Tag: avoiding generic AI content

  • Marketing AI Products: What’s Different & What Actually Works

    Marketing AI Products: What’s Different & What Actually Works

    AI companies are dominating the tech landscape. From intelligent productivity tools to complex enterprise automation systems, all utilizing AI Agents, nearly every new software startup today claims to be “AI-powered.”

    But marketing artificial intelligence products is not like marketing traditional SaaS. You’re not just promoting faetures, you’re selling belief, credibility, and a promise that your technology is not only effective but safe and trustworthy.

    So what exactly makes marketing AI products different, and what should companies do to stand out and scale their impact?

    Why Marketing Artificial Intelligence Products Requires a Different Approach

    1. Artificial Intelligence Is Invisible to the End User

    AI is hard to visualize. There’s often no clear UI or single feature to showcase. You can’t point to a neural network or data model and expect the average customer to understand the value.

    That’s why successful AI marketing isn’t about selling the technology. It’s about selling the outcomes. Whether that means faster workflows, improved accuracy, or increased revenue, your messaging should focus on real-world impact, and not the nitty-gritty technical details.

    2. There Is Widespread Skepticism Around AI Claims

    AI-washing is everywhere. From basic automation tools to no-code platforms, “AI-powered” has become a default label, even when there’s minimal AI involved. 🤔

    Buyers are growing wary. To build trust, you need to back up your claims with real proof: live demos, customer testimonials, and measurable results. Marketing AI requires radical transparency. This is also why I believe AI companies should take a hybrid approach to building in the open.

    3. AI Marketing Must Keep Up With Rapid Product Evolution

    The AI landscape changes weekly. Your product likely does too. That speed demands a flexible marketing strategy, one that can move fast. Static landing pages or long approval cycles won’t deliver all the results.

    Winning AI companies create adaptable marketing systems that evolve alongside the product.

    4. Marketing AI Requires Messaging for Technical and Non-Technical Audiences

    Marketing AI means speaking to very different personas:

    • Technical teams who want depth and technical precision.
    • Business stakeholders who want clarity and value.
    • Non-technical audiences who want to use your tool for its results and overall impact.

    Balancing these varied personas requires a layered approach to communication. Translating technical depth into plain language for decision-makers, while still offering rich detail for developers and clear value for end users. This often includes a combination of technical documentation, outcome-driven content, and product-led storytelling that addresses each audience’s unique expectations.

    5. Artificial Intelligence Raises Higher Ethical and Privacy Stakes

    AI isn’t just about performance, but it’s about ethics, privacy, and trust. Your marketing strategy must address these issues openly.

    Ignoring concerns around data security, algorithmic bias, or regulatory compliance is a fast track to losing credibility. AI marketing must be thoughtful and transparent!

    Strategic Marketing Approaches That Help AI Companies Stand Out

    1. Lead With Specific AI Use Cases That Solve Real Problems

    Don’t open with your model architecture or API integrations. 🤦Open with the problem you solve.

    Effective AI marketing starts with this:

    “Here’s how we help [X persona] solve [Y problem] better, faster, or cheaper.”

    Definitely not in these exact words, but you get the idea.

    Clear use cases resonate better than abstract promises or technical jargon. Let’s eliminate technical jargon, I hate it.

    2. Showcase Your AI Product With Demonstrations, Not Buzzwords

    People are tired of buzzwords. Show the product in action. Create videos, screen recordings, and interactive demos that illustrate real workflows.

    If your AI solution genuinely delivers value, let the product speak for itself. A simple walkthrough can sometimes resonate better with your audience than any other marketing strategy.

    3. Create Educational Content to Explain AI Concepts and Trends

    Your audience doesn’t just want to know what your AI does. They actually want to understand why it matters.

    Invest in content that educates: blog posts, videos, podcasts, and explainers that break down industry trends, demystify technical concepts, and position your team as thought leaders.

    Great AI companies don’t just promote. They teach!!

    4. Humanize Your AI Brand Through Storytelling and Personality

    AI is intimidating but your brand doesn’t have to be, and shouldn’t be!!!

    Put faces behind the product. Whether it’s the founder, the engineering team, or your customers, PLESE bring personality into your brand. Use storytelling, interviews, and real-life examples to make your AI product relatable.

    Human-led content connects and resonates with your audience, and that builds trust!

    5. Build a Scalable, Always-On AI Marketing Engine

    AI companies that win the market don’t treat marketing as a launch-only activity. They build consistent content pipelines that evolve alongside the product.

    Weekly videos, regular product updates, behind-the-scenes content, and community engagement create momentum and visibility.

    Marketing should be an ‘always-on’ extension of your AI roadmap.

    Think of it like one of those Chrome extensions that constantly scans every site you visit for deals and discounts.

    Which brings me neatly to our brand sponsor: Honey —

    …Just kidding. Please never do that… 🤦

    Final Thoughts: How Mensoi Helps AI Companies Master Marketing

    AI marketing is hard because you’re selling something people can’t see, don’t fully understand, and may not trust yet.

    But done right, it’s one of the most powerful storytelling opportunities in tech. You’re not just marketing software, you’re shaping how people perceive the future.

    At Mensoi, we specialize in helping AI companies craft standout marketing strategies and content that connect. From use-case-driven messaging and founder-led videos to ongoing advisory, product storytelling, and end-to-end creative execution.

    If you’re building something great and want a plug-and-play creative partner who understands both the technology and the storytelling — I’m here for it.

    Let’s chat!

  • Generative AI for Creative Storytelling (Without Losing Brand Identity)

    Generative AI for Creative Storytelling (Without Losing Brand Identity)

    Let’s talk about something that’s been buzzing across every Slack channel, marketing meeting, late-night creative brainstorm, and of course, LinkedIn: generative AI.

    It’s everywhere.

    In your editing tools. In your design software. Inside your CRM. Embedded in every new startup’s pitch deck. Honestly, it can feel a bit much.

    Every scroll feels like another “10 AI tools that will 10x your content” post, and if you’re anything like me, it’s equal parts exciting and exhausting.

    That said, it is impressive.

    You can feed it a few prompts and get back halfway-decent visuals, headlines, maybe even a full script in seconds. Five years ago, that would’ve sounded like science fiction. Now it’s just… Friday (when I’m writing this post 😀).

    I always have a concern. When everyone’s pulling ideas from the same machine, the results start to blend together.

    And that machine? It only exists because we trained it.

    It works by remixing the creative work we put into the world – past campaigns, brand stories, art, copy, culture – everything we’ve already done.

    So if you rely on it too much, what you’re really doing is pulling from a giant pile of what’s already been said and done. The output feels familiar because… well… it is!

    The Double-Edged Sword of AI in Creative Work

    On one hand, AI is a bit of a dream.

    It speeds things up. It gets you from zero to draft one without the existential dread of staring at a blank Google Doc. Personally, I use it a lot when I’m stuck – not just for output, but for thinking. I’ll start chatting to it almost like I’m talking to myself (which, let’s be honest, I already do when I brainstorm 😅).

    I throw weird questions at it. I ask it to challenge me. Sometimes I get absolute nonsense back (if I could highlight it even more, I would)- but sometimes, it nudges me down a path I never would’ve considered on my own. That’s the magic. Not the end result, but the surprise detours it helps unlock in the creative process.

    But unfortunately, everything that’s too goof to be true tends to have the flip side.

    We’ve all seen those AI-written LinkedIn posts or brand videos that feel… not just a bit off – but really off. Cheap, even. Like someone asked a bot to whip something up just to tick a box and hit publish, and it shows. It ALWAYS shows.

    Because when you’re building a brand, especially in a world absolutely flooded with content, that stuff just doesn’t land.

    The meaning matters!!

    Not in some weird fluffy, philosophical way, but in a concrete, bottom-line kind of way. It’s the difference between something people scroll past and something they feel, and that’s not something AI can manufacture on its own (thank god!).

    Even platforms are starting to recognize this. YouTube recently rolled out monetization restrictions on AI-generated content – which is a pretty clear signal. They want more of the real stuff. Less sameness and more human soul. Hopefully, that pushes us all to value what actually connects: authentic human stories told by actual humans.

    So… Where Should AI Fit into Storytelling?

    Generative AI is the ultimate assistant. It’s not the strategist, not the creative director, and definitely not the voice of your brand.
    Think of it like a super-fast intern who’s great at pulling together moodboards, writing first drafts, and brainstorming 30 tagline options in a minute.

    But never consider it your creative lead.

    It doesn’t understand nuance. It doesn’t feel tension. It can’t spot the weird, wonderful, slightly uncomfortable angle that makes something actually memorable.

    It’s great at helping you move – but it doesn’t know where you’re going. THAT’S YOUR JOB!

    Use It To Assist, Not Replace

    Here are a few ways I actually use AI to elevate storytelling – without flattening the voice or losing the soul of a brand:

    1. Ideation & Exploration

    This is where AI shines for me – especially when I’m stuck at the beginning.

    If I’m trying to find a fresh angle for a campaign, I’ll literally just start talking to it like I’m thinking out loud. Sometimes I’ll ask it to show me five completely different tones or emotional directions for the same idea. Other times, I’ll challenge it with a “what if this were done like a 90s Nike ad?” or “how would this sound if it were more rebellious… or more tender?”

    It’s like brainstorming with someone who never gets tired of your weird questions – and never runs out of answers.

    Most of it I’ll throw away. But occasionally, it unlocks something unexpected – and that spark sends me down a path I wouldn’t have taken on my own.

    2. Drafting & Structuring

    Once I’ve got the idea, I’ll often use AI to sketch out a basic structure. It’s useful for those moments when your brain’s firing with high-level thoughts, but the paragraphs just aren’t forming yet.

    I’ll ask it to outline a rough flow for a script or a blog – not because I’ll keep it, but because it gives me something to respond to. Something to rip apart or rebuild.

    It’s like working with clay: the AI gives you a messy lump of something, and then it’s on you to mold it into something that actually means something.

    3. Versioning & Repurposing

    This one’s purely for efficiency. Say I’ve just written a long-form blog (like this one). I’ll ask AI to help me pull out some key points – maybe turn them into tweet threads, email intros, or Instagram captions.

    It saves a lot of time, but I always go through and rewrite parts.

    Warning Signs You’re Leaning Too Hard on AI

    One thing I’ve started paying close attention to in my own work and in what I see out there, is when brand voice starts sounding… weirdly familiar. And not in a good way. 😔

    Like suddenly, everyone’s using the same phrasing. Same tone. Same slightly-too-polished confidence. And you realise:
    “oh no, this all sounds like AI.”

    If that’s happening to your brand, it might be time to take a breath and really look at what you’re putting out.

    Here are a few signs I’ve noticed – either in my own content or when working with clients – that things are drifting into the generic:

    • Your messaging feels safe. Like, technically correct, but totally forgettable.
    • Campaigns hit the brief, but don’t hit anything emotionally.
    • You’re editing less and publishing more just because “AI wrote it and it sounds fine.”
    • And maybe the biggest one: when someone asks, “What does your brand actually sound like?” – no one has a clear answer. 😞

    That last one is a gut punch. Please never let yourself, your brand or your company to ever get to this stage.

    Let’s Find Your Voice Together

    At Mensoi, this is exactly the kind of work we live for, helping brands rediscover (or finally define) a voice that actually feels like them.

    Whether you need a creative team to bring it all to life, or you just need someone to sit beside you, ask better questions, and sharpen your thinking – we’re here for both. We can build it with you, or guide you in building it yourself.

    If anything in this post made you pause, or made you think “yeah… that’s where we’ve been slipping” – then let’s talk. 😉