Are you tired of spending countless hours manually creating content, following up with leads, and analyzing data for your small business marketing? Have you thought about using AI for small business marketing to make your life a little easier?
You're not alone. In fact, more than 25% of small businesses are already using AI tools to support their digital marketing and automation efforts.
But before you buy a ticket for the AI train, it's important to understand both the benefits and limitations of using AI for small business marketing. Because if there's one thing we know for sure, it's that AI can't do it all, and you need skill to navigate the reasoning of robots.
We also know that with the right tools and a bit of human brain power, you can create content efficiently, gain actionable consumer insights, and enhance your business's performance.
Want to know how it's done? Here's the scoop on AI for small business marketing.
Quick Takeaways
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More than 90% of marketers using AI tools say they cut costs and reduced the need to hire for additional marketing roles
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Small businesses should be aware of the pitfalls of using AI in marketing, like lack of human experience and privacy concerns
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AI for small business marketing can help enhance productivity and performance, increase ROI, optimize reporting, improve customer service, and personalize content
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AI tools are best for automating newsletters, creating content, following up with leads, predicting ad performance, improving the customer experience, and analyzing data
Start taking advantage of AI for small business marketing and give your business's performance and productivity a boost.
Can You Use AI for Small Business Marketing?
More than 80% of small businesses using AI tools agree that they are helping their companies accelerate revenue growth.
Image Source: Unbounce
Alt-text: bar graph shows that 82% of small businesses using AI tools agree that they are helping their companies accelerate revenue growth
Here at MIG, we've been dabbling in AI technology and learning how to use tools, like ChatGPT and Grammarly, to see if they're worth the hype. We've tried it all:
- Creating blog outlines
- Suggesting copy for LinkedIn posts
- Finding inspiration for blog article introductions
- Transcribing video content and webinars
- Writing keyword-focused meta-descriptions
The Verdict
There are definitely pros and cons to asking AI tools for marketing advice.
So yes, you can use AI for small business marketing – to an extent. The key to success is understanding how it can help and how it can hurt your business.
We'll give you the bad news first: AI isn't going to run your small business for you. There's a few things you need to be weary of when it comes to using AI in marketing:
- Lack of human experience. Robots can't replace humans or their experience, leaving AI-generated content a bit lackluster. Also, many customers prefer to communicate with a human representative rather than a chatbot. These factors can greatly affect the experience your customers have with your brand.
- The learning curve. There is definitely a learning curve for implementing AI-powered solutions into your marketing strategy, but you're not the only one who has some learning to do. Remember, many AI machines, like ChatGPT, are only trained on knowledge from 2021 and prior. This means having a deep understanding of the AI machines themselves is crucial to receiving accurate, quality responses.
- Privacy and ownership. A lot of concerns about data privacy and security have risen to the surface, especially when customer data is being shared with third-party providers. Not to mention, any AI-generated content is not owned by you or your company, making it even more important to be mindful of how you use AI for small business marketing.
So, although AI can help you with marketing your small business, it's important to remember to use it as a tool, and not to let AI do the work for you. If you need help creating content or a marketing strategy, it's best to consult humans before robots.
But just as there are a few pitfalls, there are a lot of areas where AI can help save time and money for your small business.
Why Should You Use AI?
More than 90% of marketers using AI tools say they helped cut costs and reduce the need to hire for additional marketing roles.
But that's not all. When used correctly, AI tools can also help small businesses:
- Enhance productivity and performance. AI tools can automate repetitive tasks and help businesses free up time to focus on more important areas.
- Increase ROI. AI solutions can reduce costs and maximize resources, ultimately increasing their ROI in the long run.
- Optimize reporting. AI tools can also analyze huge amounts of data through automated reporting applications, making reporting much more efficient.
- Improve customer service. AI can help your small businesses better understand its customers and how they feel about your products and services.
- Personalize content. 71% of marketers say they find AI helpful for personalization, an essential element in today's marketing content. AI can collect and analyze user data quickly and curate personalized recommendations for your audience.
Image Source: RasaIO
When you weave the right AI tools into your marketing strategy, you can create content efficiently and gain actionable consumer insights, ultimately enhancing your business's performance and productivity.
6 Ways Small Businesses Can Use AI in Small Business Marketing
Here's how to take advantage of AI for small business marketing and create a strategy that your audience, Google's algorithm, and AI machines love.
1. Automate Newsletters
One of the many benefits of using AI for small business marketing is its ability to automate newsletter creation. By sourcing content from different online sources and selecting the most relevant articles to include in your newsletter, AI can save you a lot of time and effort.
AI-powered newsletters can also learn the preferences of each recipient over time, allowing them to deliver a more personalized experience to your audience members. This will likely lead to better engagement and a higher ROI for your email marketing campaigns, without requiring you to manually curate content or segment your audience!
2. Create Content
AI can be a game-changer for small business owners who want to reap the benefits of an effective content marketing strategy.
Image Source: Visme
There are now many AI tools available that can help with different parts of the content creation process, like:
- Blog post outlines
- Product descriptions
- Email copy
- Social media posts
Although AI-generated content won't hold up to Google's high standards on its own, AI tools can save content creators a lot of time and energy by providing a great starting point.
AI also has the ability to edit and suggest improvements for content that's already written. This can be especially helpful for making sure the tone and voice of the content are appropriate for the intended audience.
3. Follow Up With Leads
Following up with leads in a timely, effective manner can be a challenge when you have other priorities on your plate. Now, AI tools can do it for you!
By automating lead follow-up through website chat, text, and email, AI tools can ensure that no lead gets left behind, while delivering an authentic, engaging experience for prospects. They will also:
- Answer questions
- Share information on your products and services
- Capture lead information, like contract details
- Nurture and qualify leads over time
Then, as leads become more engaged and show a strong interest in your product or service, the AI bots can then hand them off to human representatives for more personalized, detailed conversations. Not too shabby!
4. Predict Ad Performance
That's right – AI tools can help predict the performance of your ads before you even run them!
They can also learn which ads and audiences are most effective, and then tell you how to structure your future ads for maximum results. Not only that, but they'll give you tips on which images and words perform best across different audiences, too.
5. Improve the Customer Experience
AI chatbots are quickly becoming a popular tool for improving the customer experience, a top priority for businesses this year.
Image Source: SuperOffice CRM
AI have the ability to automatically converse with customers in a way that is natural and intuitive, providing immediate support and assistance.
For small businesses with limited resources, chatbots can make it easier and cheaper to offer immediate service at scale, even if you only have a small team. With a chatbot, you can provide 24/7 support to your customers without having to hire additional staff.
But chatbots aren't just a cost-saving measure – they can also help to improve customer satisfaction. By providing immediate assistance and personalized support, chatbots can help to build trust and loyalty with customers.
6. Gain Insights From Data
Tired of staring at all that website data and feeling like you're reading a foreign language? There's an AI tool for that.
AI tools for data and analytics have the ability to leverage advanced algorithms, analyze information, and extract insights that would be otherwise nearly impossible to uncover. They can also:
- Answer questions about your website's data, like "Where is my traffic coming from?"
- Identify trends and patterns
- Build complex models that predict future behavior based on demographics
- Identify areas that need improvement
With benefits like these, you'll not only save time and money, but also optimize your campaigns, increase conversions, and improve customer engagement.
AI Tools For Small Business Marketing
Remember, successful small business marketing takes some (human) brain power, but there are a few tools that can make your job a lot easier!
1. Copy.ai
This AI-powered writing tool is designed to help you create compelling and engaging copy for:
- Emails
- Website pages
- Blog posts
- Social media updates
A tool like Copy.ai is great for finding a starting place for high quality content creation, so you can save time on the brainstorming process.
2. ChatGPT
If you don't know about ChatGPT yet, it's time to move out from under your rock. From our own tests and research, we've learned that ChatGPT is best used for generating:
- Outlines (for blog posts)
- Basic copy
- Email subject lines
But remember, it's a good rule of thumb to double check any factual information it spits out. From ChatGPT itself:
Image Source: ChatGPT-3.5
Want to learn how to create effective prompts for ChatGPT that generate quality results? Watch the video below.
Video Source: The AI Advantage
3. Sapling
Sapling is an AI-powered messaging assistant that can help your team respond to customers twice as fast. This tool provides real-time suggestions and creates personalized messages to send to your customers.
Using an AI tool like Sapling can:
- Reduce your response time
- Improve language quality
- Optimize customer communication
With its easy-to-use interface and powerful AI capabilities, Sapling is ideal for small businesses that want to enhance the customer experience with AI.
4. Grammarly
Grammarly is one of the best tools for quality control (and it's free!). This AI tool for small business marketing will double check your written copy, making sure it's professional, polished, and ready for the presses.
Not to mention, Grammarly will also check for your tone, clarity, and style to really take your content to the next level. It's highly accurate, and can be installed as an extension for Google Chrome for your convenience.
5. Omnisend
Onimsend is an all-in-one marketing automation platform, but really shines through its email marketing capabilities. With this platform, you can create and send email campaigns that are target, personalized, and optimized to increase your:
- Open rates
- Click-through rates
- Conversions
- Sales
Omnisend serves as a solid solution for small businesses that want to streamline their efforts, engage customers more effectively, and drive better results across multiple channels.
Ready To Boost Your Small Business Marketing Strategy?
While there are a few pitfalls to be aware of, the benefits of AI for small business marketing are vast. When used correctly, AI tools can help you enhance productivity, increase ROI, and optimize your overall marketing strategy.
Ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level? Start creating high quality content that your audience, SERPs, and AI machines love. Get started today by checking out our weekly blog content service, or schedule a free consultation now to learn more!
The post Can Small Businesses (Really) Use AI for Marketing? appeared first on Marketing Insider Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role does marketing play in business strategy planning?
Marketing is an essential part of every business strategy. Without marketing, no one would know what your company offers. Without sales, marketing would not be possible. Marketing is an essential part of any business strategy.
But not everyone understands the importance of marketing. Marketing is not just about spending money on advertising campaigns. Marketing is much broader than that. Marketing is everything you do to promote your company's brand and position in the market.
Think about how you want your customers to perceive you. What image will I project to my customers? How can I best present myself to the world
If you don't have the answers, marketing isn't something you've considered.
What are the most effective digital marketing strategies I can use from my home?
Digital marketing is an effective way to reach customers who spend most of their time online. This is a great opportunity to generate leads and customers for your business.
You can promote your brand using social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also make use of email marketing tools for sending emails to prospects and potential clients.
You can also market your product and service in digital media in many other ways.
As long as you know how to effectively use these channels, getting started should be no problem.
Are there risks involved in digital marketing
Yes, there are several risks involved in digital marketing.
First, be careful what you post on social media.
You must also ensure that your content is original and doesn't infringe upon any other intellectual property rights.
In addition, you risk losing control of your brand image if you do not monitor your online presence closely.
You could also be vulnerable to identity theft if your personal details are used without your consent.
How to protect your online reputation
- Pay attention to what you post on social networks
- Ensure All Content Is Original And Does Not Infringe On Anyone Else's Intellectual Property Rights
- Monitor Your Brand Image
- Use strong passwords
- It is best to not divulge personal information without consent
- Notify us immediately of any unauthorized activity
- Don't Post Photos Of Yourself Or Others In A Disturbing Way
- Never give out your Social Security Number
- Keep up with the latest news
- Avoid Scams
- Choose a Secure Password
- Always Keep an Eye out for Updates
- Don't give away too much information
- Don't give out your credit card number without being vigilant
- Don't send money via E-mail
- Beware of fake websites
- Bad reviews can damage your business.
- Regularly check your credit reports
- Keep An Eye On Your Privacy Settings
- Ask someone you know before sharing anything
What amount should I budget to fund my first digital marketing campaign
It depends on the type of campaign you plan to launch. It can cost between $50-$100 to launch your first campaign.
Advertisement space can be purchased for search engines such Google or Bing. These ads cost approximately $10 per click.
If you have a website, you can create banner advertisements at various places on your site. This will help attract new visitors, and also bring back old ones to your site.
You may also be able to hire a freelancer who will design your banners. Freelancers are typically paid between $20 and $30 an hour.
After creating your first ad for the site, you can track its performance. There are many analytics tools available for free on the Internet.
You can also track data manually. You can also keep track of data manually to gather information about your campaigns.
You can then determine whether your campaign was a success by collecting these data.
If that is the case, you can still try different methods to find one that works.
What is an example of search engine marketing?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM), one of the most important components of digital marketing, is essential. SEM covers paid search engine optimization (SEO), sponsored links, display advertisements, paid inclusion and social media marketing.
Statistics
- This allows us to deliver CPCs that are 80% less than average and CTRs 4-5 times higher than average. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
- 81% of brands employ affiliate marketing, and eCommerce sites are particularly good candidates. (blog.hubspot.com)
- Many experts recommend you share 20% of your promotional content and 80% of other valuable content you find. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
- In 2017, 34% of marketers cited co-branding as the most effective way to increase the number of email subscribers. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- Companies that use personalization are seeing revenue increases ranging from 6-10%. (blog.hubspot.com)
External Links
hubspot.com
statista.com
neilpatel.com
- How to Use Search Engine Optimization to Build Your Brand
- Marketing Automation: Examples & Tools (2022)
influencermarketinghub.com
How To
Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Strategies for 2022
Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular online advertising methods marketers use today.
This allows companies to promote products without having to spend any upfront costs. Instead, affiliates get a commission for each user who purchases the advertised items.
There are two main types: performance-based or cost-per sale. An affiliate is paid after a set number of sales. Affiliates are paid a cost per sale, regardless of whether they sell any products.
This article will discuss the top 10 strategies for affiliate marketing in 2022. We'll be discussing each strategy and giving examples of successful campaigns.
#1. 1. Create a brand loyalty program
Online retailers are increasingly using brand loyalty programs. These loyalty programs enable customers to accumulate points for every visit to a website and each purchase.
These points can later redeem for discounts, rewards or other special offers.
For example, Amazon's Prime program gives members access to exclusive deals and perks.
Amazon also has a referral program called Associates. This program lets merchants refer shoppers to Amazon and receive a percentage of the revenue generated from those referrals.
#2. Promoting products using social media
You can advertise products on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Potential buyers can be targeted directly by companies through ad campaigns. For instance, Facebook allows advertisers to target specific groups of people based on interests and demographics.
They can also target people who live within a certain distance of a store location.
Twitter is another platform that allows companies to reach targeted audiences quickly. Companies can quickly send tweets to their followers and ask questions.
Instagram is similar as Twitter because it allows brands interaction with consumers. However, unlike Twitter, Instagram doesn't allow businesses to send direct messages.
Instead, followers will see posts automatically in their feeds.
Pinterest is yet another social network that allows businesses to connect with customers. These connections include answering customer questions and sharing images.
#3. #3. Offer special discounts to influencers
Influencer marketing can help increase brand awareness. Brands can work with influencers to offer incentives for them to promote their products.
This partnership often involves giving influencers free products to review or test out.
These partnerships don't just include reviewing products. Influencers could also become brand ambassadors.
Brands have the option to hire influencers who can host giveaways, give opinions, answer questions or show off their products.
#4. Create Video Ads
Video ads have become increasingly popular. Video ads have become increasingly popular since the advent of smartphones and tablets.
Advertisers may use video ads as a way to get attention and persuade viewers of their products to click on the links.
YouTube is the largest website where advertisers can place video ads. Advertisers can upload short clips up to 60 seconds on YouTube.
Google AdWords can also be used to place video ads. Google uses keywords for matching ad placements to relevant search terms.
#5. Run Mobile Campaigns
Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular. Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular as they allow users to download games, view movies, read books, and listen or play music.
People spend hours reading, playing games, listening to music, watching movies, and even watching TV.
To drive more traffic to your website, businesses should look into mobile apps.
Apps can also be downloaded to Android phones, iPhones, iPads, Android phones, tablets, and other smart devices.
App stores can be found for Apple iOS, Google Play Windows Phones, Blackberry OS, Kindle Fire, and Windows Phones.
#6. #6.
Shopping carts are an effective method for selling physical goods.
Customers can add items to their cart, then checkout to complete purchases.
Online shopping carts are gaining popularity. Online retailers such as eBay offer customers the ability to create an account and browse product listings.
Amazon and other online retailers have integrated shopping carts to their websites. Customers can choose what items they want to order and pay for them right away.
#7. #7.
A great way to get new customers is through product lines
It is common for companies to send out press releases informing the public about the new products they have launched.
The release may contain information about the new line's features, pricing, availability, and more.
After the launch, the company is free to continue marketing the products.
#8. Develop Cross-Channel Marketing Programs
Cross-channel marketing is the term used to describe marketing efforts that span multiple channels.
Cross-channel marketing can include, for instance, sending emails to subscribers via email, promoting products on social media, and running banner advertising on search engines.
Some companies combine multiple channels to increase exposure.
One example is that some companies sell products in brick-and mortar locations. In addition, they also sell products online.
Companies sometimes use both channels simultaneously in order to increase sales.
#9. #9.
Data analytics allows companies to optimize their business operations, and maximize profits. Data analytics involves the analysis of data collected from multiple sources in order to discover patterns and trends.
Analytics can help you identify problems, assess current practices, predict the future, and make suggestions for improvements.
Analytics tools are able to gather data from many sources, such as web servers and databases.
These tools can help companies learn about their customers, and to better understand their behavior.
#10. #10.
For every business, customer satisfaction is key. Customer satisfaction is key to any business. Customers are more likely return for additional services if they feel satisfied.
Customers who are satisfied with your products are more likely than others to recommend them to others.
Satisfied clients are less likely than others to complain about poor service.
All businesses must improve customer satisfaction.
This is possible by offering outstanding customer support.
Employees must respond quickly to customer inquiries and address issues promptly.
Fast shipping options are available so that customers don't have too much time before they receive their orders.
Also, ensure your website's navigation is straightforward.
Your site should load quickly, and give clear instructions.
Be aware that not all customers are the same.
Some customers might need more assistance while others aren't so much.
Therefore, you should tailor your customer support policies to suit individual needs.
Doing this ensures that everyone receives excellent service.
If you want to learn how to create an affiliate marketing campaign, check out this guide.
This article will cover everything you need to know when starting an affiliate marketing program.
You now know how to create an affiliate marketing campaign that works. Now you can start building relationships with bloggers and publishers.
This will give you experience and credibility.
This knowledge can be used to your advantage to make money.
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By: Michael Brenner
Title: Can Small Businesses (Really) Use AI for Marketing?
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/artificial-intelligence/can-small-businesses-really-use-ai-for-marketing/
Published Date: Tue, 30 May 2023 10:00:42 +0000