Volume will never replace voice – set yourself apart from that boring AI Bot with a sharp mind
Originality, judgement, context, and a clear point of view are must-haves for B2B PR and marketing pros to beat the AI devotees!
A staggering 95% of B2B marketers admit to using AI tools, but does this go down well with target audiences? It’s a firm no, according to a recent Reuters report, 58% of respondents are concerned about how to decipher truth from falsehood in online content.
In the age of AI, brand safety is crucial for B2B organizations, and the job of the B2B PR and marketing pros is to build it.
So, what is the answer? Is it more content?
In short, no. Volume cannot replace voice. The key is to create content that builds credibility, and here is why:
A sharp mind and a vision go a long way towards creating credible content
In an industry under pressure to ‘do more with less,’ the temptation for B2B PR and marketing pros to use Generative AI is real, especially when it can create content in a matter of seconds.
Stop there – is it creating content or is it churning it out? We all know the answer.
Creating content that sets you apart (you as a thought leader and you as a visionary company) is all about looking around the corner and understanding industry developments and what audiences actually want to hear about to stamp authority on a subject and start to own the theme.
In the battle for credibility, establishing thought leadership is key
With audiences becoming more selective over who they trust, human oversight and insights cannot be underthought, and certainly must not be an afterthought.
From brainstorming ideas and drafting content to proofreading and fact-checking, PR and marketing pros must include humans in the whole content creation cycle – or risk content reading like AI slop.
Respect is earned
Here is where pros need to be tapping into their brand’s power players: the thought leaders. They are the ones with the industry insights, who understand customer pain points, and the latest news – this may mean going against the grain, but that’s good!
If an SME’s view introduces valuable insight or experiences, it can go a long way to build credibility in the industry. That’s a true industry leader: someone that audiences trust, relate to, respect, and return to!
Do…and the media gatekeepers agree!
It’s not just B2B audiences that have concerns over AI in B2B content – it’s journalists too! Journalists really are the ultimate gatekeepers to earned media and credibility. Two-in-three journalists rely on PR-provided content, but over 50% of journalists are against PR pros using AI in their content.
This is where forming strong connections with journalists is key for B2B pros. It’s all about building authentic, not transactional, relationships.
A simple introductory email or engagement on social media can be a great starting point and start to earn your respect.
Be a help, not an irritation
Then it’s on to the pitch, and again this is where credibility is won and lost. If a pitch is more AI nonsense, then journalists aren’t going to trust the content you’re pitching either. It’s all about contacting the right people, with relevant content, at the right time because, at the end of the day, their audience is your audience.
There’s still room for AI doing grunt work, not as an outsource for creativity
AI does have some good use cases in B2B PR and marketing, from automating mundane tasks, speeding up research, or surfacing things pros may have missed. Just last week we were highlighting the role of social listening in PR campaigns, where AI plays a key role in tracking conversations, but even that doesn’t happen without human input.
What will separate the best B2B PR and marketing pros from the rest is their ability to utilize AI to enable them to focus on content that requires human judgement and builds credibility.
Don’t let AI content slash your B2B credibility
Credibility is not built in a day or overnight It takes time, but it can be destroyed in seconds. In today’s B2B landscape, PR and marketing pros need to focus their attention on creating content that is written by, targeted at humans, and read by humans.
The best PR and marketing pros will use AI to get sharper, not louder!
Sam Walker is a PR Executive at IBA International.
