Skip to main content
Category

M4 in action

The Rubicon Agency
In Insights, M4 in action, Miscellaneous, Our industry, Strategic content, The Message Elevator

Writers block: The great AI content conundrum

Writers block - AI content thumb

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 61% of technology marketers say creating the right content for their audience is challenging.

This is hardly surprising given the sprawl of decision makers, budget holders and influencer groups over the years. In yesteryear things were much simpler, the balance of power sat in the IT tower. Decisions on technology purchases were sat firmly with the CTO or CIO so producing content that pushed their buttons was fairly straight forward.

Fast-forward to the present, the technology space is awash with products, services, solutions and architectures that are designed specifically for certain lines of business. In May of this year CMSwire reported that the MarTech space alone had swelled to over 14,100 solutions [hyperlink], so it’s no surprise that tech marketers are finding it difficult to create differentiated, relevant and valuable content that their prospects want to engage with, given the competition for eyeballs.

Is AI the answer to our content prayers?

With the explosion of AI into every tech application known to man, it’s no wonder that marketing has embraced generative AI like a returning relative from an overseas trip. Let’s face it, AI has been pitched to remove manual, repetitive and human centric tasks- content creation is no exception to this. The Content Marketing Institute continue in their benchmarking report that 79% of technology marketers use generative AI for content tasks and 48% use AI to write full first drafts. But this begs the question, is AI the golden goose we have all been searching for?

Well, if used correctly it can certainly remove a lot of the grunt work out of the process which is a huge plus given that 66% of tech marketers are faced with a lack of resources. However, in order to remain in control, marketing departments must adopt some form of guiderails around the use of AI in content production. These include but are not limited to:

  1. Ethical use of AI: Organisations should be transparent about AI-generated content in order to avoid bias and not to mislead audiences.
  2. Quality control: Human involvement should be applied to all AI generated content to ensure that brand tone of voice and quality standards are adhered to.
  3. Content authenticity: Ensure content feels like it’s been created by a human, making sure it’s authentic and adds value to the audience.
  4. Content validation: Check to make sure that references, statistics and sources are relevant, up to date and correct.
  5. Data privacy, security and compliance: Make sure that all content complies with copyright law, data protection and compliance regulations.

Content should be human-centric.

No doubt about it, AI has aided content creation and has certainly streamlined the process, although to be truly authentic, marketers still need to apply the human touch. Consumers often challenge and question the information they are presented with, so structuring arguments that support these and applying empathy, elevation and context to these points can promote authenticity.

People buy people, so if your content comes across as synthetic your audience may not only switch off but, on a deeper level, possibly question your products or even worse, your brand.

At The Rubicon Agency we craft human-centric strategic content that informs, educates and inspires. With over 25 years of B2B marketing agency experience working within the tech sector, we know what it takes to cut through the competition.

Want to boost your budget?

The Rubicon Agency Budget Booster is designed to optimise funds – making your available $/£/€ go 15% further than it would have done previously.

Think of it as 15% extra – free of charge.

Explore Budget Booster
The Rubicon Agency
In Insights, M4 in action, Our industry

Resist the urge and rise above the FUD – a plea to cybersecurity marketing

Cybersec blog thumb

Scary can create urgency

The Scream movie franchise has been a box office smash over the last 3 decades (yes, the first one was 1996!). It’s used wave after wave of dramatic storyline, unsuspecting victim and bad guy to get bums on seats. And it seems much of the cyber security market is following the playbook.

Yes, IT markets like cyber security and infosec are all about risk and exposure – and leveraging the underlying vulnerability and fear of the buyer is part of the script. But how much scaremongering is required for good business? And when is it bad for building a positive positioning?

Scary is getting scarier

For cyber sec vendors it’s all about outplaying the bad guys and not being taken-out in scene 2 – but it’s clear that things don’t always go to plan. Popular media is full of data-theft, ransomware attacks and compromises – whether it’s public services, high-profile figures or household brands. And now industry must deal with AI-generated adversaries too, with every facet of digital engagement in the threat zone. In IT security, it must seem like the Scream boxset is playing repeat.

So, it’s easy to see why impending doom is an appropriate lever for cyber sec marketing – but REALLY, does it have to be turned-up to the max and with so little respect to the brand and customer?

The pitfalls of scare mongering

Fear, uncertainty and doubt (or FUD) have been around since the birth of marketing. It’s applied to most industries – but perhaps there’s never been such a good vehicle as the security market. Here regulatory pressures and an ‘at-risk’ CIO/CTO/CiSO can lead to over-zealous scare tactics.

With shadowy underworld figures, storm clouds and a complement of hoodies, the average cybersecurity campaign can look closer to a low-budget horror flick than a b2b campaign selling a 6-figure resilience solution.

What should cybersecurity marketers look for in their marketing?

Campaign and product marketing heads should ensure their portfolio is marketed with a healthy balance of optimism/opportunity to offset the threat being faced down.

The customer takeaway should be that the solution is a force for good:

  • Positioned as an enabler rather than just a defender. This avoids the overly negative positioning that impacts perception and brand.
  • Serving progressive capabilities that can be promised and practiced. Telling a measured story of business liberation and beyond the value inhibitor of ‘a restrictive shield’.
  • Customers are looking for subtle cues that instill cool, calm confidence. Continuity isn’t achieved with dashboards alone.

Does your marketing provide these takeaways? You may want to continue reading if you’re not sure.

Businesses need a happy ending

As we covered above, not all stories have a happy ever after. But it’s incumbent on the security vendor (and their tech marketing agency) to ensure that positive forces can (and should) prevail against these ‘mongers of doom’.  After all, the modern CiSO needs to understand and believe in the fundamental promises of tech – not that there’s lots of Ghostface’s out there.

With so many threat vectors, actors and connected processes these days, the CiSO decision-making will be structured, diligent and conscious. They won’t be scared into making the purchase. Not anymore. They want to be treated in a respectful manner – making professional decisions on business exposure AND enablement.

The best approach to address this is with the optimum balance of ‘measured threat’ x ‘actionable resilience’ x ‘business state achieved’ with the solution. Not too much FUD – but similarly not over-arrogant either.

We want to avoid the genre of Scream – but likewise we don’t want to lose the edge and end up with Scary Move either.

This needs an expert b2b tech marketing agency with deep experience in cyber security. One that has proven methodologies to elevate plays and an operating model to create empathy and appetite in buyer groups.

The Rubicon Agency has significant cyber security expertise, supporting many of the leading security vendors to raise their game in security marketing.

Check out our experience in infosec.

Want to boost your budget?

The Rubicon Agency Budget Booster is designed to optimise funds – making your available $/£/€ go 15% further than it would have done previously.

Think of it as 15% extra – free of charge.

Explore Budget Booster
The Rubicon Agency
In Digital lead generation, M4 in action, Miscellaneous, Our industry, Proposition development

Fast Marketing fails: bland ingredients

Fast Marketing fails 3

Fast marketing happens when marketers are institutionally influenced to choose quantity over quality, and convenience over content.

When engagement assets, landing pages, outreach or conversations are simply quickfried with little culinary skill, the results can leave customers feeling hungry or, worse still, with a bad aftertaste.

Like fast food, fast marketing can suffer from bland, artificial ingredients.

Fast food and fast marketing may be predicated on convenience but both come with compromise.

One significant compromise is typically a lack of quality ingredients in content that lacks distinctive flavours. The compromise is compounded when fast marketing means offering a limited menu of formulaic food for thought – with little choice other than ‘supersizing’ – or in other words, quantity over quality.

The Tech sector can be particularly prone to the ‘McMessaging’ approach. With access to the content equivalent of a beef herd the size of Texas, it can be very tempting to simply throw it into the marketing mincer and churn out a patty of generic messages with a side order of undifferentiated propositions.

Fresh, carefully selected ingredients are key to whetting an audience appetite for tech marketing content. Rather than re-heat a stale white paper or de-frost content that can be found in any competitor’s digital deep freezer, it pays to source and prepare your own content ingredients for a menu that offers more distinctive flavouring and ultimately a more satisfying meal to an audience that has an appetite for quality over convenience.

Fast Marketing fails:
– The all-you-can-eat buffet
– The cold take-away
– Bland ingredients

To make your marketing more enduring and sustainable, contact The Rubicon Agency for your personalised workshop.

This article compliments ‘McMarketing in the tech sector – Does fast marketing just create indigestion?’

Close Menu