Wide Range of AI Signals Will Determine Purchasing Recommendations

Marketing to customers through AI is kind of like selling diapers.

The end user of the diaper does not make the purchasing decision. So we have to market to the caretaker responsible for the baby's rear end.

Similarly, millions of people are turning to AI for their purchasing decisions on everything from vacations to insurance. AI is the customer now in many cases. This means that somehow, we have to crack the algorithmic code and influence this new decision-maker. But how?

In a new episode of the Marketing Companion, I sat down with Andy Crestodina, a digital marketing pioneer and founder of Orbit Media, to unpack what AI means for modern marketing. The big question we wrestled with: When AI is making decisions for our customers, and even becoming the “customer” itself, how do marketers adapt?

You can hear this vital conversation here, including some exclusive bonus Q&A content:

Click here to enjoy The Marketing Companion Episode 321

Here are the biggest themes and actionable takeaways from our conversation.

The Internet Just Got an Upgrade

Andy described the emergence of AI as adding a transformative “middleware layer” on top of how we interact with the internet.

It enables a new kind of interaction, where people don’t just search—they converse, plan, and get advice that’s holistic and personalized. I recently experienced this firsthand: I asked an AI to plan my trip to Paris, and it generated a comprehensive itinerary, including hotels, transit, museum hours, and even restaurant recommendations. It didn’t just find answers; it made decisions, drawing information from sources I may never have found on my own.

This shift means customers now move even further down the purchase funnel before a human marketer ever appears on their radar. AI is already vetting choices, answering comparison requests, and forming recommendations—often before a prospect lands on any brand’s homepage.

Content Marketing’s New Role: Training the AIs

So how does a brand make it onto an AI’s shortlist? We’re back to content marketing, but with an essential twist. Andy puts it succinctly: “Our job now is to train AI to sort of be a sales rep for our brands by feeding it all of the important sales marketing messages.” There are two core strategies here:

1) On-site Content

Your website is still your strongest platform. AI language models train heavily on owned media—your blog, your product pages, your case studies, your FAQs. It’s never been more critical to be ridiculously explicit about:

• What you do, and who you do it for
• Services, features, and benefits
• Unique selling points and use cases
• The locations you serve
• The challenges you solve

Every detail you add is another data point informing AI’s responses.

2) Off-site Presence

But it doesn’t stop at your own domain. AI also hoovers up data from:

• Online directories
• Review sites
• Trade publications
• Podcasts
• YouTube transcripts

Where SEOs once obsessed over backlinks, Andy notes the real signal for AI seems to be the “co-occurrence” of your brand name with industry terms, regardless of website authority. It’s about brand mentions and context, not just links.

Don’t Block the Bots

Here’s a marketing must: Make sure you’re not blocking AI crawlers from your website. As Andy put it, “blocking your marketing content from an AI bot is like de-indexing yourself from Google.”

At a time when the biggest buyer guides and recommendations are being formed by automated systems, intentionally keeping your content out costs you visibility and opportunity.

Let Go of Old Emotions

I know there are creators out there who bristle at the idea of their content being ingested by AI with little credit or compensation. I get the emotional punch. But from a practical marketing perspective, if your content isn’t part of what AI sees, your brand may never show up when future buyers are getting advice and answers.

The economic value of content that is not seen and shared is zero.

So publish everywhere. Let algorithms and humans find your work. It’s time to let go and lean into the new reality.

What’s Different From Traditional Content Marketing?

Marketing remains centered on storytelling, differentiation, and connection. But the AI era means the "distribution mechanics" have changed:

Extreme clarity: Content must be unambiguous.  AI doesn’t reward cleverness or implication—it “reads” explicit statements.

Expand your digital footprint: Place your brand, with industry-relevant context, everywhere you can legitimately do so.

Collaborate widely: Guest posts, podcast appearances, and industry partnerships all feed the AI.

Don’t write for the bots -- write for people, but be aware of how AI parses your material.

Andy’s biggest tip: “Just do good marketing, and look for chances to include your elevator pitch or value proposition in every piece of distributed content.” Over time, this builds an AI-friendly footprint.

Humans Still Matter -- The Power of the Override

Here’s a vital reminder: Even AI-optimized content doesn’t get the final word.

During my Paris trip, I let AI plan the itinerary—but I overrode the suggestions because of my own passions (a secret Monet obsession!) and personal recommendations from trusted friends. AI may shape the journey, but emotion, history, word-of-mouth, and direct relationships still close the sale.

Andy adds: “Word of mouth and good branding make big tech irrelevant. People only go to the web when they don’t have a top-of-mind provider.” All the SEO and content strategy in the world can’t touch the trust of a referral or the pull of brand loyalty.

Don’t Lose Sight of the Marketing Basics

It’s tempting to become obsessed with AI optimization, but the fundamentals haven’t changed:

• Know your customer: Nothing replaces talking with your buyers. If you don’t understand their decision criteria, objections, and emotional drivers, you’ll miss the mark—AI or no AI.
• Holistic marketing: Word of mouth, direct traffic, PR, and thought leadership still move the needle. Think of ways to make yourself “discoverable” beyond algorithmic channels.
• Adapt and prepare: The brands that keep their heads, get creative, and invest in both quality and distribution will thrive in the disruption.

How We’re Preparing for the AI Signals Era

Andy shared one of my favorite takeaways: use AI as a testing tool. Before launching a web page or campaign, feed it to an AI persona based on your target customer. Ask: What questions did I leave unanswered? What objections weren’t addressed? Use AI itself to spot blind spots in your content and approach.

The AI-driven future is here—and it’s a huge opportunity for marketers who are ready to meet it. Don’t drown in the details or lose sight of the human element. Master the new distribution game, but never stop investing in the relationships, experiences, and trust that make brands irresistible.

I appreciate you and the time you took out of your day to read this! You can find more articles like this from me on the top-rated {grow} blog and while you’re there, take a look at my Marketing Companion podcast and my keynote speaking page. For news and insights find me on Twitter at @markwschaefer, to see what I do when I’m not working, follow me on Instagram, and discover my RISE community here.