Through our consulting and training sessions, we’ve found that many small and medium-sized businesses currently believe that artificial intelligence (AI) is only for large corporations with huge budgets. The reality is that today, SMEs can compete intelligently by using practical and accessible AI tools in their marketing efforts.
AI isn’t just a trend: it’s a competitive advantage within reach of any business.
However, AI shouldn’t be applied as a standalone solution. To see real results, it must be strategically integrated into every stage of the customer journey. Today, we’ll show you how, with fewer than five tools that can change the way your organization works throughout the buyer’s journey.
1. Buyer persona with AI
It all starts with a truth that not all companies see and apply in reality: you can’t sell to someone you don’t know.
Creating an accurate buyer persona is the first step in any effective marketing strategy, and AI allows you to do it more quickly and accurately. However, as we said at the beginning: AI can’t work in isolation. If you try to use it to develop a buyer persona on its own, it will certainly do so, but the result will be generic and unhelpful. AI alone creates incomplete buyer personas. We’ll tell you the right way to do it.
Suggested tool: ChatGPT (or other LLMs like Claude or Gemini)
How to use it:
Feed the AI with real data from your business: sales reports, customer reviews, guidance from your sales team, past strategies, and descriptions of your products or services. Then, the prompt might be something like this:
“Based on this sales report, our customer reviews, and the rest of the documentation I’m sharing with you, generate a buyer persona for a sustainable clothing store that appeals to young adults interested in ethical fashion in Mexico.”
You can even go one step further and make it even better by creating a custom GPT for your company, which serves as a knowledge base for generating ideas, buyer personas, and content tailored to your business.
Benefit: You’ll gain a clear, actionable profile that allows you to personalize your messages from the start, optimizing the rest of your marketing efforts.
For example, we have created this custom GPT, which allows you to create, review, and complete tasks “like Luis Maram.”
2. Recognition or attraction stage
In a content-saturated world, capturing your target audience’s attention is no easy task. This is where AI can help you create content that resonates with your audience and stands out from the competition.
Suggested tools: Custom GPT + Canva with AI
How to use it:
- Once you’ve set up your custom GPT, you can use it to ask it to develop copy focused on your buyer persona’s needs. Example: “Create 5 educational posts about the benefits of sustainable fashion aimed at our buyer personas, i.e., young adults who are concerned about the environment.”
- While ChatGPT uses Dall·e to create images, it’s not its best option. It’s better to go with the expert, and that’s Canva, where you can design attractive graphics using its AI features to create images in minutes and give your messages a professional visual touch, even adding your own branding thanks to its ability to add your brand kit.
Benefit: You centralize content creation, save time, and produce materials that not only attract attention, but are also branded and connect with your audience’s interests.
3. Consideration Stage
At this stage, your potential customers are exploring options and comparing solutions. Your job is to guide them with useful and relevant content that will help them make an informed decision.
Suggested tool: Doppler (email marketing with AI)
How to use it:
- Leverage your subscriber or customer database to develop newsletters, leveraging AI to generate compelling subject lines, optimized copy, and calls to action (CTAs) that truly convert.
- Automate emails based on your users’ behavior: if they open an email, click a link, or visit a specific page, trigger additional emails with complementary content. Tools like Doppler make this easy.
- Mix educational resources into your emails, such as guides, eBooks, or customer testimonials that address specific challenges. For example: “Download our free guide on how to choose sustainable, quality clothing.” For those who click on these guides, automatically send other emails that continue to nudge them through the customer journey, bringing them closer to conversion.
Benefit: You nurture your prospects with personalized and automated information, positioning yourself as a trusted resource and increasing conversion rates.
4. Decision or conversion stage
When a prospect is ready to buy, precision is key. AI in advertising platforms can help you deliver the right message to the right audience at the perfect time.
Suggested tool: Meta Ads (with built-in AI)
How to use it:
- Automatically segment people who interact with your content, visit your website, or subscribe to your email list.
- Take advantage of AI suggestions in Ads Manager to optimize your ad copy, formats, and CTAs.
- Improve the effectiveness of your campaigns by showing ads to people most likely to convert.
Benefit: Meta Ads AI allows you to maximize your investment, reaching the most relevant audiences and increasing your conversion rates.
5. Post-purchase Stage
The customer journey doesn’t end with the purchase. Building loyalty and understanding your customers’ behavior is vital to strengthening your business and improving your future strategies.
Suggested tools: HubSpot, Zoho CRM, or Google Forms + AI-powered Spreadsheets
How to use it:
- Automate follow-up emails, satisfaction surveys, and reward or discount reminders for returning customers.
- Use Google Forms to collect feedback and connect the data to Google Sheets using its AI add-ons to analyze trends and gain key insights.
Benefit: You build customer loyalty with automated actions and gain valuable data to optimize your long-term marketing strategies.
AI in marketing is within reach of SMEs
Artificial intelligence isn’t exclusive to big brands. With the right tools and a well-focused strategy, any SME can transform their marketing efforts into real, sustainable results.
Applying AI throughout the customer journey allows you not only to save time and resources, but also to personalize every interaction with your customers, optimizing the way you attract, nurture, and convert leads into loyal customers.
The question is: Are you ready to implement AI in your business? Take the first step…
