How to excel at corporate digital communications in 2026
With the AI search era gaining steam and battles over social and environmental issues showing no signs of abating, corporate communicators need to be clear around where to focus their efforts to boost visibility and build reputation.
AI bots can easily parse FAQs, making the format an excellent way to present key information
At a recent Bowen Craggs event, we spoke with Neil Jordaan, Squad Lead – Corporate Web Platforms at Bayer and Bettina Fischer, Head of Digital Strategy & Experience at Henkel – two corporate digital communication team leaders who have been thinking deeply about how to meet the current moment and prepare for what’s ahead.
Here are some key takeaways from the event.
Aim to be the definitive source of truth about the company
“What I figured out thanks to an analysis that we did with Bowen Craggs,” Bettina said, “is that when we ask certain questions about our company on ChatGPT, Perplexity or many other AI tools, Wikipedia is usually mentioned in the share of sources, but many of our own pages as well.”
Wikipedia, Reddit and other sources will vie for dominance in AI searches, but your owned channels can be the definitive source for information about the company on key topics and issues. Note what is being discussed on third-party platforms and cover those topics thoroughly on your site, using explainers, FAQs and other forms of encyclopaedic detail.
Focus on accuracy, consistency and relevance
“Take a chance to clean out any content that may be a little bit outdated. Relevance is key,” Neil said.
Good governance is more important than ever in the AI search era. Even slight inconsistencies or inaccuracies can scramble the message in AI answers.
Local websites have a key role, because local queries need local information (if someone in South Africa asks a question about the company strategy, they should get a South Africa-focused answer, for example). Set up regular check-ins with country site owners to align efforts and plan updates.
Structure content to be AI friendly
“AI is a robot, so it thinks in a very structured way,” Neil said.
Fluffy language and unstructured pages may have impact for human visitors, but AI crawlers need a more structured and fact-based approach. Ask an AI agent for advice on how to restructure information and layouts to be bot- and crawler-optimised – and perhaps even to compile a first draft.
Prioritise pages and topics where the company’s reputation would be the most at risk if its version of the facts isn’t seen.
Use the company’s values as a north star.
“We are not trying to make the global comms so fuzzy that everyone around the world says, ‘Yes, I fully agree,’” Bettina said.
Adjust the message at the local level as necessary to comply with laws and regulations and protect the company’s license to operate. But always make that whatever is communicated aligns with the corporate purpose and values. Consider linking from local web pages about topics such as diversity and climate change to the global version, so that people can get the full picture.
Coordinate across channels for reputation gains
“Really go into community management,” Neil said. “Turn that into listening, analysis and working in a comprehensive loop to continuously get better.”
AI search tools draw from all available sources, so if your corporate channels don’t project a unified message, the company’s influence will be watered down and reputation can suffer.
It is now essential for web and social teams to work in tandem. If that isn’t already happening in your organisation, it might be time to invite some of your communications colleagues to a strategy session to map out a more collaborative approach.
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