Kipp Bodnar.
Kipp Bodnar, CMO, HubSpot.
Picture this: you're driving to your favourite restaurant, but when you arrive, the doors are locked and there's a note saying "We've moved, but we're not telling you where." That's exactly what's happening to marketers right now.
For twenty years, marketers had a deal with Google: create great content, optimise for search, watch the traffic flow and convert visitors into customers. But that deal looks very different now. It's been a year since Google rolled out AI Overviews in Australia, and 60% of searches now end without a single click. Maybe you caught the headlines suggesting HubSpot's own blog traffic dropped nearly 80% year over year - numbers that sparked quite a conversation in the marketing community.
If you're experiencing something similar, you're not alone. But here's what most people are missing: this isn't a crisis, it's the biggest opportunity marketers have had in decades.
Why this moment changes everything
Half (50%) of Australians now use AI regularly. When someone asks ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini a question, they're not browsing — they're seeking a specific answer with clear intent. And we’re seeing this in the numbers - our own traffic from LLMs is up 1,270% year over year, and those AI-sourced leads convert more than 3 times better than traditional search traffic.
The internet isn't broken. It's evolving. And, at HubSpot, we’ve developed a new framework to help marketers not just survive this shift, but dominate it.
The Loop Marketing Framework: How to win in the AI era
We believe the most effective marketing today happens through rapid iteration across four key phases:
- Express — Develop your unique point of view
This is about crystallising what makes your brand different and valuable. Express is where you move from vague ideas to clear, compelling stories that resonate with your specific audience. It's about developing your voice, understanding your customer deeply, and creating content that only you can create.
What to do right now: Define your unique perspective on the challenges your customers face. Use AI tools to test your messaging against your target audience before you launch. This matters more than ever because when AI can create thousands of pieces of content in minutes, your unique point of view becomes your competitive advantage. Anyone with an AI tool can generate content — but only you can express your brand's distinct perspective on the problems your customers face.
- Tailor — Personalise at AI speed
Here's where it gets exciting. AI lets you be personal instead of just personalised. Instead of basic email tokens like "Hi [First Name]", you can craft bespoke messages based on company challenges, role, and timing.
The numbers don't lie: our AI-driven personalisation has delivered 82% improvement in email engagement and +50% increases in click-through rates. Why? Because these aren't template emails with a name swapped in. These are messages that use real context to sound like they could only have been written for that specific person — and that's because they actually are.
- Amplify — Diversify like your business depends on it
Because it does. This is where that SEO vs AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) shift really matters. Where SEO rewarded ranking in the top five links, AEO rewards being cited in the answer itself. Create content that gets cited, not just ranked, and start tracking new metrics like AI visibility and share of voice using tools like this free AEO grader.
Here's what's fascinating: AI engines prioritise citations from trusted sources — real customer reviews, authentic discussions on platforms like Reddit, and genuine third-party validation. By building credibility across these diverse platforms, we've seen 1,850% growth in qualified leads from AI.
But AEO is just one piece. No single channel can deliver the reach search once did. Five years ago, we made bold bets on media companies, podcast networks, and YouTube channels. Today, our YouTube leads are up 100% year over year, newsletter leads up 90%, and together they generate 2.5 times what search-driven traffic produces.
The key insight? AI has accelerated buyer fragmentation. Your customers are scattered across podcasts, video, social, newsletters. You need to be where they are.
- Evolve — Learn and adapt in real-time
Here's where things get really interesting. Traditionally, we'd run campaigns, wait weeks for data, then do a big post-mortem. AI changes that completely by enabling real-time insights using natural language queries. You can optimise while campaigns are live and extract learnings instantly.
The difference this makes is profound. Instead of quarterly campaign reviews, you're getting daily insights. Instead of waiting months to apply learnings to your next campaign, you're improving this one while it's still running.
What this means for you
I'm not going to sugarcoat this: it's never been tougher to be a marketer. But it's also never been more exciting. The companies that will dominate won't be the ones with the best AI or the best humans — they'll be the ones with the best hybrid teams.
So here's my challenge to Australian marketers: stop playing yesterday's game. The old playbook is dead, and we're writing the new one right now. Are you in?