The One Thing AI Can’t Do: Build Community

If you’ve spent any time around marketing lately, you’ve probably noticed how much everything seems to come back to technology, AI writing your content, algorithms deciding what’s seen, and entire platforms promising you can automate engagement with just a few clicks. Here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud: you can have brilliant AI content, the smartest tools, and inboxes full of automated posts, but genuine community? That’s still something only humans can build.

As the founder of Inkie, I live and breathe automation, but I know firsthand you can’t shortcut connection. It’s easy to get swept up chasing visibility, followers, or the next big marketing trend (hello, AI everything), but what makes a business thrive, especially for small business owners like us, has always been the power of real relationships.

Why Community Still Matters (Even in an AI World)

When I look at the businesses that grow, stay resilient, and weather tough times, one thing stands out: they’ve built a community, not just an audience. It’s the difference between feeling like you’re shouting into a void and knowing there are people rooting for you. Community is about trust, shared wins, and sometimes just knowing someone has your back when you hit a rough patch.

AI can take content off your plate, schedule posts, and help you sound polished, but it can’t reach out, listen, celebrate your milestones, or offer genuine empathy when you’re stuck. Those little moments, replies, comments, messages, even a shared laugh about business chaos, are the stickiest glue in marketing. They’re also the first thing to go when you automate too much or let tech take over.

Content Alone Isn’t Enough: Why Presence Wins

I see business owners focus all their energy on creating the perfect social post, blog, or email... then wonder why they aren’t getting engagement back. The missing ingredient? Presence. Community grows in the space between content, the comments section, DMs, reactions, and the moments when you show up for someone else without expecting a sale in return.

My Honest 28-Day Plan to Build (and Belong to) a Community

If you’re ready to move from passively posting to truly connecting, join me in my 28-day engagement plan. This isn’t about tricks or hacks, it’s about committing to small, daily actions that invite conversation, nurture relationships, and (most importantly) remind you that business is always about people first.

Here’s how it works:

• Every day for 28 days, take one meaningful action to build community. That could be commenting thoughtfully on another small business owner’s post, sharing someone’s work you admire, asking a genuine question, or reaching out to say thank you.

• Mix up your actions: Reply to DMs, celebrate others’ wins, offer advice when you’re able, introduce people who might help each other, even if there’s nothing in it for you.

• Keep a note of what feels natural, what sparks new connections, and which actions make you feel energised rather than drained.

This isn’t a numbers game; it’s about establishing real touchpoints. Consistency is key: community doesn’t grow overnight, but it does build with regular, honest input.

Inviting You to Join (and Share Your Progress)

I’m not setting challenges from some mythical pedestal, I'm doing this right alongside you. If you want a printable version of my 28-day community-building plan, it’s available as a freebie. Even better, we’ve set up a friendly Facebook page where you can join, check in, and share your wins or struggles. There’s so much power in seeing you’re not alone, and I’ll be there, joining in and cheering you on just like everyone else.

My Tips for Community That Lasts

• Show up as yourself. The most magnetic people and businesses are unapologetically real, flaws and all

• Give without expectation, whether that’s advice, encouragement, or celebrating a peer

• Don’t measure your worth by likes or comments; the best “ROI” is the feeling of belonging and meaningful support

• Be honest about your journey, connection comes from people seeing themselves in your story

Building Community: The Inkie Way

Everything we design at Inkie is about giving founders and small businesses more time, headspace, and practical help, but we’d never pretend it replaces the messy, human bit at the centre. Use automation and AI to free up your time, not create distance. Then put that time back into real relationships.

If you’re fed up with feeling isolated, overwhelmed, or just ready to grow your support network, this is your invitation: join the 28-day challenge. Let’s build something real, together. Because while tech might be able to fake a lot, true community can’t be automated, it’s something we craft brick by brick, one small action at a time.