We have somehow come to the conclusion that AI content generation is easy, as all it takes is a quick prompt. At the moment, writing a blog, making a social media post, or creating a high-end marketing copy happens instantly. There is no more hassle of research or the endless wait for the right idea to hit.
This has convinced us that working with AI is a piece of cake. Even though most of it’s true, we find even experienced marketers faltering with AI. The reason behind it, however, is quite simple: we tend to let go of authenticity for quick automation strategies.
The ideal solution around this is to understand the concepts of AI prompts and devote a dedicated time to understand a model. But, to be honest, none of us has the time to deep dive into prompt engineering. It will take time and effort, and most importantly, defy the very purpose of using AI.
However, for better control of this situation, it is essential to make minimal errors while using AI for your content strategy or marketing. Even though we have different marketing needs, our AI usage follows a certain pattern, which may or may not affect the outcome.
This blog talks about a few such content generation mistakes to avoid, which might just change your content marketing game forever.
Mistake #1 – Relying Entirely on AI Without Human Oversight
An AI-driven content strategy is all about saving time and money for a given campaign. Moreover, you will see that with AI, you don't even need to invest in multiple channels. So it saves you from investing in manpower and limits your spending to only a premium plan. But this is where the problem begins for most marketers.
A machine-generated campaign or content is easy on the pocket, but fails to deliver the message. With the lack of human oversight, AI can never figure out the set standard or any probable mistakes in the generated copy. Not only that, but the lack of empathy and personalization makes it a risky choice for a product that’s sensitive.
Case Study: Imagine that your business has developed an AI tool that caters to the needs of differently abled children. Now, to save money and manpower, you let AI make the marketing decisions. This is what your copy brief will look like if you rely on ChatGPT to do it for you :
ChatGPT generated copy for a demo product
It feels like a great idea at first, as it reads decent and has no editing mistakes, but the moment you take a deep dive, you will realize:
- There is a lack of empathy and assurance that, as a brand, you understand the pain point.
- You will also notice it has made the issue of special needs into a mere trivial issue, as it fails to understand the extent of the given context.
- If you had written this copy, you would have first highlighted the pain points of a special needs child. AI fails to do that, as it lacks a lived experience and imagination to fit the voice and tone of the brand.
- Lastly, it looks more like a generic template that can easily be used by any of your competitors for an upper hand.
Mistake #2 – Ignoring Brand Voice and Tone
Without personalized content, a brand surviving in this competitive market seems like a challenge. You can surely rely on AI-generated content to maintain a social media presence. But if you want the numbers, you have to have a consistent and unique brand voice that resonates with your users.
If you think about this from a user perspective, comprehending it will be a bit easier. Your scalable content creation serves no purpose to your potential user. They browse through thousands of products a day. If you wish for your content to sell, your brand voice needs to be at the forefront.
- The modern tech-savvy user is not going to fall for a generic “our product is the best” trope. They scroll past content like this in seconds.
- You have to grab their attention by telling them what they don’t know, as in your brand’s intent or voice.
- It should be followed by a pitch that convinces them that you are the best in what you do. This is where the need for the human feedback loop comes in, too, and helps you optimize the entire process. Consider this copy created by ChatGPT for a dating app:
ChatGPT demo copy for a dating app
Case Study:
- This copy sample has everything that a brand requires, apart from an identity. If you rely on a copy like this, your users will move past it in an instant.
- It fails to establish how you are different from the existing apps and never highlights the USPs.
- Dating apps usually uphold a certain set of safety standards after a series of incidents that worked against their popularity. It is almost next to impossible for AI to bring that up in the copy if not prompted otherwise. So, there is no guarantee that AI is capable of keeping up with your brand’s voice in sensitive scenarios.
- The lack of training for an existing tool with your specific brand guidelines is what makes artificial intelligence a not-so-viable choice in brand-specific content generation.
Mistake #3 – Keyword Stuffing or Over-Optimization
There is a widespread misconception that adding more relevant keywords to a blog post or article will help it rank. You will always find creators or marketers going for a prompt design that relies on keyword stuffing and not focusing on user’s transparency.
But what they tend to forget is that kind of optimization will only result in an SEO penalty and reduce the overall readability. If you are solely reliant on long-form content, your blog has to be crisp and yet form a connection with your users. But, overdoing the keywords will reduce readability and can even confuse the readers to a great extent.
If you are writing a blog or an article, it needs to have naturally flowing phrases that make sense. A robotic tone with a repeated set of words or phrases is only going to drive your readers away.
Not only that, if you do not push for clarity or connection that’s driven by human insights, you can be penalized too. As search engines are now equipped enough to detect content that’s written for algorithms instead of people. You must rely on the semantic relevance and topic depth, rather than your keyword density.
Mistake #4 – Using One-Size-Fits-All Prompts
You don't really have to be a prompt engineer to understand that generic prompts are a strict no for a diverse content plan. We tend to think blog, email, and ad copy are the same, which creates chaos for the brand.
The idea is simple: a generic prompt is equal to a generic output with next to no connection with the brand. If your editorial workflow is all about“ SEO optimize this blog” or“ create a quick copy,” you are always going to be a brand without an identity.
💡Quick Tip: You have to understand that the secret to using AI lies in the prompt. For you to get the most out of your tool, you should be able to communicate with it.
– Your AI is only as smart as the prompt that guides it. -
Mistake #5 – Using AI Without a Clear Content Strategy
An ideal content strategy is not about filling dates on your content calendar. Nor is it about only relying on AI’s ability to mass generate content. One of the common mistakes in AI content generation is using it as a shortcut rather than for an upgrade.
There needs to be a connection between the content you are planning to post and improving SEO, building brand authority, or nurturing leads. If you are only relying on AI to mint generic content, it is not going to lead you anywhere.
Without a clear strategy, all you are doing is producing repetitive content that has no relation to your target audience. Not only that, but the lack of a road map also makes it difficult to build a domain authority or rely on SEO to bring in the numbers.
💡Quick Tip: AI can be a great help to support your existing strategy, regardless of the tool you rely on. All you have to do is guide it with clear intent, and that’s it. Strategic AI content creation is all about clear content objectives, a well-organized calendar, a defined audience, and a clear map for tracing the customer's journey.
Mistake #6 – Skipping Transparency and Ethical Guidelines
Some brands tend to go overboard with their AI usage, which sometimes results in an ethical conflict. You must remember that you owe your users' transparency. It is a shameful and risky pursuit to rely on misguided facts and images to manipulate a purchase. It can damage trust, credibility, and even your brand’s legal standing.
The non-disclosure of AI usage to enhance the product or pushing unverified facts for sales can lead to your ultimate downfall. Apart from the fact that your audience deserves the truth, it is a real risk to fabricate facts.
Issues like plagiarism, misinformation, biased outputs, and the misuse of copyrighted data are not a silly business mistake but a calculated step towards the fraud territory. You have to be mindful of the fact that:
- Unverified facts or data hallucinations
- Repurposing competitor content with light AI edits
- No citations or source attribution, along with non-disclosure of AI usage
It is not just a setback for your brand, but a serious legal consequence and invites serious reputational damage.
Conclusion
It is very easy to get carried away by the AI content generation model. Yes, it can speed up the process, save you a lot of money, and even enhance your process. But that’s not what marketing is about. In an attention-driven market space like ours, we need to be more focused on building a connection and amplifying our brand’s voice.
The idea is not to give AI total control, but to rely on it for a strategic and yet ethical workflow setup. You have to always prioritize your human insights and always rally for authenticity over robotic perfection.
Avoiding these six mistakes will help you generate an impact and make sure that you build a bond of trust. At the end of the day, it is not about the number of blogs or copies, it is about the authentic connection that converts.
FAQ
What is the biggest mistake in AI content generation?
One of the biggest misinterpretations of AI content generation is thinking that it can operate without human oversight. You cannot rely on AI alone, as it lacks critical thinking and empathy. So, it is obvious that it might tend to miss out on brand-specific nuance. Not only that, but without human interference, it will not be able to connect with the target audience on the ground level.
Can AI-generated content hurt my SEO rankings?
AI-generated content can sometimes negatively impact your SEO rankings. Even though Google has not yet banned AI-generated writing, it prioritizes content written for humans, by humans. Moreover, the use of AI without an SEO professional can lead to keyword stuffing, duplicate content, and even repurposed facts, which can impact your brand image greatly.
How do I maintain my brand voice when using AI?
If you wish to maintain your brand voice with AI, you must understand one simple thing: AI is not a replacement for human creativity. It is there to assist you and make the job easier for you in the long run. The ultimate controls lie with you to train in accordingly and help understand clear guidelines and brand-specific prompts.
Is it legal to publish AI-generated content without disclosure?
Yes, there are always some legal and ethical concerns around non-disclosure of AI usage. It becomes an offense, especially when you are making unverified claims or using copyrighted material.
How can I use AI content generation effectively?
You have to help AI understand its purpose to get the most out of it. You can always rely on AI for ideation, outlines, and drafts, and you take the front seat for quality control, personalization, and others. Or you can opt for a middle ground and rely on tools like Humanizeai.io and refine AI generated content with just a click.