Let’s talk about the elephant in the marketing room: AI-generated video content. Artificial Intelligence is capable of producing impressive video content, including conjuring up lifelike people that can’t easily be identified as AI. But is this always the right tech to use? When should you rely on AI-generated videos, and when is it better to stick to old-fashioned human authenticity?

The answer depends on a variety of factors. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the benefits, drawbacks, and ethics of using AI-generated marketing videos.

Are you considering using AI for video marketing?

If you’ve been in marketing for any length of time, the following factors might be leading you toward using AI in your video marketing campaigns:

·  Email marketing is tough. The average email has about the same chance of getting a response as your cat has of using that expensive bed you got them for Christmas (less than 2% in most industries). It’s getting harder to get people to respond to text-based emails.

·  Video marketing is highly effective. Video is the #1 form of media, and it’s no surprise that personalized videos get 16x more opens and 4.5x more click throughs than general content.

·  Finding prospects takes a lot of time and effort. This makes it urgent to close as many deals as possible, and AI seems like it might help.

·  Creating videos is exhausting. There are only so many videos you can make before you run out of ideas and energy to create content (AI seems to solve this problem).

·  Marketing budgets tend to shrink while expectations grow. (AI promises to make video production more affordable at scale).

Despite being highly effective, video marketing can be time-consuming and exhausting, not to mention expensive.

Enter AI video: your new best friend (kinda)

Artificial intelligence isn’t exactly new, but it’s finally made its way into video marketing. Here’s what AI can bring to your video marketing campaigns:

·  Effortless automation. Polished and near-polished content can be created faster than you can manually write the script.

·  Fast scaling. Scaling without AI isn’t hard, until you realize you can generate thousands of personalized videos before your coffee gets cold.

·  Perfect brand consistency. AI won’t make those little mistakes that create inconsistencies in your messaging.  

While these are big benefits, AI isn’t always the right choice. Let’s explore when AI is great to use for video marketing – and when it’s not.

7 Times it’s okay to hand your video production over to AI

Sometimes robots do a better job than humans… sometimes.

1. Initial contact with a prospect (when you’re playing the numbers game)

In the first stage, most video marketers send all of their prospects to the same landing page with the same video at the top. That’s not by accident. When you’re playing the numbers game, it’s the only way to generate and qualify leads at scale. Nobody has time to create a custom video for the first contact with every prospect. In fact, when you don’t know who your leads are, creating a custom video isn’t even possible.

In this case, AI can do an excellent job at creating simple videos for your first touch with a prospect. With the right input, AI can introduce prospects to your brand and offerings in a professional manner. These videos don’t need to be in-depth or complicated. You just need to grab their attention and write an effective script that gets them to respond.

With non-personalized videos generated by AI, once you create the video, it’s done, and you can use it on any company website or landing page.

2. Follow-up sequences (the “did you get my email about my email?” phase)

Sometimes prospects get annoyed when you email them asking if they got your previous emails or watched your presentation. Using AI to create follow-up videos can make your follow-up communications smoother and more welcomed.

Everyone knows that most follow-up email sequences are automated, but they don’t have to feel robotic. It just takes a slight amount of personalization – like using a prospect’s name – to create rapport and make them feel comfortable.

3. Large-scale personalized outreach efforts (when you’re going big)

Let’s face it, creating custom videos for a bunch of prospects isn't practical when you have other priorities. If you have quotas to meet, important business responsibilities, or a family life, you don’t have time for that.

If you happen to know something about the prospects you’re reaching out to, AI can support your efforts at scale, while personalizing each video to make them more effective.

Naturally, the more you know about a prospect, the better you can tailor your marketing messages to get a response. When you know enough to categorize your prospects, AI can create large-scale personalized outreach messages in a fraction of the time it would take to do the work manually.

4. International outreach (when your high school Spanish won’t cut it)

When you need to make a video in a language you don’t speak fluently, you have two choices: hire someone to come to your office and hope they look good on camera, or let AI do all the hard work. An AI video created in another language will be smooth and professional, not to mention, much cheaper.

5. Event reminders (because nobody likes a no-show)

Many marketers create “save the date” videos for events, like conferences, festivals, and summits. Event reminder videos are far more engaging than plain email text, but they don’t need to be complex to work. This is where AI-generated video can really shine. All you need is a video that tells people about your company, the event, and gives the dates and times.

6. Faceless video ads (when you need to seem professional, but don’t want to get out of your pajamas)

Faceless video ads are popular for a reason – they work really well. These ads use stock images and stock videos in the background with text overlaid on top and are typically published as YouTube Shorts, TikTok videos, and genuine advertisements on various channels.

Generating a video with a beautiful background – video or image – is right up AI’s alley it’s what AI does best. You’ll still need to follow all the basic rules for creating a successful video ad, but as long as you nail that, AI can create an amazing final product.

7. When you just need a good script

Sometimes it’s easier to come up with a video script using ChatGPT. Your final video may or may not have AI elements, but leaning on AI to write your script is completely acceptable as long as you verify the output for accuracy.

5 Times to keep it human (because we’re not all robots yet)

If the world only contained robots, AI-generated videos would rule the world. Since humans still dominate the Earth, there are several instances where human-made video content reigns supreme.

1. VIP relationships

If they’re important enough to have your personal cell phone number, they deserve to see your actual face in the video. A real video will feel more personal and that can help you close deals.

For example, if you’ve been working on closing a deal with a big client for a while, and you need to send them a video, make sure it’s human-made. If you use AI at that point, potential clients will feel like they don’t matter and the relationship will seem transactional.

2. When specifics matter

Making authentically human videos is always the best choice when you need content that would take longer to explain to AI than it would take to grab a camera and do it yourself. Unless you’re feeding AI a specific and complete script, a human being will do a much better job at explaining nuanced details.

3. Big money is being spent

Nobody wants to feel like they’re being sold to by a robot when they’re about to drop some serious cash. Keep it real when you’re using video to market to people who will be spending big money with your company. This includes individual clients and prospects you’re targeting for high-ticket items.

4. Complex topics

Some things need a genuine human touch, especially when you’re explaining why people should buy your product over the competition. It’s easier to persuade consumers by keeping it real and making authentic videos. AI-generated sales pitches aren’t personal enough to build genuine rapport.

Making real, human videos gives you a chance to share important stories that strengthen bonds with your market, which will ultimately influence more sales.  

If you’re not comfortable with speaking to a camera, find someone on your team who can speak clearly and concisely about your offerings. If not, don’t shy away from reading a script.

5. Proposals

Human-made video proposals make prospects more likely to sign a contract or make a purchase from your company. The more personalized the proposal is, the better, because it creates the impression that the video was made just for them.  Prospects who feel valued are more likely to buy.

8 Tips for using AI in video marketing without making careless mistakes

1. Track all video performance

Tracking is essential for optimizing your outreach strategy, but when AI is involved, you need to expand your awareness for troubleshooting. Normally, when a video isn’t performing well, you’d consider changing factors like your opening statement, the message, filming location, and maybe even your outfit.

With an AI video, you need to consider AI itself as a potential reason for poor performance. To find out, you’ll need to conduct some split tests with human-made content to convey the same message to the same audience. And don’t just track views – track click through rates and other conversions that matter more.

2. Invest time and effort into segmenting your audience

If you’re going to use AI-generated videos in your marketing campaigns, be sure to segment your audience so you can target them properly. Different audiences require different approaches, and the more information you collect about your leads, the better.

3. Determine where AI benefits you most

When mapping out your video marketing plan, determine which videos will be made with AI ahead of time. Don’t just use AI for everything because it’s easy. Consider whether each video needs a human touch on a case-by-case basis. To help others make the right decisions, create some guidelines for identifying the best use cases for AI.

4. Give your AI videos some personality

Adding personality to your marketing videos is essential, even when they’re AI-generated or you’re using ChatGPT to create your script. If you can feed an AI actor a script, don’t forget to include humor and make the script sound like natural speech rather than a perfectly polished dissertation.

5. Combine AI with a human touch

Not all videos need to be purely AI. Sometimes AI is great for creating B-roll or other simple shots that get integrated into a final production that features a human.

6. Create consistency with AI

Make sure your AI-generated content remains consistent with your brand image and message. If more than one person creates AI video content, create set standards for which models, filters, variations, and settings to use when generating videos.

7. Pay close attention to auto-generated claims

When using AI video generators, carefully scrutinize all claims before publishing, especially if the AI system creates information beyond your original script. Misleading and inaccurate claims need to be removed and replaced to avoid legal consequences.

8. Never use AI to generate fake reviews or testimonials

Lately, the FTC has been cracking down hard on AI-generated reviews and testimonials, which now includes videos.

Many people incorrectly believe nobody will ever know their reviews and testimonials are fake because who’s going to check? The harsh reality is if someone files a complaint against your business with the FTC, you will be investigated, and you will get penalized for using fake testimonials and reviews.

While this isn’t a complete list, most people aren’t aware of the following legal requirements set forth by the FTC, which can destroy your business if you let AI take the lead:

·  Business owners are required to independently verify all claims made in testimonials they use. You can’t take a customer at their word if you publish their testimonial. For example, if a customer sends you a testimonial claiming they earned $15,000 in seven weeks using your program, you’re legally required to obtain copies of their financial statements to substantiate their claim. If you get investigated, you’ll need to provide this documentation to the FTC. If you can’t substantiate the claim to the FTC, you will be held legally responsible for making a false claim.

·  Business owners are required to get a signed release form from the owner of every testimonial they use. If you’re investigated by the FTC, you’ll be asked for signed release forms for every testimonial you’ve ever published. If investigated, all testimonials will be treated as false claims when not accompanied by a signed release form.

There are more regulations you’re at risk of violating when using AI, but these are the top two. Visit the FTC’s website to read the full consumer protection trade regulations on consumer reviews and testimonials.

Know when to use AI to your advantage

Remember, AI is a tool, but it’s not the end-all-be-all. Use it wisely, but don’t let AI run the whole show. Video marketing is evolving, and AI happens to be a big part of that evolution. However, keep it real and human when possible. Sometimes there is no substitute for the human touch – especially when you’re trying to get people to give you money.

Partner with Vid.co and make video marketing easier

Truth be told, video marketing isn’t easy unless it’s your passion. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance it’s not. That’s why we’re here.

At Vid.co, our team of video marketing pros have extensive experience crafting every type of marketing video you can imagine for big brands, corporations, small businesses, and individuals. If you’re on a mission to achieve a specific goal, we’d love to help. Contact us now for a free consultation!

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