Digital technology continues its inroad across American businesses. Small businesses are now using artificial intelligence to manage their marketing—that is impacting their hiring and headcount. A recent report by Unbounce titled The State of AI Marketing for Small Business Report explores the “awareness, adoption and impact of AI marketing tools and technology on small businesses across North America”.
According to Unbounce’s report, small businesses are confronting challenges as they emerge from the pandemic and are seeking out tech solutions. In the area of marketing, the small business study revealed that 95% of AI adopters have lessened their need to hire or expand their marketing headcount.
AI is now in every area of marketing, being specifically used for data-driven and repetitive tasks and where outcomes and human behavior can be predicted. Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of the Marketing AI Institute, emphasizes the benefits that AI brings to a small business’ marketing.
“For small businesses, every dollar and hour saved can make a critical difference, especially with teams that are already stretched thin. AI will not replace marketers, but it will be infused into marketing tools and software to make us more efficient, and enhance our creativity and decision-making,” said Roetzer.
The survey also revealed a range of other findings, particularly addressing what is being termed the “Great Resignation” whereby people are leaving the workforce causing businesses to have difficulty in finding and retaining talent. That post pandemic phenomenon caused 49% of the surveyed small businesses to say that the outflow of workers and talent was adversely impacting their company in the areas of hiring and retention. Also that 60% reported they have not been able to attain the necessary marketing expertise they need.
Of the small businesses surveyed, 31% have adopted AI tools to address this challenge while dealing with limited staff, time and budgets that have caused their marketing teams to be at a disadvantage. The adopters are seeing results—with 97% reporting meaningful time savings in marketing tasks.
Most noteworthy is the boost AI tools are giving to revenues with 82% saying they are able to accelerate their leads and revenue growth, while 92% lowered their costs. Overall, AI has reduced for small businesses the time spent on digital marketing versus those who have not yet adopted it.
“We expected to hear skepticism and fear coming from growing companies on the topic of AI,” said Pete Housley, CMO of Unbounce. “But our study revealed the opposite — the majority of businesses are comfortable giving up some control to AI and believe it will help them add significant value to their businesses over the coming years.”
Unbounce offers an AI-powered marketing platform and initiated the study that included surveying 401 small business leaders across the US and Canada. Blue Research designed and conducted it during the second quarter of 2022. Respondents were posed questions on their familiarity, adoption, and benefits of AI marketing tools and software.
To read the full small business and artificial intelligence report, please click here
