AI Marketing Tools: Can They Help Your Small Business?

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s here right now - and businesses of all sizes are benefitting from it. 

One of the most exciting aspects of the technology is its application in marketing. AI marketing tools are levelling the playing field between small businesses on limited budgets and large companies. 

Can AI replace the need for professional marketing support? No. But it can speed up your processes and let you maximise your budget. 

In this post, I’ll break down artificial intelligence in digital marketing and reveal which AI marketing tools deserve your time and money. 

TL;DR: AI Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

• AI won’t replace human marketers — but it can save you time, cut costs, and make your budget work harder.

• Key benefits: automation, better targeting, data insights, personalisation, and scalability.

Top tools by category:

• Content Creation: ChatGPT, Jasper, Writer, Grammarly

• SEO: Ahrefs, SEMRush, SurferSEO, Neuron Writer

• Social Media: Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, ChatGPT

• Analytics: Google Search Console, GA4

How to get started:

• Define your marketing goals.

• Start small with one or two tools.

• Test, measure, and refine.

• Always add the human touch.

When used strategically, AI tools act like an extra pair of hands, freeing you to focus on the creative and strategic work that grows your business. However, they can’t replace professional digital marketers. 

Why Small Businesses Are Turning to AI Digital Marketing 

We all understand the problems of running a small business. You’ve got a limited budget, stretched resources, and time seems like gold dust. 

Add in the fact that you need to remain competitive in your niche, and it’s easy to understand why small business owners often feel overwhelmed. 

AI digital marketing can help you save time and make the most of your budget by:

• Speeding up processes

• Automating certain tasks

• Analysing large amounts of data 

• Enhancing audience targeting 

• Scaling your marketing efforts 

The Benefits of AI Marketing Solutions for Small Businesses

AI marketing solutions for small businesses aren’t magical tools, but they can help you achieve more for your money. Here are just some of the many benefits these tools offer. 

Time-Saving Automation

You need to focus on marketing, but you’ve got to respond to customers and manage daily administrative tasks. AI can take the weight off your shoulders by automating your responses and streamlining mundane administrative duties. 

Research shows that the average employee can save 122 hours per year by using AI for administrative tasks, so there’s more time to focus on growing your business (Reuters). 

Cost-effective

While many AI marketing tools are paid, plenty of free versions are available. 

However, when you compare the cost of hiring an in-house marketer to AI tools, you’ll often find that software lets you scale up your marketing efforts at a lower cost. 

Audience Insights 

Many AI marketing solutions track user behaviour across your website, email, and social media channels. When you have this information, it’s easy to figure out what’s working and where your efforts need refining. 

Personalisation

Today’s consumers expect tailored experiences, and AI lets you integrate personalisation across all aspects of your marketing strategy. According to CMOtech, personalisation isn’t just essential for attracting new customers; it ensures you can retain them. 

So, now you know more about AI marketing tools, let’s explore the best options out there for small businesses. 

AI Tools for Content Creation 

Content creation is integral to any small company’s success. Creating content that offers helpful information, clear guidance, and genuine value for readers sets you apart as a credible authority. 

Even if you follow content writing best practices, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Google’s Helpful Content Update means content creation is no longer about finding relevant keywords and inserting them strategically into generic blog posts. 

Today, it’s all about offering unique perspectives and aligning everything you create with search intent. AI tools for content creation can help you streamline the process - but it’s vital to remember that these tools should never write your content. 

AI relies on existing data, so it can’t create unique blog posts. However, using the following tools can streamline your content creation efforts. 

The Best AI Content Creation Tools: 

• Jasper: Ideal for outlining and drafting copywriting, then asking a human writer to edit it. However, Jasper can be expensive, and its outputs are often repetitive. 

• Writer: Businesses with large writing teams can benefit from this advanced tool that enables multiple writers and marketers to collaborate and ensure consistency across all marketing assets. 

• ChatGPT: ChatGPT is the OG of content writing tools, but it’s constantly upgrading and updating. Plus, you can use it for free with limited prompts. 

• Grammarly: Grammarly is a content editor that ensures your content is error-free, grammatically correct and consistent. 

My Top Pick for Content Creation: ChatGPT 

ChatGPT is an absolute powerhouse for content creation because it can streamline your efforts and let you focus on creating blog posts, social media posts, and emails that your audience will love. 

You can use prompts to inform your content marketing and ask ChatGPT to outline your content, which makes it easier to stay on track when you write it. I also love using it to analyse my content; it lets me know if I’ve missed any important points. 

Let’s take a look at ChatGPT in action: 

Here, I asked ChatGPT if it could outline a blog post on AI marketing trends: 

Then I asked it to assess my intro to this blog post: 

My Top Pick for Editing Content: Grammarly 

Grammarly is an absolute powerhouse for editing content and ensuring it’s grammatically correct. While the free version is limited and the paid version can be pricey, I add it to my toolkit because it lets me assess content quality and ensure there are no errors (yes, even us professional writers make them!). 

One thing I will say about Grammarly is that it has a habit of trying to make your content more formal and less human. So, think carefully about which aspects you change and aim to maintain an approachable tone. 

AI SEO Tools

Google is the world’s largest search engine, with 89.9% of the market share. Billions of people use the platform to find products, services, and information - so ensuring your content ranks highly is essential. 

AI SEO tools can streamline keyword research, help you create optimised content, and assess your competitors. 

Popular tools include: 

• SEMRush: SEMRush is an all-in-one SEO platform with powerful capabilities, including keyword research, backlink analysis, competitor analysis, and a built-in SEO content writer. 

• Ahrefs: Another all-in-one platform, Ahrefs delivers in-depth SEO insights, letting you rank your website and gain complete clarity regarding competitor activities. 

• SurferSEO: SurferSEO is an AI content writer that uses NLP to isolate key terms to include in your content. 

• Neuron Writer: Neuron Writer works similarly to Surfer SEO but is available at a lower price point. 

My Top Pick For General SEO: Ahrefs 

Sure, SEMRush has a host of benefits, but Ahrefs offers a more intuitive platform and focuses on organic search instead of providing multiple marketing tools. So, when you’re looking to increase your rankings and build high authority backlinks, Ahrefs will deliver. 

Yes, it can be expensive, but small businesses can benefit from lower-tier plans that still offer a variety of features. 

My Top Pick for SEO Content Creation: Neuron Writer 

Is Neuron Writer more powerful than SurferSEO? Probably not. HOWEVER, SurferSEO requires a significant investment, and it may be out of reach for small businesses on limited budgets. 

Neuron Writer offers a range of features that let you rank your content by benchmarking it against competitors. If you’re looking for a highly capable tool that’s also wallet-friendly, I highly recommend Neuron Writer. 

Here’s an example of its content editor: 

AI Tools For Social Media Management 

Small businesses rely heavily on social media to broaden their reach and connect with audiences in real time, whether using LinkedIn, Instagram, X, TikTok or Facebook. However, small business social media marketing requires consistency. 

Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t have the time and budget to leverage the power of social media - but AI social media management tools can be invaluable. 

These tools can help you analyse your competitors, schedule posts, and repurpose your blog posts into social captions: 

• Buffer: An affordable social media management platform that lets you create and schedule posts, eliminating the need for manual posting. 

• Hootsuite: Another social media management platform that offers the same features as Buffer. 

• Sprout Social: An all-in-one platform that lets you analyse your competitors, evaluate trending topics, and schedule social media posts. 

• Metricool: A more affordable alternative to Sprout Social that features a planner, competitive analysis, and analytics. However, Metricool is more geared towards agencies and freelance social media consultants. 

• ChatGPT: Yep, we’re back to ChatGPT. This tool can help you create social media posts and repurpose your content. 

My Top Pick for Social Media Management: Buffer 

I love Buffer for its intuitive interface and convenient pricing options. Instead of paying a one-size-fits-all monthly price, the tiered system charges for each social media profile. This makes it highly affordable for small businesses and allows for scalability. 

Buffer also lets you collect and save ideas, then turn them into social media posts. 

My Top Pick for Social Media Posts: ChatGPT

Creating social media posts takes a lot of time and effort - but what if you repurpose your existing content with the click of a button? 

That’s what makes ChatGPT so powerful. All you need to do is paste your blog post content or the URL into the chat, and it will transform it into high-quality social posts. 

Here’s how the platform helped me transform one of my blogs into LinkedIn posts: 

AI Analytics and Reporting Tools 

AI analytics and reporting tools are vital for understanding how your marketing efforts are working and what you need to do better. While plenty of tools are available, small businesses should focus on accessibility and functionality. 

My opinion? The best two tools for analysing your website’s organic reach and how audiences interact with your brand are Google Search Console and GA4. 

Google Search Console

Google Search Console lets you assess your website’s organic rankings and isolate indexing issues. It’s a fantastic tool for seeing whether your content ranks on the search engine results pages, while isolating key problems holding it back. 

See how many impressions your website is generating: 

Assess your website’s internal and external backlinks: 

Discover and fix page indexing issues: 

Plus, Google Search Console is completely free to use. 

Google Analytics 4

When it comes to analysing how your website visitors find your website and engage with your content, GA4 is the gold standard for small businesses. The free tool uses predictive AI to provide recommendations and ensure your website is primed for conversions. 

While you’ll need a marketing expert to assess the data and provide recommendations based on GA4’s insights, adding it to your marketing toolkit can help you make smarter decisions that enhance engagement and conversions. 

What Is the Best AI Tool for Small Business Owners?

There’s no simple answer here, because the best AI tools for marketing depend on your goals and budget. When choosing between tools, it’s important to think about your main objectives and where you struggle most. 

Define Your Goals

Is organic visibility an issue? Or do you get plenty of website visits but minimal conversions? If you need to boost your search rankings, focus on AI content and SEO tools, as they can streamline your efforts and help you climb up the results pages. 

However, scaling up your social media efforts and using Google Analytics can be beneficial if you're struggling to turn visitors into customers. 

Start Small

AI technology is exciting, but there’s no point in investing in multiple platforms at once. Instead, focus on which platforms will benefit you most and start small. You can also upgrade your toolkit later when you’re ready to scale. 

Test and Measure

Many AI marketing solutions offer free trials, where you can test the different features and see which offers the most potential for your brand. 

Keep the Human Touch

Yes, AI is powerful - but it can’t replace human intuition and creativity. Marketers and copywriters use it to support and scale our processes, but never to replace them completely. 

Creating original content and integrating your unique brand identity into your social media marketing efforts are vital for building authentic connections with your target audience. 

How to Get Started with AI Marketing Platforms Today 

Final Thoughts

So, can AI help grow your small business? Absolutely—as long as you use it strategically and don’t forget about human intervention. 

Think of AI marketing solutions as entry-level employees who handle mundane tasks and let your experienced professionals deal with the creative stuff. 

And remember - AI can’t replicate the creativity and strategic decision-making a human expert offers. So, if you want the best of both worlds, my done-with-you marketing strategies are bespoke blueprints for you to follow. 

You get a strategy that positions your small business for lasting growth, and you can use AI tools to action it. Please get in touch today if you’d like to scale up your marketing efforts, save money, and turn your business into a conversion machine.