Marketing for Generative Conversations
If you're reading this article on the internet, and it's 2025 or later, you probably haven't been able to avoid the concept of Generative AI; the process of using machine learning models, trained on massive datasets to generate something new, including text, images, music, code, video, etc.
But for the sake of this article, I want to REMOVE the AI (we can bring it back in later) and talk about WHAT we're actually out in the market trying to generate.
And first, our CHOICE of what we want to generate is critical 😉
Common Things Marketers Generate
When we think about the concept of generation as a "tangible output", generally we're looking at things like: 1) written content, 2) visual content, 3) personalized marketing assets, 4) video & audio or 5) research & insights. But let me ask you this...
If we create MORE of [fill in the blank with 1-5 above], will it add value to the business?
For most businesses today, that causal relationship is just not there.
So, sure, we can generate more; but to what end?
More people, doing more work, costing our company more money.
Can you say, path to a cost center?
But there is something ELSE that marketing CAN really contribute to generating IF the intention and focus is there...
CONVERSATIONS.
So, what might it look like to go down that path instead?
Generating Conversations...
Very often Marketing leaves Sales to be responsible for generating conversations. And I'm not saying that Sales CAN'T keep doing that. But Marketing can do it as well 😉
And it all starts with a simple shift...
FROM creating content to SPARKING dialogue.
And what's involved in sparking anything?
Original thoughts 🎉
Personally, I'm a huge fan of the question: "what do YOU wonder?"
Because I believe, innately, we all wonder different things.
It's why we go into the business lines that we do.
It's why people start new businesses.
Because they WONDERED something.
And took action on it.
So what if we brought that wonder into our marketing? And not just into the narrative, but into our ways of being as well?
...In OUR Unique Way
Just like in everything, we have our own unique way of sparking conversations. We have places where we feel safe doing that (or not). We have specific topics that get us jazzed up.
And equally, we have ways we would NOT start a conversation; the number one thing that stops people from wanting to "pitch" on social media.
If you step back and look at your life, there are times where you have been successful at starting a conversation, and others times when you weren't. That information is showing you what works (and what doesn't) for YOU.
Which is definitely NOT the same thing that works (or doesn't) for someone else.
The key here is to:
Give yourself permission to think your original thoughts
Give yourself permission to ask questions to people related to those thoughts
Ask the next question (whatever comes up)
Now things are starting to sound like a conversation (which has back and forth).
So, we could have our Marketing team sitting behind close doors shouting things at strangers.
OR, we could have them out in the market actually talking to REAL people.
Huh, what a concept.
Taking the Conversation Somewhere
Now here's where we really get to the GENERATIVE part of this puzzle💡
If we don't know the DESTINATION of said conversation, it doesn't really matter that we generated one (and it ends up falling into the same categories above).
So, where do we WANT this to go?
For most businesses, it's a SALE.
So now it comes down to exploring how YOU would move a conversation from where it is (Point A), to a final destination (Point B).
But what happens here all too often, is that companies (or Marketing departments) decide that EVERY conversation is supposed to end up in a purchase.
Which is just not EVER going to be the case.
It would be like you marrying every single person you ever talked to. You just would never do that. Because the cost actually becomes HUGE.
But what if your Marketers could understand enough from the conversation that they could funnel people into the RIGHT areas for them to go?
I like to look at this from a Solar System / Gravity point of view (I'll explain).
You are The Sun.
Different parties orbit you at different speeds and distances. Some are Mercury. Some are Jupiter. And some are WAY out there, like Pluto (will always count as a planet for me).
Trying to make Jupiter into Mercury is going to blow up the whole system. But we DO need to know who is who to make sure everything stays in harmony.
The best way to collect that information?
CONVERSATION.
Yup, I bolded it again 🤣
Because so many Marketing departments also get distracted by surveys. But first of all, if someone hasn't already decided they need the type of thing you want, what does their survey information really mean to you? Yes, even IF they fit the demographic profile.
And second, if they don't have a meaningful relationship with your brand (customer or otherwise), why would they bother to give you meaningful information back?
They won't.
And you'll end up chasing your tail.
But if you get into conversation with those same people?
Much greater access to good data 👍
And we're all about data, aren't we Marketers?!
No 100%'s
At the end of the day, nothing is perfect. And speicifcally, no conversation.
With two perfectly imperfect humans having it? It's just not possible.
But that doesn't mean you can't explore the opportunity to generate meaningful conversations with your people. And help them get the help they seek.
All of this is possible within a conversation.
And NOT with content.
SO...if you do want to explore what AI can do for your marketing, maybe first explore how YOU and your team move humans through a conversation to a sale.
You might just discover everything is already within you ✨
Oh, and if you'd like some help with that (the effectively moving through conversations to a sales part, not the AI), then let's have a chat 💖
