If you’re on LinkedIn, you might be noticing that nearly every conversation is about AI. From the dos and don’ts of prompts to 🚨 breaking!! 🚨 updates about ChatGPT to showing off how realistic images and videos are becoming, it’s THE talking point.
Don’t worry, I’m not here to add more to that noise.
If you’re looking for help with how to better use AI for your business and marketing, or how to make money centering your work around this endlessly growing trend, there’s plenty out there already!
In fact, it’s easy to think AI is the most important focal point right now as online business owners and anyone marketing their offerings, especially when activation-based marketers keep shouting about how, if you’re not using it, you’re going to fall behind.
And sure, if you have an attachment to staying ahead of the trends a fear of missing out, or work in an industry that genuinely requires an understanding of AI (which is not as many as you would probably guess) then I suppose you could “fall behind.”
But I want to plant another seed, especially if your work is truly rooted in purpose and creating positive changes in the world:
AI is not the only pathway to becoming a thought leader in your industry, and it’s not the only way to thrive going forward.
You’re like someone who avoided spreadsheets in 1998.”
“If you’re against AI, that’s like thinking the internet would be a fad.”
“It’s like choosing not to use social media to market your business.”
“You’re going to be less productive than people using AI.”
Okay. And?
Some people hate spreadsheets because it doesn’t work with their design and ways of thinking. And lucky for them, other people developed software to help do what spreadsheets do for a business without you ever having to use one yourself.
Plenty of businesses have grown, evolved, and succeeded without a strong internet presence (many have a website that serves as a landing page for those who will inevitably Google them, but they do zero online marketing). Lucky for them, offline and in-person strategies have never, and will never, lose their effectiveness.
Many thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and brands have left social media, only to see that their sales weren’t affected at all.
Lastly, but most importantly…
Extreme productivity isn’t the only pathway toward success, notoriety, or impact like many activation marketers believe. In fact, I would argue that the hustle-culture mentality is well past its peak (and effectiveness), and while people’s production quantities are up, their quality generally isn’t.
Let’s look at why:
🫠 People are actively burning out on technology and social media. Many are reducing their usage or leaving altogether. So, while it may feel great to have more tools to automate creating content and push out 100x more, that doesn’t mean it’s actually setting you up for success right now (or in the long run).
💪 Marketers are generally guilty of immediately jumping on the latest trends to an extreme degree, be that a new platform, trending content type, or topic of conversation. Do you know what this does? It keeps marketers in conversation with each other and in a endless race with the algorithms… not in conversation with their ideal audiences around what matters.
🤝 While marketers and business owners are busy competing to “win” at social media and stay ahead in the AI game, many are losing the plot. They’re completely missing that there’s a significant amount of people who are not interested in AI—as a tool or resource, as a conversation, or as a thing that exists. And this isn’t just my personal opinion; the data backs it up:
- A study by Axios revealed that 72% of those surveyed had a “somewhat” or “very” negative opinion of how AI would impact the spread of false information, while 64% said the same about how it affects social connections.
- A survey by Storyblok determined that 85% of the consumers surveyed didn’t want AI to help them decide what to buy. Additionally, if they knew AI had recommended something, 60% said they wouldn’t buy it.
- A Pew Research Center surveys show that Americans are increasingly cautious about the growing role of AI in their lives. 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI, compared with just 10% who say they are more excited than concerned; 36% feel a mix of excitement and concern.
This means that the average person—who is more likely to be your audience vs. other marketers unless you’re a business coach or strategist*—isn’t enamored by AI.
*If you look at other platforms or shift your algorithm results, you’ll find that many creatives and entrepreneurs are hugely opposed to the use of AI in business or marketing to any degree.
Even more important to keep in mind is that with the changes in usage and engagement on social media, the bubble of marketers that are pushing AI so loudly alongside the tech giants (all while ignoring whether or not it’s wanted by their audiences), and the current state of the world: there will be a significant shift offline.
More accurately, there will be a continued shift offline, as well as toward aligned communities. Shifts that were already beginning in the years before 2020, and were sped up by stay-at-home orders and endless Zoom conferencing during the global pandemic.
👉 This doesn’t mean that online marketing won’t matter.
👉 It doesn’t mean that AI is going away or doesn’t have its place.
It means that search engine optimization (online and local discoverability), a well-branded online hub (a website that you own), uniquely positioned thought leadership (especially with AI and AI-based search), and audience-aligned offerings will matter even more.
So, where do you start?
You go back to the basics, no matter what stage of growing your business or Channel for Change you’re in.
You:
❤️🩹 Get clear on your audience and their biggest pain points.
(Not what you think they are, based on what they were.)
🎨 Paint a picture of their ideal outcomes, big visions, and dreams.
(Times are changing; what do they want and need right now?)
🔍 Understand their search habits and how they seek solutions.
(Search matters, especially with AI content flooding social feeds.)
🧠 Clarify what they need to believe to take the next step.
(This helps us understand how to cleanly shift beliefs.)
📝 Develop your unique brand positioning and messaging.
(Now’s the time to figure out how to really stand apart!)
🎁 Create offerings that align for you and your audience.
(While considering the continued trends and shifts.)
And then you focus on developing a marketing strategy.
Stop jumping on the marketing trends and bandwagons.
Stop assuming you have to “master AI” and involve it everywhere.
Stop operating from FOMO and listening to activation marketers.
Stop playing the social media game if it’s not aligned.
I promise there’s a path to marketing that:
👉 Suits who you are as a product or service provider.
👉 Honors what works best for your audience.
👉 Establishes you as a true thought leader (which is not about endless, never-ending content creation for social media).
👉 And sets you up for true longevity in your industry.
But you have to do the foundational work first.
Need help? Book an SEO Thought Leadership Strategy Session today! We’ll map out your Thought Leadership pillars, content marketing plan, and signature offerings, and walk you through exactly how to build a Thought Leadership Suite that allows you to get off the chaotic social media train and establish yourself within the three essential search engines to continue ranking over time.
There will also be time to strategize around whatever you need the most help with right now to set yourself up for the long term.
