AI & Your Customer Journey

Over the last few weeks, I've felt like I'm back to basics - relearning marketing from the ground up. And here's why: fascinating new reports and data are revealing how AI is fundamentally changing how your customers find, evaluate, and interact with your business.

The shift is already happening. 

Your customers are no longer just Googling "Thai restaurant Paddington." Instead, they're asking AI platforms: "What's the best place to get Thai food in Paddington?" or "How do I solve X problem?" or "I dug a hole and it’s filling with water – what should I do?"

What This Means for Your Business

This isn't just a tech trend - it's a ‘customer behaviour revolution’. When people ask AI for recommendations, they're having conversational interactions rather than scanning through search results.

This changes everything:

• Discovery patterns are moving from keyword-based searches to natural language queries

• Trust signals now include how well AI platforms "know" your business

• Customer expectations are evolving toward more personalised, immediate responses

What's Working

Here's what we're seeing deliver results: positive brand mentions. This means it's time to reconsider the purpose of your social media and other channels. Turns out building a presence for credibility across multiple channels now has another purpose - letting AI know you're relevant.

But here's the kicker - you need information that everyone else isn't posting on their website or socials. Humans are asking the questions, and while generic AI-generated content might be easy, it falls short of being truly informative for your clients.

They are turning to AI because we now live in ‘instant land’ and we don’t want to scroll through websites, do 5 different keyword combinations in our searches before we understand the solution to our problem: "I have 3 potatoes, half a can of corn in the fridge. What can I make for dinner?" 

Yep. You bet this was my search last night.

AI can help you quickly repurpose your know-how into something accessible across multiple communication points. But it must be your know-how and your how-to - your unique insights, experiences, expertise and approach.

Remember: You are an expert in what you do.

You know your stuff.

Your AI-Ready Checklist

If you're thinking this is overwhelming and wondering "what the hell should I do?", we hear you.

Here's where to start:

1. Be findable everywhere

• Have a website

• Have your socials

• Be on Google Business and connect your Google Business to Bing Places (we did this for our clients when Microsoft acquired ChatGPT)

  
  

2. Be interesting

• Get into the trenches with your clients and show that you have more than just generic knowledge

• Everyone is frustrated with teasers without substance

• We've all been burned by someone who sounded great but had no follow-through

• So be interesting - share real insights, actual solutions, and genuine expertise

  
  

3. Online is not everything

• If you're feeling overwhelmed, think about your favourite clients. Where did they come from? How did they find you?

• If it was from referrals or networking, then why are you spending all your time trying to make a reel instead of activating your networks?

  • Personally, having a glass of wine with good company, or what I call a 'business meeting’, sounds way more appealing to me than filming a reel; that is what works for me, and you will find your own groove

• It's important to be aware, but don’t let the AI revolution distract you from what's already working

  
  

4. Adapt

• Business is changing. You have an opportunity as a small business to be agile and adapt, and be innovative

• Seize it

Final Comments

How your customers communicate is evolving. The question isn't whether AI will impact your industry, but how quickly you'll adapt to meet your customers where they're already going.

What's your next move?

Start by thinking about the questions your customers ask AI that could lead them to your business. Then focus on creating and sharing your unique expertise.

Just be you.

You got this.

And if you feel you haven’t got this, if you're overwhelmed, or you just want to drink wine (business meeting) and pretend that this is not how The Matrix started – give me a holler.