AI-Generated Content: How Will It Affect User Engagement?

In the world of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve is crucial to success. One emerging trend that has the potential to revolutionize user engagement is AI-generated content. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are transforming the way content is produced, presenting exciting opportunities for marketers to enhance their strategies. 

Keep reading to learn more about the impact of AI-generated content on user engagement and how digital marketers can leverage its benefits.

Understanding AI-Generated Content 

AI-generated content refers to text, images, or videos created with the assistance of machine learning algorithms. These algorithms analyze vast amounts of data, learning patterns and generating content that closely resembles human writing. Digital marketers can utilize AI-generated content for a wide range of uses, including social media posts, blog articles, email newsletters, and website copy.

User Engagement in the Digital Age

User engagement is the level of interaction and interest shown by users consuming content. This can be any kind of content, from a blog article to an email, social media post or a section of website copy. 

High user engagement is a sign of compelling content. It means you are creating content that draws attention and appeals to your audience’s interests. 

Low user engagement is a sign that the content itself needs to be changed to better engage the target audience, or that the wrong audience is being targeted with the content in question.

With so many businesses and content creators competing online for attention and clicks, effectively engaging users is vital for driving positive actions for your brand, regardless of whether they are filling out a form on your website, signing up for a newsletter, or re-sharing a social media post of yours.

By understanding and monitoring user engagement, marketers can take actionable steps to optimize their content and create engaging campaigns that achieve goals and help improve your bottom line. 

Source: Shutterstock

The Impact of AI-Generated Content on User Engagement

Advantages of AI-generated Content For Enhancing User Engagement

Improving Productivity

One of the key advantages of AI-generated content is its ability to enhance efficiency and productivity in digital marketing campaigns. AI algorithms can process and generate content at an unprecedented speed, freeing up valuable time for marketers to focus on other strategic tasks. With AI-generated content, marketers can produce a higher volume of quality content in a shorter timeframe, allowing them to reach a wider audience and engage with potential customers more effectively.

Cost-Effective

Time is money. AI tools save time by creating large amounts of content with minimal input from content creators. From text-heavy blog articles to short-form videos, AI tools are continuously evolving to work more efficiently and across an ever-expanding range of mediums. AI-generated content can be used for a wide range of marketing fields, such as blog and copywriting, social media marketing and search engine marketing; the possibilities for using AI-generated content are endless.   

With a single AI tool, you can create the same volume of content as a full-time team of freelancers. Most AI tools have fees and/or subscription models, but they are typically less than $100/month. This cost-effectiveness can be particularly useful for small businesses in highly competitive niches.

Personalization

AI-generated content opens up new possibilities for personalized marketing. By analyzing user data and behaviour, AI algorithms can tailor content to match individual preferences and interests. Personalized content resonates with users on a deeper level, increasing their engagement and likelihood of conversion. Whether it's customized product recommendations, targeted email campaigns, or dynamically generated website content, AI-generated content enables digital marketers to deliver personalized experiences at scale.

From chatbots providing instant assistance to content recommendations based on browsing history, AI-generated content creates a more personalized and engaging experience for users.

Disadvantages of AI-generated Content For Enhancing User Engagement

Brand Voice

Maintaining a consistent brand voice is crucial for digital marketers. AI-generated content must align with the brand's tone, style, and values. Marketers need to train AI algorithms to understand their brand guidelines and ensure that the generated content reflects the desired personality and messaging. Ongoing monitoring and human supervision are necessary to maintain quality and make adjustments when needed.

Plagiarism Concerns

AI tools will rely on algorithms to “learn” about topics they create content on. They will pull information from sources online and use that to generate the content being requested. This can lead to plagiarism if the tool being used does not paraphrase the content they are generating.

Ethical Concerns

For businesses in heavily regulated industries, AI content can not only hurt brand trust, but it also have serious consequences for users who find misleading or factually incorrect information. For some industries like law or healthcare, incorrect information from AI-generated content can ruin lives, lead to legal action and even result in death. For this reason, businesses in these verticals should be extra careful when using AI to create content on sensitive topics. 

Quality Control

While AI tools might be able to create and publish content much faster than what humans are capable of, there is no guarantee that the quality of the work will be the same. In many cases, it can be worse than that of a dedicated writer or designer. Of course, this will vary depending on the type of content being created, the AI tool being used and how well it can be programmed according to your needs. 

Standard AI tools like Chat GPT are widely available and cheap. Resources are going to be needed to monitor and edit the content they generate to ensure the information is factual, relevant to the target audience, and overall engaging. If marketing content is not factual or engaging, there is very little reason to create it in the first place. 

It is recommended to ensure that all long-form AI content is reviewed and edited before publication. This will help catch anything that the tool missed or wrote incorrectly. Since AI tools use algorithms to pull information from online, your tool may be writing either incorrect or outdated content. 

Source: Shutterstock 

Balancing AI-Generated Content and User Engagement

Content is still king, and AI-generated content can exponentially increase the speed and volume of published content. If managed properly, new businesses can easily upscale their content creation efforts, helping them compete for customers faster and grow their business. AI-generated content can reduce the competitive gap faced by small businesses in highly competitive or niche industries if the content being generated is engaging and useful.

However, that is a big “if”. Marketing teams can increase ROI for clients with AI-generated content if they are creating engaging content in a coordinated manner. AI tools need to be programmed or given very specific prompts to ensure the content being created is useful and aligned with the broader goals of the brand. 

As previously mentioned, in highly scrutinized industries like healthcare, law or finance, incorrect or plagiarised information will not only hurt brand trust with consumers but could lead to legal action if it results in serious injury or death. In these industries, AI content must be used with extreme care, especially if AI is being used to write website copy or blog articles. 

Focusing too heavily on AI content will reduce the overall quality of content being produced, which will have a negative impact on user engagement. On the other hand, AI tools are now widely available and cheap to use, and brands would be putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage to avoid them altogether.  

Future Implications 

As AI tools continue to become more advanced, their content will become more unrecognizable from human content. With tools like Chat GPT becoming mainstream, not only is AI content more widespread and popular than before, but it is also more human than ever. In fact, a study was done in 2019 that found that US government officials could only identify AI-generated content about 50% of the time. 

This will only continue as AI tools gather data on how humans communicate and interact online (and AI tools like Chat GPT collect data from humans and use it to better understand language). As this trend continues, the need for human content creators will continue to be reduced. Humans will still be involved, especially for tasks that require planning, organizing and quality assurance. But low-level writers and content creators will need to grow their skills or use AI to significantly upscale their content production to stay competitive.

Additionally, voice-generated AI is quickly developing and will likely become a mainstay of content created in the mid 2020s.

Recommendations for Using AI for Digital Marketing

If you do want to publish AI-generated content, make sure there is a plan in place to edit the content before it is published. Effective content is easy-to-understand, compelling and useful, and  AI tools have a tendency to use industry jargon and formal language, making it harder to read, which harms user engagement. For the short term, all AI content should be reviewed and edited before being published.  

Another recommendation is to keep track of all AI content you publish. This might seem like a hassle, but it may come in handy in the future for a few key reasons. If Google were to decide to devalue AI content, you will have a list of items ready to edit, reducing the effects of a negative penalty for your website. While this is not likely given Google’s past support of AI (see below), it could change in the future, especially if Google thinks poor AI content is flooding the SERPs and/or hunting their brand’s market share. 

Google’s Views on AI-Generated Content

As of early 2023, Google has publicly stated that AI-generated content is not inherently bad:

“Our focus on the quality of content, rather than how content is produced, is a useful guide that has helped us deliver reliable, high-quality results to users for years.” (Source)

As long as steps are being taken to ensure the content produced is useful for consumers, Google will not care how it was created. They even encourage the use of AI for content creation:

“AI has the ability to power new levels of expression and creativity, and to serve as a critical tool to help people create great content for the web.” (Source)

Google advises that any content being created online display EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness), regardless of whether it is created by a human or AI. 

Evolving with AI-Generated Content  

Understanding the potential impact of AI-generated content on user engagement is vital. By leveraging AI algorithms to create personalized, efficient, and relevant content, marketers can enhance user experiences, drive conversions, and stay ahead in the competitive digital landscape. Through embracing the opportunities while addressing the challenges, digital marketers can harness the power of AI-generated content to captivate their audience and achieve marketing success.

The future of AI-generated content in digital marketing is promising. As AI algorithms continue to improve, they will become even more adept at understanding user preferences and generating highly relevant content. Digital marketers need to adapt to this changing landscape, embracing AI-generated content as a powerful tool to boost user engagement and stay competitive. By leveraging AI-generated content effectively, marketers can streamline their workflows, create personalized experiences, and drive meaningful connections with their target audience.

Source: Shutterstock

FAQs

How reliable is AI-generated content?

AI-generated content can be reliable if properly trained and monitored. Regular quality control checks and human oversight are necessary to ensure accuracy and adherence to brand guidelines.

Can AI-generated content replace human writers?

While AI-generated content offers efficiency and scalability, it cannot fully replace human writers. Human creativity, emotion, and critical thinking are valuable elements that contribute to engaging and authentic content.

What industries can benefit from AI-generated content?

Any industry with an online presence can benefit from AI-generated content. Industries that require high-volume content production and personalized experiences can leverage AI-generated content effectively to grow brand awareness and drive traffic to their website.

Will AI-generated content affect job opportunities for writers?

The role of writers may evolve with the integration of AI-generated content, but it is unlikely to eliminate job opportunities. Human writers will continue to play a crucial role in content strategy, creativity, and maintaining a unique brand voice.

What are the limitations of AI-generated content?

AI-generated content may lack the creative nuances and emotional depth that human writers can provide. It also requires careful monitoring to ensure ethical use, quality control, and avoiding biases inherent in the training data.

Is AI content against Google Search's guidelines?

No, Google has stated that they care about prioritizing content that is helpful to users, regardless of how it is made. If your AI-generated content demonstrates EEAT, Google will reward it. Read more about it here.

Do you need a hand with your digital marketing efforts? You have come to the right place! At TechWyse Internet Marketing, we assist small and medium-sized businesses with growing their online presence. Whether you’re looking to improve your SEO, PPC, content or social media strategy, we have your back. To book an appointment, call (416)-410-7090 or contact us here.