Strategic Role of AI in Digital Marketing
This article was published on March 12, 2026
Categorized in: Digital Marketing, Content, SEO, AI Marketing
Digital marketing is experiencing a shift right now because of Artificial Intelligence. There are two ways that AI is being used. The first is as a productivity tool, and there second is that it has actually presented marketing opportunities that make it part of the marketing funnel. It has become an offshoot of digital marketing.
This means that AI, through AI (GEO) search, presents businesses with an opportunity to get leads through it. By being mentioned in AI search results, this could present you with opportunities. Here’s a look at how this is the case:
AI Has Changes Search Behavior
Think about your own search behavior for a moment. It used to be that when we needed to find information, we’d perform a simple query in the search engines and be connected with websites that may (or may not) have the information that we need. Now, our behavior is different. We tend to perform specific queries, expecting that we will find the answers we need in the AI answers portion of the search engines. Or, many of us have abandoned search engines all together and go directly to the LLM platforms to find information.
This has implications for our own digital marketing strategic efforts because it means we need to consider the changing nature of search behaviors, and then position ourselves in a way that will give us the competitive and strategic advantage. In other words, we need to learn how to get our business shown in AI (GEO) search results.
Leads that Come through AI Are Warmer
It is worth learning how to get your business visible in AI engines sooner than later because we have found that leads that are originating from AI tend to be a lot warmer. It used to be that potential customers would make their first touchpoint with us on the website a lot earlier in the sales cycle. Now, by the time they visit our websites, they are a lot higher up in the sales cycle because they are gathering a lot of their information about us offsite using the AI engines or through other means.
This has strategic implications because it means that we need to pay careful attention to our brand and how it’s perceived outside of our websites. This means making sure that our offsite listings are updated and that our branding is cohesive and has the same messaging across platforms. Visibility in the AI engines starts with strong branding.
Prioritize Content Authority
Another strategic adjustments that can be made is to prioritize content authority. If you are perceived as an expert in your field, your brand will have a much easier time navigating the strategic changes that AI is causing. Because AI engines pull information from all over the world This means that your authority needs to happen in other websites besides your own.
Begin by adjusting your content strategy on your own website to place greater emphasis on demonstrating your industry expertise, if you haven’t already. At the same time, expand your efforts by sharing that expertise offsite in ways that are relevant and appropriate for your industry.
AI has a strategic place in digital marketing because it is now part of the marketing funnel. We need to take this time to learn and adjust our strategies so we can be ahead of the competition.
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About the Author: Brick Marketing President, Nick Stamoulis
Nick Stamoulis is President of Brick Marketing and has over 25 years of digital marketing experience. He works directly with clients on strategy and implementation, helping solve complex marketing, lead generation and sales challenges. Nick Stamoulis is a strategist and expert with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), AI Search or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), content marketing, social media, pay per click advertising, and conversion improvement. Nick Stamoulis has worked with over 500 companies in many industries and also provides digital marketing consulting and training classes, helping companies improve performance and achieve desired outcomes.
