AI is revolutionizing the way we work, create, and interact. With so many tools available, it can be challenging to know where to start. Our team has tested and compiled a list of the top AI tools that are boosting productivity and innovation across our industry. Take a look.

Stan | Founder, CEO & Jack of all trades

Favourite AI Tool: Replit
How do you use this tool? Coding, with a single prompt you can develop a website. Currently building a client Dashboard connected to Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Google Ads, Search Console, etc

Tips for beginners using this tool? Just start playing 😉

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? Perplexity gives me all my news now, Claude.ai is my go to for content.

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Megan | Marketing Manager

Favourite AI Tool: ChatGPT

How do you use it? I use ChatGPT in a number of ways, but probably one of the most common ones is to adjust existing website copy when populating a new website. When we build new websites for clients often the copy needs to be reduced or expanded upon and ChatGPT does a great job of this whilst retaining the same tone.

Tips for beginners? Make sure you’re using the correct prompts, and expand upon them if you don’t get what you need the first time. When getting assistance with Google Ads or Meta Ads copy, make sure to include character count limitations.

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? The Canva AI section is also great and is growing day by day.

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Mark | Designer & Developer

Favourite AI Tool: Claude and ChatGPT

How do you use this tool? Claude is best for code – I use it for writing code outlines, checking code and troubleshooting and debugging. I find ChatGPT better for idea generation, brainstorming concepts, generating sample text for heading and intros, mockup image creation – there is so much. Its a huge timesaver.

Tips for beginners using this tool? Be as specific as possible for the best outcome. Reiterate as many times as you need to. And always check the output!

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? Perplexity, Ideogram, Artistly

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Kyra | Copywriter

Favourite AI Tool: ChatGPT & Canva AI

How do you use this tool? To repurpose content in a new voice, for blog structure outlines, to compile lists, to summarise articles for research, to spell-check, to add digestible bits to blog posts – or to suggest new angles from which to approach old blog post topics. I’ve found that the best way to interact with ChatGPT is to begin with questions and then to ask it to use the answers for x, y or z. Also – Canva AI has given some great graphic design inspo!

Tips for beginners using this tool? Treat it as an interactive interface, not a task machine. Ask it questions & get collaborative. Also say please and thank you incase robots take over and you need to be in their good books ;).

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? Not really, but I do want to become better about it, particularly with regards to reel creation.

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Kai | Paid Media Specialist

Your Favourite AI Tool? ChatGPT

How do you use this tool? I use ChatGPT as a versatile assistant in both my professional and personal life. At work, it helps me brainstorm Google Ads strategies, troubleshoot tracking issues, refine ad copy, and quickly understand technical concepts. It’s especially helpful when I’m not 100% confident in something—it saves me from having to interrupt colleagues for help I can often figure out with the right guidance. Outside of work, I use it for things like planning trips, learning new skills, and even getting quick recipe ideas. It’s like having a reliable co-pilot that helps me work smarter and live a little easier.

Tips for beginners using this tool? Explore all the tools and see which one fits your needs best—whether it’s drafting copy, brainstorming ideas, or troubleshooting technical tasks. Download the app on your phone and try the dictate feature; giving rich context makes a huge difference. The beauty of ChatGPT is that you can get tailor-made advice for complex, nuanced questions. Unlike Google, you can throw in curveballs—like “in the month of May, with appropriate weather, activities and atmosphere”—and get suggestions that match a specific mood, region, or goal. It’s like briefing a smart creative partner in real time.

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? Yes, lots. One I’m particularly excited to try is Replit. It looks like a powerful tool for coding and experimenting with AI projects. That said, I’ve made a point of holding off until my current work is under control—these tools are exciting, but they can also become a huge distraction if the timing isn’t right.

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Sharon-Rose | Paid Search Analyst

Your Favourite AI Tool? Chat GPT

How do you use this tool? It helps me brainstorm ideas, and create engaging social media content for clients. I also use it for more technical and professional tasks like developing lead forms, refining marketing strategies and also helps solve problems that I encounter on Google and Facebook.

Beyond work, I use it to build educational resources for my daugher as I homeschool. It’s been incredibly helpful in navigating complex emotions and personal reflections, from drafting difficult conversations to planning things like an “After I’m Gone” file, writing heartfelt letters to family etc

Tips for beginners using this tool? Be specific, give context, ask follow-ups, try different ways, use it like a partner, save good prompts, keep it conversational.

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? I’ve tried some note taking tools but none that stuck. Suggestions welcome!

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Sarah | Social Advertising & Content Creation

Favourite AI Tools: Canva AI & ChatGPT

How do you use this tool? ChatGPT is my go-to tool to speed up copywriting, fuel ideas for upcoming social media calendars and figure out gaps in SEO optimised blog posts for clients. If there is a particular piece of previous content which has a really nice tone or hook, I use it as an example or inspiration for what I am currently working on to improve captions and maintain continuity of voice for each client.

ChatGPT is also really great at helping to fill in missing information. In the flow of communication from client to account manager to copywriter, things are often lost in translation and AI helps to fill in missing information from its chat history, find information from existing images or blog content and fill it in without manually having to do so.

CanvaAI is another great tool I love to use for social media and website content. You can effortlessly transform existing templates into stories, reels, carousels, edit out specifics from images that don’t make sense for the story you are telling. It’s auto editing and image enhancing tools are amazing at improving ad hoc images sent by clients (which sometimes aren’t the best quality).

Tips for beginners using this tool? ChatGPT – take the time to set it up properly and use separate chats for each client / task you work on. Before you ask for anything, prep the AI tool with as much information as you can from websites, social media, give examples of tone you already like and want to continue into the future. Tell it what you don’t like and when it is being repetitive/cheesy. Also a great idea to plug in your preferred contact details and then when creating social media captions for example, they will always be in the chat history saving you time!

CanvaAI – again, take the time to set up your brand template with preferred colours and fonts etc – this will save you time in the future. If you can, use the paid version. The amount of stock images and tools available is so worth it, and will save you so much time and money in the long run.

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? I tried Jasper initially, but preferred ChatGPT. Grammarly is great for spelling and grammar across the board.

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Troy Emmerson, Web Developer

Favourite AI Tool? ChatGPT

How do you use this tool? I use it to help solve complex tasks and improve my overall efficiency. For example, I was having difficulty with a specific piece of code that wasn’t working. ChatGPT noticed that I had missed a small but vital comma. Who knows how much time I would have wasted?

Tips for beginners using this tool? Create a free account. The AI Model stores information about you to help better answer your questions

Have You Tried Any Other AI Tools You Liked? Yes. Claude seems good to work with too

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As this roundup shows, AI is no longer just a futuristic buzzword—it’s an everyday tool our team relies on to think smarter, work faster, and deliver more creative, strategic output across every department. Whether you’re a marketer, designer, developer, or business owner, there’s likely an AI tool out there that can streamline your workflow and amplify your results. Want help integrating AI into your marketing strategy or using it to supercharge your ad campaigns? Get in touch with our team at hello@focusonline.co.za—we’d love to chat.