5 Ways that Small Businesses Can Use A.I. Today
"AI will be the most transformative technology of the 21st century. It will affect every industry and aspect of our lives." - Jensen Huang CEO at NVIDIA
Artificial Intelligence is both exciting and a little bit scary, but there is no doubt that it is at the forefront of conversation in the business world. In the world of digital marketing, AI is transforming how we plan, implement, and monitor campaigns, offering unprecedented efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and customer insights.
At Lange Digital Solutions, we believe that AI can be a bit intimidating for many small business owners, and we want to show you a few ways that you can (and should) use it to help with some of the more tedious day-to-day tasks.
#1. Idea Generation
Do you remember the days back in school when you had that paper looming over you, and the deadline was fast approaching? Ever dealt with a case of writer’s block? Well, you will never again have to stare at the blank screen (or sheet of paper for us older folks…) wondering what the heck you are going to do. With simple tools like generative chat programs like OpenAI’s Chat GPT or Anthropic’s Claude, all you have to do is prompt the chatbot with a phrase like, “create a list of 20 ways to market my small business” and in seconds you will have a list of 20 new ideas to get you started in the right direction. They may not all be winners, but it is 20 more ideas than you had thirty seconds ago.
#2. Content Creation
As mentioned above, the generative chatbots can also be used for multiple forms of content creation. For example:
· Text: Tools like Chat GPT can create the content for a website landing page, the copy for an email campaign, or the text for a social media post. The possibilities are literally only limited by your imagination. I have found that I get a decent first draft by following a simple formula of:
1) Assign a Role + 2) Give A Task + 3) Specify Requirements + 4) Set the Tone.
For Example:
You are a Social Media Manager at a Roofing Company named ABC Roofers. You need to create daily social media posts for the month of October 2024 that can be shared on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The posts need to be specific to the roofing industry and provide a mix of education and a call to action. Keep a warm, professional tone.
Then, just refine the results as needed by clarifying your request, or asking questions. Remember, while you could absolutely just copy and paste the results, I think that your best bet is to refine the results, and then treat them as a ‘first draft’ and add a bit of your voice or personality to them.
· Visual: Much like the generative text, many AI tools now offer a graphic option as well. This can be very handy for basic graphic design needs such as simple logo design, or even social media content. Tools like Midjourney or Adobe Firefly can be great for image creation or editing minor details like a person's outfit in a photograph.
As you become more comfortable and more advanced in your use of AI, you can create AI Avatars, text-to-speech audio using a voice clone or custom voiceover software, and text-to-video commercials/ads by combining the two. And I didn’t even discuss the tools that can help with video and sound editing for social media and podcasting. That’s a discussion for another day…
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#3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
One of the easiest things that we can do as small business owners is to make sure that the content on our website is optimized for SEO. That way, when someone searches for whatever it is that you do, “XYZ near me”, you show up near or at the top of the results page. Nobody goes to Google and then looks for the plumber on page 2 of the search results.
However, by simply asking the chatbot to create content for your landing page that contains certain keywords and locations, you can give yourself a simple boost to your local SEO rating.
#4. Customer Service Automations
Have you ever had a time when you received a phone call, but you just weren’t able to answer it? Maybe you were busy with another customer, or you were off-hours and they didn’t leave a voicemail?
AI can now do something called missed call text back. You can program a chatbot so that as soon as an incoming call is tagged as unanswered, the chatbot can reach out to the incoming number with a message and try to engage the customer before they move on to the next plumber or roofer in the list. Once you get them engaged, you can then take over the texting or place a return call and BOOM, no more missed opportunity! Depending on the average value of a converted sale, this could be a huge game-changer!
These same outreach automations can be used for email campaigns, nurturing customers through your sales funnels, or asking for post-service customer reviews for your website and social media pages.
#5. Time Savings
If you haven’t put the idea together yet, more than a separate point, this is sort of the culmination of all of the previous points. The most valuable asset we have as business owners is our time. Whether we use it to get more work done, or to simply have a bit of time freedom, this is by far the most valuable function of artificial intelligence. It is a facilitator and an accelerator, so you are able to get more done in less time.
I can tell you from first-hand experience that I am able to accomplish a level of work in my spare time, that would previously have taken me a team of at least three people to accomplish. It’s just up to you whether you use that advantage to do 3x the work or do the same work in 1/3 of the time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Travis Lange
