Sharyn Smith
AI and social media platforms lead in product recommendations and conversation rates, according to influencing marketing company Social Soup.
The company’s "New Frontiers in AI and Social Search" masterclass was told almost six out of 10 consumers rely on AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity ahead of Google product/service recommendations, with a 4.4 times greater conversion rate, according to research gathered from digital marketing platform, Semrush.
This highlights the necessity of brand penetration across AI suggestions with 60% of global searches resulting in no clicks.
According to the research, 40% of Gen Z are turning to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram over Google when searching for brands or products.
Sharyn Smith, CEO, Social Soup, said brands need to become more conscious of how they are being represented in these spaces.
"We’re now well into a new era where brand visibility extends far beyond search. Brands need to do the work to understand how they show up in AI and social search," said Smith.
"Consumers are asking more complex questions in these spaces, and what matters most is the answers they get come from trusted and authentic sources.
For marketers, this means investing in content and influencer strategies that feed human communities and AI models with the right signals.
There is a growing need for brands to build trust signals through authentic content, optimise for AI discovery using natural language and keywords, and invest in volume and diversity of content to help how AI platforms actually describe their brand."
Uri Gafni, co-founder and chief business officer of branding and AI specialist, Brandlight, said US companies are working on a unified strategy to optimise the consumer experience every step of the way.
"We’re now living in a world where decisions are being shaped inside AI chats and search summaries long before anyone reaches a website. This creates a measurement and attribution challenge, but it also opens up new opportunities for brands that start monitoring, tracking and actively influencing their AI visibility today," said Gafni.
Content agency, Content Rebels’ Sarah Spence said brands need to evolve their Search Engine Optimisation to Generative Engine Optimisation to compete with the pace of AI, ensuring brand visibility.
“It feels like a full-time job just keeping up with the speed of AI search, but the fundamentals haven’t disappeared. What’s really changing is the way humans search," said Spence.
"That’s why brands need to evolve from traditional SEO to GEO [generative engine optimisation] – making sure that their owned content is as comprehensive and discoverable in AI summaries as it is in Google rankings. This is the next evolution, and it's an exciting one."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.