The GaryVee Audio Experience
How to Use AI to Grow Your Business on Social Media in 2026
Why It Matters
Understanding AI as a foundational tool helps small service businesses stay competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace. By combining AI‑enhanced content creation with authentic customer engagement, dog trainers and similar solopreneurs can differentiate themselves and unlock higher‑priced, experience‑based services that meet growing consumer demand for both tech‑savvy and analog experiences.
Key Takeaways
- •AI will become as ubiquitous as electricity within two years
- •Use TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Threads for content
- •Runway ML, Canvas Magic, Midjourney, Descript boost AI content creation
- •Disclose AI assistance to maintain authenticity with customers
- •Combine analog dog events with digital branding for premium revenue
Pulse Analysis
The conversation frames artificial intelligence as the next universal utility—comparable to electricity, computers, and the internet. Within one to two years, most dog trainers will rely on AI assistants such as Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT for daily marketing tasks. This rapid adoption reshapes how solopreneurs generate ideas, draft captions, and answer client messages, turning AI from a novelty into a core operating system. For a young trainer competing with decades‑long word‑of‑mouth reputations, leveraging AI can level the playing field, providing data‑driven insights and creative brainstorming that were previously out of reach.
Strategically, the hosts recommend focusing on short‑form video platforms—TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Threads—where discovery algorithms favor fresh, engaging pet content. To produce that material efficiently, they cite AI‑powered tools: Runway ML for video editing and effects, Canvas Magic Media for generated visuals, Midjourney or DALL·E for unique images, and Descript for automated transcription and editing. By treating AI as a thinking partner during ideation jams, trainers can craft myth‑busting hot takes, entertainment layers, and platform‑specific formats without extensive technical expertise. This workflow accelerates content pipelines and helps newcomers over‑index on trending topics.
Authenticity remains the linchpin; the speakers stress transparent AI usage—adding a brief note that a response was generated by an AI assistant—to preserve trust. Beyond digital presence, they envision hybrid experiences: curated dog‑park meetups, paid ‘dog supper clubs,’ and exclusive community events that blend analog interaction with online branding. These premium services can command rates from $75 to $100 per walk in affluent markets, turning social media followers into paying members. As consumer fatigue with endless scrolling grows, the pendulum swings toward tangible, analog gatherings, positioning AI‑enhanced marketing as the catalyst that drives both visibility and high‑value, real‑world revenue.
Episode Description
In this episode of the GaryVee Audio Experience, I talk about the biggest opportunity for small businesses in 2026: the "Barbell Economy." I encourage you to lean into both extreme AI efficiency and extreme analog, real-life experiences. I also discuss how to use AI as a thinking partner for your content strategy and why live shopping is the next frontier for service and product businesses.
You’ll learn about:
The Rise of Extreme Analog
How to Use AI Tools for Content Creation
Building Community Through "Clubs"
How to Scale Using Live Shopping and "Commerce-tainment"
How to Deal with Keyboard Warriors and Online Judgment
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Loading comments...