Marketing is crucial for growing any small business, but with limited time and resources, it can often feel overwhelming—I know this first hand. Thankfully, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the marketing landscape, providing small businesses with powerful tools to save time, improve efficiency, and drive better results. In this post, I’m sharing the top 5 AI tools every small business should be using to stay ahead in 2024. These recommendations are based on tools I personally use for my own marketing business, helping me streamline my work and get more done in less time.

1. ChatGPT - AI-Powered Content Creation

Source: Photo by Matheus Bertelli from Pexels

Do you need blog posts, social media captions, or email drafts quickly? ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is an amazing tool for generating written copy. It’s great for brainstorming ideas, creating high-quality text, analysing data, and even responding to customer enquiries quickly.

That said, I always recommend fact-checking and proofing any copy generated by ChatGPT, especially when it comes to marketing copy for your business. While it’s a fantastic resource, it’s important to ensure everything aligns with your brand and is accurate.

Personally, I use the paid version of ChatGPT, and it has become an invaluable tool for me. I rely on it for everything from brainstorming ideas for my Skillshare marketing courses to refining scripts, conducting market research, and planning social media content. It’s also great for repurposing content—for example, if I need help turning this blog post into an Instagram caption or YouTube video script, ChatGPT is my go-to.

The biggest benefit for me is the efficiency—it helps me get more done in the limited time I have. I do always tweak and refine the copy it generates, though. I mainly use it to kickstart my ideas and outline my content, get past writer’s block, or fine-tune what I’ve already written, making sure it still reflects my own tone of voice.

You can even create custom ChatGPTs for your small business, which are essentially a personalised version of ChatGPT for your specific business or use-case. These can be incredibly powerful and the best part is, you don’t need to know how to code - they are really simple and easy to create.

2. Canva’s Magic Studio - AI for Visual Content

Source: Photo by Jovan Vasiljević from Pexels

I absolutely love Canva and use the paid version to create all my social media graphics, Skillshare course visuals, and presentation slides. It saves me SO much time and helps me create professional-looking designs, whether it’s images, videos, or slides. You can design from scratch or easily adapt their templates with your own brand colours and fonts, making everything look polished and cohesive. I used to use Adobe Photoshop for visual content which used to take me ALOT longer, especially as I’m not a designer. As an example, it would take me at least a full afternoon to create one graphic for Instagram in Photoshop, and now in Canva, it can take 15 minutes or less to create hundreds of variations. This is a game-changer for me, and many small businesses.

One of my favourite features is Canva’s Magic Studio, which makes it incredibly easy to remove backgrounds, resize images, and switch content formats. Plus, it even helps with writing copy and generating images! There’s so much you can do with the free version, so it’s definitely worth trying out if you’re looking to save time and simplify your design process. That said, the Magic Studio features are part of the paid plan, but in my opinion, they’re well worth the investment.

3. Trello

I’m a big fan of Trello and use it to organise my business, projects, and daily to-do list. As someone juggling multiple tasks, Trello helps me stay on top of everything and plan my time efficiently. There are other tools out there, like Notion or Microsoft Planner, but Trello just works for me. You can use pre-built templates designed specifically for small businesses, or you can create your own custom workspaces and boards from scratch.

The free version offers plenty of features, which might be all you need if you’re an individual or part of a small team. One of the best parts? Automation. Trello’s built-in automation allows you to streamline your workflow by automating tasks like moving cards, setting due dates, and adding checklists, so you can focus more on getting things done rather than managing them.

4. AdCreative.ai – AI-Powered Ad Design

AdCreative.ai is an incredible time-saver when it comes to designing and generating ad creatives and copy for my paid social campaigns. It makes it super easy to create eye-catching visuals and messages for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Google Ads. It’s especially handy for small businesses, helping you to boost ad performance by automatically testing different creative versions to see what works best.

One of the biggest benefits? You can generate hundreds of on-brand ad variations in seconds and gain data-driven insights to optimise your results. This allows you to easily test multiple versions and stretch your ad budget further. Plus, with access to high-quality stock images and the ability to create AI-generated images and copy in seconds, it’s perfect for anyone looking to streamline their workflow. New features are constantly being added, making it an even more powerful tool for small businesses.

5. Buffer – Social Media Scheduling and Analytics

Buffer is a fantastic tool for scheduling posts across multiple platforms, tracking engagement, and analysing performance. Its AI-powered features provide smart insights into the best times to post and offer suggestions to improve your content strategy. With Buffer, you can plan and manage everything from a single, easy-to-use dashboard. It’s been a game-changer for keeping my social media marketing consistent and efficient. I personally use Buffer to schedule my content in advance and make sure I’m posting at optimal times to boost engagement across all platforms.

Final Thoughts

While there are countless AI tools available for small businesses, these are a few that have really made a difference for me recently.

The right AI tools can truly enhance your marketing efforts and boost efficiency without stretching your budget too much.

That said, I definitely recommend doing your own research to find the best tools for your needs. If you're interested in exploring this further, check out my latest Skillshare course: AI Marketing Strategy: Grow Your Business With AI.

It’s packed with actionable insights, tools, and real-world examples to help you choose the right AI tools for your business. Plus, you’ll get access to a practical AI marketing strategy template you can start using right away! 😊

Happy learning!

Louise

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Top 5 AI Tools Every Small Business Should Use for Marketing