A number of Bluffton executives, gross sales representatives and managers attended the 2025 Know-how for Advertising (TFM) Expo in London this September. they had been there to exhibit content marketing.aiBut additionally have a look to study extra concerning the AI and content material challenges for entrepreneurs within the present panorama.
After the present, they shared their greatest takeaways and classes realized.
What’s Advertising EXPO expertise?
Know-how for Advertising is the UK’s largest and most attended AI and advertising and marketing expertise (martech) occasion. The 2025 present introduced collectively over 10,000 attendees and 200 answer suppliers and companies to discover martech services, showcase their experience, and converse with trade leaders and new entrants alike.
Whether or not you are buying a brand new AI advertising and marketing answer or have one to deliver to market, you’ve got come to the fitting place.
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Why we did it + key takeaways and classes realized
Whereas our crew participates within the demonstration, content marketing.aiOn the firm’s first commerce present, they had been additionally current to take a look at trade tendencies. By participating with on a regular basis entrepreneurs, we needed to study extra about their hardest challenges and the options they are saying might help alleviate the stress.
Our crew has discovered that whereas many entrepreneurs are utilizing AI in some capability for content material creation, present instruments (usually widespread ones) are nonetheless not sufficient.
Listed below are 4 essential classes Bluftonite realized at TFM Expo 2025.
1. AI will quickly be carried out in all companies
It is no shock that AI is considerable and current in nearly each service in some type. 93% of marketers report the following about new AI capabilities: Final yr, it was added to the instruments of the tech stack. Bluffton Chief Working Officer Adam Barber acknowledged this whereas talking with others on the commerce present:
“Everybody I’ve talked to who’s creating content material is utilizing AI,” Adam mentioned. “AI will quickly be a part of each service. Both we ship it in a horny method or our shoppers will go elsewhere.”
As entrepreneurs and software program suppliers extensively undertake AI or create their very own instruments, the problem is to distinguish themselves from what’s on the market immediately. By creating actually efficient options that efficiently deal with actual, widespread ache factors, somewhat than utilizing one other shiny instrument designed to “disrupt” the trade.
2. Entrepreneurs usually are not happy with at the moment widespread AI options
ChatGPT is the largest generative AI chatbot Now let’s check out market share. Many civilians and professionals use it to streamline duties from creating grocery lists to content material creation to outlining methods, and it is good for a lot of helpful use circumstances. However ChatGPT (and different widespread GenAI instruments) would not verify all of the packing containers in relation to content material advertising and marketing, and entrepreneurs are beginning to notice that.
Cecilia Thornett content marketing.ai Trial Supervisor factors out what number of customers are dissatisfied with present AI options for advertising and marketing purposes.
“What stands out most is the sheer scale of curiosity in AI in advertising and marketing and the way so many firms, no matter measurement, are searching for higher options.”
Bluffton’s AI in Advertising survey from late 2024 reveals entrepreneurs’ prime issues about AI.
- Generic or bland content material that does not match your model voice (71.7%).
- Content material that does not match the audience, is weak, or irrelevant (42.4%).
However the truth that they’re nonetheless utilizing AI options highlights simply how highly effective these platforms are, regardless of the present challenges of widespread choices.
“Advertising stays a giant problem for a lot of firms,” Cecilia says. “AI can actually make a distinction.”
3. The way forward for web optimization remains to be unsure
Search Engine Optimization (web optimization), Reply Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — There are such a lot of “EOs” on the market that it may be onerous to know what they’re. and on the similar time tooth I believe the frenzy to call issues can be indicative of uncertainty, because it turns into more and more essential to optimize for AI in most codecs. The place is web optimization headed? What function will AI in the end play? And what’s going to we name it?
Expo attendees appeared to agree, as Josh Davies, AVP of EMEA Progress and Consumer Expertise, identified:
“[There were] “There have been a whole lot of conversations about the way forward for ‘AEO,’ GEO, and web optimization/PPC,” he mentioned.
We already know that optimizing for technology engines like Google’s AI Overview and ChatGPT is efficacious, however there are nonetheless questions on easy methods to strategy it and what really works properly and what would not.
“It was nice to fulfill so many like-minded folks, share tales from our advertising and marketing previous, and study extra about their ache factors,” mentioned Josh.
The extra folks speak about the way forward for web optimization, and the extra AI firms replace their algorithms, the extra we’ll study AI engine optimization and easy methods to strategy it extra reliably.
4. Many individuals use AI to draft content material, however the output requires a whole lot of enhancing
Whereas many entrepreneurs are difficult the instruments at their disposal, most nonetheless use them. This speaks each to the effectiveness of AI’s capacity to streamline duties (regardless of widespread ache factors) and to entrepreneurs’ need for options, even when they do not meet all of their wants.
Well-liked instruments appear to be good at one or the opposite, however hardly ever each, and entrepreneurs appear to be making trade-offs. That is most evident in content material creation.
“Entrepreneurs are utilizing AI instruments to create content material (primarily drafts), however they should make a whole lot of changes to make sure the output is on-brand,” mentioned Ramiro Gonzalez, AVP of Gross sales and Account Administration at Brafton. “Prospects want content material that is on model and at scale, and instruments like ChatGPT cannot do it.”
Ramiro additionally famous curiosity in options comparable to: It was achieved Delivering correct and persistently branded content material at scale was the primary need among the many folks he chatted with.
apply what you realized
Most of what our crew realized at TFM Expo 2025 confirmed ideas and emotions we already had after years of working with entrepreneurs and AI. Individuals need and are keen to make use of AI options, however present choices are insufficient.
Throughout demonstration content marketing.ai It was our method of exhibiting folks perspective tooth We construct instruments that bridge the hole between effectivity and effectiveness, and streamline content material creation whereas maintaining model identification on the forefront of content material.
We met with tons of of prospects and came upon what they had been taken with. content marketing.ai We needed to make a proposal, and our crew might be scheduling conferences over the subsequent few weeks.
For those who’re in the identical place as most entrepreneurs (i.e., anticipating AI instruments, however not completely happy with the present requirements), be part of Calendar. Request a demo here.
Be aware: This text was first printed content marketing.ai.
