I know, I know. You are SICK of hearing about AI; it's literally everywhere.
There has been a lot of hesitation about AI for a lot of reasons, but one of those reasons is the fear it will hurt jobs. And the fear is understandable. But we choose to look at it in a different way. What if it helps people do their job better and faster, enabling small businesses to grow and, in turn, hire more people? We think it's a tool that could help a lot of struggling or busy small businesses.
So let's do a deep dive into Generagive AI and how to make it work for your business.
QUICK ARTICLE LINKS What is the difference between AI and Generative AI? Where Does Generative AI Get Its Information? Is Generative AI a Good Idea for Small Businesses? Can You Use Generative AI for Marketing? Why You Still Need a Human to Help With Your Marketing.
What is the difference between AI and Generative AI?
Some people talk about AI and Generative AI interchangably. But they are different.
AI:
Focus: Solving specific tasks with predefined rules.
Process: Analyzes data to make decisions and generate outputs based on those rules.
Examples:
Modern AI: self-driving cars, facial recognition, personalized recommendations
Generative AI:
Focus: Creating new content and data.
Process: Learns patterns from data and uses them to generate original content.
Examples:
Text generation: writing poems, articles, code, scripts
Image generation: creating realistic images of people, places, and things
Where does generative AI get its information?
The data that generative AI uses can be anything from text to images to code. Once the AI has learned from the data, it can generate new content that is similar to the data it was trained on.
Is generative AI a good idea for small businesses?
Yes!
It help you create content that is more engaging and informative.
It saves time and money on content creation.
It helps reach a wider audience.
Can you use generative AI for marketing?
Absolutely! Here are some specific ways that you can use generative AI for marketing:
Create content: Generative AI can be used to create content such as blog posts, social media posts, and email marketing campaigns. This content can be tailored to your target audience and can help you to reach them more effectively.
Personalize your marketing: This is done by using AI to understand your customers' interests and preferences better. This helps you to create more relevant and engaging marketing messages.
Optimize your website: It can be used to optimize your website for search engines. This is done by using the AI to understand the keywords that your target audience is using which in turn helps you improve your website's ranking in search results.
Generate leads: By using AI to create landing pages and email marketing campaigns you can bring in more and better leads. When a website visitor fills out their information, it allows you to market to them and increase sales.
Why you still need a human to help with your marketing.
While generative AI is a powerful tool for marketing, it is important to remember that it is still a tool. It cannot replace the creativity and insight of a human marketer.
Here are some reasons why you still need a human for your marketing:
Humans can understand nuances. AI is still learning and can make mistakes. Humans are required to ensure the information output from AI is correct and has your brand feel.
Humans are the creative force behind marketing. AI can generate content and help creators with new ideas, but it doesn't have the same creativity as a human. Humans can come up with new and innovative ideas that can help your business stand out from the competition.
Humans can build relationships. AI can't. Human are required to help build strong customer relationships and grow a loyal customer base.
How do marketers use AI to make better content?
There are seemingly new ways to use AI for content creation coming out every day. Here are a few ways marketers can utilize AI for better content:
Generate ideas for content. AI can analyze data and identify trends that would otherwise take a lot of time to review. This information can be used to generate ideas for content that is relevant to your target audience.
Improve the quality of content. AI can be used to proofread content and identify errors. It can also be used to suggest ways to improve the clarity and conciseness of content.
Personalize content. AI can help you understand the interests and preferences of your target audience. This information can be used to personalize content so that it is more relevant and engaging.
Optimize content for search engines. AI can evaluate the keywords that your target audience is using. This information can be used to optimize your content so that it is more likely to be found by potential customers.
Free AI Tools for Small Businesses
Content Creation:
Rytr: Create blog content, product descriptions, social media posts, and marketing copy. (Free plan available)
Copy.ai: Generate marketing copy, social media posts, website content, and more. (Free plan available)
Canva: Create a wide range of graphics, videos, ads and more with free stock images, fonts, and pre-designed templates (Free plan available)
Google Bard: Type in what type of blog or copy you are looking to create with as much or as little detail as you want and you'll have content for your website, blog, social media, and more. (Free)
Social Media Marketing:
Flick: AI-powered social media assistant that helps with content generation, scheduling, and analytics. (Free plan available)
Buffer: Manage multiple social media accounts and schedule posts. (Free plan available)
Later: Schedule and optimize social media posts for Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok. (Free plan available)
Brand24: Track mentions of your brand and competitors across social media and online news. (Free plan available)
Marketing Automation:
Zapier: Automate repetitive tasks between different web apps. (Free plan available)
Mailchimp: Create and send email newsletters and marketing campaigns. (Free plan available)
SendPulse: Send email, SMS, and web push notifications. (Free plan available)
Chatfuel: Create chatbots for Facebook Messenger and other platforms. (Free plan available)
Website Design and Optimization:
Uizard: AI-powered UI/UX design tool for creating mobile and web apps. (Free trial)
Unsplash: Free stock photos for your website and marketing materials.
Pexels: Free stock videos for your website and marketing materials.
Analytics and Reporting:
Google Analytics: Track website traffic and user behavior. (Free)
Facebook Ads Manager: Analyze the performance of your Facebook ads. (Free)
Instagram Insights: Track the performance of your Instagram account. (Free)
Twitter Analytics: Track the performance of your Twitter account. (Free)
Additional Tools:
Grammarly: Improve your writing and grammar. (Free plan available)
Hemingway Editor: Make your writing more concise and clear. (Free)
SEOquake: Analyze your website's SEO performance. (Free browser extension)
Keywords Everywhere: Research keywords and find keyword ideas. (Free plan available)
We see AI as a tool for small businesses that can enrich and empower them to grow and succeed.
