Remington BeggThe marketing landscape is undergoing an undeniable transformation, driven by forces that demand an urgent diversification of our strategies and overall go-to-market approach. Traditional methodologies, which have historically emphasized website traffic and high search engine rankings, are rapidly becoming insufficient. This paradigm shift is driven by the proliferation of sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced wearable technology, and a fundamental evolution in how information is accessed and processed. Failure to extend contemporary marketing approaches beyond proprietary websites will lead to significant missed opportunities and eventual leading to organizations becoming obsolete.
The New Intermediaries: AI Assistants and Wearable Technology
The advent of devices like Google's new Glasses (Android XR), as discussed at events such as Google I/O, underscores this transformation. It is crucial to understand that these are not merely display units; they function as omnipresent AI assistants, integrated both visually and audibly, and possess a capacity for memory. Consider an instance where an individual, having enjoyed a coffee provided by a friend, inquired about its origin. The glasses, by recognizing the logo on the cup, were able to identify the coffee shop and provide directions—all without the user interacting with a conventional device, because the glasses remembered what they had previously seen. In another example, after a brief glance at a bookshelf, the user could ask for the title of a specific book—a white one, for instance—and the glasses would not only recall the title but also furnish a summary of its content.
Just last month I was walking along the bay in New York, and after a simple prompt about what I was looking at my Facebook Meta Glasses started told me all about the USS Intrepid museum site nearby! It really drove home how much these wearables are going to shake up the way people find and buy things. When info can just pop up anywhere, not just on a screen, we've got to really think about where these insights are coming from, but it's super important that the information we're putting out there is clear, consistent, and all ties together. If it's not, we're just going to miss out on some big opportunities as companies.
The Buyer's Journey, Augmented by AI
The traditional reliance on organic traffic, where strong content and SEO efforts were rewarded by high Google rankings—a platform utilized by over 80% of the world—is undergoing a significant change. This shift will not be instantaneous, but it will be rapid, particularly within the B2B sector, as businesses increasingly adopt tools like Google's Gemini Deep Research and other AI-driven solutions to navigate the buyer's journey toward decision.
When an individual is researching a product, they might historically have conducted five, six, or even seven searches. However, AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google Gemini Deep Research operate on a different scale. They are not simply providing an AI-generated result within a familiar search interface; they are, in some cases, executing hundreds of searches—far exceeding human capacity—to synthesize diverse perspectives and procure the most relevant information necessary for informed decision-making. This depth of automated research fundamentally alters the visibility requirements for businesses. If these AI systems are seeking multiple sources to reinforce their recommendations to the user, those sources cannot reside solely on an organization's proprietary website.
The Imperative to Diversify: Expanding the Digital Footprint
This evolving landscape demands a diverse online footprint to reinforce strategic objectives. Key elements gaining prominence include robust review profiles, external certifications, documented successes, and critically, detailed on-site Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) designed to build AI confidence in our offerings.
The impact on commerce, overall, is profound. I anticipate that in less than a year—a trend already emerging with devices like the Meta Ray-Ban glasses—the buyer's journey will increasingly detach from traditional screens. The recent announcement by Sam Altman and Jony Ive regarding their work on a "third device," intended to complement smartphones and laptops, will likely further this screen-detached interaction paradigm. As information consumption patterns and recommendation mechanisms evolve, the user's context will assume ever-greater importance. This demands that we possess deeply understood Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) and meticulously mapped buyer journeys. Crucially, our presence must extend to all platforms and communities where our target audience convenes. I envision AI tools evaluating an organization's digital footprint for consistency and reinforcement, much like a human researcher meticulously seeking thematic coherence and irrefutable evidence.
Enhancing Off-Site Authority and Credibility:
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Review Platforms: These are assuming greater significance as AI will undoubtedly consult them to ascertain public opinion and user experiences.
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Certifications and External Recognitions: Awards, accreditations, and features in reputable publications serve as valuable third-party validation of expertise.
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Case Studies (Disseminated Beyond Proprietary Channels): Consideration should be given to publishing success stories and use cases on industry forums, partner websites, or other relevant platforms, subject to appropriate permissions. For instance, taking a case study and, with client consent, publishing it or a use case derived from it on a community forum.
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Community Engagement: Active participation in relevant online communities, such as Reddit-style forums, or even the creation of proprietary communities, is crucial. Advocating within partner communities, like the HubSpot Community for an agency such as ours, represents a significant opportunity for generating user-generated content and reinforcing presence.
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The Resurgence of Press Releases: Formal announcements, particularly when disseminated through credible news outlets, are regaining importance. They provide verifiable, newsworthy content that AI can recognize as authoritative. The sheer mention of your company on such platforms, even without direct hyperlinks, will be classified and its sentiment analyzed, contributing to a valuable package of information for prospective human clients.
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Re-evaluating On-Site Content Strategy – With Emphasis on FAQs:
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The Strategic Value of Page-Specific FAQs: A pivotal first step is the creation and implementation of FAQ sections on every single one of your website pages. This may seem like a substantial undertaking, but it provides information in a structured manner (ideally utilizing schema markup) and ensures topical relevance. This is not about directing users to a generic FAQ page, which offers limited utility. Instead, the aim is to present the most relevant information to both the user and the AI agent precisely where they would expect to find it.
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Dynamic Content Integration: For platforms like HubSpot, processes can be developed to dynamically incorporate knowledge base content into relevant pages, alleviating manual labor and ensuring information remains current while enhancing page-specific relevance.
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Comprehensive Question Addressing: These FAQ sections should encompass common questions received by sales and support teams. Even if some support-related content is not directly pertinent to buyers, it is valuable for AI agents seeking to understand support processes and overall operational maturity. This allows AI to connect the dots, reinforcing that an organization has established processes. Such FAQs also render page content more actionable from a bottom-of-funnel perspective, providing information typically only accessible via sales interactions. This practice maintains a catalog of relevant, helpful information for customers and, increasingly, for AI agents, thereby creating structured data around service offerings.
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Achieving Balance in the Content Funnel:
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Historically, marketing efforts have predominantly focused on top-of-funnel activities designed to generate awareness, and top-of-the-funnel conversion, with content such as blog posts and social media updates.
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However, the future necessitates a more balanced distribution of content across all stages of the funnel. This translates to providing more specific and detailed information regarding product costs, functionality, and operational aspects—essentially, a greater volume of readily available middle and bottom-of-funnel content. This must be executed with nuance to avoid overwhelming current human buying behaviors.
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Maintaining the Focus of Human-Centric Marketing
Amidst this discussion of AI-driven transformations, it is crucial to remember that the ultimate objective remains to connect with human individuals. Encouragingly, many of the indicators of information quality and authority valued by AI agents are remarkably similar to those that reinforce a strong presence on Google and resonate with human users. We must be mindful of the future and prepare accordingly, whilst simultaneously catering to our current human audience.
The challenge lies in delivering this comprehensive information in a nuanced manner that avoids overwhelming the human buyer, while simultaneously providing AI Agent with the exhaustive data required for its research processes so it can provide recommendations.
The Future is Imminent (And Extends Beyond Conventional Screens)
With prominent innovators such as the Gemini teams at Google I/0, Sam Altman and Jony Ive reportedly developing a "third device," and undoubtedly Apple announcing their next-gen wearables at their WWDC event this year (speculation), it is reasonable to anticipate an acceleration of the trend towards screen-detached information consumption.
Understanding the user's context will become increasingly paramount. This necessitates a profound comprehension of Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) and their respective journeys, ensuring that pertinent information is accessible wherever they—and their AI assistants—are likely to seek it.
Therefore, while other entities may focus on utilizing AI to enhance the efficiency of existing blog and content creation, I advocate for a paradigm shift: leveraging AI to improve the quality and reach of our content. More importantly, we must diversify our content strategy far beyond traditional blogging. Let us prioritize the development of comprehensive, page-specific FAQs, cultivate robust online communities, and strategically distribute our content to reinforce our company's position and overall direction.
The methodology of consumer purchasing is undergoing a profound transformation, demanding proactive adaptation. Therefore, the pertinent question for all of us remains:
Is your marketing strategy adequately prepared for this evolution?
For us, the next step is CLEAR. The Framework we will use to help us navigate the AI Era and solve for our customers, and yours.
