These days, I’m serving as the Chief Marketing Officer for a fast-growing business in the healthcare industry.

My small team has discovered how to automate content creation using AI tools in a very particular way.

We’re treating AI like a suit of armor we step into whenever we want content superpowers.

All by itself, the suit of armor is useless.

But with a smart marketer guiding it, our “AI suit” allows us to create high-quality content faster than ever before.

How my marketing team uses AI tools for content creation

You know that feeling when you’ve just finished folding the last piece of clean laundry, and then you discover there’s another pile of dirty clothes waiting to be washed?

That’s what content generation feels like some weeks — like it’s a marketing team’s never-ending task!

But what if you could step into a suit of armor that would make everything easier, faster, and (dare I say it?) — more fun?

AI writing tools are like that suit of armor.

This article is a practical guide to automating content generation with AI.

Ready. Set. Automate!

Step 1: Know the potential — and the limitations

The first step in how to automate content creation using AI tools is understanding that automating content generation means you’ll work side-by-side with your AI tool of choice.

You’ll use AI to make your content creation process smooth and fast — but you’ll draw on your personal creativity, specific data, and human-centered experience to improve your results.

AI is not a DFY (Done For You) tool. It’s a DWY (Done With You) tool.

Remember: AI tools can analyze data, identify patterns, and generate content based on the insights you give them.

When you feed AI tools your data, observations, and experiences, they will generate content that’s based on your own human experience.

Step 2: Decide what’s the best AI tool for content creation (for your needs)

It took weeks, but after testing the best AI writing tools I could find, I finally discovered the one that works best for my marketing team.

We’re drowning in new AI content creation software right now. It’s your job to research, compare, and select the one that suits your marketing team’s needs best.

After plugging in the company credit card to get paid trials on several of the “best AI writing tools” available today, I came to a startling conclusion.

Don’t laugh …

We didn’t need anything more than a paid ChatGPT plan.

Yes, there are free AI tools for content creation, but I focused on paid tools, because the business I’m marketing needs to be competitive online.

That doesn’t mean we had to pay a lot for our chosen AI tool.

Here’s what I noticed immediately as I researched “the best” AI content generators available right now:

Most of the AI tools I reviewed simply added a layer of user interface on top of a Large Language Model engine like ChatGPT. I found them annoying at best, and downright confusing and clunky in most cases.

Coming back to the original AI tool I fell in love with felt like slipping into a familiar pair of shoes.

Good ol’ ChatGPT: You’re all we need!

Step 3: Feed the caffeinated intern

Here’s the analogy I use with my team:

Your AI tool is like an overly caffeinated intern.

Your AI tool is super enthusiastic and has a ton of energy to burn.

But it’s … (how shall I say this diplomatically?) … not always accurate. Or insightful.

Just like an intern who’s had three-too-many espressos, your AI tool needs guidance — human guidance.

If you want to automate content creation using AI tools, be prepared to feed them the right data to produce high-quality results.

What does this mean? Simply put, you need to be prepared to feed it relevant parameters if you intend to automate content creation using AI tools.

Relevant parameters for AI tools

• The target audience for your content
• Your industry and your niche
• Your brand voice
• Relevant industry or customer data
• The action you want the audience to take
• The result you want to see from the content

You’ll automate content creation using AI tools — but only after feeding those tools plenty of relevant information so they can create content you can use as a starting point.

Step 4: Tweak and test

It’s time to let your preferred AI content creation tool out of the cage and watch it fly. Be ready to test — and to feel disappointment at your initial results.

Like any new tool, AI has a learning curve. Be open to starting at the beginning — you can look forward to seeing improvement as you build your skills with the tool.

Let AI generate content, but be ready to tweak and adjust the settings as needed.

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You won’t automate content generation using AI tools in a day, either.

CMO-to-CMO

You’re entering the future of content generation.

AI is not a magic lamp that takes care of your content creation automatically with no human input (wouldn’t that be nice?).

But used strategically, AI tools will free up significant time and energy that will allow you to focus on the broader aspects of your marketing strategy.

Pro Tip: While AI is a game-changer, remember that it’s there to complement your strategy, not replace your smart human touch. Using AI for content generation automation helps you move fast and do big things. It’s up to you to guide your AI content, give it a human soul, and show your AI tool where to focus its power.

–Pamela

Step into the future and give your content strategy an AI advantage

Remember, automation is not about replacing the human touch, but about making your life as a Chief Marketing Officer easier — and more interesting!

Watch this space for more articles on this topic. I’m just getting warmed up.