Imagine this: you’re gearing up for a big product launch at your SaaS company. You’ve got the best AI tools lined up, ready to churn out blog posts, landing pages, and email sequences in a matter of minutes.

It’s a marketer’s dream, right? Who wouldn’t want to create heaps of content at lightning speed and for a fraction of the cost?

But here’s the kicker – somewhere in that mountain of machine-generated content, the essence of what makes your brand unique could be lost.

Sure, AI is impressive. It’s fast, efficient, and cost-effective. But when it comes to creating content that truly resonates with your audience, there’s still something missing: the human touch. AKA the ability to understand, to feel, to connect.

That’s where human writers come in, and that’s why they still matter.

Understanding Generative AI in SaaS Content Creation

Before we dig deeper into why human writers are crucial, let’s take a step back and look at what generative AI is bringing to the table.

Generative AI tools, like GPT-4 and Jasper, have become increasingly popular in the SaaS space, and for good reason. They can draft blog posts, generate product descriptions, and even respond to customer inquiries. They do all this by analyzing vast amounts of data to predict and generate content.

For SaaS marketers, the appeal is obvious.

You can automate content creation, save on costs, and keep up with the never-ending demand for fresh material.

Need a new article about the benefits of your software’s latest feature? AI’s got you covered. Want to populate your FAQ section? AI can handle that, too.

But here’s where things start to get tricky.

The Limitations of AI in SaaS Content Creation

Here are five major limitations of AI in SaaS content creation:

1. Lack of Genuine Creativity

AI might be able to mimic human language, but it can’t genuinely create.

To put it simply, it’s like having a really advanced parrot. It can repeat what it’s heard, even put a spin on it, but it doesn’t understand the meaning behind the words. AI-generated content often lacks that creative spark, that unique angle that makes readers sit up and take notice.

Take, for example, a thought leadership piece you want to write. You want it to be insightful, original, maybe even a bit provocative.

Can AI pull that off? Not really.

It can give you a decent draft, sure, but the content might feel flat, uninspired, or just plain generic. In the competitive world of SaaS, where everyone’s trying to position themselves as the next big thing, standing out with originality is key. And that’s something AI just can’t deliver on its own.

2. Risk of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious offense for any digital marketer, and we all know it.

Since AI learns from existing data, there’s always a risk that it will spit out content that’s eerily similar to something that’s already out there.

For SaaS companies, this isn’t just a minor hiccup – it’s a potential PR nightmare. Imagine launching a new feature only to find out your AI-generated blog post is almost a word-for-word copy of a competitor’s article. Not a good look, right?

Besides, there’s also the matter of data repetition. AI’s habit of regurgitating the same information means you could end up with content that’s too similar across different pieces. That’s the opposite of what you want when you’re trying to engage a diverse audience at various stages of the buyer’s journey.

3. Generic Content Output

Here’s another common issue: AI tends to produce content that’s one-size-fits-all. It might be technically accurate and grammatically correct, but it often lacks personality. It can be bland and, quite frankly, boring. Your SaaS product isn’t like every other software out there, so why should your content sound like everyone else’s?

Think about your email marketing campaigns. You want those emails to feel personal, like a conversation between friends. Can AI handle that? It might try, but it often ends up sounding like a canned, robotic response rather than a genuine outreach. And in the SaaS world, where building relationships and trust is everything, that just won’t cut it.

4. Contextual Misunderstandings

AI is great with data but not nearly as great with context. It might understand what your product does, but it won’t necessarily understand why that matters to a specific customer. It might not grasp the subtleties of your audience’s pain points or how to present your solution as the hero of their story.

For instance, let’s say you’re creating a case study about how your SaaS product helped a particular client overcome a unique challenge. The details, the emotions, the real-life implications – these are the elements that make a case study powerful. AI can certainly outline the facts, but it can’t weave them into a compelling narrative that resonates with prospective future clients.

5. Ethical Concerns

Lastly, there’s the issue of ethics. We’re living in a time when misinformation can spread like wildfire. AI doesn’t have the critical thinking skills to verify the information it’s generating.

If your content inadvertently spreads misinformation, it could damage your brand’s credibility. Plus, there’s the ethical dilemma of transparency.

Should you disclose that the content you published was AI-generated? If so, how will that impact the trust between you and your audience? (Let’s talk about this in the comments below!)

The Essential Role of Human Writers in SaaS Content Creation

Okay, so we’ve laid out the limitations of AI. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. AI has its place, but it’s not a replacement for human writers.

Here’s why:

1. Nuanced Understanding and Interpretation

Human writers excel at understanding complex topics and distilling them into clear, engaging content. They know how to read between the lines and pick up on subtleties that AI might miss. This is crucial when creating content for different stages of the buyer’s journey.

  • In the awareness stage, you need content that educates and engages. You want to be publishing content that piques the reader’s curiosity.
  • In the consideration stage, you’re focusing on providing valuable information and building trust with prospective buyers.
  • And in the decision stage, it’s all about persuasion.

Each stage requires a different tone, a different focus, and a different kind of connection. A human writer can tailor content to guide prospects seamlessly through each stage, addressing concerns and emphasizing benefits in a way that feels personal and relevant.

2. Creativity and Originality

Human writers bring a level of creativity and originality that AI simply can’t match. They can think outside the box, experiment with different formats, and come up with fresh ideas. They can produce content that not only informs but also entertains and inspires. This kind of content is gold in the SaaS space where differentiation is key.

For example, think about a blog post that goes beyond the typical “how-to” guide. Maybe it tells a story, uses humor, or incorporates an unexpected analogy. This kind of creative content is more likely to stick in the minds of your readers, making your brand more memorable.

3. Brand Voice and Personalization

Every brand has its own voice AKA its own way of speaking to its audience. Human writers are adept at capturing this voice and ensuring it’s consistent across all content. They can write in a way that feels like a natural extension of your brand’s personality – whether that’s professional, friendly, quirky, or somewhere in between.

This is particularly important in personalized content. When you’re addressing specific customer segments, your content needs to reflect their language, interests, and pain points. A human writer can adjust the tone and style to make each piece of content feel like it was written just for that reader. This helps foster a stronger connection and can help increase engagement.

4. Ethical Judgment and Integrity

Human writers can bring ethical judgment to content creation, ensuring that what’s being communicated is accurate, responsible, and aligns with your company’s values. They’re capable of handling sensitive topics with the nuance and care required, avoiding potential pitfalls that AI might stumble into.

When it comes to topics like data privacy, ethical AI use, or even sustainability, having a human at the helm can ensure that the message is not only clear but also ethically sound.

Collaborating with AI: A Balanced Approach

Now, I’m not saying we should abandon AI altogether.

In fact, the best approach might be a combination of AI and human writers. Think of AI as a helpful assistant. It can handle the heavy lifting of data analysis and idea generation. Then, a human writer steps in to refine, add nuance, and ensure the content truly speaks to the target audience.

AI can provide efficiency, but human writers bring the quality and connection that’s essential in SaaS marketing. By finding the right balance, you can harness the strengths of both and create content that’s not only efficient but also engaging and impactful.

Conclusion

In a world where AI is becoming more prevalent, it’s tempting to see it as the ultimate solution for content creation, and understandably so.

But when it comes to crafting content that resonates, inspires, and drives action, the human touch is irreplaceable. As SaaS marketers, we need to remember that while AI can help us scale our efforts, it’s the human writers who bring the creativity and nuance that makes our content truly connect with our audience.

So, next time you’re thinking about content creation, don’t just ask what AI can do for you. Ask what you and your writers can do together to create content that not only meets your goals but also truly speaks to your audience.

In your experience, which type of content do you find requires the human touch most: blogs, case studies, email marketing, or something else? Why?