Using AI for SME marketing
A roadmap for customer-centric growth
AI-enabled marketing is no longer just for tech giants. With the right planning and implementation, even small companies with limited resources can use AI tools to boost marketing efficiency, personalise customer communication, and strengthen their brand, without the need for large IT investments.
The latest #SBMInsights brief explores how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can harness affordable and accessible AI technologies to achieve more with less. Drawing on research from a UKRI-funded collaboration with TTS Pharma, the brief provides a practical roadmap for adopting AI in marketing, highlighting real-world applications, benefits, and challenges.
By mapping the stages of AI adoption and identifying key enablers and barriers, this brief offers actionable guidance for SMEs, consultants, and policymakers to use AI applications for sustainable business growth.
Who should read this brief?
This brief is tailored for SME founders, marketing managers, and business leaders — particularly in health and wellness sectors — as well as digital marketing consultancies supporting SMEs. It is also valuable for local enterprise partnerships, innovation hubs, and policymakers focused on AI adoption and SME competitiveness.
Whether you are just beginning to experiment with chatbots and automated email journeys, or looking to integrate AI into advanced customer segmentation and performance analytics, this brief provides clear insights to help you overcome challenges, build capabilities, and stay competitive in an evolving digital marketplace.
With the right planning, even small firms with limited resources can use AI to boost marketing efficiency, personalise communication, and strengthen their brand, without large IT investments.— Dr Nastaran Hajiheydari
About the researcher
Nastaran has a PhD in Information Systems and specialises in digital platforms and technology-driven behaviour. Her research focuses on algorithmic management and AI applications, drawing on interdisciplinary approaches to explore how digital technologies shape work, enhance business performance, and inform decision-making in organisational and societal settings.
This research insights brief has been co-authored with:
Professor Robert Walton, Professor of Primary Care, Queen Mary University of London
Be the next author
Are you an academic at the School of Business and Management and want to share your research insights in a brief? Email Professor Elena Doldor, Research Impact & Engagement Director, at e.r.doldor@qmul.ac.uk.