Artificial intelligence (AI) is a source of fresh ideas and strategies for influencer marketers to consider and test, with tools such as ChatGPT, Dall-E 2, and Flick offering novel ways of approaching marketing.
But what does AI have to say about influencer marketing? Mark Jackson, global marketing director, Klear, asked ChatGPT to predict AI’s potential role and impact on influencer marketing and to envisage how brands can start implementing AI to their advantage. ChatGPT’s answers have been edited for length and clarity.
What is an influencer?
“Klear defines an influencer as someone who has authority and influence over an audience, usually for the purpose of encouraging action, such as making a purchase, or signing up for a service,” says Jackson.
“Influencers recommend items on their social media channels with the goal of growing awareness for their brand partners, earning commissions on sales, and attracting new followers and brand partnerships.”
To make sure ChatGPT is on the same page as Klear’s in-house influencer marketing experts, Jackson asked it to clarify what an influencer is. He says the answer was spot on.
Chat GPT: “An influencer is someone who has established credibility, expertise, and a significant following in a particular topic or industry. They have the power to influence their audience based on their expertise, reputation, and engaging content. Influencers typically have a strong presence on social media platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or a personal blog.”
What is AI’s effect on influencer marketing?
It’s worth noting that ChatGPT’s knowledge cuts off around September 2021, which means that any new technology, trends or intel entering the public eye since then will be foreign to the AI model. But, despite its lack of ‘new’ knowledge, ChatGPT is reportedly confident about AI’s future role in influencer marketing.
Klear asked ChatGPT for predictions on AI’s role in future influencer marketing, requesting brutal honesty. Here’s an edited response:
ChatGPT: “In the future, AI will play a significant role in influencer marketing, revolutionising the way brands connect with their target audiences.
AI will undoubtedly streamline and enhance several aspects of influencer marketing campaigns, including influencer identification, analysing influencer marketing-related data, and content optimization. AI can save businesses significant time and resources, particularly in optimising ad placements and determining the best times to engage with followers.”
However, ChatGPT points out that AI technology does have its limitations in influencer marketing campaigns.
ChatGPT: “Brands must acknowledge that AI is not a magic wand that guarantees success in influencer marketing campaigns. While it can enhance decision-making and efficiency, it cannot entirely replace the human touch.
Building authentic relationships with influencers and their audiences requires a deep understanding of your brand’s values and objectives. AI can assist in identifying potential influencers, but it cannot substitute the process of building trust and rapport with them.”
Jackson says, “Our takeaway from this is that AI’s effect on influencer marketing is exciting. It can revolutionise the way businesses find, engage, and collaborate with influencers. It can streamline processes and deliver data-driven insights. “But AI is not a perfect science that can run your entire influencer marketing strategy behind the scenes. AI is a tool, and tools are used by humans to create ideal outcomes. By learning how to use these tools now, brands can get the best of both powerful computing and human creativity.”
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How do you identify best-fit brand partners?
Choosing the right brand influencer is a key part of successful influencer marketing campaigns. They’re not always easy to identify on the surface, as audience sizes, likes, comments, and shares only tell part of the story, warns Jackson.
“AI can fill the knowledge gaps by analysing data below the surface on a large, real-time scale,” says Jackson. “This includes identifying influencers that might not otherwise land on a brand’s radar. For example, celebrity influencers are the most well-known because of their popularity.
“Brands may have a harder time learning about micro influencers or nano influencers because they’re not as popular. AI tools can surface insights on these smaller influencers that may have a greater impact on their campaigns than celebrities.”
ChatGPT: “AI can help brands identify the most relevant influencers for their brand by analysing vast amounts of data, including demographics, engagement metrics, and even sentiment analysis. With AI’s data-driven insights, companies can make informed decisions on which influencers align best with their brand values and target audience.”
Can AI help to optimise content creation?
One of the most compelling potential benefits of AI is its ability to create content quickly. And, with Google having clarified its stance on AI content, increasing numbers of marketers choose to ask AI to help with content creation.
In terms of influencer marketing, ChatGPT believes AI can support brands and influencers alike:
ChatGPT: “With advanced natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, AI can generate high-quality, personalised content at scale. It can analyse vast amounts of data, including customer preferences, trends, and insights, to craft engaging and relevant content that resonates with your target audience.”
AI can adapt to different types of content formats, including blog posts, social media captions, video scripts, and more.
But, says Jackson: “It won’t always create ready-to-publish pieces. You’ll still need humans to improve the output, infusing your brand voice and making it yours. But it can give you a sound starting point and get you almost to the finish line.”
Can AI help to identify the best channels for your brand?
The benefits of influencer marketing are becoming widely known, leading brands to capitalise on those benefits via every channel possible. But being everywhere, all at once, is exhausting, not to mention expensive, time-consuming, and not always effective.
ChatGPT predicts that AI will alleviate the effects of channel proliferation to make your social influencer marketing more impactful:
ChatGPT: “AI can empower you with valuable content distribution strategies. With data-driven analytics and predictive algorithms, AI can identify the most effective channels and times to reach your audience. It can automatically segment your audience, tailor messages, and even assist in influencer selection. AI can uncover patterns and trends in consumer behaviour, allowing you to deliver the right content to the right people at the right time.”
“Every social media channel caters to different types of users,” says Jackson. “Digital influencers who are active on more than one channel might have different audiences on each channel. AI helps brands take these nuances into account when choosing where to promote themselves.”
Can AI help to track influencer performance?
Choosing a social influencer based on data is one thing; seeing how that influencer delivered for your brand is quite another. AI can help you to analyse vast amounts of data so you know whether you made the right call.
ChatGPT: “AI can analyse user behaviour, engagement metrics, and conversion data to help you improve your content strategy. From A/B testing headlines and images to optimising SEO keywords and meta descriptions, AI gives you clear ways to fine-tune your content to maximise its impact and drive measurable results.”
AI can review data related to engagement, sentiment, reach, and conversions as well as compare this data to that of competitors.
What’s the future of influencer marketing?
“Overall, ChatGPT believes there are plenty of opportunities to include AI in influencer marketing,” says Jackson. “Just as computers and the internet improved the way we worked 20-plus years ago, AI adds a new layer of improvement to help us do more in less time.”
“It’s about streamlining processes, gaining more insights, and making better decisions. But it also requires human creativity, good judgement, and strong connections and rapport. Klear’s end-to-end platform gives you data-driven insights at scale to identify, vet, connect with, and track your social influencers.”
The last word goes to AI:
ChatGPT: “And remember, as a brilliant content marketing strategist, you hold the key to harnessing AI’s potential and creating exceptional content experiences that set your brand apart.”
Learn how to be successful at influencer marketing:
