Content Marketing and AI - A Step-by-Step Guide

Last week we talked about how overwhelming it can feel to chase after every new AI model, and I shared some practical ideas for getting started with AI in small but relevant ways.

Let’s revisit the four steps I recommended:

1. Identify a specific problem you need to solve
2. Find an AI tool that can solve your problem
3. Conduct a small pilot project
4. If the tool works, expand its use. If it doesn’t, move on.

Sounds simple enough, but how do you actually do it? Today’s post focuses on how to conduct an AI pilot for one of the most common challenges I hear when talking with marketers: written marketing content production.

Cheeseless Marketing Content Production

AI is changing the field of marketing – perhaps more than any other field at the moment. It’s requiring marketers to think differently about what, why and how they go about their work, and upending one of the core components of a marketing team’s job: written content creation.

This guide helps marketing teams pilot AI in content creation, ensuring it enhances efficiency, creativity, and performance without sacrificing brand identity.

What an AI Content Production Pilot Can Achieve

✅ Reduce time spent on content creation by automating routine tasks
✅ Improve content consistency while maintaining brand voice
✅ Increase content volume to keep up with multi-channel demand
✅ Enhance performance with AI-driven insights
✅ Free up marketing teams to focus on strategy and creativity

Phase 1: Define the Opportunity – Where Can AI Help Your Content Strategy?

Let’s dig in. The good news is that getting started leans into a bunch of tactics that marketers already do every day.

1. Conduct Stakeholder Interviews: Start by gathering input from key team members to understand their challenges:

• • Content Writers & Editors: What slows them down? How do they ensure quality and brand consistency? What kinds of content do they want to product that they don’t currently have time for?
  • Brand Managers: What content guidelines must AI follow?
  • SEO & Performance Teams: Where does content struggle in terms of engagement and ranking?

2. Run a Content Survey: A simple survey (via Typeform or Google Forms) can help assess AI readiness:

• • Have you used AI tools before? Which ones? How did they perform?
  • What concerns do you have about AI-generated content?
  • What are the most repetitive and time-consuming parts of content production?

3. Conduct a Brand Audit: One of AI’s strengths is consistency, so start with an understanding of how well your organization is currently maintaining its brand voice.

• • Analyze past content (tone, structure, key phrases)
  • Identify areas of strength and challenge
  • Set clear goals for the future of maintaining your brand voice

4. Map Current and Ideal Future Content Process: Based on everything you’ve learned, map out the current flow of content creation using a tool like Miro to identify pain points and opportunities.

• • What are the common problems you encounter?
  • What would an ideal future process look like?
  • Where might AI technologies benefit the process?

Phase 2: Choose a Content Use Case to Pilot AI

Now that you understand the current and ideal future content production flow, home in on a specific problem you want to solve. Here are a few examples:

• First-Draft Assistance: AI generates rough drafts based on outlines.
• Content Repurposing: AI rewrites blog posts into LinkedIn posts, social captions, or email content.
• SEO & Performance Optimization: AI suggests improvements for headlines, readability, and engagement.

Then set clear parameters for the pilot and how you’ll measure success. For example:

• Goal: Reduce time spent on first drafts by 40% without sacrificing quality.
• Duration: 4-6 weeks
• AI Tools to Test: Jasper, ChatGPT, Grammarly

Phase 3: Implement & Measure AI's Impact

It’s time to launch your pilot.

• Start small and stay focused: One problem, one tool, one individual (or small team). This may be the most important part of the pilot. Staying focused on one thing is hard in the age of constantly moving AI cheese, but it’s the best way to understand (and prove) what AI can and can’t do for your organization.
• Evaluate the data (for example):

• Time Saved: Measure time from ideation to first draft pre- vs. post-AI.
• Engagement Rates: Track clicks, time on page, and conversions.
• Revision Time: Assess how much human editing AI-generated content requires.

Phase 4: Evaluate & Scale AI’s Role in Content Strategy

Now’s the time to evaluate your pilot and decide what to do next. Conduct a team debrief session to discuss findings and refine future AI use.

✅ How was the overall experience for the team? What surprised them?
✅ Did AI improve efficiency without sacrificing quality?
✅ Where did AI excel, and where was a human the better fit for the job?
✅ How should AI be integrated into the long-term content strategy?

Phase 5: Going from AI Pilot to Practice

Based on what worked and what didn’t, identify long-term changes you’ll make to your content production process.

• Will you implement the tool(s) you piloted?
• Will people’s daily activities change?
• How do policies and procedures need to be updated?
• How will you instill performance measurement practices to build on your success?
• Rinse and repeat for other sticky marketing challenges.

Conclusion: Stop Chasing the AI Cheese – Start Small & Build Smart

AI isn’t about chasing the latest flashy tool; it’s about solving real problems that you and your team are struggling with. Instead of trying to do everything at once, start with a small, focused AI pilot that aligns with your goals. One tool, one workflow, one measurable outcome. Prove its value, refine your approach, and then scale smartly.