Back when I was in elementary school (there is no need to do the math), I always looked forward to English class (go figure). One of the many exercises we were given was when our teacher shared a photograph, an image, or wrote a phrase on the blackboard that we then spent the class writing a composition about. My imagination was all over the place and I wrote fantastical stories based on the information I was given.
To this day, I can study an image or read a phrase and write something framed upon what I see or read. Children are like sponges. They absorb all kinds of things and generally it sticks with them throughout their life, for good or for bad. This exercise has stuck with me to my advantage.
What I did not realize at the time was how such a practice trained our minds to think. To process. To create. To learn. And as we, as a class, shared our compositions with one another, we learned that many people could see an object, yet come away with a different point of view of what we see and how it relates to us. Or the story we desire to tell.
I appreciate we have advanced technology to aid us in our tasks. For example, I can draft this article on a computer instead of chiseling it into stone tablets.
We all use specific tools to help our productivity. But what happens when we use certain practices that cause us to avoid thinking? Or creating? Or learning?
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools move beyond the infancy stage and into the toddler stage, creating problems and throwing tantrums, the reliance businesses and people are placing on them is eroding trust among their consumers.
And when we are working to create trust with our audience — consumers, clients, funders — in sharing our brand story, what happens when they learn it is not our story after all?
An important element in your brand story
I always emphasize to clients how important your values, purpose, and mission are to your brand story. Your brand story is about you — who you are, not what you do.
And what adds to the authenticity of your brand story is its human image.
Your brand story should come from you, or your business or organization, because it is about you. Your story must show your audience you “get” them. They need to feel you are on their side and you can help them. This involves empathy and understanding.
Only humans can relate to other humans. AI does not have the capability to do this. It cannot empathize with human emotions, which is what drives your audience to decide to do business with you.
I get it. You are overwhelmed and it would be easier to hand over the research to AI to take it from there. But your brand story is not something you can throw together. It takes a lot of effort and intentional thinking to shape and communicate your image.
Why AI erodes trust
AI has been around for decades. And it has had many beneficial purposes. Research tools are advancing, which is helpful when many of us lack a lot of time. If we are experiencing brain fog and need a little nudge for ideas, AI can assist us with that (as long as we check that we are not taking copyrighted information).
But AI makes mistakes because it is designed and run by imperfect humans. It also pulls its information from what is in existence. And if what exists is incorrect or slanted, the research AI shares is also incorrect. Since AI uses stories and information from others, this renders AI as unexceptional.
If you pour your research into an AI tool in the hopes it will spew a coherent brand story for you or your organization, it is operating on faulty wiring. Your story has a great chance of sounding like someone else’s. That is not unique storytelling.
Your aim with your brand story is to exemplify your reputation, to paint a positive image. In a society where trust is harder to gain, why would you cheat your audience and attempt to have them believe you are genuine if you pulled your story from someone else?
You are distinctive as an individual. No one shares your story. So to use a story that “sounds” maybe like you does nothing to add value.
But what if you do add your research and information into AI and it does create a somewhat comprehensive brand story? Is it possible to simply edit it and make it sound like it came from you?
You could. But recall that in school we had to do our own homework because if we handed the work to someone else to do it for us, what would we have learned?
Earlier I pointed out the wisdom in learning, creating, and thinking. As you build your story, learn from your mistakes, and collaborate with your team to develop a brand story that reaches hearts, you will understand better how to communicate your brand to your audience.
Who should write your brand story?
There is no doubt that technology is useful in many ways. How we use it with our brand story will determine what is important to us. Quality? Or speed?
An argument could be made for using an outside professional writer to help you with your brand story. Is it not the same thing than if you were to use the cheaper AI to do it?
There is not a comparison. A writer collaborates with you as a partner and as part of your team. As well, a writer is human. Again, that is your objective in creating an empathetic, human story that targets your audience’s emotions. Humans understand humans and how to relate to them.
I can personally attest that as I collaborate with clients on their brand stories and I learn about their passion and purpose, I am able to comprehend the heart of their story, something a machine would not be able to target. Writing in the organization’s or solopreneur’s voice, using genuine language, is also something a computer is incapable of doing.
Whether you write the story yourself, your communications team writes it, or you hire a professional writer, the story comes from within your organization. It is real. It is relatable. It is all you.
As technology and AI tools advance, they help us to be more productive in our work. Yet, they do not and should not replace work that needs humans to empathize with our audience. Our brand story is designed to build trust and connection with others, which is why we would not use someone else’s story captured by AI and take the credit ourselves. Our genuine brand story should come from within our organization and show our consumers, clients, and others that we “get” them because we are human too.
Need help telling your business or author story? My brand training helps you live your brand by recognizing your story and learning how to use it effectively to enhance engagement and increase sales. Find out more here and book a call with me!
Love what you are reading? I’d appreciate your support! Click here to Buy Me a Coffee.
Recent Comments