The news: Meta is rolling out new AI tools aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), pushing its AI deeper into SMB operations and positioning Meta AI as an always-on business advisor.

SMBs can integrate data from their Facebook and Instagram accounts, Meta Ads campaigns, and Google Workspace tools into Meta AI to get deeper insights and personalized feedback on campaign and content efforts.

Users can ask Meta AI specific, conversational questions about their business and marketing performance.

• Meta AI can look at public content and engagement patterns from similar brands on Facebook and Instagram to benchmark performance.
• It can also analyze performance data on Meta ad campaigns—such as best-performing content patterns—and where budgets could work harder, then perform actions like creating slide decks.

Digging in: Meta is trying to eliminate knowledge and labor constraints that can keep SMBs from spending or optimizing efficiently.

• 32% of US small businesses say that more than one-quarter of their operations now involve AI tools, per Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.
• With fewer resources and a smaller headcount for specialized roles, SMBs may be particularly receptive to AI that combines strategy, support, insights, and execution in one place.

Meta’s new tools work alongside its AI business assistant, which can help SMB clients resolve common account issues at a 20% higher rate and cut ad costs per result by 12%, per Meta. Adding in competitive benchmarking and data access across tools can help extend that automation push from campaign execution into broader business strategy.

The caveats: AI assistants strengthen Meta’s control over advertiser workflows and how and where ads are built, which could make independent agencies and martech tools easier to bypass. That dynamic could further strain agency relationships as Meta and TikTok continue rolling out AI tools that let brands build campaigns on their own.

In addition, using an AI-powered advertiser that’s built by and for a platform selling those ads could raise an objectivity issue for users and increase dependence on Meta systems.

Recommendations for marketers: Treat Meta’s insights and feedback as a starting point for testing, and continue to manage high-stakes decisions and fine points of creative strategy internally.

• Scrutinize Meta’s recommendations to avoid crafting campaigns that are similar to those produced by other brands that are using its systems.
• Optimize content management systems to easily find and use Meta AI-created decks and spreadsheets.
• Use benchmarking tools to streamline performance comparisons with rival brands, but monitor insights for overly general analysis and compare with prior campaigns to measure accuracy.

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