Why Businesses Must Embrace AI & Automation — Or Risk Being Left Behind

By Liz Hutchings, Founder, Total Guide to Ltd & Total Marketing + MD Total Business Network.

Business leaders and especially marketeers are no strangers to change, are we?

Over the last 12 months I've invested a considerable amount of time and money on integrating AI and Automation and the result has been a more motivated team with even better ROIs for clients as the team are able to spend more time being creative and making the boat go faster for us and our clients!

2025 marks a turning point and it's often overwhelming. Businesses that are thriving aren’t just adapting. They’re using AI and automation to completely transform how they operate, serve clients, and scale.

And those that don’t? They’re already being left behind.

The Age of “Smarter” Marketing

AI is no longer a futuristic buzzword — it’s a practical tool that’s reshaping every part of our work, from campaign planning to client communications.

For marketing professionals, this isn’t about replacing creativity. It’s about enhancing it.

Imagine automating your weekly reports, generating entire content calendars in minutes, or instantly repurposing content across platforms. With tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, Midjourney, Grammarly, HubSpot workflows, and Zapier integrations, all of this is not only possible — it’s happening now.

This doesn't apply just to marketing - many business owners like me loathe the accounting side of the businesses but with tools like Zapier to integrate payment portals like Stripe to your accounting software (Xero for example), it's doing the heavy lifting for us.

The Real Benefit? Time

Time is a business' most valuable resource. Automating repetitive tasks frees up your team to focus on what really moves the needle: strategy, storytelling, creative thinking and relationship-building.

Businesses leveraging AI properly are seeing:

• Increased output without hiring more staff
• Faster turnaround for campaigns and proposals
• Better ROI for clients (and themselves)
• Reduced burnout and decision fatigue

It’s Not Just for Tech-Savvy Teams

One of the biggest myths is that you need to be “techy” to implement AI. That’s simply not true.

Most of the tools available today are intuitive, low-cost, and don’t require any coding knowledge. What you do need is a mindset shift — to test, tweak, and stay curious.

Whether you're automating email campaigns, streamlining your onboarding process, or using AI to enhance SEO, the key is to start small and scale up. The worst thing you can do is wait.

But Doesn’t It Kill Creativity?

Absolutely not. In fact, AI can spark new ideas you hadn’t considered, offer alternative copy angles, or help overcome creative blocks. You still need a human to steer the ship — but AI can certainly help you sail faster.

The most effective marketers in 2025 aren’t worried about being replaced by AI. They’re using it to become more creative, not less.

Real-World Wins

Here at Total Guide to, we’ve used AI to:

• Scrape clients sites and socials to auto update their content on the TGt sites - meaning we can spend our time on site creating winning content for them rather than stuck in the office on mundane admin tasks for clients
• Create content calendars and social media plans
• Summarise long-form content into bite-sized social media posts
• Improve SEO performance through smart automation
• Speed up admin-heavy processes like invoicing, data entry and proposals

The results? More time, more capacity — and better results for clients.

Want to See It In Action?

At our Lunch and Learn at The Guildhall Tavern, Jamie and I will be walking through how we're using AI and Automation to work smarter to enable you to:

• Save hours every week
• Increase profitability
• Stand out from the crowd

I’ll also cover common pitfalls to avoid, my top free and low-cost tools, and how to train your team to use AI responsibly and ethically.

If you're looking for a competitive edge in 2025, this is it.

Let’s unlock the power of AI in your business — I’ll show you how.