You Don't Need an AI Expert. You Need Someone Paying Attention.

Our Explorer's check engine light had been on for months. My husband Geoff is handy enough to run his own diagnostic, and it came back “purge valve.” He ordered the part himself, but it never showed up. Weeks later, same code. So we finally took it to the dealer.

They may not have replaced this exact part on this exact model a hundred times before. But they had better access to the part than Geoff did, and more hands-on experience under the hood than either of us. Diagnostic run, part sourced, car back the next day. Geoff had been right about the problem the whole time. He just wasn't the one in the best position to solve it.

That's the trade you're actually making when you hire out your marketing, especially with AI in the mix right now.

What AI in Small Business Marketing Actually Looks Like

AI is showing up everywhere in small business marketing right now: helping write emails and website content, researching the competition, sorting leads, exploring new brand colors, planning launches, swapping out the background and style on headshots, and more.

Sometimes that means using an AI platform like Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini. And often it's tapping the AI features built right into the marketing tools you already use: Canva's design assistant, Mailchimp's subject line suggestions, or Wix’s built-in AI agents. Either way, it's not just the tool that matters. It's how it's being used, and that's changing just as fast as the tools themselves.

It's not that we've got some catalog of AI tools and techniques all mastered and filed away (although we are building out our own library of Claude skills, custom GPTs, client brand books, SOPs, and more). It's that we're the ones with our hands in it regularly, so we notice sooner, sort out what's worth using and how to use it, and don't waste time on what isn't.

Why "We're Still Figuring It Out" Is the Trustworthy Answer

Clients ask me some version of, "Do you have this AI thing figured out?" Honestly, not entirely. Nobody does. The tools shift faster than anyone can fully master, including the people building them, and so does the best way to actually use them. A tool or a technique that was the smart move for small business marketing this spring might already be old news by fall.

Same as the dealer with our Explorer. They didn't need a lifetime of experience with our exact part to make the right call. They needed enough experience and enough access to sort it out faster than we ever could on our own. That's what you're paying for with any expert: not total mastery, but someone close enough to the work to move at least a bit faster than you are. That expertise is also what lets us tell when an AI tool, or the way we're using it, isn't giving good results, because we know marketing and we know your business, so it's easier for us to pivot to something that works better.

Why We Don't Chase Every New AI Tool or Trick

But pivoting only works if we've actually given something a fair shot first. And it's not just about switching tools. It's just as easy to keep tweaking the process, the prompts, and the steps, before any one method has had the chance to prove itself. (And believe me, we are tempted!) We could stay on that treadmill forever, always sensing there's a better way to do things just up ahead, and never getting enough traction on the way we're doing it now to actually know. So Cara and I have a mantra: let something run for a while before changing course, tool or process. That's the only way to know whether something actually isn't working, instead of just assuming the next version will be better.

Should You DIY Your Marketing or Hire It Out?

Some business owners genuinely enjoy figuring this stuff out themselves, and we love working with them too. If that's you, a strategy consult can give you the roadmap, then you can take it from there. We'll point you in the right direction and cheer you on.

Or maybe you’ve gotten your business idea or marketing project kickstarted with AI, and now you need to run it by someone to confirm it’s workable and makes sense. We’re here for you too.

If you're already stretched thin and marketing is one more plate you don't want spinning, that's where ongoing support comes in. You don't need to track every new AI tool or technique marketers are trying out. You just need someone in your corner who's paying attention to what's actually worth using in small business marketing, and how to use it well, so you don't have to.

Read next: Is Rinehart Marketing Right for Your Local Small Business

Whichever path fits you better, we'd love to help. Reach out and let's figure out what makes sense for your business.