Authenticity - it’s all anyone talks about in marketing. Yet we are bombarded with the promise of using AI tools to turn our marketing into a money-making machine (without lifting a finger). While the AI hype might be a little exaggerated, the opportunity is absolutely there to magnify your marketing efforts. The trick is to use AI to amplify your marketing without losing authenticity. I collaborated with a few of my marketing colleagues to share 6 ways you can use AI in your content marketing to showcase your genuine value, especially if you are a personal brand.
1. Start by using AI for your own content, not the regurgitation of other people’s content.
“I, like countless other business owners, was initially wary about integrating AI into my marketing strategy," wrote marketing strategist Kristi Mitchell in her blog about AI tools.
"The apprehension often stems from the notion that tools capable of scraping the entire Internet for content could produce outputs that lack originality and the personal touch essential for meaningful audience engagement.”
It’s a legitimate concern. Nobody gains competitive advantage by appearing just like everyone else, especially in crowded markets. However, using AI tools to assist in the creation of derivative works from your own proprietary content “solves the authenticity problem, as every piece of content generated is rooted in your words and ideas,” writes Kristi.
2. Lean into trends that revolve around authenticity.
Chasing marketing trends (especially on social media and other platforms) can be exhausting, and gives no guarantee that you’ll ever gain any engagement, followers, or meaningful traction with potential buyers. If it’s a trend, that means competitors will be hopping on the bandwagon too. But there is something to be said for creating content in the way your audience wants to receive it.
Consider having a mix of content types - some that leverage current trends and others that have a more timeless appeal. Then use AI tools to analyze which are currently performing well, and optimize from there.
For example: while carousels perform well on certain platforms and can be highly educational, they do have a “processed” look. They can be authentic of course, but there is a layer of polish when information is presented in a slick graphic template. Carousels may perform better on platforms that are oriented toward professionals.
On the flip side, “talking head videos” (videos with people talking into the camera) are predicted to be high performing this year. It's not surprising that this type of content has a higher feeling of authenticity. You are literally getting the words straight from the person’s mouth! Talking head videos mimic a conversation more than a presentation, and tend to feel more genuine.
3. Use AI as your sous chef, not to dream up the menu.
Once you’ve created your raw genuine content (talking head video, heartfelt writing, case studies, research, or deep insights), then you can use AI tools to do some of the initial slicing and dicing - basically all of the annoying tasks that a sous chef might perform.
For example:
Use an AI video editor app to take one long-form original video to create clips of various lengths - perfect for posting on multiple platforms and even your website.
Use AI to capture your authentic words from video presentation, client calls, or other sources and create the basis for offshoot content from there. These are the beginnings of swipe-worthy carousels, optimized blog posts, and compelling emails that can be perfected by your writers, graphic designers, or marketing manager. They will need to be edited for maximum impact, but it's faster than starting from a blank page.
Lean on AI to structure your writing or presentation outlines. If you’re struggling with how to phrase an idea, consulting your AI writing tools can be a good tool to connect the dots in a different way. Be wary of just swiping the output and "calling it good" - by design, the output will be generic and could be similar to what your competitors are using.
Sharpen your original content by beefing up areas that are bland. Use AI tools for ideas such as: “what’s a funnier/ more elegant / more concise / more sarcastic way of saying. ____.” You can even ask AI research tools to come up with some examples to illustrate your unique insight - be sure to always fact check, of course.
Use your best judgement - at times, AI tools may give you a winning response, other times you’ll like your original phrasing better. Most of the time, you’ll pick up a handful of gems from AI, then incorporate them into your original thoughts. Consider it polishing up human thought, not replacing it.
4. Remember, there’s a level of distrust with AI generated content.
We’re still in the relatively early stages of generative AI, but there’s a lot of public distrust of AI generated material. In fact, according to a recent study, 43% of consumers don’t trust AI generated ads - that’s a lot!
For some people, there is a fear of the “deep fakes.” Also, AI’s hallucinations (making things up) are well-documented and widely known. Fact check everything - your brand’s integrity is on the line.
It’s important to maintain the trust that your brand has worked so hard to build. Or, as marketing strategist Marie Patel from Girl on the Ball Marketing Solutions sums it up: “Trust is the real currency in marketing, and AI can’t fake that. Your audience wants to connect with you, not a robot.”
5) Ask yourself - would I click on this? Whenever I’m creating marketing content, I have to ask myself: What would I read? What would I watch? What would I open? It’s okay to abandon or rework emails and other content that you’ve created because it’s just not as compelling as you’d like it to be.
There is no shortage of outstanding content out there - content that is visually impactful, emotionally compelling, or highly insightful. It’s tough to compete with videos of pets, babies, outrageous claims, controversial opinions, and overnight successes, especially if your topic is particularly dry. Adding something unique to your brand can make it naturally become more interesting.
Let's be honest - attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Consider using AI to cut up your in depth long-form into bite-sized pieces (a content appetizer, if you will) that links back to richer information.
6) Be absolutely sure to highlight your differentiators.
Using AI to simply match the content level of your competitors won’t give you an edge. With the sheer volume of content to choose from, attention is at a premium. You must highlight how your brand, your products, your services, or your insights are different.
If you can’t quickly list out ways why someone should choose your brand over your
competition, then it’s a worthwhile exercise to nail that down. Maybe it’s your process, your delivery mechanism, the industry, or the geographic area that you serve. When using AI to edit or create a first draft of your content, don't forget to instruct your AI tools to highlight your differentiators.
Use AI as your marketing intern, not your generic marketing director.
With all the buzz about AI in marketing, it’s important to be mindful of creating a positive feeling about your brand, no matter how your marketing is created or delivered. The excitement about AI marketing seems to be heavily weighted on the creator side - but less so on the consumption side. And potential customers are the people we are trying to connect with, so they are the ones we need to please.
To bring it all home, Marie reminds us: "AI is like a super-efficient assistant—it can do the heavy lifting, organize your thoughts, and even make you look good. But it can’t replace you. Your audience connects with your stories, your insights, your quirks. So use AI to streamline, repurpose, and fine-tune, but don’t let it steal the mic. Because at the end of the day, marketing isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about making people feel something. And that? That’s all you.”
Christine McShane is a freelance copywriter and content marketer for B2B and B2C small businesses. She is the owner of Christine McShane Creative, where she has helped her clients with brand messaging, website copy, sales funnel copy, emails, and other content marketing.