In a recent episode of the Grow Your Business podcast, we sat down with Rebecca Hegeman, Localsearch’s AI expert, to discuss how small business owners can leverage AI effectively. Here are her top tips to help you get started with AI.
5 Top Tips to Get the Most of AI
1. Master the Art of Prompts
One of the most important factors in AI success is understanding how to craft effective prompts. As Rebecca explains, “In its most basic form, a prompt is any command that you put into the AI.” To get the best results, make sure your prompt is detailed and specific. Include important context like your business type, audience, and desired outcome. Rebecca advises, “The more information you are giving it, the better your result is going to be.” So, if you need content written in Australian English or have specific terminology, be sure to tell the AI.
Rebecca Hegeman — Localsearch AI Expert & Product Owner
2. Invest Time in Learning AI
Rebecca stresses the importance of getting comfortable with AI before expecting stellar results. “Start with a minimum of ten hours,” she says, referring to the time needed to truly understand how AI platforms work. This may sound like a lot, but you can make it fun. Rebecca suggests experimenting with tasks like meal planning or generating recipes from the ingredients in your fridge. By playing around with different applications, you’ll better understand how AI responds and how to get the best outcomes for your business.
3. Use AI for Tricky Tasks
AI can be a lifesaver when it comes to handling difficult tasks like responding to emotional or challenging emails. This can help diffuse potentially tense situations while saving you time, giving you a professional and unemotional response. You can also use AI for other tasks, such as creating daily task lists or organising your schedule. “It’ll put everything into little blocks for me, and I can just mark it off,” Rebecca shares, speaking AI’s usefulness in time management.
4. Explore Different AI Tools
While ChatGPT is a great place to start, it’s not the only AI tool available. Rebecca recommends also checking out Claude by Anthropic. “It’s really good for content,” she says, noting its different style and personality compared to ChatGPT. Start with the free versions of these tools to see which fits your business best, but Rebecca advises that upgrading to paid versions can be worth it depending on your business goals. “It’s going to pay for itself a million times over,” she says about premium features that enhance AI’s capabilities, like uploading and analysing documents.
5. Review and Edit AI-Generated Content
One of the most important things to remember is that AI isn’t flawless. Rebecca warns, “AI can waffle and repeat itself multiple times, so it might use impressive words, but it could just be a lot of meaningless fluff.” Her top tip, always review AI-generated content to ensure that your messaging is clear and concise. Fact-check anything the AI produces, particularly when dealing with specific or legal information. As Rebecca puts it, “Just because the AI wrote it doesn’t mean that it’s perfect.”
By following these five tips, you can start using AI more effectively in your small business. Whether it’s crafting better prompts, experimenting with different AI tools, or using AI to streamline everyday tasks, these insights from Rebecca will help you get the most out of your AI experience.