Key takeout
AI Adoption: 38% of SMBs use AI for a variety of features, while 28% use it for marketing and social media. Social Media Impact: 76% of SMBs report that social media has a positive impact on their businesses, with 58% being on Tiktok. Content Challenges: 54% of SMBs struggle to keep their social media content fresh and up-to-date. Employee Management: 56% of SMBs believe that AI can help offset issues related to staff decline and staff retention. Cybersecurity Focus: 47% of SMBs have invested in improving their cybersecurity solutions to prevent the rise in digital threats.
In the 2025 SME Survey, Verizon Business revealed a major change in how small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are approaching marketing and social media.
The surge in AI adoption is enabling SMBs to streamline their marketing efforts and create more engaging content. The growing reliance on AI technology not only strengthens its marketing strategy, but also helps SMBs adapt to an increasingly digital-first business environment.
Learn how AI is helping SMBS strengthen its social media marketing efforts, keep up with viral trends, and improve overall business performance in the ever-evolving digital world.
AI adoption in SMB: Marketing game changer
According to a Verizon survey, 38% of SMBs use AI in various aspects of their operations, including marketing, customer service and data analytics.
Of this group, 28% use AI tools, especially for marketing and social media. This is a clear indicator of the growing influence of AI in driving consumer engagement. These tools help businesses to better understand their audience, personalize content, automate repetitive tasks, and ultimately enable more efficient and targeted campaigns.
Verizon’s report highlights how AI has become an integral part of SMB marketing efforts. With 28% of SMBs using AI for social media, tools like content generation, automated customer interaction, and sentiment analysis can help you create engaging campaigns that resonate with your target audience.
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Read again:
I checked Openai and launched my own social media network. Is it comparable to X and Instagram?
Please check it
Social Media: The Backbone of SMB Marketing
Social media is an important marketing tool for SMBs. A Verizon survey found that 76% of SMBs agree that social media has a positive impact on business performance, while 58% agree that they are active on Tiktok.
Another study in Oxford Economics shows that Tiktok’s SMB contributed $24.2 billion to the US economy in 2024. This should be much bigger in 2025.
This is in line with the growth trend that platforms like Tiktok become the central hub of business marketing strategies.
However, keeping up to the latest trends and ensuring that your content is fresh and relevant can be a challenging task. Research shows that 54% of SMBs struggle to stay above the ever-changing social media situation.
Here, AI is intervening to ensure that businesses can maintain it. By analyzing trends, AI-driven tools provide real-time insights, enabling SMBs to adapt quickly and deliver timely and engaging content that will attract audience attention.
Some SMBs are directly driving consumer trends. We can look back at the Dubai chocolate trend that first began as the reference point in Tiktok. Trend creator Sarah Hamouda and her small business, Fix Dessert, directly responsible for supermarket giants such as Lidl and Waitrose, presenting their own versions of popular chocolate.
@fixdessertchocolatierit all started with a craving and vision to create an incredible experience! Meet Sarah, the founder of fix Dessert Chocolatier.
Waitrose and other supermarkets used AI tools to track Tiktok trends and stock the latest trendy products on their shelves.
Use AI to create and engage content
The role of AI in content creation is another area where Verizon’s research shows a major promise. SMB uses an AI-powered platform to automate content generation, optimize publishing schedules, and track performance. These tools allow businesses to efficiently generate high-quality content that drives engagement, leading to more conversions.
Using AI is especially valuable when it comes to personalizing content. By analyzing customer data and behavior, AI helps SMBS coordinate social media posts to meet specific preferences of their target audience. This level of personalization has been proven to increase engagement rates, a key factor in today’s competitive social media sector.
AI and Employee Management: Double Benefits
Verizon’s research highlights how AI translates not only marketing but also employee management within SMB. 56% of SMBs believe that AI will help alleviate issues related to staff declines or employment freezes.
Using AI for recruiting and procuring talent allows businesses to more efficiently identify and hire the right candidates. Additionally, AI tools help SMBs maintain talent by providing personalized training and development opportunities tailored to the needs of individual employees.
Expanding cybersecurity focus
In the age of digital marketing, cybersecurity is another area where SMBs turn their attention to AI. A Verizon survey found that 47% of SMBs invest in AI-driven cybersecurity solutions to protect their digital operations.
As the number of cyber threats increases, AI’s ability to detect and respond to potential security breaches is becoming essential for SMBs seeking to protect customer data and maintain trust.
AI is converting SMB marketing
The 2025 Verizon State of Small Business Survey clearly illustrates how AI is reshaping SMB marketing and content creation.
As more companies strengthen their social media strategies and adopt AI-driven tools to optimize content, they are gaining competitiveness in the digital market. With 38% of SMBs already integrated AI into operations and more companies recognize the value of these technologies, the future of SMB marketing is poised to become increasingly data-driven and efficient.
By embracing AI, SMB not only improves its marketing strategy, but also strengthens its customer engagement and streamlining operations. As AI continues to evolve, its role in SMB’s growth and success will become more important and will help you navigate the complexities of the digital age.
