Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a range of tools that can significantly benefit small businesses by automating tasks like writing marketing copy or emails, thus saving time and money. Entrepreneurs like Derek Pando of Beeloo and Lakesha Cole of She PR have successfully integrated AI into their operations, feeling as though they’ve effectively expanded their teams without additional costs.
To effectively use AI, it’s essential to provide clear and precise prompts, especially ones tailored to your specific industry. This may involve some upfront work, such as researching prompt guides or logging successful prompts for future reference. Over time, this can greatly enhance productivity, as demonstrated by Joe Karasin, who saves hours weekly using AI for research. However, he emphasizes the need to check AI-sourced information for accuracy.
AI can also serve as a marketing assistant, helping to condense blog posts into social media content or suggesting headlines. Giving AI chatbots tone prompts can ensure they match the desired voice for posts. Despite these advantages, it’s crucial to use AI selectively and maintain transparency about its use to preserve the personal connection and trust that small businesses have with their clients, as highlighted by Pando’s practice of disclosing Beeloo’s AI policy on their website.
Key Takeaways:
- Small businesses can save significant time and money by automating tasks such as marketing copywriting, spreadsheet creation, and email composition with AI tools.
- AI chatbots can enhance productivity by handling repetitive tasks, but they require clear, industry-specific prompts to deliver accurate results.
- Using AI as a marketing assistant can streamline content creation, but businesses should maintain transparency about their use of AI to preserve customer trust.
“I’m very confident that something that you do right now is easily automated by AI if you’re running a small business, whether that’s writing marketing copy or building something in Excel or writing an email you don’t know how to word,” says Derek Pando, founder of Beeloo, an online business that creates printable activities for kids.”
More details: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/ai-for-small-business