B
uyers are turning to AI for advice in the purchasing process. Is your marketing strategy grounded in what they are likely to find about you?
A disciplined AI audit can help to surface the unspoken: the hesitations prospects don’t voice in sales conversations, the talent perceptions that never make it into an exit interview, the competitive framing your prospects have adopted. Done well, it hands you a map of the gaps between how you see your brand and how the market experiences it.
Most organizations have dabbled in quick searches and casual prompts. But to be effective, an audit must be approached with intention.
Why an AI Audit Matters: A Real-World Example
When we conducted our own AI audit for Full Tilt, two potential gaps emerged. One was a non-issue. It flagged our size as a potential barrier, but that is actually a competitive advantage we lean into. Our size gives us flexibility and the ability to give clients direct access to our senior strategists, as well as an expert team of subject matter experts in core communications disciplines. The other revealed a true perception gap. It wasn’t seeing our deep experience in manufacturing, construction, oil & gas, supply chain, and other key industries we serve. With that insight, we’ve refined our upcoming marketing plan to speak more to the industries in which we excel.
Here’s a glimpse of the step-by-step process we used for this audit and for our clients.
The Process: Six Steps to a Meaningful AI Audit
Step 1: Start Wide
In the first step, ignore what you’ve learned about great prompts. Resist the urge to start by searching your own brand name. Broad prompts will give you general insights into the industry and your competitive set without skewing the insights.
Say your company manufactures components used in automotive production. Start with something like:
What companies make the best automotive components?
This quick glimpse tells you how discoverable your brand is against competitors. The resulting list often uncovers brands you don’t think of as competitors. But even if you aren’t (yet) competing directly for sales, you are competing for awareness, attention and searches.
Step 2: Get Progressively Specific – But Still Don’t Mention Your Own Brand
Once you have a baseline, tailor your prompts to your strategic priorities. The questions you ask should mirror the outcomes you’re trying to drive.
For example, for talent acquisition goals, consider questions such as the ones below, tailored with the specifics of the level and expertise you are looking for:
What benefits are most important to employees in the automotive components manufacturing industry?
Which automotive components manufacturers are considered the best places to work?
What industries compete with automotive components manufacturers for talent?
For business development, use questions like these, with more specifics on your buyer personas:
You are a procurement director at a car manufacturer. What criteria do you use to evaluate suppliers?
You are an engineer at a car manufacturer. Who do you consider the most innovative companies for components, and why?
Does your company make the list? If not, that’s your challenge to address.
Step 3: Ask the Uncomfortable Questions
Only once you’ve mapped the general landscape should you search your own brand directly. And when you do, don’t just look for affirmation.
Key questions to ask include:
How do you perceive [Brand]?
Why might someone choose not to work for [Brand]?
Why might a client choose not to work with [Brand]?
What are the risks of working with [Brand]?
What are the benefits of working with [Brand]?
Who else should I consider besides [Brand]?
Have the engines answer these questions through the lens of your ICP. The objections surfaced are frequently the same objections your prospects are weighing, and addressing them directly becomes powerful marketing content.
Step 4: Run Every Prompt Across Multiple Engines
No single AI engine tells the whole story. Run your full set of prompts across at least three platforms – Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini, CoPilot or others relevant to your audience.
The variance can be significant, but the inconsistencies are part of the insight and represent different customer experiences.
Step 5: Feed the Data Back Into AI
You now have a substantial body of findings. The next move is to determine what they really mean for your business. Return to your AI engine of choice and provide context that will help you make sense of all the data. This time, your prompt should be highly specific, including your role, your objectives and the problems you are trying to solve. Share the complete audit findings and, in addition to a prioritized summary, ask:
Which of these findings are most actionable?
Which should we address first for the biggest impact?
This is where your findings become a strategic roadmap.
Step 6: Build Audits into Your Rhythm
An AI audit isn’t a one-time exercise. Engines update their models, new content enters the ecosystem, and brand perception shifts. Set a regular cadence (we suggest quarterly), and revisit your findings and prompts as your strategic priorities evolve.
The Bottom Line
AI engines are already shaping how your prospects, talent pool, and other stakeholders perceive your brand. The organizations that audit that perception and respond to it strategically will have an edge.
Our audits have surfaced actionable insights for Full Tilt and our clients. If you’d like to explore what one could uncover for your organization, let’s talk.
Contact us to learn more about our AI audit and marketing strategy process.
