Based on recent information, it appears that a significant number of buyers in the AsiaPacific (APAC) region are now using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to research potential vendors. This shift in buyer behavior suggests that traditional marketing approaches may not be as effective as they once were.
The Rise of AI in Buyer Research
The source material indicates that a majority of APAC buyers are turning to AI for their vendor research. This isn’t just a small trend; it’s a significant change in how people find information about companies and their offerings. Think about how you might use AI tools in your own research today – maybe to summarize long articles, find specific data points quickly, or compare different options. Buyers are doing the same thing when looking for business partners and suppliers.
Why are buyers using AI? The source doesn’t go into deep detail, but we can infer some reasons. AI can process vast amounts of information much faster than a human can. It can potentially sift through countless websites, reviews, and data points to provide a condensed view of a vendor. This saves time and effort for the buyer.
For marketers, this means that getting your company’s information in front of a human buyer might now depend on how AI tools perceive and present that information. If AI is the first filter, then your marketing needs to be understandable and accessible to these tools.
What This Means for Marketing Strategies
The core message here is that “old marketing strategies no longer apply” as effectively as before. This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing out everything you know, but it does mean rethinking how your strategies interact with a buyer who is using AI for their initial research.
Consider a traditional marketing approach where you focus heavily on direct outreach or relying solely on buyers finding your website through general search terms. If buyers are using AI to synthesize information from multiple sources before they even visit your site or respond to an email, then your message needs to be present and compelling in those sources that AI is likely to pull from.
The source doesn’t list specific “old strategies” that are failing, but we can think about some common ones that might be impacted:
- Cold outreach: If buyers are using AI to prequalify vendors, they might be less receptive to unsolicited contact.
- Generic content: AI is good at identifying patterns and extracting specific information. Generic marketing copy that doesn’t clearly state your value proposition might be overlooked by AI, and therefore by the buyer using it.
- Marketing that isn’t easily digestible by machines: This is a key point. If AI is scraping information from your website or other online presences, that information needs to be structured and clear. Overly complex language, poor website structure, or reliance on formats that AI struggles to read could be detrimental.
Adapting Your Marketing for the AIAssisted Buyer
So, how do marketers adapt? While the source doesn’t provide a stepbystep guide, the implication is clear: you need to make sure your marketing is visible and understandable to AI tools that buyers are using.
Focus on Structured Data and Clear Information
AI tools work best with structured data. This means ensuring that the information about your company, products, and services is presented in a clear, organized way online. This includes:
- Clear headings and subheadings on your website.
- Using schema markup where appropriate to label different types of content (like product information, contact details, etc.).
- Providing concise and accurate descriptions of your offerings.
- Making sure key information (pricing models, features, benefits) is easy to find and understand.
Think of it like writing for two audiences: the human buyer and the AI tool. If the AI can easily understand what you offer, it’s more likely to present your company favorably to the buyer.
Strengthen Your Online Presence Beyond Your Website
AI tools don’t just look at your website. They likely pull information from various online sources, including:
- Industry review sites
- Professional networking platforms
- News articles and press releases
- Online directories
This means you need to manage your online reputation and ensure consistent, accurate information about your company is available across multiple platforms. Positive reviews and mentions on reputable sites can influence how AI tools perceive your brand.
Create Content That Answers Buyer Questions
Buyers using AI are likely asking it specific questions about their needs and how vendors can meet them. Your content marketing should aim to answer these questions directly and clearly. This could include:
- Detailed FAQs
- Comparison guides (comparing your offering to general solutions, not necessarily competitors by name)
- Case studies that demonstrate how you solve problems
- Informational articles that address common challenges in your industry
When your content directly addresses the kinds of questions buyers are asking AI, you increase the chances that AI will pull information from your content and present it as a relevant answer.
Consider How AI Might Summarize Your Value Proposition
AI tools often provide summaries. Think about how an AI might summarize your company based on your online presence. Is that summary accurate and compelling? You can’t directly control how an AI summarizes, but by ensuring your key value proposition is clearly and stated across your online properties, you increase the likelihood that AI will pick up on it.
The Importance of Being Found by AI
The source article, though brief, highlights a significant shift. Being “findable” by a human through traditional search is still important, but now you also need to be “findable” and understandable by AI tools that are acting as intermediaries in the buyer’s research process.
This isn’t about optimizing for a specific AI algorithm in the same way you might optimize for a search engine algorithm. It’s more about making your information clear, structured, and readily available in the places where AI tools are likely to gather information.
Looking Ahead
The trend of buyers using AI for research is likely to continue and grow. Marketers in the APAC region, and globally, need to pay attention to this shift. It requires a focus on the fundamentals of clear communication and data organization in your online presence.
Instead of seeing AI as a threat, marketers can view it as a new channel or a new audience to consider. Just as you tailor your message for different human audiences, you now need to consider how your message will be interpreted and presented by AI tools.
The source article provides a concise but important : the way buyers research is changing. Adapting your marketing strategies to this new reality, particularly by focusing on making your information AIfriendly, will be key to reaching potential customers in the APAC region and beyond.