AI in marketing is changing the game for small businesses—and fast. Over the summer, we unpacked how it’s transforming the way brands create, connect, and grow. From brainstorming with tools to refining your brand’s voice to showing up in Google’s new AI Overviews, our Summer of AI series explored how to work smarter without losing your human touch:
- Learn the basics in How to Use AI in Marketing
- Get creative with How to Use AI Brainstorming Tools
- Find your brand voice again in Keep It Human: Why Editing AI Content Still Needs a Marketer’s Touch
- Learn to adapt for Google in SEO in the Age of AI: How to Optimize for Google’s AI Overviews
Now that we’ve covered the “how,” let’s talk about the “what’s next.”
You don’t need to chase every shiny new AI tool—you just need to put a few smart pieces in place to set yourself up for what’s coming.
1. Make Sure You Show Up Where AI in Marketing Looks
AI-powered search is pulling information from your business listings, website content, and online reviews. If your info is outdated, you risk being invisible in the new AI-driven results.
Hookd Insight: Google your own business the way a customer would. If what shows up feels thin or wrong, that’s your first step.
We help businesses clean up their digital presence so they’re ready for both Google and AI search visibility—because showing up in results means being seen by the right people.
2. Try One AI Tool—Not Ten
You don’t need to master everything. Start small with one AI marketing tool that actually makes your life easier—like using AI to brainstorm blog ideas, caption a video, or summarize customer feedback.
Hookd Insight: The goal isn’t to “use AI.” It’s to run your business better. Try one tool for a few weeks. If it’s not saving you time, skip it.
3. Keep Your Voice Front and Center
AI can write fast, but it doesn’t know you. The most effective marketing still sounds like it came from a real human—because it did.
Hookd Insight: Before you hit publish, read it out loud. If it doesn’t sound like something you’d actually say to a customer, rewrite it until it does.
4. Keep an Eye on Your Ads—Don’t Let Algorithms Run Wild
AI is now baked into nearly every ad platform. According to Fortune, Google’s new AI Overviews are already changing how people find businesses online—reducing traditional search traffic and rewarding brands that publish relevant, trustworthy content. That shift means automation alone can’t carry your marketing. Google and Meta may optimize bids and placements, but you still need to guide the message.
Hookd Insight: Review your campaigns weekly to make sure the audience, visuals, and tone still align with your brand—not just what the algorithm thinks will perform. This is what our team does every day: monitoring and refining AI-powered ad campaigns so clients get results that are optimized and on-brand. Explore how we manage ad strategy →
5. Stay Curious, Not Fearful
AI isn’t replacing marketers—it’s amplifying them. The businesses that win won’t be the ones using the most tools; they’ll be the ones asking the smartest questions.
Hookd Insight: Pick one part of your marketing you wish were easier and explore how AI in marketing might help. Then pair it with human strategy and creativity—that’s where the magic happens.
Keep It Human—Always
That’s the heart of it. You don’t need to become an AI expert—you just need to stay informed, keep experimenting, and never lose sight of what makes your business unique: your story, your service, your people.
At Hookd, we believe AI in marketing works best when it’s balanced with strategy and authenticity.
AI can help you move faster and reach further—but it’s the human side of your marketing that keeps customers connected.
In the end, mastering AI for small businesses isn’t about chasing tools. It’s about pairing automation with empathy, creativity, and data-driven strategy—because that’s where marketing that feels human truly performs.
Ready to see how AI + strategy can work for your business? Let’s plan your next stage together.