It’s safe to say generative AI (artificial intelligence) has recently exploded at the forefront of emerging technology and business trends.
According to a 2023 study by McKinsey, AI can save the average business owner 40 hours per month. By automating tasks, AI can free up business owners to focus on more strategic and creative initiatives.
In addition to saving time, AI can also help businesses to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase revenue. Here we cover the top five ways small businesses can start using AI to save time and improve their overall processes.
Here we cover the top five ways small businesses can start using AI to save time and improve their overall processes.
Please keep in mind:
This article is for general information regarding how businesses can use AI-generated content to streamline their processes. We recommend you always review the output of the AI tool, as the information may be incorrect, outdated, or not what you were expecting.
What is artificial intelligence?
Without going into too much detail, here is a quick overview of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI is an umbrella term covering several different technologies, like machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing and more.
Machine learning (ML) is a type of artificial intelligence that gives computers the ability to learn without explicitly being programmed.
There’s a good chance you are using it in one way or another and you don’t even know about it. From Uber estimating the price of your ride, to Siri your virtual personal assistant, to traffic predictions on Google Maps, ML is everywhere.
In a business sense, you can use this technology to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been dominating the news, but new chatbot and AI generation tools are frequently being rolled out. Jasper is one useful generative AI platform that creates content tailored to your business, wherever you work online.
Top 5 Ways for Small Businesses to Start Using AI
1. Summarise and proofread information.
It may sound simple, but using ML to summarise and proofread information can save you a considerable amount of time in your day-to-day work.
If you are new to the world of AI and ML, this is a good place to start. All you need to do is input text and these tools will summarise the information for you. You could generate a summary of a blog, article, document or any type of content that’s going to take up too much of your time.
AI-powered proofreading tools like Grammarly help proofread your writing for errors in grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, tone, consistency and more.
Whilst automated grammar-checking and proofreading tools can’t fully replace human editors, these tools are there to help you spend less time proofreading and more time on the content you are producing.
2. Write emails.
We are all aware writing work-related emails can be time-consuming. However, using AI-powered tools to streamline the writing process is a great way to save yourself some time.
Before you write an email, whether it’s a product update or a limited-time sale, ask the AI tool to generate what you are looking for. From there, it’s a good idea to personalise and develop the email further to make sure it’s aligned with your business.
You can also generate automated responses, such as thank-you emails to customers when they sign up for a service or follow-up emails reminding customers when they have upcoming appointments.
Detecting and filtering spam emails is an example of how ML already plays a role in the emails you see and engage with.
3. Social media content creation.
Keeping up to date on several social media platforms can be challenging, especially whilst running a small business. If you are struggling to brainstorm content ideas, AI-based tools are a great way to get the creative process rolling.
ML is already behind how your social media feeds are presented to you. So, next time you need a source of inspiration, try using ML to generate ideas, workshop captions, add hashtags and create visuals.
The popular graphic design tool, Canva, has recently released its own AI tools, making it possible to generate an endless amount of creative content in a short amount of time.
You can even automate the process of content scheduling and distribution across your social media channels, by using AI tools to create a weekly calendar of content ideas.
4. Data analysis.
With tools like ChatGPT and Jasper, you can quickly generate content ideas for your blogs, social media posts, newsletters, and more.
However, one of the keys to success is ensuring your content resonates with your audience. ML can help you create more personalised content by analysing data on your audience’s behaviour and preferences.
For example, Facebook’s AI-powered ad platform can analyse your ad performance in real-time and suggest changes to optimise your campaigns. It also uses data to identify the demographics who are most likely to engage with your content, if you aren’t sure which audiences to target.
Even streaming services like Netflix use ML when they suggest shows and movies personalised to your preferences!
5. Calendar scheduling.
Time management and productivity starts with your calendar! Instead of working on your schedule, AI tools can now do the work for you.
AI calendars are more powerful than smart calendars, they can recognise patterns, make decisions and learn from experience.
The best AI scheduling assistants help place tasks on your calendar, schedule meetings and reschedule conflicts. Additionally, they can discover what time during the day you’re more productive and slot higher priority tasks there.
You may have noticed the calendar on your phone prompts you to schedule in upcoming bookings and events, this is an existing function of ML.
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