Posted 09.23.2024 by Josh Krakauer

Why AI Companies Are Misreading Social Media Marketing

Are AI companies succeeding or failing with their social media marketing efforts? We asked two communities, and here’s what we found out.

The AI boom is undeniable, and companies are investing heavily in building their AI stacks. However, while the technology may be cutting-edge, AI companies are falling short in one critical area: Social media marketing.

A subtle but important distinction: This is not about social media marketing where AI is used (such as a bit of copy written by ChatGPT), but about how companies developing AI-powered products promote on social media.

We started to think about AI social media marketing a few months ago after seeing conversations about AI fatigue pop up here and there. At the same time, we came across ads promoting AI products that were far from ideal.

Still, we didn’t want to rush to conclusions based on assumptions and anecdotal evidence, so we reached out to two Reddit communities (one focused on AI, the other on marketing) with a simple question:

What is your initial reaction when you see ‘AI’ in an ad?

Across 60+ answers, a few key themes emerged: Fatigue, skepticism, and boredom.

This highlights the disconnect between how companies position AI and how consumers perceive it.

Armed with this knowledge and our social media expertise, we’ll share the findings in this article, and also some advice for companies trying to decode social media marketing for AI products.

How do people feel about ads featuring AI products?

The top respondents (whose responses received the most votes) employed terms like “buzzword”, “nothingburger”, and “ChatGPT wrapper” to describe their feelings about ads mentioning AI.

Even people who self-identified as (paid) users of leading AI products expressed negative feelings about ads with the acronym “AI” on them.

ai-fatigue-response

In summary, most respondents said they felt skeptical, bored, or jaded by the overuse of AI as a selling point, and only a handful expressed feelings that weren’t completely negative.

This gap between what companies think works and how audiences react is where the problem is: AI companies seem to be misreading social media marketing, and missing cues about communicating their value.

Marketing AI on social media: Signs of alarm + best practices

Some ads slap “AI-powered” on like it’s a cheat code to win over customers. It’s not.

Worse enough, it’ll soon become another overused term at this pace, just like it happened to “sustainable” or “crypto”.

To help steer things back on track, we’ve outlined signs of alarm and best practices to promote AI products.

Sign of alarm #1: AI fatigue is real and growing

People are bombarded with AI-related ads to the point where its mention elicits eye rolls.

ai-distrust

Best practice: Sell outcomes, not technology.

Rather than promoting “AI” as the product, focus on what it accomplishes for the user.

You know, a bit of the good old benefits over features. AI should be the engine under the hood rather than the headline.

When the hype dies out, consumer interest naturally gravitates to tangible results, so ask yourself:

  • How does the product improve the customer’s life?
  • What does that life look like after being impacted by the benefit?

This best practice has been around for a while, but remains evergreen, as this print ad from the early 1990s shows:

volvo-print-ad

Sign of alarm #2: Overcomplicating the message

Terms like “machine learning models” or “neural networks” surely belong to a whitepaper or a blog post but can be hard to digest when used on a quick video, or single-image ad.

The problem with throwing too much jargon in an ad is that it can alienate the audience instead of building the much-coveted trust that drives outcomes.

ai-complications

Best practice: Keep it simple, keep it human.

Social media marketing thrives on clarity and relatability.

Do you know what else thrives on the same qualities? Advertising.

Instead of technical explanations, simplify the message: How does AI solve a problem the audience cares about?

Tell a story that connects on a human level, and use plain language that makes the concept accessible to everyone.

Remember, your audience doesn’t need to understand the mechanics—they need to understand the value.

Sign of alarm #3: Lack of authenticity

Companies that push AI as a magic solution without addressing real concerns risk coming across as insincere.

The gap between lofty claims and actual results fuels distrust. And it’s not just us saying this:

ai-gimmicky

Best practice: Be transparent about the product and its use cases.

Acknowledge that AI is a tool, not a silver bullet.

Honest messaging that outlines both the strengths and the limits of AI goes a long way toward building trust. Transparency builds credibility and sets realistic expectations, making your brand trustworthy.

be-honest-meme

Sign of alarm #4: Poor targeting and retargeting strategies

Aside from messaging, targeting and retargeting strategies are also to blame.

Usually, it’s more than just a single targeting issue, such as lack of precision, poor retargeting strategies, lack of campaign/messaging adjustments, and problems with attribution models, among others.

This results in ads for people who either don’t care about AI or have already tuned it out.

Best practice: Identify the issues and experiment

Ad rotation and changes in audience segmentation are your friends here.

Use data-driven targeting to reach the right people at the right time.

Refine your audience based on behaviors, interests, and needs, and avoid bombarding users with the same ad over and over again.

Closing thoughts: How to start conversations around AI

Tiredness, skepticism, and fatigue aren’t new to marketers or brands.

So, what’s the antidote to these when it comes to social media marketing? Engagement.

The brands that stand out don’t just broadcast but invite real dialogue.

AI companies often fall into the trap of pushing products and features without realizing that social media thrives on interaction, not monologues.

In other words, it’s not about your product; it’s about what some people of certain characteristics can achieve with it, and how they’ll feel while and after doing it.

So, to connect with your audience, sparking conversations is a good place to start.

Here’s how to make that happen.

Start conversations, join conversations

People want to be heard. Thus, ask questions that matter to them.

What problems are they facing? What do they think about current AI trends?

Give yourself some space to ignite conversations that result in valuable insights, and show you’re interested in feedback.

And if you don’t feel like starting conversations, join existing ones.

Whether this means participating in LinkedIn discussions or engaging in niche Reddit communities, add your voice to ongoing discussions.

At one point or another, you’ll be able to contribute and add value without forcing the message into people’s attention.

Make education your priority

AI is not just feeding prompts into LLMs.

There’s a lot more out there, from image generators and speech-to-text apps to recommendation systems and summarization tools…and I’m shy of hundreds, if not thousands of products and use cases.

Companies that take the time to demystify their AI tools through engaging content—like explainer videos, infographics, or live Q&As—position themselves as educators, not just sellers.

Educational social media content gives your audience a reason to stick around and learn more.

To wrap it up: The challenge is moving beyond product promotion and into the realm of relationship-building.

As we get overwhelmed with AI promises, be the brand that listens, educates, and connects. That’s how you stand out – and if you need a helping hand, drop us a line and let us know your thoughts.

Josh Krakauer

Josh Krakauer is the CEO of Sculpt, that B2B social media agency you just discovered. Josh has launched social media campaigns for best-selling books, publicly-traded corporations, and early-stage startups. Josh works from Washington, DC, but still thinks Iowa City is the best city on earth.

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