While pondering the future of content marketing in the wake of AI LLM tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, I thought about user intent and the use of IA tools to answer questions and provide the “How to” or “Q & A” content, moving away from search engines to satisfy this need or choosing a SGE Search Generative Experience which Google looking to add to the top of search results.
Then, as content creators for search, it’s obvious that we should shift more towards creating content that connects author and reader with a greater emphasis on the action that should be a more meaningful or beneficial next step.
Content that goes beyond "How To" guides should use formats in a way that caters for a different user intent, such as seeking community, staying in touch with current challenges, discovering new ideas or reviewing expert opinions.
Informative blog posts that address your audience and focus on pain points, industry trends, or thought leadership will differentiate them from the Q & A type content that is easily produced by AI.
A great way to extend the connection is to invoke a discussion around the topic, in comments or social media. There is also the opportunity to create a sequence of related content that leads on from your blog post.
Example: Like this blog? Then watch this video > Download this tool/Usable content > Jump on this webinar > Subscribe to this newsletter > Attend this event.
All leading to deeper engagement and building a real relationship with your audience.
I guess you could think of this as a cross-platform user journey.
A deeper dive into a specific topic establishes you and your website as a trusted resource. Intrinsically more human than AI content (For now), and a platform to demonstrate your authority on a topic.
This whitepaper styled content is perfect for search engines as you weave in EEAT Experience Expertise Authority and Trust. With that in mind your ability to connect increases as your audience will be more inclined to check you out on social media or subscribe to your newsletter.
As part of your deeper dive, it’s a great time to expand engagement by signposting your case studies or reviews.
We can’t ignore video. Yes, we can use AI to help produce video content but the more authentic, unique and human, the better in my opinion.
Having said that, it all depends on the audience, 3D animation or a simple sequence of captioned images may be more impactful for certain user groups.
From what I am experiencing and reading, short form video continues to rise in popularity with both creators and users.
In any case, Google loves video. According idomoo.com content with video is 53X more likely to make it to page one and video listings have a 41% higher click through rate.
I haven’t found any concrete evidence to suggest that AI videos are less favoured by Google, but my instinct tells me that the ranking factor will take into consideration reliability and engagement rate.
By creating a diverse content mix beyond "How To" guides, our content marketing campaigns can be more relevant for future search engine queries. More importantly, and in the meantime, we can better serve our audience by nurturing more meaningful connections, leading to more established relationships through high quality kick-ass content.
Looking at Google Trends (Below), I don’t think we are there yet so don’t feel bad if your content strategy is all about “how to” guides.