Sheyne Branconnier: using AI for content research, not final copy
Sheyne Branconnier is Owner & Marketing Director of Smile MEDIA, a digital agency that combines SEO, content marketing, web strategy and technical execution to turn online visibility into qualified leads. The story is worth reading because Branconnier uses AI for early-stage content research and analysis while deliberately keeping human writers and strategists in charge of brand voice and final messaging.
Use AI to speed up research, content-gap analysis and planning, but keep humans responsible for messaging, brand voice and final quality control. Prioritise building technical SEO and authoritative, experience-driven content instead of chasing mass-produced AI copy or vanity metrics.
What’s the quick origin story of your business, and what makes what you do genuinely different from the other options your customers are looking at?
I started Smile MEDIA with the goal of helping businesses grow beyond surface-level marketing tactics and focus on strategies that create measurable business impact. Over time, we built our expertise around SEO, content marketing, web strategy, and digital growth, helping businesses turn online visibility into qualified leads and revenue.
What makes us different is that we don’t treat marketing channels as isolated activities. We combine data, customer intent, creative strategy, and technical execution to build marketing systems that support long-term growth. Instead of chasing vanity metrics like traffic alone, we focus on outcomes that matter, better visibility, stronger brand authority, and more conversions. Our approach blends the experience of a strategic partner with the hands-on execution of an in-house team.
Where does most of your new business come from today, and where do you wish it came from?
Most of our new business today comes through referrals, organic search, and our reputation within the digital marketing community. Many clients find us after seeing our SEO work, thought leadership, case studies, or content around digital growth strategies. Referrals have been especially valuable because they come with built-in trust and usually involve businesses that already understand the value of strategic marketing.
Where I’d like more growth is through strategic partnerships and stronger brand visibility among larger businesses and scaling companies. We have the expertise to support more complex marketing challenges, and I’d like to continue building relationships with organizations that see marketing as a long-term growth investment rather than just a short-term lead generation activity.
What’s one thing you’ve actually handed over to AI in the last year, and one thing you tried it on and went back to doing the human way?
One thing I’ve confidently handed over to AI is early-stage content research and analysis. I use AI to help identify content gaps, organize topic clusters, summarize large amounts of data, and generate initial outlines. This has saved significant time during the planning phase and allows my team to spend more time on strategy, creativity, and refinement.
One thing I tried but moved back to the human approach was fully AI-written content for client-facing pages. While AI was useful for creating drafts, I found that the final content often lacked the unique perspective, brand voice, and real-world insights needed to build trust. Today, we use AI as an assistant for efficiency, but human expertise remains responsible for messaging, storytelling, and final quality control.
Have you noticed a change in how customers find you or what they already know before they reach out? Is anyone arriving through AI assistants like ChatGPT yet?
Yes, I’ve noticed that customers are becoming much more informed before they reach out. Instead of starting with broad questions, many prospects now come in after researching solutions, comparing agencies, and understanding concepts like AI search, SEO, and content strategy. This has shifted our sales conversations from explaining what we do to discussing how we can solve their specific growth challenges.
We are starting to see interest coming from AI-assisted discovery as well, although it’s still an emerging channel compared to referrals and organic search. Some prospects mention finding information through ChatGPT or AI-powered search tools before contacting us. This reinforces the importance of building strong brand authority, publishing helpful content, and maintaining a consistent digital footprint across multiple channels, not just focusing on traditional rankings.
If you were advising someone in your industry on all of this for the next 12 months, what would you tell them to actually do, and what would you tell them to ignore?
I’d tell them to focus on building real authority instead of chasing every new marketing trend. Over the next 12 months, I would prioritize creating high-quality, experience-driven content, strengthening technical SEO foundations, improving customer understanding through data, and building a recognizable brand presence across search, AI platforms, and industry communities. The businesses that win will be the ones that consistently demonstrate expertise and provide genuine value.
I would tell them to ignore shortcuts, especially mass-produced AI content, vanity metrics, and tactics that promise instant rankings or overnight growth. AI is a powerful tool, but it should improve research, efficiency, and decision-making, not replace strategy and human expertise. The focus should stay on understanding customers, creating useful content, and building trust signals that compound over time.
Thank you to Sheyne Branconnier and the team at Smile MEDIA for sharing what actually worked with Leaders Perception readers.
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