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Launching a content marketing service at the dawn of the AI era
Like many, we’re speculating about the level of disruption AI will bring to the search and consumption of content. One year from now we’ll have a better idea, but that’s not stopping us from launching products and services for a new, AI-driven era.
I think CopyPipe is a safe bet. Content Marketing has been around for hundreds of years and adapted to all kinds of seismic changes. Joe Pulizzi’s first example in his History of Content Marketing is Benjamin Franklin’s yearly Poor Richard’s Almanack, which he published to promote his printing business. That was 1733. We can go further back than that if we look at how content was used to promote ideas.
One important lesson is that quality has the longest expiry date.
Another example: the Michelin Guide has been around since 1900 when brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin decided to help motorists plan more enjoyable road trips, drive more and subsequently buy more of their tires. Their ratings – the famous Michelin Stars – are coveted by restaurants owner worldwide. More than Google reviews.
A more recent example is HubSpot and its Inbound Marketing strategy — to publish informative, useful, and well-written content for Marketers. Underpinning these efforts is their commitment to quality: Customer Code Tenets such as ‘Earn My Attention, Don’t Steal It’ and ‘Do The Right Thing, Even When It’s Hard’.
Great content cuts through the noise
We can argue about the usefulness of AI-generated content all day but one thing is sure: there will be a ton of it. The revolution is more about the production process than the actual product. A person spending an hour writing an article will write 20 in half the time.
What will search results look like? Will they be flooded by listicles? How many review articles will have to skip before we find one that is actually useful?
As content is IKEA-ized the original, thoughtful, and well-written will stand out and be trusted. The latter is high on Google’s agenda.
It’s always about the brand
Try this: log into your inbox and scroll through emails you have received in the last month or so. Which ones are you opening and which ones ignoring? Are you looking at the sender or the subject line to decide whether you open the email or not?
Our search experience is similar. We check the URLs to determine whether the source is reputable.
Your Content Marketing efforts should help you grow your brand’s reputation too. For this, you need to invest in good quality content.
Introducing CopyPipe
A good strategy covers multiple bases. In B2B tech you need technical documentation, KB articles, product overview content, How-To guides, and blog posts to feed the search engine Gods. The smarter brands complement these with in-depth reports, opinion pieces and market commentary. You should too.
Don’t know where to start? Check out our Launch offer of get in touch.
End Notes
References & further reading
- The History of Content Marketing, By the Content Marketing Institute
- The Michelin Guide
- Hubspot Customer Code Tenets