The transformation of social media marketing

Chris Brownlee at Yext describes how AI is transforming social media marketing and explains how brands can benefit 

 

Looking for a coffee shop in an area you are not familiar with? Or maybe you want to find out what the latest fashion trends are with a view to updating your wardrobe? 

 

Previously you would have almost certainly turned to traditional search engines to find answers to those queries. Yet, habits are changing and now you are just as likely to look at Instagram, TikTok or use an AI Search as you are to type a query into a search engine bar.  

 

Search has become a fragmented and sometimes unpredictable process. A recent survey conducted by Yext found that while 64% of customers begin their search journey on a search engine, they often move swiftly on to other sources. In fact, the results showed that as many as 94% of customers look for brand information outside Google, Bing, Facebook, and Apple. 

 

While existing traditional search engines have added generative AI to their results via platforms like Google AI Overviews, Conversational AI tools such as SearchGPT and Perplexity are increasingly becoming a ‘go-to’ when a consumer wants to know more. Gartner has in fact predicted that by 2026, 25% of search traffic will shift away from traditional methods to AI chatbots and alternative virtual methods.  

 

This trend reflects what is increasingly looking like a paradigm shift in online search behaviour, with consumers now able to harness a wide variety of options to find the information they require. 

 

As part of the ongoing fragmentation of the search landscape, social media has seeded itself as an essential part of the modern customer journey. This was echoed by a recent survey from Forbes Advisor and Talker Research that uncovered that as many as 46% of Gen Z use social media as their primary search engine, and its use is continuing to rise.  

 

How then should brands ensure that social media is delivering the results that customers demand?  

 

Smarter social media strategies 

As they navigate the converging worlds of social and search, brands have a significant and powerful ally - AI. There are four key ways that AI is powering a new era in social media; content creation, real-time monitoring, localisation, and cross-platform consistency. 

 

To keep consumers engaged brands need to deliver a steady cadence of content. Savvy companies are already powering their content creation systems with generative AI which can deliver high quality on-message posts in a fraction of the time it would take a human. This enables brands to respond quickly and efficiently to breaking news, emerging trends or audience demands.  

 

AI can be deployed across the whole content generation process from brainstorming ideas about the posts and the shape of the campaign through to the creation of visual assets such as images and video. It can also undertake some of the more mundane tasks such as scheduling, tagging, and captioning. 

 

For many brands, their first exposure to the potential of AI was deploying software to analyse the performance of their content output. These tools have now become more sophisticated and can analyse mentions, engagement, and customer sentiment in real time. This ongoing feedback loop can ensure brands remain relevant and responsive to their audiences. 

 

Tools are smart enough to suggest actions and interventions enabling social media managers to refine content strategies and engagement practices based on real-time data. They can enhance targeting by proactively suggesting the optimum days and times for content to be posted per location or network. 

 

AI can enable brands to intervene at critical points during the buying process. Say, for example, a customer requests information. AI can manage the initial conversation while simultaneously alerting the brand, moving the potential customer one step closer to a purchase. 

 

AI tools can counter negative content about a brand. If a consumer is disappointed with a product and shares a negative review, AI can draft a professional response, and identify if this is a recurring trend that needs more attention. 

 

Personalisation and localisation at scale 

Today’s online searchers also expect personalised results that align with their immediate needs, especially from multi-location brands. Consumers want more tailored, locally relevant content on social media. 

 

AI simplifies this challenge: advanced AI tools adapt messaging to reflect local cultures, preferences, and events. By defining user segments and then tailoring language, tone, and imagery, brands feel more authentic and relatable to their audiences. 

 

AI will also impact the way that consumers search for local businesses. SEO strategies that depend solely on directories or minimal local outreach will soon be outdated. They will be replaced by AI tools and assistants that deliver accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive data that is also personalized to the individual’s specific habits, traits or desires.  

 

To meet this challenge brands need to focus on accuracy, consistency to ensure AI trusts your data. Correct addresses, business hours, and localised keywords are essential for appearing in AI-driven searches, but finding ways to appeal to those consumers with very specific desires will cause content creation to go into overdrive while brands try to cover all the possible ways a consumer might be looking for their specific products or services.  

 

Consistency across fragmented channels  

The proliferation of social platforms has created a diverse landscape. AI can help unify a brand’s messaging and strategy in several ways. An obvious one is enabling brands to deliver a cohesive voice across the platforms. It can tweak content to maintain consistency and present a seamless identity regardless of platform while simultaneously subtly adjusting the message for the geolocation or platform. 

 

AI can also analyse brand presence across platforms, providing actionable recommendations to maintain alignment, coherence and in certain circumstances adherence to local regulations. 

 

The future of social media with AI

AI will play a pivotal role in the development of social media in the coming years. It will continue to shape social media as a tool for brand discovery and customer engagement.  

 

Investing in AI today will ensure brands are prepared for tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities in social media search and marketing. 

 

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Chris Brownlee is VP of Product at Yext

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and P. Kijsanayothin