When generative artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT became all the buzz Cecilia Pearson wasn’t worried about robots taking over the world or taking her job. Instead, she immediately started looking for ways that AI could boost her business.
“I am 100 percent geek, and I am one of those early adopter people,” says Pearson. “I will experiment with anything.”
It helps me get deeper work done quicker.
Pearson is the founder of Babypalooza, which publishes a website and hosts events primarily across the Southeast for new and expectant mothers. She hasn’t used AI to replace any of the people who work for her, but Pearson still feels the technology is helping her bottom line by boosting efficiency and creativity.
With a tool like ChatGPT, users can enter questions and prompts and receive detailed humanlike responses. This generative AI can compose articles, essays, emails, social media posts and more.10 (Pearson purchases prompts that are designed to help users get better results.)1 ChatGPT is free to use, but a paid premium version is also available.
From presentations to project management, AI has helped Pearson with nearly every aspect of her business. Pearson uses the paid version of ChatGPT to develop business strategies, brainstorm ideas for social media, pull insights from her website’s Google analytics and more.
“It helps me get deeper work done quicker,” she says.
AI is a tool that’s meant to help you, not replace you. Your work still needs your personal touch. Don’t let technology make you forget that you are your greatest business asset.
Pearson’s been in business for 20 years, and says AI helps her when she feels stuck in a rut. “AI has given me some fresh insights I can use,” she says.
Boosting Your Business with AI
There are several ways you could use artificial intelligence tools to help make your small business more productive and more profitable.
Research
You might use ChatGPT to research new markets for your business or ask questions about your competitors so you can home in on what makes your business stand out.
Brainstorming
You can brainstorm with AI, too. If you’re planning a conference, you could ask AI to give you a checklist of everything you need to do and ideas for promoting your event too. You might brainstorm ways to better connect with your customers or more efficient ways to carry out day-to-day tasks.
Pearson used ChatGPT to generate a list of all holidays and marketing dates related to maternity and women’s and infants’ health and social media post ideas for each one.1
Content Creation
Adobe Firefly, which offer free and paid plans, can help you design stylish images to promote your business. With Pictory, you can create a highlight reel for your business without hiring an expensive editor. After a free trial, Pictory’s pricing plans range from $19 to $99 per month.
Gamma App, which has free and paid plans, can help you create a slick slide deck for your next presentation.
You could try AI tools like Jasper to produce SEO-friendly blog posts related to your specific industry.6 (Jasper is a paid tool but offers a free 7-day trial.)1
Systems and Processes
Some of the software you’re already using to streamline your business may have AI features to make your systems even more efficient. For example, ClickUp, the project management tool that Pearson uses, features AI that will generate templates for any type of project. And you can automate invoicing and payment processes with Stampli’s accounts payable AI called Billy the Bot.
Customer Service
AI chatbots can be used to answer routine questions in a way that’s much more personable than a frequently asked questions page. Even if you prefer to interact with your customers directly, AI could help you draft responses to common requests and sort through feedback from customers so you can serve them better.
Support Your Side Hustle with AI
If you don’t have a small business of your own, perhaps AI can help you start one.
If you’re the person friends turn to with questions about TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, turn your social media savvy into a side hustle by helping small businesses with their accounts. AI could help with market research, post ideas, post creation and scheduling, and analysis of post engagement so you can keep getting better.
If you’re the globetrotter in your girl group, help others plan trips to some of your favorite destinations. With AI, you could do research to craft itineraries for a variety of interests and in half the time it might take you without today’s tech tools.
If you have valuable information and ideas that you’re eager to share with others, you could use AI to create workbooks or faceless YouTube videos to pass on your knowledge.
Risk and Rewards
With most rewards, come risks, and AI is no different. To work, certain AI applications may require access to large amounts of proprietary or personal information. Thus, a data breach could compromise your and your clients’ privacy. Furthermore, because AI systems are created by humans, they can carry some of the same racial and gender biases that people perpetuate.
One of the most common pitfalls of AI users is distributing inaccurate information generated by AI.
Bottom line: these tech tools’ results aren’t “set it and forget it.” You’re definitely gonna need to vet it.
“You have to be aware that AI is not a person,” Pearson says. “It's still just a glorified search engine. And so just like anything that you would get off the internet, you're going to have to do due diligence to make sure it's accurate.”
AI is a tool that’s meant to help you, not replace you. Your work still needs your personal touch. Don’t let technology make you forget that you are your greatest business asset.
