How 3 small business owners are — and aren’t — using AI to nail their marketing campaigns
Small business owners shared how they actually use AI to build and sustain a marketing strategy, as well as where it falls short.
Three small business owners discuss their experiences using AI tools for marketing in August, when Meta unveiled new AI features for small businesses seeking marketing assistance. Despite the rise of AI marketing tools, testing and organic content remain crucial for small businesses.
AI tools can help small business owners audit organic Facebook and Instagram posts and ads, measure their performance against similar brands, and offer strategy suggestions to improve their marketing efforts. However, small business owners have mixed experiences with AI-assisted tools.
Andrea Garcia Fry, cofounder of baby and children's clothing brand Arquia, prefers using ChatGPT or Claude as thought partners because Meta's tool may recommend more automation or spending without truly learning her business. She believes Meta benefits when advertisers spend more money on its platform.
Catalina Parker, founder of the coaching business Relatable Nonprofit, has found Meta's recommendations often ineffective for her business. She values tools that help her independently analyze marketing data instead of relying on Meta's interpretation.
Bonnie Gurry, CEO of climate-friendly investing platform GreenPortfolio, finds tools like Meta AI useful for operational time-saving. However, she emphasizes the importance of validating AI recommendations against business objectives and not ceding capital allocation or brand positioning decisions to the platform.
The main challenges small business owners face regarding paid marketing include the high cost and difficulty in finding the right customer. While Garcia Fry believes strengthening brand foundations and organic marketing has yielded better results for her brand, Parker stresses the importance of testing and understanding performance across the entire funnel. Gurry advocates for a back-to-basics approach, focusing on ads that bring in real clients over time.
Written by urgent.news from Business Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
