In the 1980s and 1990s, when I learned how to sell, salespeople had the upper hand. We controlled the information, there were no websites, and it was hard to comparison shop. Then, the Internet and Google flipped the balance of power, empowering businesses and buyers alike. Now, buyers had the information at their fingertips if they chose to invest the time to research it. This marked the beginning of a new era, an age of Google search and Google ads, where businesses had the opportunity to provide the most and best answers to prospects, leading to meaningful engagements.

Once a business can identify you as a prospective customer you're now in their sales funnel. And traditional sales funnels start at the top with some level of intent in need of qualification. Then there's some level of engagement measured different ways by different companies. And finally there's closing or forecasted closing activity that includes things like proposals and quotes, etcetera.

So why is that a bad thing? Our prospects are doing their own research, they show up ready to buy, they don't waste a lot of sales people's time - the whole process moves faster (or seems to).

However, this trend is not necessarily beneficial for all businesses. If you're the dominant player in your category, these longer 'dark tunnels' and shorter sales funnels can work in your favor. But if you're not dominant, these trends, coupled with the rise of AI-driven search and the costs associated with staying relevant to these AI models, can put you in a precarious situation.

If your business doesn't have the time talent or treasure continually compete in the AI information models you are going to suffer awareness and lose ability to influence the brand decisions of those prospects who are in the dark tunnels. They won't know who you are and you won't know that they're looking for what you do or sell. So what do you do?

If you're in a B2B space can you get an e-mail list and then advertise to those individuals on the e-mail list. Or capture them at a trade show, or at the office.

The dark tunnels are getting longer. The sales funnels will continue to get flatter and shorter. If you need to influence prospective customers to your brand, they need to see your brand and know that you exist, and advertising might be the most effective way to do that.

Before I end this post, I want to point out the unsaid and maybe not very obvious. Advertising is not the direct-response of search or even form-driven response that you see in Meta or LinkedIn. Advertising creates the awareness in the dark tunnel, and your prospect still needs to use that awareness in making a decision to interact with you via an e-mail, a form, a phone call, or a walk in. If all you are measuring in your marketing is the last click, or last interaction, to see what is effective, your brand is going to get lost in this new world.

Digital advertising and the techniques to build your audience have evolved significantly in the last 10 years. It's crucial for businesses to understand and adapt to these changes. At Shift Advertising, we specialize in helping our clients navigate this evolving landscape, reaching their audience without the cost or restrictions of the walled gardens. We use targeted, direct, and precise digital advertising tools. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your business, drop us a line.