:1 content marketing training session with a member of The Write Reflection team. Ongoing content creation support also is available in the soon-to-launch Mainstreet Marketing membership community. Get on the waiting list to reserve your spot. No matter which marketing approach you take, Elena said she’s a big fan of relying on other professional women to help her grow. “It’s OK to reach out to other successful women to get ideas,” she said. “It’s in our nature to be helpful and nurturing. Leaning into what’s natural for us, we can still do that, even in business.” About the Author - Shari BergLet’s be honest. Coming up with new content ideas day after day can drain even the most creative person faster than a smartphone battery scrolling Instagram. Creating fresh content for your brand’s digital assets is time-consuming (and quite frankly exhausting). You feel pressured to perform because you know the benefits of producing consistent high-quality content. Stop posting for even a few days, and the Almighty Algorithm punishes you for your insolence by downgrading your content in search results. AI content creation tools can help alleviate that stress. I’m not suggesting you use AI to generate new posts for you. As we learned in our last blog about best practices for AI content creation, you must review, edit, and customize the output before it meets the high standards for your brand. There’s a better way to use AI to reduce the time you spend creating content. Refreshing and reusing existing content is a task at which AI excels. Some of the ways AI can breathe new life into old content include:
Revive your best stories: turn top blogs into social media postsYou’ve probably figured out by now that your social media audience prefers a different style of content than visitors to your blog. Shorter, punchier posts tend to perform better on social. One of the easiest ways to repurpose in-depth content from your blog is to turn it into bite-sized chunks of compelling copy for your social accounts. Here’s where AI content creation tools come in handy. Pick the AI content generator you prefer and upload your blog post in its entirety (for the best results). Then, create a prompt that details how you want to use that information to create smaller social media posts. Get specific, right down to the tone of voice you want to use and the purpose of the content (drive more website traffic, generate more leads). Take it one step further by asking AI to generate attention-grabbing captions or questions for polls and quizzes to accompany your posts when appropriate. Adding polls and quizzes is an effective way to boost engagement. Blogs to social media carouselsBlogs with multiple talking points make excellent social media carousels. Visually pleasing carousels draw people in. Once they’ve found your post, you can impart the same wisdom from your blog in a more palatable format for social media scrollers. Remember not to put too much text on each carousel slide. Likewise, creating a 60-page carousel is overkill. Limit it to 8 to 10 pages maximum for the best results. A note of caution: never upload content that contains sensitive information about your organization or its customers to AI tools. Everything you feed to AI is stored in its database for reference later. You can get yourself in hot water if you overshare after signing a non-disclosure agreement. Repackage podcast gems: turn audio insights into viral blog wisdomAccording to the Pew Research Center, 42% of Americans over the age of 12 listen to at least one podcast a month. That’s a marked increase from the 12% who tuned in just one decade ago. It’s not difficult to see the allure. Podcasts are an engaging, amusing way to pass the time. You can use them to learn new information or explore topics in depth. They’re also an effective way to create a sense of community among your brand loyalists who feel connected to the podcast host and each other. If your small business has invested in producing a podcast, you can easily take episodes and turn them into blogs. Several AI tools specialize in performing this task. You’ll want to do some fine-tuning to the output to add links, images, section headers, and other elements that make blogs more engaging. Consider adding an introduction and conclusion in your brand voice to add some personality to the piece. Bring your content to life: transform written insights into viral visualsSocial media is the perfect opportunity to pack your content into snackable visual media bites. You don’t have to be a skilled graphic artist to take data from blogs, case studies, and even podcasts and turn it into an appealing chart, diagram, or other graphic. AI tools such as Adobe Creative Express, Midjourney, and Dall-E 2 can take text prompts and turn them into eye-catching social graphics, quotes, and charts. The image that accompanies this section was generated by using Adobe’s text-to-image generating software. For instance, a key statistic from a podcast episode can become a colorful infographic that educates and engages your audience. You can even use it to direct them back to the podcast to learn more. As with anything else AI produces, check the output for accuracy before publishing. Give your content the Hollywood treatmentYou don’t need fancy video equipment to repurpose written or audio content into video clips. Using an AI text-to-speech narration combined with royalty-free media gives your content the Hollywood treatment, red carpet entrance and all. Most AI tools that do this task work similarly. You input your existing blog post text or podcast transcript. Then, select visual themes, graphics, and music to match your brand style. When prompted correctly, the AI should spit out a video clip you can share on social media or use in digital ads. Touches that individualize the video can include an intro and outro of you or another brand representative. Always manually include captions to ensure your content is accessible to everyone. AI content creation repurposing saves time and moneyAI isn’t a magic wand for repurposing your content. You can’t just wave it and expect miracles. You must invest your time to learn how to breathe new life into old blogs, transform podcasts into long-form content, and create eye-catching visuals from written passages. With some strategic effort, you can get significantly more mileage out of your high-quality content. Do it well, and you’ll save time and money down the road while keeping your brand top-of-mind. Need help with AI content creation tools? The Write Reflection offers 1:1 content marketing training for entrepreneurs and small business owners that’s customized to meet your needs. Reach out today to schedule a session. Mention this blog to receive a 25% discount on your first session fee. About the Author - Shari BergIt’s difficult to forget an encounter with Emida Roller. She’s fearless about approaching people with her warm smile and shining personality that draws you right in. Before long, you’ll find yourself asking about her passion and what she does for a living (only to discover the two are one and the same). The genius behind Emida Roller Productions, she’s turned her love of art into a thriving small business. It’s not an exaggeration to say she’s mastered the art of the deal. Luckily, she’s willing to share her must-have marketing tips to boost your brand’s visibility. Conquering the fear of connectingTerrifying is a word some entrepreneurs and small business owners use to describe marketing themselves to others. If in-person networking events are part of the process, you can kick that terror up a notch. Approaching perfect strangers and striking up a conversation doesn’t come naturally to many people. That’s OK, said Emida. “You start small, you get more comfortable, and then you push yourself,” she said. Emida recommends an effective strategy for coping with the anxiety that comes with convincing yourself to put yourself out there. Pretend you’re an actor on stage. The networking event is a production and you’re the star. “You have to switch it on,” she said. “If you do it enough, you’ll get more comfortable.” Another coping mechanism is to find yourself a networking buddy. Her daughter is a wonderful artist. However, Emida said she struggles with the networking part of marketing. To quell her fears and give her a confidence boost, Emida goes to networking events with her daughter to serve as her personal cheerleader. “Go with somebody,” she said. “You get that moral support and you’ll be less anxious if you’re talking in a group.” If you’re new to in-person networking, Emida has one more trick up her sleeve. She suggests starting with a smaller event to break yourself in. Once you build up your confidence, then you can attend larger events more comfortably. Networking strategies that stickEvery small business is different. Marketing strategies that produce sustainable growth for one brand might fall flat for another. However, learning about different approaches can help you decide which approach resonates with your ideal customer to give you a starting point. “Find people who are doing similar things – someone who is doing it better – and find out how they’re marketing and putting their names out there,” said Emida. “Most people want to share their techniques and help you if you just ask.” When you go to community events or other in-person networking opportunities, go the extra mile to stand out in the crowd. One of Emida’s best ideas for an upcoming conference she plans to attend in March is to make a jean jacket with a scannable QR code about her business on the back. Doing so shows off her artistic skills and makes learning about her business easy and entertaining. “Sometimes, networking and promoting yourself is boring,” she said. “You have to find a way to make it fun.” Besides in-person networking events and community gatherings where she can introduce herself and spread the word about her services, Emida has found success in making valuable connections on Alignable. An online referral network for small businesses, Alignable boasts more than 8 million small business and micro small business owners as members. Think of it as a virtual Chamber of Commerce. Its targeted approach and community-focused features help small business owners forge meaningful connections in their local or niche markets. “Joining Alignable has been a great way to find people who need my services and whose services I can use,” she said. “One good thing about Alignable for me is there are a lot of marketing people there. I can tell my story better than anybody else, but there comes a point where I know I need help, and (Alignable) is a good place to get it.” Solving setbacks and other growth challengesWhen Emida first started out, her business was called Wall Designs by Emida. She concentrated on creating unique wall art in the interior of homes and businesses. To promote her work, she sent letters to local building contractors introducing herself and offering to personalize the interior walls of their model homes with her unique designs. “I was surprised because four of them took me up on my offer right away,” she said. It turned out to be a good marketing move. “You have 10,000 people walking through those homes in a 2-week period and that’s great exposure for my art.” Eventually, she started getting enough work to keep her going as an independent artist. She also began doing outdoor murals, which required figuring out many things – including how to set up a scaffolding by herself. “When you work by yourself, you have to tackle many challenges,” she said. Emida became so proficient at setting up a scaffolding alone that she had her daughter film the process. “Then, I uploaded it to my YouTube channel and shared how to do it with other people. I showed all the tricks I use by myself. Those videos have more views than the ones of my actual art stuff,” she said, laughing. Today, her business name has evolved to reflect the full experience customers can expect from working with her. “I’d been thinking about a name that encompasses everything I do. I don’t just show up and paint a mural and go home. Now, I have a conversation about the theme, get ideas from the community on what should be in the mural, and involve them in the whole process,” she said. “My big thing is how I engage with the community. That’s part of my branding. I’m not just an artist. I’m a community engager.” Her unique approach to community involvement earned Emida a lot of free press. Reporters would give her their numbers and ask her to call when she started her next project. Starting over again (and again)One of the challenges Emida has faced with marketing her business involves her and her husband’s shared passion for moving to new places. The couple recently moved to Georgia after spending about 3 years in Connecticut. Every time they move, Emida starts over again with marketing her brand. Instead of getting frustrated, she finds ways to connect with her new community to spread the word about her business. She attended a town meeting and contributed to a discussion about creative ways to get people involved. In the process, she naturally worked in how her business brings communities together on an art project. “Marketing is like a boulder rolling down a mossy hill,” she said. “The more you do, the more the ball rolls and gathers moss.” Even though her challenge is unique, the lessons about how to solve it apply to any small business struggling to market itself. Emida recommends looking for different places to spread your work and to do a good job when hired so those customers will keep recommending you to others. “Every 6 months, reach out to former clients to thank them again and remind them you’re still doing the work if they know anyone who needs your services,” she said. Keeping the pace (and peace)One of the lessons Emida learned early on in her business was the value of having a solid contract before beginning work with a new client. “I started out without (contracts), and I had problems,” she said. “Having a signed contract eliminates a lot of problems.” Another struggle she encountered in the early days was second-guessing herself through the slow times. “I would wonder if I could sustain myself with my business model,” she said. “But I found ways to keep the flow by spreading out the work.” Instead of trying to do 2 to 3 projects simultaneously, Emida staggered the start dates and rotated between large and small jobs to give herself breaks as needed. Final words of marketing wisdomRunning a small business comes with a steep learning curve. Generating enough leads to turn a profit is one of the many lessons you’ll either pass or fail. Learning to embrace the challenges as opportunities and stepping outside your comfort zone to build a strong network are surefire methods that have helped Emida survive and thrive. “Be prepared,” she said. “Know what you bring to the table and be willing to give a bit more than expected to leave a lasting impression. Be assertive, and you’ll close the deals.” About the Author - Shari Berg |
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