Adapting to AI search, leveraging influencer marketing, and capturing culture like Netflix

This week you’ll learn:

• 🔍 How to adapt your SEO strategy for AI-powered search

• 🤝 Why influencer marketing is a must for every industry

• 🎥 Netflix's CMO on capturing the cultural zeitgeist

• 📷 Supercharge your reach with Instagram Collab posts

• ⚡️ Quick Hits: TikTok ban explained, micro vs macro influencers, YouTube's advice for creators, Instagram's longer Reels

How to Adapt as GenAI Search Expands

Google is now testing AI-generated overview answers in the main search results for some queries, even for users who have not opted into the Search Generative Experience (SGE) feature. The test is limited to a small percentage of users in the U.S. for complex queries where Google has high confidence in the AI result. 

AI-powered results that provide comprehensive answers (not just links) will continue to grow. SGE Google, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and countless others are all gaining traction, often replacing “classical” Google searches.

The direct impact so far is small, but as SGE and similar systems gain traction, brands that rely on Google Search for traffic and revenue must adapt their marketing strategies to keep up. Read it from Google itself. You can currently only sign up to test it out on a personal gmail account, but it’s absolutely worth testing out to understand how this will shift how search engines will be delivering results in the future.

Potential Impact on Organic Search Traffic

AI systems like SGE provide direct answers to users' questions, stitching together reference materials from the vast dataset that is the internet to provide a comprehensive answer for the user.

However, if the user gets all the information and analysis they need right inside the Search Engine Result, they are less likely to click through to your site. Current implementations look like a Featured Snippet, featuring three or four citations competing for attention instead of one.

While the ultimate impact remains uncertain, businesses are rightfully concerned about the risks to their search traffic and revenue.

Adapting Your Marketing Strategy

That outlook seems pretty dire. The good news is though that most of the things you need to do to adapt are things you should be doing anyway.

• Leverage Subject Matter Expertise: Engage authentic voices to create content that showcases human perspectives and builds topical authority in Google's eyes. Don't be generic. Getting expert opinions and quotes into your content gives AI search a reason to pick your site over your competitors.

• Be Multi-Channel: Search should be a part of your well-balanced, multi-channel strategy. Ensure you are diversified into paid acquisition and organic social as well. Brands that have diverse traffic sources are more resilient and less exposed to risk.

• Test Your AI Visibility: Experiment with Google Labs directly (you can currently only sign up with a personal gmail account) to see how well they understand your brand and products. Submit targeted prompts related to your offerings and analyze the responses.

AI-powered search could be a big change for online marketing. While the full impact remains to be seen, the brands that adapt and iterate will always win.

Keep Reading - Moz

Influencer Marketing is For More than Just Lifestyle Brands

Influencer marketing is no longer just for fashion or lifestyle brands. More than half of marketers say influencer marketing significantly impacts brand awareness and customer loyalty.

Reaching the Next Generation

For industries slower to adopt influencer marketing due to regulations, audience assumptions, or a desire for full creative control, this is a wake-up call.

Consider these generational shifts:

• 77% of Millennials and 73% of Gen Z car buyers prefer to handle more of their next purchase from home.

• 66% of Gen Z has used YouTube, and 44% has used TikTok, to find banking information.

Meeting consumers where they are is crucial. Opting out of influencer partnerships is a missed opportunity to connect with captive social media audiences. Working with the right influencers can help you break through an oversaturated landscape, building credibility and trust with cynical yet savvy consumers.

Bringing Experiences to Life

Influencers offer legacy industries something nearly impossible to achieve through traditional marketing: the ability to bring a product or service experience to life authentically.

Car manufacturers like Subaru and Toyota are tapping influencers to showcase vehicles in action, supporting the research process in a way commercials and website slideshows can't. This approach could work for retail banks, insurance firms, and appliance brands too.

Influencers can do more than just hold up your products and smile. See if you can get them involved in how the product is developed, produced, and used. Try to build a real story with a narrative rather than just a quick promotional plug.

To reach new audiences and grow, businesses must meet potential customers where they spend the most time. Brands can break free from outdated marketing tactics and engage with their audience in a more authentic, impactful way.

Keep Reading - Sprout Social

Netflix's CMO Marian Lee on Capturing the Culture

Netflix's CMO Marian Lee is driving the platform's success by championing individual shows and tapping into the cultural zeitgeist.

She's an expert at identifying and engaging with fans, building Netflix into a cultural powerhouse.

Engaging Fans on Social Media

For Lee, the marketing magic lies in listening carefully to what fans are talking about on social, particularly TikTok where Netflix has 35 different accounts and "billions of impressions."

"We have an engaged fanbase across our social channels globally," she added. "Our teams are so connected to what each of our fandoms are doing and saying in these channels, so they're able to spot something that's bubbling from far away and capitalize on that."

Bringing the Netflix Experience to Life

Lee has also been focused on bringing conversations off-screen and offline by investing in physical events tied to original Netflix shows, making the imaginary world real.

These have included immersive soirees such as The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience, which is currently accepting guests in 10 cities across the U.S., and Squid Game: The Trials, a live interpretation of the dystopian game show-style competition featured in the Korean blockbuster series.

Use Netflix's Strategies

Not every brand has the influence that Netflix does, but every brand should aim for it.

• Identify Cultural Touchpoints: Stay attuned to the conversations, memes, and movements that resonate with your target audience, and find authentic ways to join these discussions.

• Embrace Social Media as a Two-Way Conversation: Listen to your customers, participate in trending conversations, and create content that invites interaction and user-generated responses.

• Collaborate with Influencers and Fans: Partner with influential figures and super-fans within your niche to create authentic, user-generated content that resonates with your broader audience.

• Measure Cultural Impact: Look beyond traditional ROI and consider how your campaigns are shaping conversations, influencing trends, and driving cultural relevance.

Netflix's marketing strategy, under Marian Lee's leadership, demonstrates the power of cultural relevance in building a brand. By engaging audiences both online and offline, Netflix continues to influence trends and conversations worldwide - and you can too!

Keep Reading - Adweek

Supercharge Your Instagram Collabs

Instagram Collab posts are a powerful way to expand your reach and boost engagement by sharing content with up to five other accounts. 

What are Instagram Collab Posts?

Instagram Collabs are feed posts that can be co-authored and shared by multiple accounts. The original author invites the other accounts to the Collab when posting. If the collaborators accept, the post will be shared on all feeds, expanding its reach to the followers of all accounts involved.

We have a free step-by-step guide tutorial to help you create your first IG collaboration post. Download it here!

Here's how to make the most of this feature in your social media strategy:

Find a Collab Post Partner 

Instead of posting to your audience alone, a Collab post allows you to share content with your collaborators' followers, boosting your brand's visibility.

This introduces your content to new audiences, helping you gain more followers. They also serve as an endorsement from the collaborating brand or creator.

Brainstorm broadly to discover potential Collab partners. Focus on other companies or influencers that would be relevant to your target audience and that you could work with to make something new and interesting.

For instance, Sequin Jewelry did a collab post with the astrology-themed page "The Cosmic Latte" featuring their best pieces for each horoscope sign.

Sourdough Bakery Rize Up Bakery worked with Charles Chocolates to bake a delicious chocolate sourdough loaf for Valentine's Day and promoted it using a collab post.

The increased exposure from Collab posts often leads to more likes, comments, and shares—engagement that the Instagram algorithm loves.

Collab Post Ideas

There are countless ways to use Collab posts in your social strategy. Here are a few quick ideas:

• Brand Partnerships: Collaborate on special promotions that benefit both brands' communities.

• Influencer Marketing: Co-authored posts provide an authentic endorsement, more so than a simple mention.

• Giveaways: Increase the reach of your giveaway by partnering with another brand or creator.

• Product Launches: Announce new joint product offerings to both audiences simultaneously.

Instagram Collab posts are not just about sharing space on a feed; they're about building community, extending reach, and creating genuine connections across audiences.

Download our step-by-step guide and add this strategy to your Instagram strategy!

Keep Reading - Buffer

⚡️ Quick Hits

• Explaining the TikTok ban and its possible impacts.

• Learn how "Micro" and "Macro" influencers each have their place.

• YouTube's Key Advice for Creators advises against deleting old videos to maintain algorithmic ranking.

• Instagram Expands Reels tests 3-minute videos to increase engagement and monetization opportunities.

What we’re working on right now

Adventures in Good Company(AGC) is an all-women adventure travel agency that is not only an expert in crafting wholesome and unforgettable lifetime experiences but also in fostering community, friendship, and growth.

We help AGC with their email strategy and design and grow their social accounts to help them reach new horizons. Their clear and strong values and exciting itineraries allow us to connect with their audience in a creative and effective way, which has allowed us to solidify AGC's communication strategies, reaching a read rate of 95% in their emails.

Looking for a more personalized marketing strategy?

We’re starting a new YouTube series where we take a deep dive into your business. If you’re looking for a free in-depth analysis, apply here to get started!