If you’re like most marketers, you’re worrying if you’re using AI correctly, wondering if you should change how you’re applying the marketing best practices you’ve always trusted, and what new tactic is worth the investment. I’m answering some of the questions I’ve regularly been asked this year. Hopefully, these answers can set you on the right course for 2027.

Do I need to abandon my SEO practices and change everything for AI search?

You do not need to change everything, but some things. How’s that for some clarity?! But it’s true, marketers and copywriters are now in this uncomfortable place where they need to write for AI and for humans at the same time. And both audience demand different things from the content.

You should weave in both SEO and AEO (answer engine optimization) practices into your thought leadership and content creation. In the past, SEO only needed to find keywords and metatags that matched the search terms, but AI works to answer questions directly. That means AEO practices will help you format your content and ideas in ways that AI search tools scan it for answers to people’s search questions.

As far as the actual content goes, I’ve spent a lot of time reading and hearing experts speak on this topic, and the point that comes up the most is that AI search tools are seeking content that is “trustworthy” (much like humans!) This SEMrush article does a nice job of providing a detailed explanation of what that means and how to optimize your content, but the bottom line is showing expertise with concise answers to clear questions. That doesn’t mean long form content is dead (some posts are very long today) but it does mean they should be broken up under directly-phrased subheads. Ironically, I don’t think AI generated content does a very good job of creating content that follows the patterns AI search loves!

Where you publish can impact your content too. Earlier this year, Search Engine Land reported that AI cites YouTube, Reddit and LinkedIn the most, although this varies a bit by search tool. Publishing on your own website is valuable and important, but it could be worth testing publishing some content on outside sites. These sites, along with Wikipedia and others, are seen as credible and therefore feed into the trustworthy factor.

What new tactics can I add to pep up my marketing strategy?

Text message marketing has become more common for B2C product marketing, but we’re seeing good use cases for it in some B2B spaces. More to come on how this could be applied in your marketing strategy in a future post!

Also, tactics that help you make connections with your audience such as event marketing and webinars should be a part of your marketing mix as they drive more active leads than relying solely on thought leadership or cold emails.

Are traditional tactics like newsletters and blog posts still relevant?

I think they are. At the end of the day, your newsletter is a distribution tool for the experience and expertise your blog demonstrates. If you want to know if your newsletter open rate and click rates are meeting expectations, you can view this benchmarking table from MailChimp. If you’re in the below average range, conduct an audit of your content and further test your subject lines and headers. 

What social media channels are best for B2B marketing?

I still think LinkedIn reigns supreme for businesses. That’s because this is the place people expect and prefer this kind of content. While some B2B brands have success on Instagram and Facebook, more people go to those sites for relaxation and entertainment. So if you don’t have visual content, it’s not always worth the time and budget investment. The second channel I recommend is YouTube. I’d love to see more B2B brands create shorts that give their audiences quick hits on their solutions. 

What is your best advice for marketers right now?

I say this nearly every day. Protect your brand identity fiercely. It’s truly your biggest marketing asset. With AI generated content everywhere, the only real thing you have is your authenticity. Your marketing messages and thought leadership, whether drafted by AI or not,  have to maintain your value proposition and your style, tone, voice. Without them, you melt into the content abyss with everyone else and never stand out.

Struggling to create content and marketing collateral that competes in today’s marketplace? Send me an email to learn how I can help.