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Why ChatGPT Can’t Replace Content Creators In Influencer Marketing
Cooper Munroe is CEO of The Motherhood Inc. For nearly two decades, The Motherhood has connected brands with influencers in every niche.
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There isn’t a hotter topic right now than ChatGPT. Marketers in every one of my professional circles are immersing themselves in this tool and chatting nonstop about the implications it may—or may not—have on how we do what we do.
Having been in the influencer marketing space for nearly 20 years, I’ve observed and contributed to an immense amount of discourse as this discipline has grown from the Wild West to the more mature strategy it is today. As a result, I have to say that while artificial intelligence and ChatGPT are the new tools du jour, the themes that emerge as part of this discussion are nothing new.
The headline is this: ChatGPT cannot replace the human touch that is not just optimal but downright essential in effective influencer marketing.
The Human Touch Wins
We’ve seen the push and pull between campaign automation and human-driven approaches, and human wins every time. When influencer marketing first began, each and every aspect of a campaign was done by hand. This was by pure necessity since we were essentially building the playbook and executing this new marketing tactic simultaneously. Those early days required a strong foundation of brand marketing experience, smart instincts and a whole lot of grit.
As we got a little further down the road and the tactic began to earn its place in the marketing mix, the industry looked for ways to scale efficiently. What we were doing on a relatively small scale had proven itself as a viable tactic, so brands wanted to scale up in a big way. So, we entered the automation era.
Splashy dashboards promised to take all of the work out of influencer marketing. By setting some filters, checking a few boxes and drafting email scripts, a marketer could enact an automatic workflow that engaged hundreds—sometimes thousands—of influencers all at once. The industry bit, and many brands initially invested in those dashboards.
Soon, however, the tide turned as they experienced the limitations, risks and potential drawbacks of relying solely on automation for influencer marketing. Successful influencer marketing requires building relationships with influencers, crafting personalized campaigns and creating authentic content that resonates with the influencers’ audiences. These tasks require a tailored approach for every client, as well as the ability to understand the nuances of influencer marketing, specifically the unique nature of working with content creators.
Any smart marketer will tell you that technology can help streamline aspects of a campaign, but you won’t find an experienced strategist who will recommend relying solely on automation for influencer marketing.
The best influencer marketing approach is a hybrid one: human-driven campaigns enhanced by technology. Sound familiar?
You Can’t Use A Tool Effectively Without A Driver
With ChatGPT generating text with the mere click of a few buttons, I can see why many are questioning whether this new language model will replace content creators. If AI is so good at natural language processing and personalization, it could seem like a worrisome proposition.
Don’t sound the alarms just yet, and here is why: Effective influencer marketing relies on the ability to create genuine and engaging content that resonates with the creator’s audience, and this requires creativity, empathy and a personal touch that is difficult for AI to replicate.
AI can certainly be a tool in marketers’ and influencers’ toolboxes. ChatGPT can be a viable way to get the ball rolling on ideation, concepting and research, but those who use these tools as a shortcut to a finished product, rather than a starting point, will likely suffer.
The best, most effective marketers work hand in hand with influencers, and the most effective influencers are those who connect on a person-to-person basis with their followers (thus the incredible power of nano- and micro-influencers). They’ve spent years building a community of followers who trust their content and their recommendations.
The implications on search engine results remain to be seen, but social media content that lacks an influencer’s unique touch will likely impact engagement, which will affect their ability to attract and negotiate brand deals. We’ve already seen verbiage being written into influencer contracts that prohibits them from using AI-generated content for sponsored campaigns.
We’d all be wise to keep tabs on AI developments, but I am confident that authenticity will continue to reign supreme. Influencer marketing requires experienced professionals with real—not artificial—intelligence to use tools in a smart way to engage creators who ultimately connect with and influence their followers on a personal level. Tools can enhance but cannot replace that human touch.
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