\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
\n\tThis article is part of the America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops series. Read more stories<\/a><\/p>\n So many people are talking about AI now, and it\u2019s hard to know what is fantasy and what is within reach. The truth is, AI is becoming one of the most accessible tools small business owners can use to move faster, especially on low-value work, so the ROI potential is enormous when used well. Yet, only 1 in 4 small businesses<\/a> have adopted AI at all so far.<\/p>\n Most founders don\u2019t need to become \u201cAI experts\u201d \u2014 they just need tactical understanding of how to plug AI into the business they\u2019re already running, without losing their voice or the personal touch<\/a> that makes small businesses special.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to do exactly that.<\/p>\n Related: 3 Ways Small Businesses Can Compete With Big Companies Using the Power of AI<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Small businesses often run on razor-thin capacity. Owners are juggling client work, marketing, sales, admin, finances, hiring, operations and trying to log off in time to have some amount of a life. AI definitely doesn\u2019t replace the best parts of you, like critical thinking and good judgment, but it can absolutely replace the hours you spend in the weeds<\/a>. Think of it like adding a part-time analyst to your team for the cost of a software subscription.<\/p>\n And unlike big teams, you don\u2019t have bureaucracy slowing you down, so you can adopt, test and iterate quickly, which means you actually get the advantage most large companies waste.<\/p>\n Related: Why Smart Entrepreneurs Let AI Do the Heavy Business Lifting<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n A lot of founders treat AI like a content generator. They plug in a prompt, get a caption, post it and move on, but that\u2019s how we\u2019ve arrived at the era of AI \u201cslop<\/a>,\u201d where AI-generated content is becoming both more prevalent and more dumbed-down by the week.<\/p>\n The true power for a small business is to use AI to think better, viewing it as a decision-making partner.<\/p>\n This is the kind of support big companies have entire teams for, and you can use AI to cut out a ton of that wasted time instead. Let\u2019s walk through some examples of how to do this in practice.<\/p>\n Example 1: Automate low-value tasks <\/b><\/p>\n Most founders waste hours every week on tasks that don\u2019t require their intelligence<\/a> at all. AI is built for these tasks.<\/p>\n For example, you can use it to summarize customer feedback surveys, turning the raw data into insights you can act on without having to sift through thousands of responses manually or with Ctrl + F.<\/p>\n AI is also great for writing first drafts of email replies, product descriptions, instructions or FAQs. Bonus points if you dictate to the AI so you don\u2019t even have to type \u2014 just please, make sure to read and edit the output to make sure it\u2019s clear and accurate.<\/p>\n Example 2: Turn your ideas into usable marketing faster<\/b><\/p>\n You already know your business better than anyone, and AI can help you take that innate knowledge and create content ideas instantly.<\/p>\n Try using AI to brain-dump into, and ask it to give a blog post outline. Or use an AI-powered tool like Castmagic to repurpose<\/a> a podcast episode into hundreds of social media post ideas.<\/p>\n One important thing to remember is that the quality of AI output depends almost entirely on the quality of your input. This is why the voice note or dictation tool is great \u2014 you can dictate to it for minutes at a time, and it will synthesize all that nuance into a tactical starting place for any type of content.<\/p>\n Example 3: Personalize at scale without losing the human touch<\/b><\/p>\n Small businesses win because of the boutique, personal feel. AI lets you scale that without the intense amount of overhead.<\/p>\n One easy way to do this is to draft multiple versions of the same message, tailored to different audiences. You can also personalize sales follow-ups<\/a> using the sales call notes.<\/p>\n AI is perfect as a tool to remove repetition so you can be more human where it matters.<\/p>\n Example 4: Analyze your marketing like a data team would<\/b><\/p>\n Using AI to actually analyze your marketing data can turn your marketing operation way more profitable.<\/p>\n For example, if you download your analytics from various marketing channels, your AI tool<\/a> can tell you what\u2019s converting and suggest why, recommending where to focus and types of content to produce. It can also help you crunch numbers for things that seem otherwise intimidating, like ad metrics analysis.<\/p>\n AI becomes a true multiplier when it comes to data, allowing you to make decisions like a company with far more resources would.<\/p>\n Related: AI for the Underdog \u2014 Here\u2019s How Small Businesses Can Thrive With Artificial Intelligence<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Too many small businesses are trying to shortcut content creation and brand messaging with AI. AI is a great tool, but it\u2019s not good enough yet to effectively capture your full vision, your values or your judgment.<\/p>\n You and your team are still the best tool, at least right now, for things like storytelling, brand voice<\/a> development, creative direction and any kind of final signoff.<\/p>\n AI should help you spend more time in CEO mode and make better decisions. It should allow you to offload repetitive work so you can get unstuck.<\/p>\n And the best part of this is that it allows you to stay human. AI allows you to spend your time where your judgment and creativity are best used and stop doing repetitive tasks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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Why AI matters more for small businesses than anyone else<\/h2>\n
The real advantage of AI: Scaling your decision-making<\/h2>\n
The biggest mistake small businesses make with AI<\/h2>\n