Local businesses from across Market Drayton came together this week to explore one of the biggest changes in digital marketing in recent years as they took part in Make it Market Drayton’s free Using AI in Marketing workshop.
The interactive session showed businesses how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can become a valuable business assistant, helping to save time, generate ideas and create professional marketing content more efficiently.
Rather than replacing creativity, the workshop focused on how AI can support business owners by taking away some of the time-consuming tasks involved in marketing, allowing them to spend more time running and growing their businesses.
Throughout the session, attendees were shown live demonstrations of how AI can help create website content, social media posts, email campaigns, newsletters, blogs, press releases and marketing plans in just a matter of minutes. Businesses also learned how to improve the quality of AI-generated content by asking better questions, providing more context and refining responses through conversation rather than expecting the perfect answer first time.
One of the key themes of the workshop was helping businesses understand how people are now searching for information online. As search engines increasingly use AI-generated overviews alongside traditional search results, having clear, useful and well-written website content is becoming more important than ever. The workshop explored practical ways businesses can improve their digital presence so they are more likely to be found by both search engines and AI-powered search tools.
Attendees also discovered that AI has uses far beyond marketing. Live demonstrations showed how it can help with research, planning projects, learning new skills, understanding complicated documents, generating ideas, solving everyday problems and even supporting hobbies and home improvement projects.
The workshop encouraged businesses to see AI as a practical assistant rather than something to fear, demonstrating how it can support rather than replace the knowledge, experience and personality that make every local business unique.
Helen McCabe from Make it Market Drayton said:
“AI is changing the way businesses market themselves, but it’s also changing the way customers search for information. We want local businesses to feel confident using these new tools so they can save time, create better content and continue to stand out online. By investing in digital skills today, we’re helping businesses prepare for the future while strengthening the visibility of Market Drayton as a whole.”
The AI workshop is one of a growing programme of free business support opportunities delivered by Make it Market Drayton. Alongside practical training workshops, businesses can also benefit from monthly networking events, a free business directory, marketing support and opportunities to connect with other local businesses throughout the year. These initiatives form part of Make it Market Drayton’s ongoing commitment to helping businesses develop new skills, embrace digital technology and build a stronger local economy. Find out more about the support available here.
The next free training workshop will help local businesses become more confident and effective speakers. Whether you’re presenting your business, networking, delivering presentations or speaking at community events, the Public Speaking Workshop will provide practical techniques to help you communicate with confidence.
