Karen Tiber Leland is the founder of Sterling Marketing Group, a branding and marketing strategy and implementation firm specializing in personal, business and CEO branding. She is the bestselling author of 13 traditionally published books, which have sold more than 500,000 copies, including “The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build and Accelerate Your Brand.”

In the world of meeting planning, the competition for attention and engagement has reached unprecedented levels, thanks to the rapid rise of AI technology. To stay ahead and stand out from the crowd, meeting planners must ensure that their personal and business brands are AI-ready.

In today’s AI-driven digital landscape, brands that lack online discoverability, credibility and relatability are at a severe disadvantage. Any meeting planner who neglects to prepare their brand for the coming AI wave is in a dangerous position.

One reason why is that AI language models, such as the widely popular ChatGPT, rely on vast datasets of text from the internet to learn and generate responses. You must make sure that Google knows who you are and what your company is about across the net. Without online discoverability, credibility and relatability, you simply cannot compete.

I recently asked AI about a few new clients who were in the meeting planning space. Because these people had very little online presence, the response from AI was, “I don’t have enough information to provide an accurate response” or “I’m sorry, I don’t know much about this person.”

To build thought leadership, attract attendees and speakers, sell your services, recruit talent or engage potential clients, being on the radar is crucial. Not being discoverable in the AI-driven landscape carries a significant opportunity cost.

The following seven essential – yet straightforward steps can help prepare your personal and business brands for AI:

Embrace AI Education and Experimentation

Avoiding AI will only lead to falling behind. Take advantage of the abundant online resources and start experimenting to understand how AI can work for your personal and business brands.

Develop a Parallel Personal Brand

Research shows that 82% of all Americans (88% of Older Millennials) believe that companies are more influential when their CEOs and executives have personal brands. Acknowledge the need to create a parallel brand and realize that you already have one — it’s a matter of whether you want your brand to be defined by default or design.

Consistently Produce High-Quality Online Content

As AI models advance, they can better understand and generate relevant responses. Ensure that your content is visible on search engines like Google and considered an authoritative source. This can be achieved through articles, blog posts, podcasts, media interviews, social media posts, videos and more.

Understand Your Target Audience

Gain insights into your target audience’s concerns and preferences to create brand messaging and content that resonates with them. AI can help you gather data and understand what your audience wants and needs.

Monitor Your Online Reputation

In today’s interconnected world, keeping track of your online mentions, who mentions you, and what is being said is crucial. Utilize AI-powered online reputation management tools to stay on top of your personal and business brands, and address any issues promptly.

Refocus Your Social Media Strategy

A strong social media presence is essential for building your brand. However, many companies make the mistake of focusing too much on themselves. Flip the focus by ensuring that 80% of your posts revolve around keywords, industry topics, trends, customer interests and thought leadership. Use the remaining 20% to showcase your company.

 Establish Yourself as an Authority

To be seen as an authority, you must publish content. Leland suggests writing at least one long-form (600-1000 words) social media or blog post per month as a minimum.

Remember, with competition for attention and engagement at unprecedented levels, meeting planners must ensure their personal and business brands shine in the digital landscape. Without online discoverability, credibility, and relatability, you risk being left behind in the wake of the AI wave.  C&IT