Partner

In celebration of Social Media Day, Jayde's first-ever
Chronically Online Virtual Social Media Summit is
bringing together the people who make the internet
worth scrolling—brand marketers, agency professionals,
creators, and influencer marketing pros—for an almost
full day of conversation about the profession of social.

From navigating AI to making the case for social
internally, the day is designed to give modern internet
professionals the clarity, the language, and the
community to build sustainable careers in an industry
that rarely slows down.

Use code ASHLEY50 for 50% off your ticket price.

I will be attending as one of 16 cohort members, and I can't wait! I've been a Jayde fan for a looooong time.

Hello Reader!

According to new research reported by SparkToro, 68% of Google searches now end without a click. Just two years ago, that number was 60%. The rise of AIOs, agentic search, and LLM search is changing how people discover information online.

As a result, earning visibility (one of the 3Vs in the Content Connect 3V framework) in B2B now requires an omnichannel approach, much like how DTC brands operate.

It used to be that you could optimize your website for a keyword and drive traffic to your site. Click. Funnel. Nurture. Convert.

Today, buyers discover brands very differently. To get visibility today, your whole content strategy needs to change, and must include:

1. Omnichannel presence

Buyers discover brands everywhere now, not just through Google. Search has become increasingly zero-click, with more answers delivered directly in search results, AI assistants, social feeds, communities, and other platforms.

As a result, your content needs a trustworthy presence across search, social, newsletters, podcasts, communities, video, and industry publications so your brand stays visible wherever people are researching solutions.

The goal of content marketing is not necessarily to earn clicks. It's now to become the brand people associate with your products and services.

When someone sees your research in an AI answer, hears your CEO on a podcast, reads a LinkedIn post from one of your experts, sees customers discussing you on Reddit, and encounters your brand in industry publications, you're building familiarity and trust.

Then, when they are ready to learn more, the hope is that they will search for your business or products directly.

That's where your website comes in. And when people come to your site, you need outstanding content that speaks to your readers. It becomes the destination for deeper expertise, original research, product information, case studies, proof points, and ACTION!

2. Topical identity

Search engines and AI platforms need to understand what your company is known for to surface your content properly.

Think about HubSpot and inbound marketing, lead generation, marketing automation, CRM, and sales enablement. Ahrefs and SEO, keyword research, backlinks, technical SEO, and search visibility. Shopify and ecommerce, online stores, POS systems, checkout optimization, fulfillment, and BOPIS.

These brands don't only rank for related keywords. They've become associated with entire categories and the conversations surrounding them.

The new target is to own your core topics across the web, so people find YOU when they search.

3. Ambassadors

Employees, customers, partners, and industry experts all contribute to your online presence.

The more knowledgeable people discussing your brand and expertise across platforms, the easier it becomes for both people and bots to recognize your authority.

LinkedIn's 2026 Global B2B Marketing Outlook found that 70% of marketers believe buyers rely more on peer voices and experts than brand-produced content, while 56% of B2B buyers depend on creator input in the final stage of the buying process to validate recommendations.

That's one reason LinkedIn recently launched Creator Marketplace, a platform designed to help brands partner with trusted experts and creators.

Credible voices are increasingly becoming a bigger part of search visibility and, of course, the buying journey.

4. Proof

Original research, customer stories, product data, expert insights, and real-world results give people something worth citing, sharing, and discussing.

Recent research from Aleyda Solis also found that AI systems frequently cite informational content even when it receives little direct traffic, suggesting that high-quality content can influence visibility and recommendations long before it generates a click.

5. Fans

The strongest brands create advocates who voluntarily recommend them, share their content, reference their research, and include them in conversations. Those organic mentions help influence buyers and increase visibility across the web.

Ahrefs recently analyzed 75,000 brands and found that web mentions were more strongly correlated with AI Overview visibility than backlinks. In other words, what people say about your brand increasingly influences whether AI systems talk about you, too.

Every content move should help the internet bots—and the people of the internet—think of you for topics that matter to your brand and that get you sales.

Thanks for reading,

Ashley R. Cummings