Artificial intelligence stays a giant draw with SMB martech buyers: 70% say they’d pay more for a marketing platform that gave them access to AI or automation tools, according to a latest study.
SMBs (defined by the study as orgs with 250 employees or less) are a target-rich environment for vendors as only 26% have AI and/or automation technology, according to a study of nearly 500 SMBs conducted by digital marketing and automation platform Constant Contact and research firm Ascend2.
Big interest. Around three-quarters (74%) of SMBs are all in favour of using AI or automation, and 55% said their interest has grown during the last six months. Forty-six percent of SMB marketing leaders admit they only have a beginner’s knowledge in regards to the advantages of the technology.
Top use cases. Here is where SMB marketers are using AI:
- Social media (52%)
- Content creation (writing or images) (44%)
- Email campaigns (41%)
- Ad targeting (38%)
- Analytics (35%)
- Website forms (34%)
- CRM (30%)
- SMS/text campaigns (25%)
Dig deeper: How a non-profit farmers market is leveraging AI
Worth the investment. Companies using AI/automation are finding it a giant time saver.
- 60% of SMBs that currently use AI or automation of their marketing say they’ve saved time and are working more efficiently.
- 33% of SMBs estimate they’ve saved more than 40 minutes per week on marketing by utilizing AII or automation.
Some reservations. Top concerns SMBs have about AI and automation are data security, perceived cost and the educational curve in adopting the technology.
Why we care. AI and automation in marketing are implemented so as to save time and improve ROI. Over half (58%) of SMBs within the study said they expect to save over $1,000 on their AI investment in the following 12 months; 28% said $5,000 or more; and 5% expect to save upwards of $25,000.
Read more in regards to the survey here.
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