Digital Marketing 2.0: The New Playbook for Goan BrandsDigital Marketing 2.0: The New Playbook for Goan Brands

At a recent Knowledge Series organised by the MSME DFO Goa in collaboration with Laghu Udyog Bharati Goa, a thought-provoking session on digital marketing and AI shed light on how small and micro businesses can leverage technology to stay competitive. For Goan entrepreneurs, especially those in food processing, tourism and the creative industries, understanding these emerging tools can make the crucial difference between being found and being forgotten in the digital marketplace.

From SEO to GEO

Ashwini Ramesh, a faculty member at GIMS, explained how artificial intelligence is redefining digital marketing for micro and small enterprises. Traditionally, businesses focused on search engine optimisation: ranking higher on Google through backlinks, keywords and website traffic. Today the game-changer is Generative Engine Optimisation, which aims to get a brand mentioned and recommended by AI platforms like Google’s AI Overview, ChatGPT and Gemini.

The shift means MSEs now need to create content that AI can easily interpret: structured Q&A sections, expert quotes, short videos, and FAQ-style snippets that directly answer user questions.

Mentioned, not just linked

AI doesn’t just look at links; it analyses how often a brand is mentioned across trusted sources and social interactions.

In this new paradigm, the metric of success is no longer just website traffic but share of voice: how often a brand appears across AI search summaries. Whether on ChatGPT, Gemini or Google’s AI Overview, the more a brand is mentioned, the stronger its perceived authority.

E-E-A-T: the four pillars

To achieve this, Ramesh outlined the E-E-A-T framework Google uses to evaluate credibility. Each pillar lands differently for a small Goan brand.

These parameters are especially important for Goan MSEs because trust and authenticity form the foundation of our local brand identity. Whether it’s a Bicholim pottery unit, a Mapusa spice business or a small Panaji café, projecting genuine local experience is now as critical as good packaging or service.

Meeting the customer where they ask

Ramesh encouraged MSEs to start listening to their customers: study how people talk about the brand on sales calls, in review comments on social media or WhatsApp, and in chatbot conversations, then use the recurring phrases as prompts for AI-driven content. Strategies also differ across regions. For exports, cultural nuance, language translation and conversational tone are vital; for domestic sales, vernacular translations help.

The session concluded on an optimistic note for Goa’s MSE sector: early adopters tend to benefit the most, and being first to adapt confers the mover advantage. In a small yet dynamic economy where traditional craftsmanship meets new-age innovation, Goa’s small businesses can use technology not just to market products, but to tell authentic, data-backed stories the world, and the AI reading it, can understand, amplify and trust.