Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most exciting technology topic these days, and for good reason. It is radically changing the way we live and work. There are so many applications for AI, but one of the most powerful is marketing. With AI tools, creative tasks that used to take hours can be done in minutes, and it’s easier than ever to create great content and collateral, even if you don’t have a marketing or art degree.

Getting started with AI may seem daunting to some, but rest assured that many tools are designed for ease of use. If you aren’t tech-savvy, it may take a little more time to get comfortable, but with some quick tutorials, you can be on your way in no time. Read on for our advice on incorporating AI into your marketing and business strategy.

Written by Tony Hadad, SMRT’s Customer Success Associate for Digital Marketing.

AI In Marketing: Where to Start

Begin by inputting your customer emails into an AI platform such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Apple Intelligence, or Google Gemini, and let it enhance the language, create value points, or even improve deliverability with catchy subject lines. Use the prompts to shorten or lengthen the wording, change the tone to be more friendly, or make the call to action stronger. Within seconds, you’ll have new wording that you can easily adjust to your liking.

Next, try using AI to generate responses to online reviews. Replies to reviews add a professional touch to your Google Business Profile (or whichever search platform you prefer), but it can be hard to come up with the right wording. With ChatGPT’s help, you can generate a reply instantly and without much effort, enhancing your reputation as well as local Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Starting small with just one or two of these simple AI tools helps you explore the benefits of AI in marketing, setting a strong foundation for growth.

The key to using AI for writing is to be patient and understand that you’ll be learning as you go along. It’s still a fairly new technology for a lot of us and we are all learning how it works and how it interprets our commands. Your first attempt may not come out perfectly, and that’s okay. The more you use it the better you will get with it. Luckily, it’s free, or low cost, and fast to re-do your work.

AI-Powered Tools for Creativity

Once you’re comfortable with what AI is and what it’s meant for, tools for creativity can help bring your marketing efforts to life. For busy dry cleaners, the creative side of marketing can seem daunting. These tools suggest layouts, colors, and templates that make your posts, flyers, or emails look polished and professional, even if you don’t have design experience. Here are a few AI-driven tools that anyone can use for creative tasks – no extensive tech skills required.

  • Canva offers easy-to-use design tools so anyone can create professional-looking visuals and videos. It’s perfect for producing content for social media, email newsletters, and even printed materials like flyers. Canva’s AI features can suggest layouts, color schemes, and design options, which are helpful when you don’t have a design background. Dry cleaners can use Canva to create high-quality graphics that promote seasonal deals, like discounts on winter coat cleaning, holiday linens, wedding dress cleaning, etc.
  • ChatGPT assists with writing and brainstorming content for emails, SMS messages, and social media posts. It can generate ideas for customer outreach and promotional messages, helping businesses stay consistent and creative. For instance, ChatGPT can help write a social media post promoting a special offer or draft a welcoming email for new customers. By handling these writing tasks, ChatGPT saves time while maintaining a professional tone that resonates with customers. Just be sure to add in detail about the tone you are looking for, a little about your business, etc, so it can adjust the content appropriately. Interact with it like it’s a person and give as much detail as you can to see the best results.
  • Zapier is an automation tool that connects different apps to handle repetitive tasks automatically, making daily operations more efficient. For example, Zapier can automatically update customer contact lists, send out appointment reminders, or keep track of online reviews. By reducing the need for manual updates, Zapier frees up valuable time, allowing business owners to focus on customer service and other areas of their business. With Zapier’s automated workflows, operations run smoothly with minimal effort. Check whether any of the software you use has integrations with Zapier and if so, you can easily learn how to use it using Zapier’s online resources.

Using these AI-powered tools, laundry and dry cleaning businesses can manage marketing more effectively, streamline routine tasks, and engage with customers more personally. These tools make it easy to create a professional brand presence, allowing small businesses to compete more effectively in today’s digital world.

Managing Your Reputation with AI

In service businesses like dry cleaning, building a positive online reputation is key to attracting repeat customers and driving valuable word-of-mouth recommendations. Many marketing agencies offer automated tools for reputation management that make this process easier. These tools not only track online reviews across platforms like Google and Facebook, but they can also help request customer reviews, address any negative feedback, and automate responses. The more quickly your business replies to a review, the better. And the more personalized, the better, which is where AI comes in. It will generate a response to a positive review or acknowledgment of a negative review within seconds, which builds stronger customer relationships and improves a business’s image online.

Beyond just responding to reviews, AI tools can analyze feedback patterns to pinpoint common concerns—such as slow turnaround times or inconsistent pricing—and allow business owners to make targeted improvements. By tracking how customers respond to these changes, businesses can refine their services continuously. Using AI in this way aligns with local SEO strategies, as a strong online reputation and positive customer feedback improve visibility on platforms like Google, bringing in new customers and solidifying the loyalty of existing ones. Alongside reputation management, AI also optimizes how you reach new audiences through ads and brand visibility.

Pro tip: SMRT Reviews from SMRT Marketing offers AI-assisted replies for Google reviews. It’s now available as a module within SMRT so you can access this powerful tool for online reputation management right from the SMRT platform. Contact sales@smrtsystems.com to learn more.

Using AI for Ads and Brand Awareness

Smaller laundry businesses now have access to AI-powered advertising tools, similar to those used by large companies. For instance, Google’s AI-driven ad tools, like Performance Max and Smart Campaigns, allow small businesses to run ads that reach local customers looking for services like “laundry near me” or “dry cleaning service.” With these tools, AI automatically selects where to place ads, adjusts spending, and ensures they reach the most relevant audiences. There’s no need for complex ad management with this powerful digital ad strategy.

Beyond ads, AI can improve how a business appears online. AI tools can help create engaging captions, product descriptions, and newsletters, allowing small businesses to maintain a polished online presence without needing a marketing team. And AI image tools optimize photos for different platforms, ensuring the business looks professional and appealing on social media and websites.

This article provides a helpful guide to setting up a Google Performance Max campaign. Or reach out to SMRT Marketing to inquire about our Beta SMRT Ads service: marketing@smrtsystems.com.

Future of AI in Laundry and Dry Cleaning: The New Essential

AI is making it easier for small businesses to market more effectively, connect with customers, and automate tasks that improve efficiency and service. Think of AI as an extra team member, analyzing customer behavior, crafting targeted messages, managing reviews, and providing management with clear insights that help improve service quality and business practices. In each area—reputation management, advertising/promotions, and customer engagement—AI can be an essential resource. As AI continues to advance, it’s quickly becoming an invaluable resource for small businesses in specialized industries like laundry and dry cleaning.

For laundry and dry cleaning businesses, AI is an essential part of staying relevant in a digital world. Even for business owners who aren’t tech-savvy, AI offers simple, accessible ways to market smarter, connect better with customers, and maintain a competitive edge. By embracing these tools, businesses can strengthen customer relationships, improve profitability, and confidently grow into the future, ensuring they thrive as the market evolves.