How SMEs Can Harness the Full Power of Creative AI

In a world full of corporate juggernauts making digital spaces increasingly competitive, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can find it gruelling to discover their fit and unlock their full potential online – especially if they are new to the digital marketing game. Recognising buyer patterns through establishing and monitoring tailored sales funnels, creating targeted messages to support all of those funnels, and maintaining processes for effective and engaging customer relationship management, are all dynamic challenges for SMEs that are often time-poor and operating with minimal resources. 

The good news is that generative AI tools may help fill in some gaps here. With generative AI tools for creative strategising, SMEs can streamline their marketing and digital design needs. 

Here are just a few of the more innovative applications of generative AI in creative commercial contexts, plus some tips on how you can integrate these AI features into your SME’s workflows.

Use AI to Generate Image Assets

We live in a visual economy, so if you want to catch people’s attention, you certainly cannot underestimate the power of captivating visuals. If you’re a business owner or you work at an agency where creativity is at the heart of your 9-5, you’re probably already aware of this truth. But what do you do if you’re juggling so many administrative and managerial responsibilities as a business owner and just don’t have the time to flex your creative muscles?

Enter your trusty AI text to image generator! From generating initial concept art and ad storyboards to creating various visual iterations, AI can significantly accelerate the creative process. Creative AI can also assist with tasks like generating textures, backgrounds, or even entire environments, freeing up artists to focus on more complex and nuanced aspects of their work. This collaborative approach between human creativity and AI efficiency can lead to novel artistic outcomes and enhance overall productivity of marketing, web design, and other design-oriented commercial operations.

Generative AI for conceptualization can also be a great way for reducing risks of creative burnout, a phenomenon. Whether you’re sitting on a tight deadline and lack the artistic skills to quickly mock up some compelling proof of concept art for your client, ask your AI image generator and it shall be done.

Enhance your UX/UI with AI-Powered Interface Design

Generative AI can also provide a simple and cost-effective way for SMEs to optimise their website user interfaces (UI) and general web design assets (i.e. animated icons, clickable infographics, etc.). Whether it be through personalizing user journeys or tracking consumer insights, you’d be surprised to find out that AI can be your one-stop solution for all your creative needs, lifting that load off you. 

Imagine you’re the creator of a new meditation app and you’d like to optimise the user experience from the beginning of the user journey. To make users feel welcome, the app could be programmed with creative AI to deliver a friendly, personalised greeting. For instance, a prompt like, “Hey there! I sense that you’re in need of some zen and that you want to reach out for help. How can I help you today?” would establish an inviting and personal tone. This curated message, delivered at the start of the user’s journey, can help alleviate tension and calm their mind.

While it does not have the full ability to mimic the detailed and data-driven work of UX/UI designers, creative AI can certainly help enhance existing designs, making focused micro-improvements to your UX/UI and ultimately supporting your customer satisfaction rates.

Generate Content Ideas & Structure Content Easily

If you’re a marketing strategist handling content strategy and creative ideation for your clients or overseeing projects, this next one’s for you! Creative AI can help you rack your brain for new ideas and concepts to elevate your content strategy.

Handling content creation comes with its perks. Being able to freely express yourself on various brand channels with a unique tone of voice is a great way to foster connection between SMEs and their customers. However, with a saturated market, fluctuating algorithms, and trending business ideas competing for people’s attention all over social media, it can be challenging to search for angles that are special to your brand or client, especially if you are on the hunt for angles that viewers truly resonate with. 

For example, if you’re looking to post a day-in-the-life video for your brand or client, why not do it with a twist like posting it in reverse order? This could be a twist that AI helps you come up with. 

Generative AI can also help you create informed content creation strategies and concepts that will resonate well with different audiences. After all, every story must have a hook to gain video engagement. 

Whether you need AI to generate a completely fresh idea or develop on an existing design, you’d be surprised to find out that AI can be your best friend for all your creative needs. 

Compose Music using Generative AI Audio Tools

Let’s say you’re creating a video and need a captivating soundtrack to support your visuals. Royalty-free soundtracks are great, but they can sometimes limit creative expression if overused by others, making it difficult to achieve a truly unique and tailored audio experience for your customers. You’d like to explore different tones and music styles to best accompany your visuals, although you might not know where to start. 

Creative AI may be just what you need here. Creative AI can help compose high-quality soundtracks in a matter of seconds. It could be anything, from background music to custom soundtracks and generate soundscapes.

Generative AI offers unparalleled flexibility, capable of producing anything from subtle background music for enhancing the atmosphere to intricate compositions designed to elevate key moments. You can generate immersive soundscapes in minutes, adding depth and realism to your productions by replicating natural environments or different instruments. 

This ability to instantly create original audio dramatically accelerates the production pipeline and opens up new avenues for storytelling in your business marketing materials.

Utilize AI for all your Creative Commercial Needs

Generative AI can be a universal solution to all your SME’s creative needs, helping fix creative blocks and soothe creative fatigue or burnout. For those seeking to infuse their artistic endeavors with innovative direction, or for businesses looking to break free from conventional thinking, embracing AI is a natural and highly effective starting point.

By leveraging AI, individuals and organizations can unlock new dimensions of creativity, fostering an environment where fresh ideas flourish and the boundaries of what’s possible are constantly expanded. If you’re looking for the best blend to embrace artistic direction and swiftness in your ideation process, you can always start by giving AI a shot. It’s never too late as it’ll just keep getting better!