AI’s “Secret Sauce” for Associations: Content is King

AI is taking the association world by storm. From member engagement to operational efficiency, AI is transforming the way associations work. But, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest AI hype without considering what really matters. The real secret to AI success for associations isn’t chasing shiny new tools. It’s laying a solid foundation with high-quality, well-structured content. Associations that prioritize content quality will be best positioned to harness the power of AI and deliver real value to their members.

Content is STILL King

In 1996, Bill Gates popularized the phrase “content is king” in talking about the future of the internet. News flash…. It still is!  But if he were to write that today he might say something like “Content is AI fuel” as content is now the beast that feeds the AI machine. Just look at all the scraping and indexing that AI companies did of YouTube videos and other sites to build their models. So for your association this means that YOUR content is king. And the best investment to make first is getting your content “AI Ready.”

The Benefits of AI-Ready Content for Associations

So, what can AI-ready content do for your association? Let’s explore some practical scenarios:

More Accurate AI Usage

Given AI’s ability to hallucinate and serve up incorrect answers, the first thing to be worried about and to ask yourself is “is my AI going to get it right?” After all, do you want your association website that is supposed to be the expert of your industry to be the equivalent of that lawyer who submitted a brief with fake cases?  AI-Ready content means that you can have faith and trust in the content feeding your AI tools and providing answers to your users, reducing the risk to your organization.

Personalized content recommendations

Imagine your website automatically suggesting relevant articles, webinars, and resources to each member based on their interests and past engagement. That’s the power of AI-driven content recommendations, and it can lead to higher member satisfaction and retention.

Intelligent search functionality

With an AI-driven search engine, your members can easily find the content they need, even if they don’t know the exact keywords. Better content discoverability means happier members and more engagement with your resources.

So What Makes Content “AI-Ready?”

Let’s dive deeper into what makes content AI-ready.  First and foremost, your content must be ready for human consumption.  Your eventual audience is going to be a human. So write for them!  Start by making sure your content is clear, consistent, and accurate. This means using plain language, defining key terms, and ensuring information is up-to-date and error-free. For example, if your association provides educational resources, make sure your content reflects the latest industry standards and best practices. And don’t forget, AI-ready content must be member-focused and problem-solving.  Every piece of content you create should address a specific member need or challenge. To achieve this, consider conducting regular member surveys and feedback sessions to understand their pain points and content preferences. Then, use those insights to craft targeted, actionable content that provides real value. Strong content structure and organization is also crucial for AI-readiness.  This includes using clear headings, subheadings, and tags to break up content into digestible chunks. It also means establishing a consistent taxonomy and metadata schema to help AI systems understand the relationships between different pieces of content. For instance, let’s say your association recently revamped its content structure and tagging system. By consistently applying tags like “member level,” “topic,” and “resource type,” you’ve made it easier for AI to surface relevant content for each member based on their needs and interests.  A trend to lean into in website content is the fact that AI models LOVE structured content. The fact that there is a predictable content structure, established taxonomies and good schema makes it easier for AI to ingest the content and get it ready for GenAI driven answers. Now, what happens if you neglect content quality? Poor content can lead to AI performance issues, member frustration, damage to your association’s reputation, and missed opportunities for innovation. In short, it’s a recipe for AI failure.

Security Concerns and Content Protection in the Age of AI

As you make your content AI-ready, it’s crucial to consider security and protection. The risk of content scraping and intellectual property theft is real, and the consequences can be severe. Unauthorized use of your content can lead to lost revenue, damaged credibility, and even legal liabilities. To mitigate these risks, start by implementing terms of service that clearly outline permitted uses of your content. Make sure to include specific language around AI and machine learning. Use prominent copyright notices on all your content, and consider registering copyrights for your most valuable assets. Next, establish a process for regularly monitoring the web for instances of content scraping or misuse. If you do find unauthorized use of your content, have a plan in place for issuing takedown notices and enforcing your intellectual property rights. For example, we have already started seeing referral traffic in Google Analytics showing that AI models such as ChatGPT and Gemini are sending users to our clients’ sites. These sites have been scraped and indexed by AI and are using the association content!  At the same time, it’s important to balance openness and security. While AI-readiness involves making your content easily discoverable and accessible, you don’t want to compromise the security of sensitive or proprietary information. Consider implementing role-based access controls and authentication measures to ensure the right people have access to the right content.

How to Evaluate and Improve Your Association’s Content

Ready to get started with AI-ready content? Here’s a step-by-step roadmap:

1. Conduct a content audit: Start by taking inventory of all your existing content assets. Assess each piece for quality, accuracy, relevance, and alignment with your association’s goals. Identify any gaps or areas for improvement. Use this opportunity to look for conflicting, outdated or just plain wrong content. (“Only you can prevent AI Halluciantions…”)
2. Develop a content strategy and governance plan: Based on your audit findings, create a comprehensive content strategy that outlines your goals, target audiences, content themes, and distribution channels.
3. Implement content best practices and standards: Put your content strategy into action by establishing editorial guidelines, style guides, and quality control processes. Train your content creators on AI-readiness best practices, such as using clear headings, tags, and metadata.

The Role of Content in Your Association’s AI Journey

While the rest of the world chases after the latest AI trend (which Scott Galloway often calls “Corporate Ozempic”), remember that doing it right matters more than doing it first. By prioritizing content quality, your association can lay the foundation for success. High-quality, AI-ready content will be the fuel that powers your AI initiatives, from personalized recommendations to predictive analytics. To truly harness the power of AI, your content strategy must be closely integrated with your AI planning and implementation efforts. This means involving your content teams early and often in your AI projects, and ensuring that your content governance frameworks are aligned with your AI goals. As you implement AI-powered tools and features, it’s crucial to measure the impact of your AI-ready content on key metrics and goals. Track how your content is driving member engagement, satisfaction, and retention. Monitor how AI is helping to streamline your content creation and management processes. Use these insights to continually optimize your content and AI strategies over time. Remember, your AI journey is not a one-time destination, but an ongoing process of learning, iteration, and improvement. By putting content quality at the center of your AI efforts, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.