Marketing small businesses in the age of AI – what’s worth your time?

Tired of wasting money on marketing fads? Here are some current trends we think are (and aren’t) worth pursuing.

From personal branding to the ‘unshittification’ of content, this is shaping up to be an interesting year for marcomms agencies and their clients. Naturally, there’s all the usual noise – TikTok, livestreaming, carousels, Reels, Threads, UGC, Bluesky and, of course, artificial intelligence (AI). Perhaps the only true constant is that business owners are being asked to invest in new ‘game-changing’ SaaS tools on an almost daily basis.

It can feel a little overwhelming, especially if you’re a founder wearing all the hats (or a microbusiness with an overstretched team)…

“I need to do more on LinkedIn, but I just can’t find the time.”

“I should launch a podcast, but I don’t know where to start.”

“We’ve tried sending e-shots, but we haven’t seen any real results.”

Sound familiar? Regardless of your sector, it’s easy to get lost down rabbit holes – spending valuable time, effort and money on activities that have little to no impact on sales or growth.

So, which of today’s ‘hottest’ marketing trends are actually worth pursuing if you’re running a small business (and which are safe to ignore)?

The Great Unshittification
Anyone who spends any amount of time on social media will know that there’s a lot of rubbish out there. In fact, we’ve become so accustomed to it, we barely notice ourselves scrolling past. This type of content isn’t just easily forgotten; it doesn’t even register.

“What people really connect with are the stories behind the faces. Why do you do what you do, and what gives you the credibility to do it successfully? How do you do it?”

While the rising use of AI is, at least, partly to blame, the real culprit is people and organisations posting for the sake of it – posting to keep up appearances, posting so the algorithm knows they’re still there. The problem is, nobody (or vanishingly few bodies) can maintain a constant stream of quality content that is valuable to or entertaining for their target audience. 

That’s why we’re seeing a backlash against shitty (i.e., pointless, bland, meaningless) content, and a greater appreciation of authentic, intentional, purposeful blogs, videos and social posts.

At Chatty Duck Creative, we usually encourage clients such as microbusinesses and charities to include their team’s faces in photos and videos. Nine times out of ten, these posts outperform text graphics and stock imagery by a considerable margin. But this is not exactly groundbreaking advice, and it’s only part of the answer.  

What people really connect with are the stories behind the faces. Why do you do what you do, and what gives you the credibility to do it successfully? How do you do it?

Trust plays a huge role in buying decisions, be they B2B or B2C, and people trust people. That means offering social proof (honest reviews and success stories), efficient customer service and clear communication at every stage of the buyer journey. It takes discipline to nail down your brand identity and consistently repeat your messaging. But if you can narrow your focus to what your target audience really cares about and show them how your product or service matches that, your bottom line will reap the benefits.

Worth your time? Absolutely. Valuable, entertaining, non-shit content that builds a human connection with your customers will always be worth the effort.  

Niche appeal
Influencer marketing – where a brand collaborates with an individual who has a dedicated following to promote their brand or service – has been around for a long time.

“You can’t rely solely on content creators for sales success on social media, as almost 93% of influencers say the quality of your existing social content affects their decision to collaborate.”

Way back in the 18th Century, Queen Charlotte allowed Stoke-on-Trent legend and Father of English Potters Josiah Wedgwood to promote his cream earthenware as ‘Queen’s Ware’. In fact, the royal warrant system dates back to the 15th Century, and still serves many brands well today.

Micro-influencers are the next stage in the evolution of this trend. Although they may have a much smaller audience than your common-or-garden influencer, they satisfy the demand for authenticity we spoke about above. You can think of it like word of mouth in online marketing. Followers of micro-influencers trust them – and their recommendations – as they would a friend or peer.

It's essential to understand your target audience before seeking a partnership with any sort of influencer. Research from Sprout Social shows that consumers making daily or weekly purchases under the influence, so to speak, tend to be Millennials or Gen Z. They look at an influencer’s posting frequency and follower count, whereas older, less frequent buyers seek authenticity and alignment with their personal values from an influencer.

Prioritise creators who align with your values and have strong connections with their audience, rather than a wide reach. The key is to pick the best platforms and micro-influencers for your brand. However, you can’t rely solely on content creators for sales success on social media, as almost 93% of influencers say the quality of your existing social content affects their decision to collaborate.

Worth your time? Nearly half of all consumers (49%) make purchases at least once a month because of influencer content, so this is definitely a trend to investigate. Know your audience and pursue creator partnerships accordingly.

Owning it
The small businesses we work with tend to focus a lot of their time, effort and budget on their social channels. Although having lots of followers on LinkedIn might give you some credibility and a confidence boost, it’s important not to neglect other owned assets – which include websites and blogs, email newsletters, podcasts and mobile apps – when it comes to building your audience.

Reddit is awash with stories of Instagram business accounts being shut down, often significantly affecting the owners’ revenue streams. At the less extreme end of the scale, algorithm changes can also have a huge impact on microbusinesses that have built their success on the back of their social media following.  

Wily creators and brands are increasingly capitalising on their first-party data and investing in owned channels that provide direct access to their audience: email/subscriber lists, podcasts, newsletters and so on. Niche platforms such as Substack and Patreon also offer a route to direct monetisation and community building.

Worth your time? Having all your eggs in one proverbial basket is not usually considered a wise business strategy. While you can’t ignore social media, focusing on owned channels is likely to facilitate consistent messaging, data ownership and the ability to engage customers without relying on third-party platforms.

The rise of the creator CEO
If you’re familiar with social media, you’ll no doubt have seen plenty of examples of creators establishing their own brands. But did you know that there is an increasingly compelling case for business founders to become creators as well?

“While a certain level of polish and professionalism can help you to be taken seriously, your content doesn’t have to be perfect to be worthy of your viewers’ attention.”

The creator economy is a global community of content creators, influencers and digital entrepreneurs who monetise their content creation skills. Like those YouTubers you (and I) have never heard of on Strictly. The reason we’ve never heard of them is that they have niche appeal – they are the micro-influencers we talked about above.

The ‘creator CEO’ trend is all about business leaders becoming micro-influencers in their own field, using their authenticity, relatability and niche expertise to build real connections in a crowded digital marketplace. If you’re the founder or managing director of a microbusiness or small business, there’s a good chance you’re already doing this to some extent, perhaps by creating your own video content.

With around 78% of people saying they prefer to learn about a new product or service via short video content – and marketers reporting that video has helped them improve user understanding of products or services (99%), increase brand awareness (96%), boost website traffic (82%) and generate leads (88%) – this is a solid option.

And this trend doesn’t apply to CEOs or founders exclusively. Small businesses also need to become creators to make waves, sharing content that adds value in the form of entertainment, inspiration or education, rather than being purely driven by advertising or marketing.

You don’t need fancy kit to make a start – a smartphone, a tripod and a plan are the only essentials. While a certain level of polish and professionalism can help you to be taken seriously, your content doesn’t have to be perfect to be worthy of your viewers’ attention.

Worth your time? Quite possibly. It takes commitment and vision, but this trend could help you build long-term trust by genuinely helping your customers rather than immediately trying to close a sale. 

Do not go blindly
Ultimately, the question you need to ask yourself before jumping on any small business marketing trend is why? That’s the question we ask small businesses that approach us for help with posting on LinkedIn or sending direct emails, or whatever it is they think they need to do.

Why do you need to do it? What do you want to achieve? How will spending valuable time and money on this activity serve your marketing goals and broader organisational objectives?

If you can’t answer those questions convincingly, there’s a good chance you don’t actually need to do the thing. In fact, the odds are that there are other areas of your marketing that are more deserving of your time and attention. This is why – before jumping feet first into any new project – it’s best to have a strategy in place.

And if you don’t have a marketing strategy in place, perhaps it’s time to get that sorted.