I have a new baby grandson. He is an angel and an extraordinary pooper. So, his talents demand a steady supply of diapers.
The boy is the end customer for any company selling diapers. But of course we can’t market directly to him. Mom and Dad are the decision makers. So, if you’re in the diaper business, you need to create an expert marketing appeal that targets the person between you and the final customer.
A similar dynamic is now occurring with AI and it will impact every business in the world.
Chapter 6 in my new book How AI Changes Your Customers digs into the rapidly increasing trust people place on AI platforms to make decisions for them.
I provided an example in the book where ChatGPT planned a detailed vacation trip to Paris for me, including hotels, restaurants, attractions, and transportation. I used the plan exactly … without seeing an ad, an influencer, or a piece of branded content.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth. When AI becomes your customer’s brain, AI becomes your customer. More precisely, Big Tech becomes your customer.
The moment your content is summarized, rated, or recommended by a machine, you’re speaking to the algorithm instead of a person.
In essence, we’re marketing to an intermediary decision-maker. We’re all in the diaper business now.
The dirt on “diaper marketing”
If you’re in marketing, you already know that AI is chipping away at the search engine business.
For now, Google still reigns supreme. In fact, search on the site is still growing.
But even Google uses an AI-assist that answers at least 20% of user queries.
Another mind-blowing fact is that if your business shows up as a recommendation on ChatGPT, it converts to a sale at a rate 23 X compared to traditional search on Google.**
As more people lean on AI for answers, context, and judgment, their buying decisions will become passive reactions to algorithmic cues. And this is not just for low-risk decisions. People are increasingly using AI to influence major purchases and life decisions.
** I’m sorry I don’t know the exact source of this fact. It was verbally reported at a conference and I could not record the source fast enough!
AI versus SEO
Perhaps the greatest question of our time is: How do we influence this powerful AI recommendation engine?
The answer is evolving day by day but here is one perspective informed by new research and expert advice from Rand Fishkin and Andy Crestodina.
The main themes are emerging day by day, but I think at a high level this is a pretty good summary (please drop me a note if you disagree!).
Top Factors Influencing SEO Success
(In no particular order)
- Backlinks and authority signals – Credible, high-authority websites linking to your content.
- Keyword relevance and intent matching – Aligning with what people are truly searching for.
- On-page optimization – Title tags, meta descriptions, headings, alt text, internal links.
- Relevant, original content – Depth, clarity, and usefulness for the searcher.
- Technical SEO – Site speed, crawlability, mobile-friendliness, proper indexing.
Top Factors Affecting AI Referrals
- Clarity of brand positioning — Easy-to-understand description of what the business does. Extreme detail about what you do.
- Content presence in high-quality sources — Indexed articles, interviews, studies, or reviews that the model can reference.
- Topical authority — Demonstrated expertise in a niche (books, blogs, media presence). Harmonized messaging across website, social, press, and reviews.
- Reputation and trust signals – Recognized as credible, respected, and reliable. News articles, podcasts, thought leadership citations.
The Intersection!
Both SEO and AI search depend on authoritative brand content, positive social signals (validation), and content freshness (publish regularly!). The latest research shows that AI puts more weight on “newness” of the content.
Every business should be working on this, and by the way, if your internet security system is blocking AI platforms from crawling your site, stop that. I explain why here.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Many businesses will dutifully work on their content and AI signals but overlook the overrides. What is an override? The marketing power that transcends an AI recommendation:
Let’s break these down. Why are these elements of marketing important in the AI Era?
Brand preference — Brand is more important than ever. I might ask ChatGPT to plan a trip to Japan for me, but I might require flights on Delta, or a hotel stay at Hyatt because those are brand preferences. Brand love overrides whatever AI has to say.
Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) — WOMM is the most trusted, purest form of brand advocacy there is. I might consider what AI says, but I will absolutely act on a recommendation from a trusted friend. Now, increasingly that trusted friend might be AI, but that’s a story for another day.
Advertising — Great storytelling through ads can reach through the noise and connect with targeted customers.
Brand communities — About 80% of new business startups rely on a brand community as their most important form of marketing. The reason is simple. There is no stronger form of brand loyalty.
We’re all in the diaper business now
Well, there’s never a dull moment on the marketing scene, is there?
I hope today’s advice was interesting and useful. Please act on it. Think about how SEO played out. The early adopters of SEO strategy likely had an advantage and a premier place in search results.
The window will be closing on AI recommendation preferences in the same way.
Google search is still the most important marketing factor for some businesses but start considering the “diaper sales” mentality that is needed to win in the AI Era.
If you benefited from this post, you will love my new book How AI Changes Your Customers: The Marketing Guide to Humanity’s Next Act.
Need an inspiring keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.
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Image courtesy Mid Journey
