ChatGPT for Small Business Marketing: 5 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder
As a small business owner myself, I know how overwhelming it can be to try and keep up with marketing while running your business. That’s where ChatGPT for small business marketing comes in!
Luckily, with ChatGPT, you can automate many of your repetitive marketing tasks—it’s like having a keen and intelligent assistant available 24/7.
Of course, ChatGPT can’t run your business for you. It can make mistakes, and it definitely needs your human expertise and specific instructions to work effectively. But it can help you get a head start on that blog post you’ve been putting off (we all know starting is often the hardest part!) or help you re-purpose an Instagram post into a LinkedIn post in seconds.
The main benefit of ChatGPT for small business marketing is saving you time! Yes, you’ll still need to verify and edit the content ChatGPT produces, but with its help, you can get a lot more done in a short space of time, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.
In this blog post, we’ll explore 5 ways you can use ChatGPT to automate marketing, including content creation, social media marketing, email marketing, SEO, and data analysis.
5 Ways to use ChatGPT for small business marketing automation
Content creation and copywriting
Writing content can be one of the most time-consuming parts of marketing—whether it’s a blog post, an email, or even just a social media caption. But this is where ChatGPT comes in to make your life easier.
ChatGPT can’t write your content exactly how you would (it’s not that smart... yet!), but it can give you a strong starting point. Think of it like a brainstorming partner—it helps you get past the blank page so you can focus on refining and personalising the content.
How ChatGPT can help with content creation & copywriting:
Blog post outlines & drafts – Need to write a blog post but don’t know where to start? ChatGPT can generate an outline or even a full first draft in seconds. You can then tweak it to match your voice and add your expertise. Alternatively, you can write a draft outline yourself and ask ChatGPT to refine it for you. I recommend this approach as it keeps the blog in your unique style and tone while still saving time.
Social media captions – Struggling to come up with fresh Instagram or LinkedIn copy? Give ChatGPT a topic, and it’ll generate multiple caption ideas to choose from. Alternatively, you can ask ChatGPT to rewrite a caption in a different tone, adjust it for another platform, or tailor it to a specific audience.
Website copy – Whether it’s product descriptions, an “About” page, or a sales landing page, ChatGPT can provide a structure and persuasive wording to work from. You can even give it an example of your brands ‘voice’ so that it produces copy that sounds like your brand.
Repurposing content – If you’ve already written a long blog post or article, ChatGPT can help to break it down into bite-sized social media posts, emails, or even a LinkedIn article—saving you hours of effort. This is one of the main ways I use ChatGPT! For example, ChatGPT could help me to repurpose this blog post into an Instagram carousel and caption, or even a video script for YouTube.
Video scripts - Speaking of video scripts…ChatGPT is a lifesaver for writing scripts. ChatGPT has honestly saved me so much time when creating my Skillshare courses. I usually draft an outline of each lesson with key points, and then ChatGPT helps organise it into a structured script—cutting down hours of work.
Ad copy- ChatGPT can help to produce persuasive copy for all kinds of ads in seconds - whether it’s for social media ads, online banner ads, or offline ads such as leaflets.
Try these ChatGPT prompts for content creation:
"Give me a blog post outline on [your topic] for [your audience]"
"Write an Instagram caption for a post about [your topic] in a friendly and engaging tone."
"Rewrite this LinkedIn post to sound more professional but still engaging: [paste text]."
"Summarise this blog post into a short, engaging email to my subscribers: [paste blog post]."
Pro Tips:
Don’t just copy and paste ChatGPT’s response - always edit copy produced by ChatGPT to add your own voice and personality—that’s what will make it authentic and engaging.
Context is crucial - The more detail you give ChatGPT—about your business, target audience, topic, word count, tone etc.—the better the results. You can even provide ChatGPT with a sample of your own writing and ask it to match your style and tone. This ensures that your content sounds like you—and not AI.
2. Social media marketing
Keeping up with social media as a small business owner can feel like a full-time job in itself. Coming up with ideas, writing captions, finding the right hashtags, and actually engaging with your audience is a lot of work, and very time-consuming.
ChatGPT won’t replace your unique voice or brand personality (and it shouldn’t!), but it can help speed up the process by giving you fresh content ideas, writing captions, and even structuring social media strategies.
How ChatGPT can help with social media marketing:
Content ideas & post planning – ChatGPT can generate a list of content ideas based on your niche. You can even ask it to create a 3-month content calendar, so you never run out of ideas again.
Caption writing & variations – Need an engaging caption? ChatGPT can generate multiple options so you can pick the one that fits best. You can also ask it to rewrite an existing caption in a different tone or adjust it for another platform.
Hashtag & keyword suggestions – ChatGPT can generate a mix of broad and niche hashtags to boost reach and engagement on your posts.
Repurposing content across platforms – Written a great LinkedIn post? ChatGPT can help rewrite it for Instagram or Facebook, tweaking the tone and style to match each platform.
Analysis and strategy - ChatGPT can help you analyse social media performance data (when combined with insights from tools like Instagram Analytics). It can identify trends, engagement patterns, and areas for improvement, helping you refine your social media strategy for better results.
Competitor analysis – ChatGPT can help you analyse competitor content, engagement, and strategy by summarising key takeaways from their social media activity. Just provide ChatGPT with your competitor(s) social media details, and ChatGPT can generate insights on what’s working for them—and what you can do differently. If you’re not sure who your competitors are, ChatGPT can also help you identify your main competitors and analyse their strengths and weaknesses on social media.
Optimal posting times & frequency – While tools like Instagram Insights or Buffer provide posting data, ChatGPT can help interpret patterns and suggest an optimal content schedule tailored to your audience’s behaviour.
Trend research & industry insights – ChatGPT can summarise emerging trends, viral challenges, or industry news that you can incorporate into your strategy.
Content pillars & brand messaging – If you’re unsure what type of content you should be posting, ChatGPT can help define your key content pillars for your audience/niche (e.g., education, behind-the-scenes, testimonials, offers) and ensure your messaging stays consistent across platforms. For example, I asked ChatGPT this very question and it said I should be focusing on the following content pillars for my own business - which is pretty spot on:
Marketing strategy and growth
Social media and content creation
AI and automation for marketing
Freelancing and small business success
Digital products and passive income
Crisis management & customer responses – If your business receives negative feedback or a PR issue arises, ChatGPT can suggest polished, professional responses that de-escalate the situation while staying true to your brand voice. It can also help with drafting responses for customer services or common FAQs.
Try these ChatGPT prompts for social media:
"Give me 10 Instagram post ideas for a [industry] business."
"Write a short, engaging Instagram caption about [topic] with a CTA."
"Rewrite this LinkedIn post into a shorter Instagram caption: [paste post]."
"Suggest 10 relevant hashtags for a post about [topic]."
"Based on this social media data [paste insights], suggest ways to improve engagement and reach."
“What are some current social media trends in [industry]?"
“Based on this competitor’s Instagram posts [summarise key points], what strategies seem to be working for them?"
Suggest an ideal social media posting schedule for a [industry] brand targeting [audience type]."
"What are five content pillars I should focus on for my [business type]?"
"How should I respond professionally to this negative comment: [paste comment]?"
Pro Tips:
Social media should still feel personal - Even though ChatGPT can speed things up, make sure to add your own voice and personality to keep things authentic.
Give ChatGPT context - Let it know who your audience is, what your brand voice sounds like, and what your goals are. The more specific you are with ChatGPT, the better the results will be.
3. Email marketing
Email marketing is one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience, but it can also be time-consuming.
That’s where ChatGPT can help. While it won’t replace your unique brand voice, it can save you hours by generating email content, providing you with ideas for specific campaigns, writing compelling subject lines, and even creating automated sequences.
How ChatGPT can help with email marketing:
Crafting engaging subject lines – Your subject line is what makes people open your email or ignore it. ChatGPT can help to generate multiple subject line ideas, helping you pick one that’s compelling and open worthy.
Writing email campaigns – Need a welcome sequence? A promotional email? A newsletter? ChatGPT can generate a first draft for you, so you just need to tweak it and make it your own.
Personalising emails – You can ask ChatGPT to adjust tone, formality, or structure to match different segments of your audience.
Repurposing content for email – Got a blog post, social media update, or video script? ChatGPT can summarise it into an email format, saving you from writing from scratch.
A/B Testing Ideas – Struggling with open rates or conversions? ChatGPT can generate A/B testing ideas for subject lines, CTAs, and email formats so you can optimise your results.
Creating an email marketing plan – ChatGPT can help you map out an email strategy based on your business goals—whether that’s increasing sales, growing your list, or nurturing leads.
Mapping out email sequences – Whether you need a welcome series, sales funnel, or re-engagement campaign, ChatGPT can suggest the ideal number of emails, topics for each, and the best timing to send them.
Try these ChatGPT prompts for email marketing:
"Give me 10 subject line ideas for an email about [topic] that increases open rates."
"Write a friendly, engaging welcome email for new subscribers to my [business type] newsletter."
"Create an email promoting my new [product/service] with a strong call to action."
"Write a 3-part email sequence to nurture leads and encourage them to sign up for [offer]."
"Summarise this blog post into a compelling email newsletter: [paste blog post]."
"Outline a 5-part email sequence to nurture leads and convert them into paying customers for [product/service]."
"Write an email to re-engage inactive subscribers and encourage them to stay on my list."
"Create an email marketing plan for a [business type] that aims to [goal, e.g., grow a list, sell a product, nurture leads]."
Pro Tip:
Keep your emails conversational - Even if ChatGPT gives you a structured response, always add a human touch so your emails sound like YOU.
Give ChatGPT context - Want a casual and friendly tone? Need it to sound more professional? Let ChatGPT know! Be clear with ChatGPT what the purpose of your email campaign or programme is, who your audience is, and what action you want them to take.
4. SEO & blog writing
If you’ve ever spent hours writing a blog post, only for no one to find it, you’re not alone. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) can feel overwhelming, but it’s one of the best ways to bring in organic traffic to your website.
ChatGPT can help simplify SEO and content writing, making it faster and easier to create search-friendly blog posts, website content, and even keyword strategies.
How ChatGPT can help with SEO & blog writing:
Keyword research & topic ideas – ChatGPT can suggest trending topics and keywords based on your industry and audience.
Generating SEO titles & meta descriptions – An optimised title and meta description is key to ranking higher on Google. ChatGPT can generate SEO optimised, click-worthy titles and concise meta descriptions that help improve search rankings.
Outlining & structuring blog posts – ChatGPT can create an SEO-friendly outline, so you just need to fill in the gaps with your expertise.
Writing blog drafts and SEO-friendly website content – ChatGPT can generate an entire blog post or SEO friendly website content in seconds, so you have something to edit and refine instead of starting from scratch.
Optimising existing content – If you have already written a blog post or website copy but need help optimising it for SEO, ChatGPT can suggest tweaks, keyword improvements, and better structuring to help boost visibility.
Creating FAQs for SEO – ChatGPT can help you write SEO-friendly Q&A sections to improve your chances of appearing in search results.
Internal & external linking strategy – ChatGPT can suggest internal links (linking to other relevant pages on your site) and external links (high-authority sources) to boost SEO credibility.
Repurposing blog content – Once you’ve written a blog post, ChatGPT can help to summarise it into LinkedIn posts, Instagram captions, or email newsletters—maximising its reach.
Try these ChatGPT prompts for SEO & blog writing:
"Suggest 10 SEO-friendly blog post topics for a [industry] business."
"Create an SEO-optimised blog post outline for [topic]."
"Write a compelling meta description for a blog post about [topic] with a call to action."
"Write a 1000-word blog post on [topic] using an engaging and informative tone."
"Generate 5 frequently asked questions (FAQs) for a blog post about [topic] and answer them in an SEO-friendly way."
"Suggest improvements to this blog post to make it more SEO-friendly: [paste text]."
"Summarise this blog post into a LinkedIn post: [paste blog]."
Pro Tips:
Don’t rely 100% on ChatGPT for SEO - While it’s a great tool for structuring and optimising content, you should still do manual keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to make sure you’re targeting the right search terms.
Keep it human - Google prioritises content that is valuable and natural, so always edit ChatGPT’s output to add your personality, insights, and expertise.
5. Data & analysis
Marketing without data is just guessing. But digging through analytics, trying to figure out what’s working (and what’s not), and actually making data-driven decisions can take time. ChatGPT can help break down complex data, generate insights, and even suggest ways to optimise your marketing strategy—saving you hours of manual work.
How ChatGPT can help with marketing data & analysis:
Understanding analytics reports – If you find Google Analytics, social media insights, or email reports overwhelming, ChatGPT can help simplify the data and explain key trends.
Identifying trends & patterns – ChatGPT can analyse engagement metrics and highlight patterns in your content performance, helping you understand what’s working and what needs improvement.
Generating reports & summaries – Instead of trying to make sense of raw data, you can paste key metrics into ChatGPT, and it will summarise insights in a clear, actionable way. ChatGPT can also help to clean and organise messy data.
Interpreting A/B test results – Running A/B tests on emails, ads, or landing pages? ChatGPT can help you understand which version performed better and why—so you can make data-backed improvements.
Predicting future performance – While ChatGPT isn’t a crystal ball, it can analyse past data and suggest what might happen next based on trends.
Social media performance insights – If you are unsure why some of your social media posts perform better than others, ChatGPT can help analyse likes, comments, shares, and reach to find engagement patterns.
SEO & website analytics – ChatGPT can summarise traffic sources, keyword rankings, and bounce rates, helping you to optimise website content for better search visibility.
Competitor benchmarking – ChatGPT can help to analyse competitor performance and identify gaps and opportunities in your strategy.
Try these ChatGPT prompts for data & analytics:
"Summarise these social media engagement metrics and suggest how I can improve my content strategy: [paste data]."
"Based on this email open and click rate data, what improvements should I make? [paste data]."
Compare these A/B test results and explain which version performed better and why: [paste test results]."
"Interpret these Google Analytics traffic sources and suggest how to increase organic search traffic: [paste data]."
"Based on these metrics from a competitor’s social media, what strategies seem to be working for them? [paste competitor data]."
"Suggest a simple marketing performance tracking system for a small business using Google Sheets."
Pro Tips:
ChatGPT works best with clear, structured data - If possible, organise your metrics before pasting them into ChatGPT—this will help it to generate more accurate insights.
Don’t rely on ChatGPT alone - While ChatGPT can analyse data, you should still cross-check results using tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, or email marketing dashboards for the most reliable insights.
How to get started with ChatGPT for small business marketing
Now that we’ve covered some of the main ways ChatGPT can help automate your marketing, you might be wondering—how do I actually start using it?
Luckily, you don’t need any coding skills to start using ChatGPT for marketing and automation. Whether you’re using ChatGPT’s free version for quick content ideas or setting up a Custom GPT to tailor it to your brand, getting started is easy and surprisingly fast.
How to use ChatGPT for marketing (Step-by-Step Guide)
Step 1: Sign up for ChatGPT – If you haven’t already, go to ChatGPT by OpenAI and create a free account.
Step 2: Choose the right plan – The free version of ChatGPT is great for brainstorming and content creation, but if you want to build a Custom GPT (which lets you train it specifically for your brand), you’ll need a ChatGPT Plus subscription.
Step 3: Think about what you need help with – Where do you spend the most time in your marketing? Is it writing blog posts? Social media? Emails? Once you know what you need, you can start using ChatGPT to speed up those tasks first.
Step 4: Start with basic prompts – Just type in a request, and ChatGPT will generate content for you.
Step 5: Use ChatGPT regularly – The more you use ChatGPT, the better it gets at helping you. Whether it’s batch-creating content, generating email sequences, or brainstorming new marketing ideas, make it part of your workflow.
Common mistakes & how to avoid them
Over-relying on AI – AI is a starting point, not the final version. Always review, edit, and tweak content to make it feel more like you.
Not giving clear prompts – Instead of asking vague questions like "Write a blog post." Be specific! Instead, ask: "Write a 1,000-word blog post on [topic] in a friendly tone for [audience] with SEO optimisation and a call to action."
Ignoring personalisation – Add your voice, personality, and real-life experiences to make content sound more authentic and engaging.
Skipping fact-checking – ChatGPT isn’t a search engine—it can make mistakes. Always double-check facts, statistics, and references.
FAQs: ChatGPT for small business marketing
How can ChatGPT help small business owners with marketing?
✅ ChatGPT can automate content creation, email marketing, social media strategy, SEO, and data analysis, allowing business owners to save time and streamline their marketing efforts.
Can ChatGPT write marketing content for me?
✅ Yes! ChatGPT can generate blog posts, social media captions, email newsletters, video scripts, and ad copy. However, for the best results, it’s recommended to edit the content to match your brand’s voice and personality.
Can ChatGPT help with social media marketing?
✅ Absolutely! ChatGPT can assist with:
Generating Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook post ideas
Writing engaging captions and content variations
Suggesting relevant hashtags and keywords
Helping with content repurposing across platforms
Analysing social media performance and recommending improvements
Creating a social media strategy and content calendar
How do I use ChatGPT to write emails for my business?
✅ ChatGPT can:
Craft engaging subject lines to boost open rates
Generate email sequences (welcome series, sales funnels, re-engagement emails)
Repurpose blog content into newsletters
Personalise email copy based on your audience segmentation
Does ChatGPT help with SEO and blogging?
✅ Yes! ChatGPT can help with:
Keyword research and topic generation
SEO-friendly blog outlines & meta descriptions
Optimising existing content to improve rankings
Internal linking recommendations to boost SEO
Can I train ChatGPT to match my brand’s tone and style?
✅ Yes! You can train ChatGPT by:
Providing samples of your past content (blog posts, emails, captions)
Clearly stating your brand’s personality, tone, audience, and preferred writing style
Asking ChatGPT to mimic your writing style and provide multiple variations
What is a Custom ChatGPT, and do I need one for my business?
✅ A Custom ChatGPT is a personalised AI assistant that you can train with your specific brand details, customer data, and marketing strategies. You’ll need a ChatGPT Plus subscription to create one. It’s ideal for businesses that want a tailored AI tool for marketing and customer support.
How do I create a Custom ChatGPT for my business?
✅ To build a Custom GPT tailored to your marketing needs:
Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus (required for custom GPTs)
Go to “Explore GPTs” → “Create a GPT” in ChatGPT
Upload your brand guidelines, customer FAQs, and sample content
Train it to understand your audience and writing style
Test and refine responses to improve accuracy over time
How much does it cost to use ChatGPT for business marketing?
✅ ChatGPT has a free version for general use, but to create a Custom GPT or access advanced features, you’ll need a ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20/month).
What are the biggest mistakes to avoid when using ChatGPT for marketing?
✅ Common mistakes include:
Over-relying on AI—Always review and personalise AI-generated content
Using generic prompts—The more detailed your input, the better the results
Skipping fact-checking—AI can make mistakes, so always verify key information
Ignoring brand voice—Train ChatGPT to match your style for consistency
Conclusion
AI isn’t the future—it’s already here, and it’s changing the way small businesses do marketing.
You really don’t need a huge budget or a marketing team to start using it. From content creation and social media strategy to email marketing, SEO, and analysing data, ChatGPT can help take some of the pressure off so you can focus on growing your small business.
Create your own Custom ChatGPT for marketing!
Want to automate your marketing with ChatGPT? Learn how to create your very own Custom ChatGPT—step by step, no coding needed!
My Skillshare course walks you through everything you need to know. Try it for FREE today.
Happy Learning!
– Louise
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