An occasional look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.
By Kyle Trumble, regional director for Fremont and Teton counties, Wyoming SBDC Network
In today’s digital-first world, social media is often the first place that potential customers encounter your brand.
For small-business owners, this makes visibility critical and challenging, given limited time, staff and resources. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are leveling the playing field. By strategically integrating AI into your social media marketing, you can not only save time, but also increase reach, engagement and, ultimately, awareness.
Here are the top three AI-driven techniques you should be using to boost small business awareness on social media.
-- AI-powered content creation and scheduling: Consistency is key in social media marketing, but many small-business owners struggle to produce high-quality content regularly. AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Jasper and Canva’s Magic Write, can help you generate fresh, on-brand content ideas, captions, hashtags and even full posts tailored to your industry and audience.
For example, AI can help small-business owners turn a single blog post into multiple content formats: a LinkedIn article, Instagram carousel, a tweet thread and even a short video script. This not only multiplies your content but also ensures you’re reaching different audiences across platforms.
Pair that with smart schedulers, such as Buffer, Later or Metricool (some of which now use AI to suggest optimal posting times), and you can batch-schedule an entire month of content in a single afternoon, freeing up your time to run your business.
-- Hyper-personalized engagement using AI insights: AI doesn’t just help you post; it helps you listen. Social listening tools, such as Brand24, Sprout Social and Hootsuite Insights, use AI to track mentions of your brand, competitors and relevant industry keywords in real time. You can discover what people are saying, identify trending topics and jump into relevant conversations.
AI also can analyze your audience’s behavior and segment them based on preferences, geography and engagement patterns. This allows you to personalize your responses and offers, making your brand feel more human and increasing the chances of shares, follows and conversions.
You can even use AI chatbots, including ManyChat or MobileMonkey, in your direct messages or comments to deliver instant replies, lead magnets or booking links.
-- AI-enhanced video and visual content creation: Short-form video is dominating social media, especially on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The good news? You don’t need a production team. AI tools, such as Lumen5, InVideo and Pictory, can help you create high-quality videos from text, blog posts or even just a few prompts.
Do you want to animate a product feature, summarize a testimonial or share a behind-the-scenes moment? AI can turn raw ideas into polished, scroll-stopping content in minutes. Add on AI-powered design platforms, such as Canva or Adobe Express for custom visuals, and you’ve got everything you need to stand out, even on a shoestring budget.
One final thought: The key to using AI effectively is not to automate everything, but to amplify what already works. Use it to streamline content creation, deepen audience understanding and elevate your visuals, while staying authentic to your brand. With the right mix of strategy and AI support, even the smallest business can make a big impact on social media.
All opinions, conclusions and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and technical assistance to help Wyoming entrepreneurs think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. In 2024, the Wyoming SBDC Network helped Wyoming entrepreneurs start 46 new businesses; support 1,870 jobs; and bring a capital impact of $2.9 million to the state. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA.
To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu or write Dept. 3922, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071-3922.
For more information, go here.
