Are your customers content with your marketing content?

GenAI enhances personalized content marketing and customer engagement, creating tailored digital experiences that drive results.

In brief:

• GenAI boosts content marketing efficiency by enhancing personalization through data integration and automation. 
• Integrating Customer Data Platforms with GenAI workflows helps deliver hyper-personalized marketing assets at scale. 
• Running proof-of-concept projects can demonstrate GenAI's value and build employee confidence, fostering innovation in content creation.

With the rapid evolution of digital technologies, 71% of B2B marketers have recognized the growing importance of content marketing in the past year, according to the Content Marketing Institute's September 2023 report.¹

Yet companies are continually grappling with how to plan and execute their content marketing strategies. A proliferation of customer-facing content platforms opens new doors for brands to cater to a range of distinct audiences, but this requires care, nuance and reliable digital interactions.

And with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) setting a new bar every day, consumer expectations for their digital experiences have soared, with 56% believing that GenAI will enhance personalization.² Customers expect to be called by their names and see their preferences reflected based on previous purchases.

GenAI can help you personalize content at scale and build customer trust

GenAI is revolutionizing how companies reach and engage their customers by amplifying content tailored to individual preferences. Platforms like the Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) suite can harness GenAI to streamline content creation workflows, enhance efficiency and help meet the growing demand for volume. Generative tasks can include creative concepting, copy and email drafting, image generation for marketing assets, video library management, video cutdowns and image and video reframing for social. Given how critical human review and final editing are, selecting the right vendors is key to successfully integrate generative steps into the existing workflow.

Integrating customer data, for example through Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), can further unlock hyper-personalization at scale with generative workflows. This approach allows for the creation of marketing assets that are not only calibrated for the industry but also for specific company needs, building trust and resonance with business buyers. A leading telecom company might use GenAI to create tailored case studies and blog posts for different industries, while a global technology firm could adjust its email campaigns with personalized product recommendations based on real-time analysis.

Next steps for digital and marketing leaders

To keep pace with the growing demand for content, the EY-Adobe Content Supply Chain helps companies streamline every phase of content creation, management and delivery. This system, powered by GenAI, allows marketing teams to automate time-consuming tasks and help clients connect strategy to delivery, integrate people and content, managing work from start to finish for delivery of measurable outcomes.

By automating these processes, businesses can scale their content efforts dramatically without sacrificing quality. This is especially helpful in today's digital landscape, where consumers expect fresh, relevant content on multiple channels. This can enable marketers to produce and distribute large volumes of content quickly and efficiently, ensuring consistency across campaigns while allowing teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.

But increasing content volume alone isn’t enough. To enable data-fuelled personalization, companies should start by enhancing their data collection and integration processes and ensuring they have the right guardrails in place. In fact, Collaborative research3 by the EY organization and Adobe indicates that data security and AI governance frameworks are the No. 2 priority for C-suite executives in 2024. To get started, companies should enrich first-party data with third-party sources to create comprehensive customer profiles, validate data quality and create advanced customer segments. 

Through the integration of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), businesses can analyze vast amounts of customer data—such as purchase history, preferences and behaviours— to create personalized experiences that resonate on a deeper level. When this data is combined with GenAI-powered workflows, it becomes easier to craft marketing content that feels highly tailored to customers. Whether it's personalized email campaigns, customized product recommendations, or social media content tailored to specific customer segments, Gen-AI powered solutions can help ensure that the right content reaches the right audience. The ability to produce personalized content at scale not only enhances customer engagement but also builds trust and fosters long-term loyalty.

Harnessing GenAI for B2B content creation

To test these capabilities, many organizations start by running a proof-of-concept (POC), which can validate organizational capabilities and foster employee confidence in working with GenAI. A 12-week EY pilot improved employees' confidence in the technology solution from 28% to 77% and reduced concerns about using GenAI from 99% to 12%, according to research from The EY-Adobe Alliance.³ 

GenAI adoption offers a path to more personalized, efficient and impressionable digital experiences through content marketing. By leveraging data, engaging the right technology partners and fostering an organizational culture that embraces innovation, businesses can unlock the full potential of GenAI to meet and exceed customer expectations in the digital space.

A special thanks to the research, writing and contribution to this article provided by Sarah M. Rosso, Ernst and Young LLP Americas Consulting Senior.