Marketing with Soul

The rise of AI has certainly sparked much debate and interest. The discussion has been passionate, as some wrestle with the potential loss of their craft and others salivate at the time and money savings that might be possible.

By now, you would have experimented yourself. Written some articles. Tried a bit of SEO. Written meta descriptions, created images, etc. And I’m sure, like me, you’ve found it has some useful applications. And some drawbacks. (I’ve heard from those that know that if you use ChatGPT for SEO, you’re setting yourself up for failure.) There’s also the issue of the tech (so far) not having the creativity, emotional insight and experience of human writers.

For me, it’s highlighted the importance of marketing with soul. I like people with soul. I like stories with soul. I like it when I’m asked to feel life deeply, irrationally, purely, unexpectedly. Your audience likely feels this way too.

 Soul is what creates relationships between people and things. It’s possible to have soul regardless of what you do or what you sell. Case in example, my love of Italian car brands, and Uni Pin Fine Line pens. It takes passion. Craft. Connection. Wobbly human thinking that reveals a truth. Intangibles that stoke the spirit. I think soul is what we need more of.

 A few ways to do this:

 Look for the emotional hook. Show empathy. Understand your audience deeply and show them that you care. Reflect their self-image. Stand for something. Tap into universal themes of the human condition. Make your people front and centre of your content, highlight their expertise and feature quotes from them. Write in the first person. Craft stories with unique structures. Have a new opinion. Break rules. Be relatable. Be irreverent. Be funny. Ask Chat GPT what to do, then do the opposite. Be curious. Reject tradition. Innovate. Play.

 Your audience will love you for it. And I’m sure Search will reward you in time too.