AI is NOT Killing Marketing Basics

Panic in the Streets!

Headlines blare:

• Marketing Is Dead!
• Websites Are Pointless!
• Don't Bother Blogging!
• Social Media Reach Is Gone!

Step AWAY from the Doom & Gloom!
Marketing basics are truly timeless and aren't going anywhere. If you're hoping for an easy way out of doing the marketing work by betting hard on AI, I predict a long wait. Your Mama was right—there's no easy way around work. 

Oh, sure—AI has its advantages, don't get me wrong.

• Yes, it's a time saver.
• Yes, it's a brilliant extra set of brains for strategy and ideas.
• Yes, reach with websites and the traditional marketing tools is down as everyone relies on AI summaries or searches. 
• Yes, Google announced they're changing their basic "search" function to be AI driven, featuring links you can click on if interested. 

Don't Despair!
In spite of all that, the basic marketing tools remain useful.

• Where do you think AI will be getting all of its search results from? Your marketing content!
• Focused searches for particular items or concepts remain relevant.
• AI searches provide links to their reference points—that means you!

I love this article from Blue Compass that shares website traffic hasn't dropped as significantly as predicted and offers ways to thrive in this AI era!

Birth of the Internet—Take 2!
Remember when the internet and the world wide web was a new and shiny thing in about 1990? It was going to change everything! It did—but it expanded our capabilities. It didn't replace them. 

AI is heading in a similar direction. There is a lot of talent expansion happening right now, maximizing our capabilities to do more faster. There are likely bumpy days ahead, don't get me wrong. 

But there is very definitely still a place for the basics of marketing.

Classic Marketing Isn't Going Anywhere
What would I call "classic marketing":

• Websites: This is typically your core anchor point and creates validity for you when searches or clients want to confirm if you're real or AI.
• Social media: While the reach is lousy these days and you can seemingly only get noticed by paying for ads, you still need to maintain a presence for search validity and credibility. 
• Email/newsletters: Emails and connections you own for communication is key as any of the socials can be moody, blocking you for no reason at all. Some say print is a hidden opportunity for the future.
• Public relations materials: Graphic designs for all of the above noted, business cards, flyers, and more are the backbone of all your marketing.
• Conversations: While all of the prior marketing tools potentially cost money, conversations don't have to. Sure, you can purchase membership in chamber organizations or networking groups, even premium LinkedIn, but a lot of conversations happen daily for free. This is the one area AI has no business in unless you're role playing, testing conversations, or researching someone before meeting. 

Is Blogging Useful?
Blog posts give you amazing material for visibility across all of your channels! Thanks to Nonprofit Tech for Good for sharing these blog statistics. 

• AI search: Blogs provide fresh material for your website to get picked up by AI searches.
• Social media content: Blog posts can be broken into multiple pieces to be shared over the course of time and reshared as your content library grows. Something you posted weeks or months ago will be new to new viewers and likely forgotten by your core crowd to be a great refresh. 
• Email/newsletters: Blog posts can be shared in whole, part, or teased in your emails. 
• Video content: You can share or expand on your blog material in video format to share bits on socials or fully on YouTube which can then be billed as a podcast. 

Your Turn!
How do you approach your marketing? What are you using as your core source of visibility?

I'd love to hear! Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack to message!

If you'd like to consider working together, we start by looking at where you're marketing plan is and where you'd like to be to see if we're a good fit. We focus on what is manageable for your time and energy. Click any of the links above to start!

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