Marketing teams are learning to work with AI while figuring out how it changes the way people discover and engage with content. For electrical manufacturers, that shift is happening alongside rapid growth in data centers, grid modernization and other areas of electrification.
At the NAED Marketing Summit in Indianapolis, Trade Hounds VP of Marketing Jeanette Abrahamsen spoke with Natalie Silva, Industry and Channel Marketing Leader at ABB, about these changes and what they mean for marketing teams and their channel partners.
AI is changing how people find information online. Content still needs to answer customers’ questions, but it also needs to be easy for AI-powered search tools to interpret and surface.
“We are marketing to two different entities here and we feel like we know the human, but the AI, we’re still learning,” Silva said.
AI-generated summaries at the top of search results are one example. These summaries can give users an answer without requiring them to visit the websites that supplied the information.
“How often do you keep scrolling further to find more info? Usually, it gives you what you need. So, we have to figure out how do we optimize our content,” Silva said.
Research suggests this is already affecting search behavior. A Pew Research Center analysis of Google browsing data from March 2025 found that users who encountered an AI summary clicked a traditional search result in 8% of visits, compared with 15% of visits when no AI summary appeared.
Abrahamsen said her team has been working to understand how content performs in this changing environment. That includes improving website infrastructure, implementing structured data such as schema markup, and tracking whether Trade Hounds content appears in AI chatbots and answer engines.
Many established SEO practices still apply, she said, but marketers also need to account for searches that end without a website visit. Traditional website traffic may not tell the whole story of whether content is reaching its intended audience.
For manufacturers and distributors, rankings and clicks may not tell the whole story of digital visibility. It’s increasingly important to understand whether customers can find accurate product information and whether a company’s content appears when buyers ask relevant questions.
At the same time, optimizing content for AI should not come at the expense of the people reading it.
“We never want to lose the human feel, but the AI piece is really important,” Silva said.
Content needs to be clear, useful and easy for search tools to interpret while still addressing the questions and needs of real customers.
AI tools can help marketers research markets, understand buying patterns and produce content. Silva said one challenge is figuring out which tools are useful and how to incorporate them into existing workflows.
“We’re trying to understand what’s on the market, what’s available to us, how can we use it for our day-to-day, how can we learn new things that just weren’t at our disposal before,” she said.
One area Silva’s team is exploring is agentic AI, which allows AI systems to carry out tasks with less step-by-step direction from a user.
“I think the newest thing for us is agents and agentic AI,” Silva said.
She noted that companies still need to be careful about context and proprietary information. But when used appropriately, AI agents can help with routine work that takes time away from other responsibilities.
For example, drafting a LinkedIn post can involve deciding on the message, finding the right wording and working through different approaches. An AI agent can help with that initial work, giving marketers more time to focus on the strategy behind the content.
“Then, I can do the deep thinking. Then, I can spend more time on the strategic parts of my role that are important and just require more focus time. I can give that other stuff to AI.”
For marketers who have not started experimenting with AI agents, Silva recommends beginning with a familiar task rather than trying to change an entire workflow at once.
“I’d say you have to just start, take the time, experiment, get comfortable with it.”
She compared learning to use AI consistently to building a muscle. Her advice is to start small, develop a prompt for a familiar task and use it consistently before looking for other ways to apply the technology.
Silva explained that the process should become part of a marketer’s regular routine rather than something they have to relearn each time. As she put it, “just using it consistently” is the biggest thing.
That willingness to experiment may become increasingly important as AI tools evolve. Silva said those who use the technology will be more productive and able to produce more, while those who don’t may fall behind.
AI is creating opportunities beyond the marketing department, too. While ABB is exploring how the technology can improve productivity internally, its growth is also increasing demand for the electrical infrastructure needed to support it.
Data centers require significant electrical infrastructure, making them an important growth market for manufacturers and their distribution partners.
Silva called data centers a major growth opportunity for ABB and its channel partners.
“It’s a huge growth opportunity for us and for our channel partners,” she said. “It’s an industry where we see just exponential growth. We don’t see it plateauing anytime soon.”
Federal research offers some perspective on the scale of the demand for that technology. A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report released by the U.S. Department of Energy in December 2024 estimated that U.S. data centers consumed about 4.4% of the country’s electricity in 2023. That share could rise to between 6.7% and 12% by 2028.
Meeting that demand will require more than building new data centers. The electrical grid must also be able to deliver the power they need.
“As we’re building more data centers, it needs more power. Power densities are increasing. That takes a lot more from the grid. And so how are we building a reliable grid? How are we modernizing it? That’s a huge topic of discussion right now,” Silva said.
Data centers are one part of a broader wave of investment in electrification and infrastructure. Manufacturers and distributors that understand where demand is growing will be better positioned to serve those markets.
AI is changing both how electrical manufacturers reach customers and the infrastructure needed to support the technology. For marketers, that means finding practical ways to use AI while ensuring their content remains useful to people and discoverable through AI-powered search.
As Silva’s perspective illustrates, keeping pace requires experimentation, a clear understanding of customers and an awareness of where the industry is headed.
Watch the full conversation below to hear more from Natalie Silva about AI, marketing and the opportunities ahead for the electrical industry.
How are electrical manufacturers using AI in marketing?
Electrical manufacturers are exploring AI for market research, buying-pattern analysis and content creation. AI agents can also help with routine tasks, such as drafting social media posts, giving marketers more time to focus on strategy. Companies still need to consider data privacy, proprietary information and the accuracy of AI-generated content.
How should marketers optimize content for AI search?
Marketers can make content easier for AI-powered search tools to interpret by answering questions clearly, organizing information logically and implementing structured data where appropriate. They should also monitor whether their content appears in AI-generated answers and chatbots. The goal is to improve discoverability without losing sight of the people the content is meant to help.