Telling stories is his passion: our content manager Philipp Schütte spoke with agency head Klaus Eck during a classic landline phone call. In the relaxed atmosphere of a computer room, the two talked about AI in content marketing and what is already being implemented today. It's a conversation we don't want to keep from you, of course.
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Artificial intelligence or rather machine learning?
Philipp: Hello Klaus, thank you for taking the time to talk to us.
Klaus: Thank you for inviting me to this interview.
Philipp: Everyone always talks about AI instead of integrating it. Do you see it the same way? And if so, why is that?
Klaus: I don't think we're talking about AI or machine learning at the moment, but rather rule-based software that is primarily used in the areas of content automation and content distribution.
However, these approaches have not yet been implemented in a business context, but primarily in journalism. This includes the areas of finance and weather, where only rule-based content is displayed.
In an economic context, artificial intelligence is only used in content marketing by large companies such as IBM. However, it is only used in the area of quality assurance, where the company Acrolinx provides suitable software. This software can be used to check 50,000 texts at once, which are then assigned corresponding scores based on their quality. This results in a priority list that indicates whether content needs to be revised.
However, the revision is still carried out by flesh-and-blood authors. So when we talk about AI in content marketing, we are not talking about automated production at all. Rather, it is about optimizing existing texts.
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Where artificial intelligence can already support us in content marketing today...
Philipp: That's an interesting point you raise there. It almost anticipates the next question, which is: Should content marketers fear artificial intelligence, or should they see it as a new opportunity?
Klaus: AI is a support system that enables us to produce better content. The areas of application are extremely diverse. For example, AI could not only help content managers distribute content in a more targeted manner, it could also help make content more personal.
When we look at today's users, we see that they want to be addressed in a personalized way. This means that instead of publishing just one text for one persona, a total of 10, 20, or more texts are published for just as many personas. In this area, it makes sense to rely on AI. However, the majority of companies and service providers do not rely on such a solution.
Philipp: I can jump right in here. How do you use AI at d.tales? Do you already have approaches of this kind, or is it still in its infancy for you too?
Klaus: That's definitely still in its infancy here. There are already services that are freely accessible to every content manager and that I use in my daily work. These include curation tools such as Buzzsumo, which can be used to find out which topics are currently trending, for example.
In other words, there is already more than enough software in use today that can also be considered AI in a broader sense.
As you can see, there are many tools available in the cross-media sector that can be used to deliver the right content at the right time. In its current form, AI only offers assistance.
Philipp: Could you give us some more examples of such tool approaches?
Klaus: It starts with writing a text in Microsoft Word and having it corrected automatically. In the area of image editing, too, you can customize images faster and with higher quality using the right Adobe tools. So if you're willing to invest a little money, you can already produce high-quality content. In Germany, however, only the very large companies will do this. Small and medium-sized businesses are less likely to.
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... and where not yet
Philipp: I've always wondered whether texts will only be written by computers fed with data in the future. Is that even realistic in the foreseeable future?
Klaus: Some experts believe that it will take at least five to ten years before this is possible. Personally, I believe that content creation can be automated very quickly.
However, most companies simply lack the necessary expertise, which cannot be solved by a wish machine or an optimization tool. Just because I can create and distribute my content better using such tools, I still need capable content and marketing managers who can develop a content strategy.
Handing over content marketing entirely to the machine doesn't work. The only thing I can do is let the machine support me.
Philipp: That's an exciting prediction you're making. Especially since I recently read an article about what comes after digitalization. The author concluded that professions requiring human qualities such as empathy will be in high demand. Content marketing thrives on emotions and humanity. That's why I find it hard to imagine that these tasks will be outsourced to machines in the future...
Klaus: However, we mustn't forget that machines have developed significantly. Of course, they will never develop consciousness, but they will come very close to us.
We are already seeing effects of this kind on Facebook. There, we are only shown content that is based on our interests. If a machine can recognize what content we prefer based on our behavior and we can produce this content accordingly, things will get exciting.
Since Facebook also bases its recommendations on our clicking behavior, this has rightly attracted criticism. Simply because Facebook is turning us into beings who only ever receive content that works well.
Philipp: What is risky in this respect is that we live in our own bubble...
Klaus: Yes, although the problem isn't necessarily that we live in our own bubble, but rather that we are confronted with other bubbles.
When I'm in my own bubble, I want to be validated in my interests. This is also because I perceive other content as a waste of time. If content is displayed that I can't relate to, most people sometimes react aggressively.
Seen in this light, AI limits our view of things. We see what we like. We don't see what we dislike.
Philipp: As an online marketer, you can make great use of such data. So here's my next question: How would you plan a content strategy using user data from Facebook and other social media platforms? Could you briefly outline this using a practical example?
Klaus: It starts with the little things: if I know that certain personalities are particularly popular in a particular field, you have to incorporate these personalities into your content. If you then add love brands and design the text according to common storytelling guidelines, this text is guaranteed to be successful.
In principle, it's simple: a content manager needs to consider what has worked well in the past—ideally based on data. Based on the insights gained in this way, they can now set thematic priorities and attract experts for their content. For example, by having them make a statement on a specific topic and incorporating this into their content.
Tools already exist today that enable this workflow to be carried out in exactly this way.
Philipp: What kind of tools would those be? So, could you make any recommendations?
Klaus: Some of these tools existed, but they no longer do. The reason for this is relatively simple. Most people consider this way of working far too complex and do not want to be told what to do by a machine.
Philipp: You mean that there is no trust in the machine?
Klaus: That's mainly because we humans all want to be good writers. We don't like to be told what to do by a machine.
Philipp: And that's despite the fact that it would make sense in many areas, as you've already pointed out!
Klaus: Yes, it would make a lot more sense, but you have to familiarize yourself with it at the beginning and have a budget. As is so often the case, that's the sticking point. When you look at how little money is spent on content marketing, it's just not feasible.
Unfortunately, many companies that talk about "content marketing" still refer to native advertising or paid media far too often. For these companies, content marketing is about increasing their reach. Instead of investing in AI, they prefer to invest in paid channels.
Philipp: This insight is surely based on experiences you've had in your everyday work, right?
Klaus: Yes, ultimately, we lack a program like ubermetrics for content marketing, which is designed for paid channels. Unfortunately, texts are currently only optimized according to classic SEO criteria such as keywords. Very few people optimize for aspects such as topicality, love brands, and experts.
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Many CEOs don't know how their content is performing!
Philipp: Das Wort Content Distribution ist jetzt ja schon häufiger gefallen. Und wenn ich es richtig recherchiert habe, ist das ja auch ein Schwerpunkt deiner Agentur. Was bedeuten die Bereiche Content Distribution, Content Analyse und Content Controlling für deine tägliche Arbeit und spürst du in einem davon bereits die Auswirkungen von KI?
Klaus: Die Content Analyse ist die Basis von allem. Wenn man Content Marketing richtig implementieren will, muss man wissen, wie der eigene Content in der Vergangenheit performt hat.
Um das regelmäßig zu messen, führen wir einen Content Audit durch, der durch regelmäßige Reportings ergänzt wird. Nur weil ein Content von unglaublich hoher Qualität ist, muss er noch lange nicht performen. Wenn die Navigation einer Website schlecht ist, oder der Inhalt selbst zur falschen Zeit veröffentlicht wurde, kann auch der beste Content seine Wirkung nicht entfalten.
Außerdem erlebe ich in Kundengesprächen immer wieder, dass die Verantwortlichen oftmals gar nicht wissen, welcher Content wie performt. Da kann mir dann keiner sagen, wie Beitrag X auf Seite Y abschneidet.
Was die Content Distribution betrifft, gestaltet es sich ähnlich schwierig. In den meisten Unternehmen wird zwar viel Geld in die Content Erstellung investiert, dafür aber wenig in die Content Distribution – den Content Vertrieb sozusagen. Dabei birgt dieser Punkt Potenzial, um die eigene Reichweite um ein Vielfaches zu steigern.
Philipp: Was genau verstehst du denn unter gelungener Content Distribution?
Klaus: Distribution heißt, sich vom eigenen Blog und damit auch der eigenen Website zu verabschieden. Konkret meine ich damit Corporate Influencer, also Mitarbeiter der eigenen Firma, die Inhalte teilen und verbreiten. Eine Strategie, die gerade bei kleinen bis mittelständischen Unternehmen noch kaum genutzt wird, mit der sich jedoch große Erfolge erzielen lassen.
Bei d.tales haben wir ein solches Corporate Influencer Programm schon häufiger aufgesetzt. Die Zahlen eines Kunden waren dabei besonders beeindruckend. 3 Monate nach Aufbau des Corporate Influencer Programms legte die Content Distribution um rund 30% zu.
Das lag daran, dass die Bereitschaft zum Teilen bei einem Unternehmen mit 400 Mitarbeitern extrem groß ist. Man will wissen, was die Kollegen posten und was auf den Kanälen passiert.
Philipp: Das ist das erste Mal, dass ich davon höre, die Distribution über die eigenen Mitarbeiter abzubilden.
Klaus: Es wurde bisher viel zu selten umgesetzt. Gut machen es derzeit die Deutsche Telekom, Siemens und Otto. Das Ganze ist nichts Neues: Vor 5 Jahren hatte Daimler angemerkt, dass 50 % der Zugriffe auf den Daimler Blog von den eigenen Mitarbeitern stammen.
Philipp: Dass das bei Unternehmen dieser Größenordnung funktioniert, ist ja schön und gut. Aber wie genau verhält sich das bei den kleinen bis mittelständischen Unternehmen (KMU), von denen du ja selbst schon gesprochen hast? Wie profitieren die von Corporate Influencern?
Klaus: KMU wirken durch Corporate Influencer noch viel glaubwürdiger. Wenn ich als Person einen Beitrag meines Unternehmens auf Twitter teile, ist der Effekt größer, als wenn das Unternehmen den Beitrag teilt.
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"Most companies don't have a content culture!"
Philipp: Impressive figures. Let's stay with the topic of distribution. Just recently, we addressed the topic of content syndication in a blog post...
Klaus: I started doing that in 2000.
Philipp: Very progressive. Can you share some insights with us?
Klaus: The idea behind content syndication is quite simple. A company produces content that is distributed in different versions across various channels. The biggest problem that needs to be solved here is the resulting duplicate content.
To prevent this, you should definitely rely on AI. The best example of this is a text in which the reader is addressed formally in some instances and informally in others.
Philipp: That always depends on the format. Content syndication can also take place across formats. For example, by transferring text content into video format. The effect achieved by this alone is already significantly greater than that achieved through normal seeding.
Klaus: That's the real content revolution of today. We don't wait for users to click on our website, but publish content directly where they are.
Here, too, the problem runs deeper. All of the companies' efforts are currently based on the assumption that users must be directed to their own websites. However, since users have no interest in leaving their familiar environment, the content must be delivered there. Many companies find it difficult to change their thinking on this point.
Philipp: Do you think that there is simply a lack of knowledge about the target group in this context?
Klaus: The solution is much simpler. Most companies simply don't have a content culture. Many companies simply lack editorial knowledge.
Philipp: In 2019?
Klaus: How many people in a company usually have editorial experience? In the finance and insurance industry in particular, you might have five employees who have a background in journalism.
Of these employees, two are then qualified to introduce the typical content marketing processes. Relatively many people can write, but dealing with the new editorial processes is something completely foreign to many.
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Why bots could soon handle all customer service?
Philipp: In my last interview with Ingo Kamps , I also talked to him about chatbots, among other things. What do you think chatbots can achieve in content marketing?
Klaus: Chatbots are part of messenger marketing. There are already many ways to use them, for example in customer service.
Another advantage is that texts sent via messenger address the user in a much more personal way. If you do it wrong, you can also upset your users very quickly. This is because many people do not like being addressed by a brand in a chat. To solve this problem, you should communicate openly and make it clear that the user is dealing with a machine.
If you think a little further ahead, you can even use a bot to make phone calls, as Google has already demonstrated at a conference. If this becomes widely available, even small businesses could handle all their customer service needs using a bot in the future.
If we want to stay in the chat room, I would say that content will be delivered via chat apps in the future. To get an idea of this scenario, we only need to look at China.
Philipp: WeChat?
Klaus: Exactly. WeChat is a great example of how you can do all your online activities in the messenger. Consuming content, buying and selling goods—you can do all of that easily while chatting. Conversely, that also means I no longer need websites.
Philipp: WhatsApp is a classic closed community. Wouldn't users find "advertising" from companies particularly annoying here?
Klaus: That only works well if I receive the information I want directly. For example, if I ask KIM, Maggi's chatbot, for a recipe for meatballs, then I only need specific information. If I get that, then I'm satisfied as a customer.
The problem arises when users are confronted with an oversupply of chatbots. After all, they must be willing to engage with all the chatbots from different brands.
Today, all of this is still in its infancy, and I believe it will take a little longer. Usability will ultimately determine whether we use a chatbot. As long as it is not good enough for us to use chatbots casually in our everyday lives, the model will not catch on.
Philipp: It would also be interesting to know to what extent a chatbot could support a company's customer service team.
Klaus: When it comes to website support, I can say from my own experience that no solution has really convinced me so far. And I don't mean different chatbots, but rather the chatbot on the one hand and the chat system with a real person behind it on the other.
What can be observed in this area is a lack of synchronisation in developments. And this is true on both sides: on the one hand, we have chatbots that are incredibly poor and capitulate when faced with even the simplest of questions. On the other hand, we have websites whose technology seems to date back to the 1970s, even though websites didn't exist back then, of course.
Philipp: Haha, yes.
Klaus: Nevertheless, there will be companies that know how to use chatbots properly. Just as there will always be good content that we enjoy consuming. Whether in chat, on Facebook, or on our own website.
Philipp: In such cases, I sometimes wish I could see into the future.
Klaus: Who doesn't? The trend will clearly shift toward unique content. The unique customer experience will have an impact on all areas. However, for this trend to take place, we would have to allow the bot to access our data. And that immediately raises the question of data protection.
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The umpteenth buzzword: predictive intelligence
Philipp: Predictive intelligence refers to the data-driven targeting of users in all phases of the sales funnel. How exactly do you plan and track content at d.tales? And which KPIs do you use for this?
Klaus: We develop the KPIs in collaboration with our customers. These are then measured regularly and summarized in reports. One question that comes up time and again is which network the content should be played on. However, since companies are usually not particularly willing to find this out, we don't go into too much detail.
Philipp: Because it's a cost factor?
Klaus: Yes, we always point out that the individual steps of the sales funnel should be taken seriously, but very few companies follow through on this to the end.
Philipp: And that brings us to our final question. What tips would you give our users regarding AI in content marketing?
Klaus: At the beginning, I would take a close look at which free tools are already available on the market and whether they would make my everyday work easier. If I then determine that my work processes can be optimized through AI, I would consider thinking on a larger scale and investing in paid tools.
But these steps require one thing above all else: courage. And that is what I would ultimately wish for many companies.
Philipp: Thank you very much for talking to us, Klaus.
Klaus: Always a pleasure.
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Quote of the day from online marketing expert Klaus Eck
Most companies simply do not have a content culture. Many companies simply lack editorial knowledge.
And this is exactly where our content marketing white paper comes in: If you too would like to learn more about content marketing, you can download all the materials here for free.
