264: AI talking to AI: Long form content is queen

AI-generated content… are you seeing it?

Yeah - it can be hard to tell the difference. Kinda scary! 

Does this mean eventually mean... AI will scroll for us? 

Do we need to be on social media? 

Social media is about SOCIAL - so yes while AI can save us time, we need to be mindful of the CONNECTION we are building. 

I want to talk about it. I also want to talk about why LONG FORM content is QUEEEN in this online space too! 

If you LOVED this part of your trip (the episode), make sure you share this on your Instagram stories and tag us @contentqueenmariah.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GET YOUR TICKET TO GOOD CONTENT MARKETING⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS 👇

✨The 3 things you can to do be “better than AI”  

✨What does AI social media managers mean for the industry 

✨Why long form content is QUEEN and why I HIGHLY suggest you think about it     

SHOW RESOURCES 👇

If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @contentqueenmariah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Other than that, enjoy - chat next week 💕

PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

This is episode 264 and I'm talking all about AI, talking to AI, the world of AI and content marketing. Welcome to the Content Queen podcast. I'm your host, Mariah, entrepreneur, storyteller, digital nomad. I'm here to teach you how to share your unique story, create content, and market your business with strategy through the channels that work for you.

Each week I'll deliver a story to help you connect to a powerful strategy around marketing, business, and content creation. I'll also be joined by amazing souls and entrepreneurs who are here to share their own journey along with actual steps to help you take your business to a whole new level through amazing storytelling, powerful online marketing, and content strategy.

Let's do it. Hello.  Hello everyone. Coming to you from Philippines for the last podcast episode recorded, not in Australia for a little while. So, we're heading back to Australia for Who knows how long. Mitch is going to be applying for citizenship. We're gonna buy a bus and we're gonna do a road trip with Content Queen Bus doing workshops around Australia.

Hopefully that will be super fun. So can't wait to share that more. So stay tuned. I am back on Instagram. So  I got my account back after the last episode of Solo episode, but I'm sure I mentioned it in our guest episode last week, but I saw a video, I wanna talk about it. Basically it was on TikTok. A guy has made a, or a, a company.

It's just the face. The guy that's doing the tiktoks, um, ai, social media manager, apparently you don't need a social media manager anymore, you can just use it. Cool. Right. But if you're a social media manager listening to this and you're like, oh my God, what do you mean? Cool. That's not cool. Um, it's fine.

It, it's gonna be okay. Um. The comments were wild. And that's what I want to talk about. So some of the comments I saw was great. We will have AI talking to AI and then, oh good, AI can scroll for me at 3am so I can get some sleep.  So  what I want to break down is like, what does this mean? What does this look like?

And are we going to eventually just literally see AI talking to AI on social media? That's not what Instagram wants. That's not what TikTok wants because no one's going to go there. No one's going to go there if it's just AI generated content all the time. So I want to talk about it. I want to talk about what this means and how you can stand out above AI and of course if you're using AI, like what does that look like?

And yeah, like we're using AI to support us in different ways in our business, but that human element  Um, is going to make you stand out above someone just creating  stuff through AI. So when you create content that can't just be found on Google or searched or generated by AI, then you're going to create a presence worth consuming.

So rather than just regurgitating information, how can we build something that is much stronger? Now again, if you are a social media manager listening, take note of this as well for your clients. How can you get them to create stuff that's not just five tips to XYZ or stuff that people can find, again, fire chat GPT, stuff that is so deeper, so much deeper than that and connects with other people because  yes, while it is saving us time getting AI to Essentially create content for us.

Like the comment section of that guy's TikTok.  It's just going to become a place filled where One, we don't know what to trust because we don't know what is real and what is not. And two, just regurgitated information with no soul. And everyone's just going to leave those platforms. They're just going to be like,  This is giving me no value, so goodbye.

So, let's  Be on the front foot, yes, use AI where we can to support our businesses, but still create that human connection. So I'm going to go through three things that we can do to stand above AI so that our content is going to be consumed because consumers are going to tune out if they all just think it's AI.

So the first one is probably no secret or you've probably already guessed it. Storytelling, opinions, thought leadership. So I'm talking lived experience. I'm talking relatability. I am talking about sharing with humans, not polished graphics whilst they have a place  because you know, they can be shared.

You know, people can share them, but the information in those carousels, those infographics need to be of value anyway, right? But we want to see people just showing up and trying to get people to stop the scroll. Because if we're filled with AI content, how can you give them something worth connecting to?

Storytelling, relatability, controversial opinions or opinions in general, whether they're controversial or not. Thought leadership, if you are going to create a graphic or something, it needs to be of value to the person consuming. It needs to get them to go, Hmm, not just, as I said, regurgitated information.

I have a client at the moment and they're in a space that is a little bit harder to crack because their audience, you know, the topic is a bit dry, is a little bit, you know, boring. Um, and it's not really getting people out of bed. But what they've done is they've created a campaign that is engaging and has stories in it and has opinions and thought leadership because the founders are showing up in front of the camera and they've done it in a really quirky and fun way which relates to their brand.

AI can't do that. And yes, AI can now be you, right?  It can be you. But like, why? Why? Why are we so fixated on saving so much time that we're going to forego connecting with our audience? That's the question that I have as well in this. It's like. Again, love what AI can do. But if you're just trying to get stuff out on social media for the sake of it, you're gonna lose all that connection anyway.

We are energetic beings. Eventually, we're going to know, even though they say people aren't gonna know if it's AI, we will know. We know. We know when the person next to us is lying. We are energetic beings. We know.  It's like, that's why you always have those gut feelings. We have this intuitive nature or these instincts that we can tell.

So  we need to understand that we're also not going to be kidding anyone if we're just going to be using AI to beat us or to act like us. I'm reading a book at the moment called Mind Management, not Time Management. And basically he talks about managing your mind and your creativity rather than being so fixated into how you can get the most out of your day.

And that's what's happening with AI. We're so obsessed with saving time that we're just going to lose Everything that we've built  but the interesting thing is we're now seeing this like community building Which is number two that I want to talk about sharing your voice your face giving back and building community Because it is so much AI generated content out there now We are craving community and we're craving deep connection.

So one of my clients, Sally Prosser had a really amazing podcast. I'm going to put it in the show notes about being audible because yeah, AI can be you. It can  be a video of you. As I've said, what is the point, but done a kind of the days of faceless marketing. In most cases, and whilst I could be proven wrong on this, because you know, I'm always under this belief that you just never know what's going to work, the things that you go like, you know, textbook that won't work sometimes does.

So I'm not saying faceless marketing can't not work, but as I said, people are craving these connections. So yeah, whilst faceless marketing has, could have its place and you can market without ever showing your face,  you're not going to build a community by doing this. You're just going to be, again, sharing information.

So give back, build community, do something different.  Do something that AI can't do something that even anyone else can't that they can't replicate like What does that look like for you? I've got some clients looking into sub stack Um private channels, you know, they want to kind of keep their community and their value off social media Whilst they can give some on social media They want to have these really private spaces where they feel like they can really give back to their community We saw community Take the reins in 2020.

We saw it escalate in like 2023, 2022. I think it's taking a different turn in terms of  big community, small community, intimate community. I think it's about it being very private and secure rather than like to the masses, you know that can everyone can see it like a community like a facebook page in terms of not a group necessarily, but Stuff that anyone can see rather than, you know, now people have got TikToks where you can only share content to just your followers.

Obviously, we've got broadcast. We've got paywalls on substack. We've got Discord. All these places. Now, it's not to say you have to do them all, but if you're craving community, which I had a conversation with one of the bootcamp participants who's like, oh, I just I don't know. I'm over Instagram. I'm like What does community look like?

And maybe they don't want to build a community, but how can you get involved in the communities that you're even in? You can create content in other people's communities. And it was interesting because she said to me, but isn't that self promotion? And I'm like, but how, if you're just going to share value, share your experiences, share your stories and opinions.

And she said, Oh, but I'm under the belief that that's self promotion. I'm like, well, then anything we do is self promotion. Everything we do is promoting ourselves in anything we do in life, really. So if you're hesitant to  post in a Facebook community group that you're in because you're worried it's going to come off as promotional or self promotional, well, it's kind of what building a personal brand is all about.

It's just also about connecting as well. You've got to shift that lens.  You're building connection. You're not here to sell your services as well. There's different ways that you can sell your services. And I know we all have to make money.  There's got to be that place where you can build trust. And we're so focused on that.

You know, well, I've got to keep the lights on. I've got to keep my business going. So I've got to make money. And also I want to have impact. That we're sort of missing that step of like building the trust factor, which was so much easier four or five years ago.  So we have to look at those different ways that we can do that.

So that's number two. Use your face, your voice, give back. You know, we don't always have to expect something in return straight away. It might take time, right? Someone might not ever buy from you, but they might recommend you.  They might share about you. They might be your biggest advocate. That's what you want, right?

I've had people refer to me that haven't engaged in any of my services, but they know I exist because I'm always trying to show up in different ways.  And then the third one is  Long form content. It is coming back more than ever and it is the queen, right? Podcasting, sub stack, YouTube. These channels are hitting back hard.

Good writing, good conversation, good stories, all the things that long form can do. We want more of it. And yes, while short form is always going to play a massive role, it's very quick. It's very easy. You can go viral on that sort of stuff. There seems to be a disconnect between the very short form kind of.

Not connection type building content and the long form. That's why TikTok, you can now post, I think 10, but even longer videos, 10 minutes and Instagram has even moved to three. And I'm sure it's going to increase going live, all these things. Like when people go live on TikTok, they don't just go live for two minutes.

They go live for 40 minutes. They're going live for hours. And it's not to say you have to do that, but people want more. They want more and you can give them more. And this is a really beautiful way to build a marketing funnel that isn't social media, website, that expectation. Cause that doesn't always happen, especially now as we need to build more trust, it can be social media, long form content, website, email list, next steps.

It's a really beautiful way to continue to bring people down into your space. I've talked about long form for a very, very long time.  I'll continue to advocate for it, but it can definitely work for any business. Like even product based businesses now having podcasts. If you're a founder of a business, you have a personal brand, you can create long form content off the back of that.

So I found some interesting stats and I'm going to say, shout out to Cress who listens to the podcast, but it's also a beautiful client of mine from Skin Glow Alchemy and was on the episode.  I can't remember which number, but I'll put it in the show notes she sent me. Um, It's some really interesting research.

It's called state of create. And I wanted to share a little bit about this so that we can get a lens on like where long form plays a role. So they interviewed fans and creators and they wanted to, you know, obviously share this information. I'll put the link in the show notes. It's very cool, uh, web page with like all different types of stats.

I'm still going through it, but they mentioned that twice as many fans say they see. see more long form content, uh, short form than long form on social media. So it was 61 percent short form to 32 long form percent. But when they asked what provides them the most value long form was 52%, whereas short form was 41.

So isn't that interesting? They're seeing more short form, but they think the most value comes from that long form content.  And when they were asked which they would likely pay for, long form was 49 percent to short form being 29%.  So it's interesting, people are way more engaged. Like, you're more likely, listen, to buy from someone off a 20 minute, 30 minute podcast episode than you are off a 6 second reel.

Reels, short form content, of course plays its role, but you need to diversify your content strategy. Don't have one? Don't even know what you're doing with that. Just get started. The link is in the show notes to my content guide it'll give you so much value and getting started on that and Then they mentioned that as the creator economy grows more creators are deciding to pursue more long term  Creativity so looking at sustainability, where does sustainability come from more long form content?

It is way more sustainable and as we know  Obviously different channels where you can host long form, your blog on your website. Substack obviously, um, is owned by someone. YouTube as well. But also, you've got more control. More creative control as well. Obviously social media can take away your content in a heartbeat.

But you're also creating so much more when you're creating short form social media content. Maybe you're creating Um,  you know, four to five, but probably more say you're showing up on the stories daily or every second day and you're showing up in your feed or on reels three times a week. That's a lot of content, even if it is short form compared to a long form podcast, if it's weekly and email, if it's weekly or even monthly, even every two weeks, but it's of more value.

You're getting more return on investment for your long form than your short form. Also, your short form is basically gone within two weeks. I don't know, 24 hours, maybe a little bit longer. Now, Tik Tok, definitely you get a lot more for your content, but if you're trying to work out where I invest my time when it comes to creating content,  think don't  like, don't dismiss long form content, have a think about how it could play a role.

It could play a small role or it could play a massive role. It plays a massive role in my business and I think that's really helped me be sustainable and be able to consistently bring in. Potential new clients, but also just impact as well, right? So when I talk like long form content and how it can kind of make you different over AI when you are creating this type of content, like  this is where you need to add those personal stories, those opinions, that thought leadership, we're not just typing into chat GBT to create us an article.

If you are using it, it doesn't mean you can't, but you have to train it. You have to give it the information, which is your knowledge. So there's still some input. It's not just about like getting it to spit something out and chucking it up on your website. It's about having a collaboration with it and creating something that not everyone could create.

This was an interesting conversation I had when I did some market research, um, last year, and one of the women, she's a coach, and she was telling me that she'd hired a VA, and the VA was creating captions on ChatGPT, which, no hate, it's fine, whatever works for you, but she actually saw a caption from another business owner, and it was the exact same caption, and their VA had obviously, or them, I don't know if they had a VA, and it wasn't the same VA either, that, that, Working together with  so obviously chat GPT is always going to create generic content.

If you don't train it properly, if you don't give it the resources, what are the resources, your stories, your opinions, your thought leadership, things that AI can't replace.  And if you've got AI doing things for you,  you still have to put the input in it. It still needs human connection. So AI isn't going to completely replace.

If you are a social media manager, content marketer, listening to this.  To get ahead of AI in that instance, you need to be able to deliver or give the client idea. So it's not just now about taking the content from the client and pushing it out there. It's coming to the table with ideas, with strategy.

That's where we have to up that game and up our knowledge. Learn content strategy, learn our craft, so that we're actually Bringing to the table, not the client just giving us what we need and then us doing exactly what they want. We have to add value in that space that maybe the AI bot can't do. AI, talking to AI, the whole concept of this episode was to break down the concepts of  Yes, we are seeing AI replacing social media managers or that kind of work but at the end of the day if it doesn't have any input from a human  Then there is going to be I'm going to be AI talking to AI eventually on social media, the channels don't want that.

How can we add more value in this space so that it's not just regurgitated information. We tell stories, we share opinions, we create our own thought leadership. We use our voice, we use our face. We build a community, something that AI can't do. And as I said, eventually people are just going to go.  What is the point of me being here?

I don't even know if anyone's talking to me. And then just to strengthen your content marketing strategy, rather than just focusing on social media as that one channel. think about the long form. Substack is going to be huge this year. There's lots of videos about it. I'm diving into it, learning a lot about it, basically  those writing skills, but it doesn't mean you have to be an amazing writer.

It's just, you've got stories to share and you've got thought leadership and you want to share it. So if you love the idea of sharing your thoughts in written form, Maybe Substack is for you. The interesting thing is, we have a content quiz. It's basically to help you find a channel that could work for you.

Blogging is the top  answer, like the top result. So there is a lot of people out here that writing is great for them. So if you want to take the quiz, you can find out. Substack, I'd love to do more content on this. I don't have enough information to share at the moment about The power of Substack because I'm still weaving through it with clients and myself, but I can't wait to share more.

If you want to learn more about Substack, let me know because I'll get an episode in the pipeline ASAP, but you know, YouTube's also making a comeback, podcasting, audio, all that stuff. So be a content queen or king and remember that developing your strategy and story develops your business. Thank you so much for joining me today.

Please don't forget to share this with your business and entrepreneurial friends. You can do this by adding it to your Insta stories, and you can tag us at contentqueenmariah, or just tell them about it. If you do rate and review on whatever platform you listen to this on, it does help me get my podcast out there, share my message.

You can also follow me on Instagram, TikTok. Let me know any topics you want me to talk about in the future. If it's Substack, whatever it is, I would love to hear from you. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.

PodcastMariah MacInnesmarketing, marketing advice, how to be authentic online, business ownerComment