The Rise of the SMB Creator: An Interview with Shane Franklin, Chief Technology Officer, Constant Contact

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The Rise of the SMB Creator: An Interview with Shane Franklin, Chief Technology Officer, Constant Contact Focus Areas: AI Thought Leadership, Engineering, Small Business, AI Security Thinkers360 In-Depth Profile & Portfolio: Shane Franklin Social Media: LinkedIn Highlighted Content: We Can Automate, But Should We?” Thinkers360 Awards & Recognition: Top 10 Product Management, Top 25 Venture Capital, Top 25 AI Infrastructure, Top 100 Startups

Thought Leader and Influencer Interview

Thinkers360 thought leader interviews profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Shane Franklin, Chief Technology Officer, Constant Contact.

As a technology leader, Shane brings a practical, forward-looking perspective on how emerging technologies can create meaningful value for businesses and their customers. His work reflects a focus on making technology more useful and accessible, particularly as AI continues to transform how businesses operate, connect with customers, and approach marketing.

In this conversation, Shane shares insights on the emergence of the “SMB Creator,” the rapid adoption of AI, the importance of balancing social media with owned channels, maintaining consumer trust, navigating economic pressures, and the evolving role of marketing technology in empowering small businesses.

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Constant Contact’s latest Small Business Now report reveals that as consumer preference for shopping small triples, 73 percent of small business owners globally are adopting a “creator” identity and rapidly scaling AI usage to capture consumer attention. We’re delighted to share our exclusive interview with Shane as he goes through what this means for small business owners.

On the Emergence of the “SMB Creator”

Thinkers360: Your report shows that 73% of small business owners now identify as “Creators” or “Owner/Creator Hybrids,” with nearly half personally managing their social media. How is this shift changing what it fundamentally means to run a small business today, and what sets a successful SMB creator apart from a traditional online content creator?

SF: Being a small business owner doesn’t mean what it used to. You’re not just running the business, you’re the marketer, the content creator, the community manager, and increasingly, the face of the brand.

Our Small Business Now data backs it up: 73% of small business owners now identify as creators in some capacity, and nearly half run their social presence themselves.

The line between SMB owner and creator keeps getting thinner. Same goal on both sides…grow your reach, turn contacts into customers, and tell your story while you do it.

On the AI Adoption Explosion

Thinkers360: AI usage among U.S. SMBs jumped dramatically from 26% in 2023 to 87% in 2026—primarily driven by time-saving content creation and data analysis. Where are you seeing small businesses gain the biggest competitive advantage using AI?

SF: The biggest competitive advantage we’re seeing right now is simple: businesses using AI to clear out the small, repetitive tasks that quietly eat up hours an owner doesn’t have.

Our research points in the same direction, saving time is one of the biggest benefits small businesses get from AI, with content creation and data analysis leading the way.

Turning a 30-minute task into a five-minute one doesn’t sound dramatic. But it hands an owner back time for the things only they can do: talk to a customer, work the flower shop, get the bread out on time, make sure people actually show up to the open house

             Editor’s Note: See Shane Franklin’s profile to work with him directly. 

SF: Social matters for visibility, that’s where people find you. Constant Contact’s research found 49% of consumers use social media to discover new small businesses, compared with 40% who use search engines.

But I’d never tell a small business to pick between social and email. Use social to widen the net. Then give people a reason to come with you somewhere you actually own… email, SMS, on your terms, in your voice.

Social gets you attention. Owned channels are how you keep it.

On Consumer Trust and AI Transparency

Thinkers360: 45% of consumers express a desire for businesses to explicitly label AI-generated content, and 37% of SMBs are already practicing full transparency. How can small business owners leverage AI for speed and scale while maintaining the authentic, human connection that draws customers to shop small in the first place?

Thinkers360: While consumer preference for shopping small has tripled since 2021, nearly half of U.S. consumers report cutting back on SMB spending due to inflation. In light of these tight budgets, what specific strategies can small businesses use to emphasize “unique products” and “local impact” to keep customers engaged?

SF: Consumer preference for shopping small in the U.S. has nearly tripled since 2021, from 10% to 27%. At the same time, 49% of consumers say inflation has them cutting back on spending.

So people want to buy small, but they’re spending carefully. That’s exactly why the relationship matters more now than ever before.

The data gives a pretty clear roadmap. Consumers say unique products and supporting the local economy are among the top reasons they choose a small business over a large corporation.

So don’t compete with a big-box retailer by trying to look like one. Lean into what they can’t replicate. Tell the story behind the product. Show the person who makes it. Highlight the local connection. Share what it’s like to be your customer.

Give people a reason to feel their purchase meant something beyond the transaction.

On the Future Role of Marketing Platforms

Thinkers360: Looking ahead over the next 3–5 years, as AI continues to automate execution—from content generation to audience targeting—how do you see the role of marketing technology platforms evolving to empower the next generation of SMB creators?

SF: We’re moving from marketing software that hands small businesses tools, to platforms that actually help them get the work done.

The point is to make one owner dramatically more capable and hand them back the hours that go with it.

If I’m a two-person business, I shouldn’t need a 20-person marketing department. The technology should do the marketing, not become another job to manage.

That’s why we built AI into the core of Constant Contact rather than bolting it on. Decades of data and customer signals go into it, so the platform can give time back, instead of leaving the owner to figure out what’s next.

The best AI eventually goes almost invisible, so the owner can get back to what makes them, them.

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