Years ago, I worked as a relocation director for a company in Arkansas. Every realtor in the area used the same shorthand: NWA. Northwest Arkansas. Locally, everyone knew exactly what that meant. It was on websites, in marketing copy, on business cards.

The problem was that the people we were trying to reach, transferees relocating from all over the world to work at Walmart headquarters, had never heard of NWA. They weren’t searching for it. They were searching for “Northwest Arkansas,” or more often, something like “moving to Bentonville” or “neighborhoods near Walmart HQ.”

The realtors who showed up were the ones whose messaging matched the way outsiders actually talked about the area. We shifted ours to “relocation specialists for Northwest Arkansas transferees” and suddenly we were in the right conversations.

That was a search engine lesson. But the same principle is playing out right now with AI, and the stakes are different. Because AI isn’t matching words. It’s matching meaning.

“I Showed Up, So I’m Good” … Not Quite

Here’s what I keep hearing from business owners: “I typed my industry and my city into ChatGPT and my company came up. I’m good.”

Maybe. But probably not.

AI search doesn’t work the way Google search does. When someone types “best insurance company in Florida” into a search engine, the engine matches keywords. When someone has a conversation with AI, they’re more likely saying something like: “I just bought my first house in Jacksonville and I have no idea what kind of insurance I need or how much coverage makes sense.”

That’s not a keyword. That’s a situation. And AI is trying to match that situation to a business that clearly serves it.

What “Clarity” Actually Means in Practice

I’ve been watching the word “clarity” make the rounds lately; in posts, on stages, in advice threads. Get clear on your messaging. Lead with clarity. And I watch business owners nod along, because it sounds right. It sounds like the thing they’re supposed to do. But when the nodding stops and they’re back at their desk, most of them have no idea what that actually means or where to start.

Here’s what it actually means: Can someone who has never heard of you describe what you do, for whom, and in what situation, in one sentence that sounds like something they’d say to a friend?

That’s the test. Not whether your messaging is polished. Not whether your tagline is clever. Whether it’s repeatable in plain language by someone outside your world.

Look at the difference:

“We offer home insurance in Florida.”

That’s what most businesses say. It’s accurate. It’s also what every other insurance company in the state says. An AI pulling from that messaging has nothing to differentiate you with. You’re wallpaper.

“We help first-time homeowners in Florida understand and secure the right coverage before closing.”

Now an AI knows who you’re for (first-time buyers), what you help with (understanding coverage, not just selling a policy), and when you’re relevant (before closing). When someone tells an AI they just bought their first home and they’re overwhelmed, you’re in the conversation. The other company isn’t.

Messaging Written for Your Industry Won’t Reach the People Outside It

This isn’t a branding exercise. It’s not about finding your voice or refining your mission statement. It’s about whether your messaging contains enough specific, situational information for an AI to connect you to the right person at the right moment.

The NWA realtors weren’t unclear. They knew exactly who they were. The problem was that their messaging was written for people who already understood them, not for the people they were trying to reach.

That’s the same mistake I see business owners making with AI right now. Their messaging is written for their industry, their peers, their existing network. But AI is fielding questions from people outside that bubble. People describing situations, not typing keywords.

If your messaging doesn’t speak in situations, AI will find someone whose does.

The question isn’t “Am I showing up in AI search?” It’s: “Am I showing up in the right conversations, the ones where someone actually needs what I do?”

Those are two very different things.