Digital Transformation Blog

Influencer Marketing & Generative AI: A Marriage Made In Heaven?

Written by Rob Farrell | Mar 21, 2023 2:12:26 PM

I recently read Hubspots State of Marketing 2022 UK report, showing the focus and importance that influencer marketing occupies in the minds of the marketing community. But in a world where anyone can use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create their blogs, videos and podcasts, this raises significant questions:

  • Will there be a rise in content creators using generative AI (GenAI) to produce lots of questionable quality content.
  • What impact will this have on trust among audiences and brands.
  • What should brands pay attention to when working with influencers.
  • How can good influencers differentiate themselves.

Hubspots State of Marketing 2022 UK report

 

A Marriage Made In Heaven?

The rise of generative AI has brought about a wave of innovation in various industries, including influencer marketing. Generative AI refers to the use of algorithms to generate content, ranging from text to images and even videos. Influencer marketing, on the other hand, involves collaborating with social media influencers to promote a brand's products or services. In this article, we'll explore the potential impact of generative AI on influencer marketing.

What is Generative AI (GenAI)?

Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that uses algorithms to generate new content that imitates human creativity. This can include anything from writing articles to creating artwork or even producing music. Generative AI uses machine learning models and neural networks to analyze and understand patterns in existing data, and then uses this information to create new content that mimics the style and tone of the original data.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing involves collaborating with social media influencers to promote a brand's products or services. Influencers are individuals who have a significant following on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Brands partner with influencers to reach their audience, increase brand awareness, and drive sales.

How can Generative AI impact Influencer Marketing?

  1. Content Creation

One of the most significant impacts of generative AI on influencer marketing is the potential to automate content creation. With the help of generative AI, brands can generate a high volume of content in a short amount of time. This can include everything from product descriptions to social media posts and even entire ad campaigns. The ability to generate content at scale can be particularly useful for brands that work with multiple influencers simultaneously.

  1. Making Non-Experts Appear as Experts

Generative AI has the potential to create content that makes non-experts appear as experts in a given field. For example, a brand that sells skincare products could use generative AI to generate articles about skincare that make an influencer appear as a skincare expert. This could be particularly useful for brands that work with influencers who have a large following but may not necessarily have expertise in the brand's industry.

  1. Misinformation

One potential risk associated with generative AI in influencer marketing is the production of misinformation. If a brand uses generative AI to create content that is inaccurate or misleading, it could harm the brand's reputation and lead to legal trouble. Brands that use generative AI in influencer marketing must ensure that the content they generate is accurate and meets ethical standards.

  1. Avatars

Generative AI can also be used to create avatars that resemble influencers. This could be particularly useful for brands that want to create a consistent brand image across multiple channels. By using generative AI to create avatars, brands can ensure that their messaging is consistent, regardless of which influencer is promoting their products.

5 Questions for Brands to Ask When Considering Working with Influencers:

  1. How can we ensure that the content created by influencers is authentic and not generated by AI?
  2. What steps can we take to verify the expertise of an influencer, particularly in industries where AI-generated content may be difficult to distinguish from human-created content?
  3. How can we monitor and mitigate the spread of misinformation that may be generated by AI-powered influencers?
  4. What role will avatars or virtual influencers play in our marketing strategy, and how will they be created and maintained?
  5. How can we balance the benefits of AI-generated content (such as efficiency and personalization) with the potential risks and ethical concerns associated with its use in influencer marketing?

How brands can leverage GenAI in their own content strategy

Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a powerful tool that can help brands create highly personalized and engaging content that resonates with their target audience. Here are some ways that brands can leverage generative AI in their own content strategy:

  1. Content Creation:

    One of the most significant ways that brands can leverage generative AI is by using it to create content. AI-powered tools can create text, images, and even videos that are highly customized to the preferences of the target audience. This content can be used across various channels, including social media, websites, and email marketing campaigns.

  2. Personalization:

    Generative AI can help brands personalize their content based on individual user behavior. By analyzing data such as browsing history, purchase behavior, and engagement metrics, AI algorithms can create highly customized content that is tailored to the needs and interests of each user.

  3. Customer Service:

    Brands can leverage generative AI to create chatbots or virtual assistants that can provide personalized customer service to users. These chatbots can provide assistance with everything from product recommendations to troubleshooting, and can be available 24/7.

  4. Marketing Automation:

    Generative AI can help brands automate their marketing efforts by creating highly targeted campaigns that are customized to the behavior of each user. This can include everything from retargeting ads to email marketing campaigns, all of which can be optimized to drive conversions and increase revenue.

  5. Data Analysis:

    AI-powered tools can help brands analyze vast amounts of data to uncover insights that may not be apparent to the human eye. This can include identifying trends, predicting consumer behavior, and uncovering opportunities for growth.

 

Closing thoughts...

It will be interesting to see the impact of generative AI on influencer marketing and audience trust. It is very easy to use GenAI to create blogs, videos, podcasts etc without having deep understanding of your topic/domain. Potentially this will result in an oversaturation of low quality AI produced content resulting in further declines in audience trust of influencers. Alternatively, this could allow smart influencers to up their game and differentiate on their humanity. Brands need to be aware of the potential opportunities and challenges presented by GenAI for their influencer marketing relationships and wider content marketing strategy.