AI Marketing Tips for Business Owners: Smarter Strategies

Oct 29

I’m sure you’ve noticed the myriad of ways in which AI (Artificial Intelligence) has changed how businesses create and share content. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have become everyday companions for marketers and business owners, helping with everything from brainstorming ideas and drafting blogs (yes I’m even using it to help me write this one), to creating SEO strategies and social media captions.

But while AI speeds up the process, it shouldn’t replace human judgment. Accuracy, tone, and credibility remain human responsibilities. As you’ll learn by reading further, AI works best when paired with human creativity, editing, and strategic oversight from someone like you, who knows your business best.

How AI Can Support Your Marketing Efforts

To start, let’s look at a few of the most practical ways that AI can improve your marketing workflows:

1. Refresh SEO
Use AI tools to identify trending keywords and search terms, or to scan older content for opportunities to update titles, headings, and metadata. Consistently refreshing your SEO ensures your website stays relevant and discoverable.

2. Optimize Images
AI can help create or edit visuals that align with your brand while saving production time. These tools can also automatically generate metadata and alt text, improving both SEO and accessibility.

3. Improve Accessibility
AI can audit your website to flag accessibility gaps, such as missing alt text, weak contrast, or absent captions. Some tools even suggest speech or text-recognition features to make your site more inclusive.

4. Translate and Localize Content
AI-powered translation tools can quickly convert text or audio into other languages, helping you connect with broader audiences and new markets.

5. Personalize for Different Audiences
AI can generate tailored messages for different demographics or customer segments, allowing you to deliver more relevant, targeted content.

Some of these examples were pulled from Brightspot’s eBook, Leveraging AI: Reimagine the Future of Content Creation and Distribution which I highly recommend you check out for more tips on working with AI.

Better Prompts = Better Results

The foundation of strong AI output lies in the prompt. Think of prompts as creative briefs: the more context you provide, the better the results. Include your audience, tone, keywords, and word count to guide the tool effectively.

Example prompt:
“Write a 20-word hero headline and 15-word subhead for a Calgary boutique marketing agency specializing in tourism. Tone: friendly yet authoritative.”

Prompt tips:

Be specific — clarify tone, length, and audience.
Use “act as…” to have AI write from a particular perspective.
Define how you want results presented (e.g., bullet points or captions).
Include “do” and “don’t” guidelines to focus your results.
Provide examples for reference, but never copy others’ work.
Build on your prompts — tweak, refine, and expand as you go.
Give feedback to note what worked so AI can improve future outputs.

Over time, save your best-performing prompts to create an internal “prompt library” for consistent, high-quality content.

Many of these prompt-building strategies were inspired by Harvard University Information Technology’s article on AI prompts, which is another great read if you want to learn more about how to perfect your prompts.

Edit and Fact-Check Every Output

Even the most advanced AI can make mistakes, known as “hallucinations.” That’s why maintaining a human-in-the-loop review process is essential. According to Brightspot’s eBook (linked above), having human validation ensures you’re “blending the best of AI efficiency with human nuance and contextual understanding.”

Before publishing AI-generated content:

Verify facts and statistics using trusted sources.
Attribute information where appropriate.
Review collaboratively for objectivity.
Check tone and consistency with your brand voice.

If your AI-generated content loses the trust of your audience, it can damage the reputation of your brand. Keeping a human editor in the process ensures balance between convenience and credibility.

Use AI Responsibly

Transparency and data protection should always guide your AI use. Ensure that you’re using AI ethically in your marketing efforts:

Never include sensitive business or customer information in prompts.
Don’t publish unverifiable claims or unchecked AI outputs.
Monitor output quality regularly.
Disclose AI use when relevant to your audience.

Responsible AI practices demonstrate professionalism and help maintain audience trust.

The Bottom Line

AI can’t replace creativity — but it can accelerate it. The most successful marketers merge AI’s speed with human strategy, editing, and oversight. Used wisely, tools like ChatGPT or Gemini help you create content faster, communicate smarter, and reach your audience more effectively.

Ready to bring AI into your marketing strategy?

Contact us today at buzzmatemarketing@gmail.com for a free consultation on how we can help you use AI to optimize your online marketing.

Emily Byrne

Emily holds a Bachelor of Applied Communications Degree from MacEwan University and has built more than six years of experience working in digital and content marketing. Based in Vancouver, BC for several years, she worked across the travel and tech industries before expanding into freelance projects, where she continues to bring brands to life through thoughtful and creative content.