How Is AI Affecting Small Business Marketing in 2025?

AI is everywhere — except in far too many small businesses.
And honestly? That’s a missed opportunity.

In a world where time, budgets, and bandwidth are stretched thin, artificial intelligence can help carry the load. We're talking about automating repetitive tasks, personalizing customer experiences, and boosting your return on investment — all without hiring a single extra hand.

Small Businesses + AI 

According to Taradel's 2025 Small Business Marketing Survey, Artificial Intelligence (AI) remains significantly under-leveraged by most small businesses across the U.S. Despite the widespread availability of AI tools, the majority of SMBs have yet to fully integrate them into their marketing strategies.

As the chart shows, over 42% of survey respondents said they don’t use AI at all in their marketing efforts, while only 6% reported using it extensively. This gap highlights a major opportunity for small businesses to improve efficiency, boost engagement, and stay competitive by integrating AI into their campaigns.

How Are SMBs Using AI?

For those who are already using AI, adoption is still relatively light and focused on a few core use cases:

1. AI-Enhanced Content Creation (31%) Small businesses are using AI tools to write ad copy, generate blog posts, and create images, saving time and boosting creative output.
2. AI-Powered Email Marketing (20%) AI helps optimize send times, segment audiences, and personalize content to improve engagement and conversion rates.
3. Social Media Management (16%) Tools like AI-driven schedulers and analytics platforms enable businesses to automate posting and analyze performance.

Despite the benefits, nearly half (46%) of small businesses still report not using AI at all in their marketing efforts.

Why Should SMBs Adopt AI?

AI isn’t just for big brands. With accessible, affordable tools now available, small businesses can start using AI to:

• Automate repetitive tasks like scheduling emails, social posts, or A/B testing.
• Personalize customer experiences through data-driven targeting and content recommendations.
• Gain deeper insights into campaign performance with AI-powered analytics.
• Streamline workflows and reduce time spent on manual processes.

How to Incorporate More AI into Your Marketing

Not sure where to start? Here are a few simple ways to introduce AI into your strategy:

• Use AI writing tools (like ChatGPT) to brainstorm and draft content.
• Automate email campaigns using platforms that optimize send times and segment your audience.
• Try social media schedulers that include AI recommendations for optimal posting times and engagement tracking.
• Explore AI-powered ad platforms for programmatic ad buying and performance optimization.

Final Thoughts

While AI adoption among small businesses is still limited, those implementing AI for marketing strategies such as content creation, email marketing, and social media management stand to report improved personalization and more streamlined operations.

AI tools help small businesses enhance customer targeting, automate repetitive tasks, and deliver more tailored marketing, leading to a competitive edge. As AI tools continue to evolve, early adopters stand to optimize marketing efforts and outpace competitors.