The reach of organic social media has been significantly diminished in recent years as platforms prioritize paid advertising and algorithm-driven feeds. Every account is competing for attention amidst the sheer volume of content posted on any given network. While some people might assume that organizations should invest less time and resources into organic social media content, new technology is instead making it more impactful than ever.
The AI revolution is changing organic social media’s future in the same way it is fundamentally challenging so many other aspects of digital marketing. AI-powered search and chat platforms are crawling organic social media posts as part of the data they collect and analyze. These AI models are using social posts as evidence of relevance and trustworthiness, considering both the content itself and how users engage with it.
This shift means brands and organizations that want to create citation-worthy content featured in AI search and chat responses need to look beyond their website to their organic social media marketing. AI-ready SEO now includes new acronyms: AEO and GEO.
What is AEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is essentially SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specifically focused on providing direct answers to questions in search results. These answers usually appear in specific spots on a search engine results page (SERP), including:
- Featured snippets
- People Also Ask
- Knowledge Panels
What Does GEO Mean?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the new facet of SEO focused on optimizing content to get more citations in AI summaries (like Google AI Summaries) and responses on conversational platforms (like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini).
Today, instead of searching for information on a search engine by default, users are increasingly turning to AI platforms to ask longer, more specific questions instead of typing in a few keywords. GEO-optimized content will be cited in those answers.
AEO vs GEO for Organic Social Media
AEO, GEO and SEO are no longer focused solely on websites and their content. AEO and GEO also influence an organization’s organic social media strategy because AI platforms are using those posts to help determine how credible that brand is.
Social media content can be cited directly or used as a signal to establish brand authority. Either way, an organization is more likely to appear in AI summaries and search results if they leverage social media for AEO and GEO.
While AEO and GEO are not interchangeable, there are several best practices that can positively impact both simultaneously:
- Answer relevant questions. For AEO, brands should prioritize answering frequently asked questions in clear, concise language in social media posts. For GEO, more detailed, in-depth answers and explanations will help establish authority. This can be accomplished by starting a post with a concise question and answer, followed by a more detailed explanation. This approach works by providing a social media hook that grabs a reader’s attention before providing more robust information.
- Use a consistent brand voice. AI platforms recognize consistency in language across websites and social media. Organizations should develop a clear brand voice as a fundamental part of their strategic marketing strategy, addressing core pillars or topics in their content with consistent terminology and messaging.
- Leverage user-generated content. User-generated content (UGC) is content created about a particular brand (such as reviews, testimonials, unboxing videos, or any photos and videos made by fans, creators or customers). Organizations should share and engage with UGC across their organic social media feeds to provide social proof to AI platforms.
Remarkably, none of these best practices are new or novel for effective, engaging organic social media marketing. These ideas have been used by top performing brands long before the rise of AI platforms. Now the same principles can be applied to integrate AEO and GEO into social media strategies. The importance of prioritizing high quality, valuable organic social media content for brands and organizations, therefore, has never been higher.
Maximize Your Organic Social Media Marketing with NJA
Niki Jones Agency is your partner for developing and executing an effective organic social media strategy in this new AI-powered reality. Whether it’s integrating AEO, GEO, SEO, or whatever the next evolution of digital marketing may be, NJA has the knowledge, experience, and creativity to position brands for success.