August 1, 2024
Every social platform is utilising AI in some way – actually, they always have – but now in the way of generating comments and campaigns themselves. Helpful to some, perhaps – but when digging into it, on LinkedIn specifically, the whole notion of quick fix engagement and campaign generation falls flat for a multitude of reasons.
Artificial Unintelligence
Scrolling through your feed on LinkedIn may see you confronted with the usual longform insights from someone who changed their career for the better or a brilliant ad campaign reshared with commentary. While you may be wanting to engage with such content, LinkedIn has devised its own AI-generated comment responses. The aim of these comments is not just a ‘thanks for sharing’ or ‘great insight’ – but to ask questions to continue the conversation, thus increasing reach and improving overall post metrics.
Trouble is, the proposed questions are a bit ridiculous. We’ve stumbled on some interesting posts on B2B marketing; with LinkedIn proposing we respond with a comment asking: “What are some of the ways B2B marketing helps businesses to grow?”. Now, if you’re a professional – brand or individual – and you put that question up on LinkedIn for your whole following to see; you’re going to make yourself look a bit silly.
Likewise, seeing someone reshare a viral ad and LinkedIn proposes you ask: “What are the reasons that ads go viral?”. The questions are boring, unimaginative, unengaging and so obviously AI-generated – which in turn, makes you switch off when seeing it.
Sure, there will be some reading this saying, “Ah, but this is just the beginning for AI”. While that may be true, the very essence of engagement is seeing your own thoughts get published. There’s little to be satisfied by if it hasn’t been.
Aren’t they just prompts? Perhaps – but even then, they’re unimaginative and likely to be asked at a 101 college course on marketing. Social media is about standing out, not blending in.
Lead degeneration
Lacking time for creation of a campaign? No problem, because LinkedIn can now create it for you…apparently. Just put the name of the lead generation campaign and add in the URL (yes, just one) that you want to direct people to and away you go – copy, visuals all sorted. Sounds almost too good to be true – and the reality is that it is.
This may be BETA or whatever you want to call it, but it’s still brand money. Brand guidelines are disregarded when it comes to visuals and the fact they’re all monotonous-looking, the very antithesis of what social media is supposed to represent, is unlikely to bring sales to your door. This does feel like LinkedIn’s way of making a quick load of dosh – senior people who do not have the staff or time, just throwing things into AI to make it spit things out. They may be saving time, but they’re wasting money.
Lead generation is supposed to be nuanced. You don’t just dump a campaign onto the platform and press go. B2B sales take a while to come through; hard sells don’t work – not to mention lead generation, in the shape of ‘part with your data and we’ll let you read this 100 page boring white paper’ is not going cut through the noise.
Build trust early through thought-leadership campaigns and case studies. Share your blogs and your experts. Without that, leads are hard to come by – even more so when you lean on AI to produce the most pivotal stage of delivery – leads.
OK, the crux
AI is here to stay, sure. It’s going to grow, and people will use it more – but it’s clear that ‘intelligence’ is too kind a word for it right now. It’s in its infancy – you still need to rely on experienced humans, who have the proof points and know what resonates with people (like their customers).
Don’t cut time by wasting money. Put the effort in for the reward, for now at least.
Don’t agree? Or perhaps you do! Either way, drop us a line.