A small business launches a campaign on social media, gathers hundreds of clicks, but converts almost nothing. The problem does not lie with the product or the price. It stems from poorly calibrated marketing, disconnected from the actual customer journey. We see this scenario repeating across all sectors, from B2B services to local shops.
Marketing is not just about advertising. It is the mechanism that connects an offer to a market, taking into account the operational, regulatory, and competitive constraints of the moment.
Compliance and Marketing: What the AI Act Changes for Businesses
Marketing is rarely discussed as a compliance function. Yet, this is what it is becoming with the gradual implementation of the European regulation on artificial intelligence. Starting February 2, 2025, the AI Act prohibits certain manipulative practices in automated campaigns and imposes an obligation of “AI culture” on staff. Transparency obligations regarding AI-generated or manipulated content are set to come into effect from August 2, 2026.
Specifically, if a generative AI tool is used to produce advertising visuals, product descriptions, or automated emails, each AI-generated content must be identified as such. Marketing teams must integrate this constraint from the design phase of campaigns, not at the control stage.
The GDPR remains the reference framework for the collection and use of customer data. Reconciling these two regulations requires coordination among marketing, legal, and IT teams, which explains in detail the importance of marketing on Businessmindset in the overall structuring of a company.
Proprietary Data and Direct Channels: Reducing Dependence on Platforms
The Digital Markets Act now regulates the practices of major advertising platforms. Article 13 of the DMA requires access controllers to facilitate user consent and prohibits them from making it more difficult to obtain consent than for their own services. For a company that invests most of its advertising budget on two or three platforms, the consequences are direct.
Having proprietary customer data becomes a measurable competitive advantage. A well-segmented email list, a CRM database fed by in-store or website interactions, a loyalty program generating behavioral data: these assets do not depend on a third-party algorithm that can change overnight.
Companies that have diversified their direct communication channels (newsletters, SMS, online communities) tend to withstand the fluctuations in acquisition costs imposed by platforms better. Here are concrete levers to activate:
- Build a qualified email database by offering valuable content in exchange for the visitor’s explicit consent
- Use a CRM to centralize customer interactions and personalize messages without resorting to external advertising targeting
- Develop community channels (groups, forums, events) where the relationship with consumers does not go through an intermediary
Marketing Strategy and Purchase Journey: Where Trust is Gained or Lost
Generative AI is becoming part of the online purchase journey. From product recommendations to advisory chatbots, automated touchpoints are multiplying. Feedback on this point varies, but a clear trend is emerging: consumer trust decreases at the moment of payment when they perceive that the interaction is entirely managed by a machine.
This observation imposes a strategic choice. One can automate the discovery and pre-selection of products, but the critical steps of the journey, such as cart validation, after-sales service, and complaint management, benefit from retaining visible human intervention.
An effective marketing strategy in a business does not consist of automating everywhere. It involves identifying the moments when human reassurance is needed and those when automation accelerates. Good marketing places technology at the service of the customer, not the other way around.
Adapting the Message to the Customer’s Maturity Level
A prospect discovering a brand does not have the same expectations as a regular customer. Effective marketing segments its messages according to the stage in the purchase journey:
- In the discovery phase, educational content (article, explanatory video) positions the company as a reference in its market
- In the consideration phase, product comparisons, customer testimonials, or demonstrations assist in decision-making
- In the loyalty phase, personalized offers and responsive customer service transform a one-time buyer into an ambassador
Marketing Budget for SMEs: Balancing Visibility and Profitability
SMEs face a constraint that large groups circumvent through volume: every euro invested in marketing must produce an identifiable return. One cannot afford to “build awareness” for months without measuring the impact on sales.
Measuring customer acquisition cost by channel is the first reflex to adopt. A channel that generates a lot of traffic but few conversions costs more than it seems. Conversely, a modest channel in volume but with a high conversion rate deserves more budget.
The advantage of SMEs lies in their agility. One can test a new content format, adjust an advertising message, or abandon an underperforming channel in a few days, whereas a large company takes weeks to validate even the slightest change in direction. This responsiveness, when well exploited, more than compensates for a limited budget.
Communication and Product Offering: Two Sides of the Same Work
Marketing is not limited to promoting what exists. It also feeds information from the field back into the product design. Customer feedback collected through social media, online reviews, or exchanges with the sales department directly informs the improvement of products and services.
A company that separates marketing and product development loses coherence. The advertising message promises one thing, the product delivers another, and consumer trust erodes. Aligning communication and offering is the foundation of a sustainable marketing strategy.
Marketing in the business world today no longer resembles that of five years ago. With new regulations on AI, the regulation of advertising platforms, and the growing demand from consumers for transparency, companies that treat marketing as a mere expense item are falling behind those that leverage it as a global steering tool.
