05/12/2026
No…
I did not actually buy a billboard overlooking the Ravenel Bridge 😂
Although to be fair, billboard marketing probably isn’t very scalable with AI anyway.
But the message on it is real:
Most local businesses are still trying to acquire customers like it’s 2018.
And that’s becoming a serious problem.
The way people discover businesses is changing faster than most owners realize.
A few years ago, customer acquisition looked something like this:
• Google rankings
• Facebook ads
• Basic websites
• SEO blogs
• “Near me” searches
That stuff still matters…
But consumer behavior is evolving quickly because of AI.
People are starting to search differently.
Instead of typing:
“best dentist near me”
They’re asking:
“Who’s the best cosmetic dentist in Charleston with good reviews and financing options?”
That changes EVERYTHING.
AI search is moving toward:
• conversational answers
• recommendations instead of rankings
• trust signals
• authority
• review sentiment
• content quality
• business reputation
• website clarity
• local relevance
In other words:
Businesses are no longer just competing for clicks.
They’re competing to become the ANSWER.
That’s a very different game.
The businesses that adapt early are going to dominate local visibility over the next 5 years.
The ones that don’t may slowly become invisible online.
That’s one of the biggest reasons I’ve become so interested in the intersection of AI × Local Business.
