Yellow Pages ... Meet Generative Engine Optimization

When I started my first consultancy, my biggest challenge was awareness.

If no one knew what I did or who I was, how could I get clients to notice me?

Fortunately, I had an answer (or so I thought). Advertise in The Yellow Pages.

For those of you too young to remember, the Yellow Pages was a printed business directory that came out once a year. It was organized by category so clients could search and discover you based on their needs.

I believed you were nobody if you weren't in the Yellow Pages. So I invested my meagre marketing budget and sent them my details.

When the next issue came out, I figured my phone would start ringing off the hook.

But I missed the print deadline by two days and my already paid for listing wouldn't appear for another 12 months. The Yellow Pages rep never mentioned that.

I thought my business was doomed.

So what happened when I finally made it into the illustrious directory a year later? Did my bottom line rocket to the stars?

Hardly. I didn't get the tiniest bump.

Looking back, it's obvious I was being naive. And making the same mistake brands have been making since the dawn of ads. Leaning too heavily on one source. And having no concrete way to measure success.

Fortunately, the digital age changed that.

And now you can get actionable insights and behavioral data from firms like our partner, AI-powered digital analytics company, Amplitude .

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Complexity Takes Center Stage

Sometimes, I long for the days of analog media when the paid marketplace was a lot easier to handle.

Yet, there's no question social and digital media, SEO and content marketing ushered in a more efficient, sophisticated and measurable way for customers to discover and engage with your brand.

And now, we've crossed another threshold and have to learn how to deal with synthetic media.

In just over two years, chatbots have become our go-to source for discovery. It's where more and more people go to seek out information, advice and news.

But unlike analog or digital media, you can't simply 'chat' with an AI company and place an ad. At least not yet.

So how can you get chatbots to mention and become a wingman for your brand?

That's where generative engine optimization comes in.

A New Path to Discovery

Generative engine optimization (GEO), sometimes also referred to as answer engine optimization, is the way to help your brand get mentioned in an AI search.

It's part content marketing, part SEO, part structured data, part social recommendations, part personalization and part PR.

That's a lot of moving parts.

GEO builds on the principles of SEO but with a twist. Keywords are less important than context. Trusted third party validation (i.e. PR) is essential. You need to demonstrate your expertise and credentials in the content you produce. And your content has demonstrate you understand your individual customers' needs.

In other words, to excel at GEO, you need a more integrated approach to marketing and communications. You have to step out of your company bubble and into your customers' shoes.

Consider the world from your customers' perspective, understand what they need and want, what questions they may have, how they phrase their requests and where your brand can help.

Right now, GEO is mostly organic. But it won't be long before tech companies try to monetize with new types of paid opportunities, too.

And while there are many differences, there are several similarities between the static Yellow Pages and interactive generative AI.

Both organize and present information about your business. Both are third-party sources your customers turn to, and trust.

And both are intermediaries between you and the way you build connections and relationships with the people you're trying to reach.

Getting started with GEO is the topic of this week's AI And Digital Marketing Trends video.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

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I guess you've discovered it's time to wrap up issue #129.

Thank you to all of you who follow me and subscribe, read, comment and share this newsletter!

This newsletter comes out twice a month. But between issues, I share shorter daily posts with my take on digital marketing and the latest on generative AI. It's another way to stay on top of the trends.

Let me know if you have questions about any of the videos in Digital Marketing Trends or any of my other LinkedIn Learning courses.

You can also visit my website and send a message or a question.

And while you're at it, follow the Future of Marketing Institute, too.

How are chatbots presenting your brand? Are you a preferred recommendation or invisible? What are you doing about it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

As for me, I'm trying to anticipate your questions and needs for the next newsletter.

See you in two weeks!

Note: All the content in this post was written by a human—me and not Martin-bot. The sponsored portion was written by Amplitude.