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4 Minutes Read

5 Businesses Using AI to Get Ahead of the Curve

Artificial intelligence has come leaps and bounds from a far-away pipe dream to a staple in millions of small-to-medium businesses across the globe, with large-scale international companies not going a day without it. As small business owners, AI may still seem like that distant possibility - but now, more than ever - it’s affordable, accessible, and necessary for small businesses to inject into their operations. 

In today’s market, you don’t need a sufficient knowledge on artificial intelligence to realize the savings and growth potential of using AI for your business. And the worst mistake? Believing that AI is no more than just a few chatbots installed on a company’s website, or a few auto-generated images to upload to your Facebook page. AI is skyrocketing business growth, and it’s best not to get left behind.  

So how are the small businesses of today leveraging AI in clever, intuitive ways? Let’s dive in.  

Identify gaps in the market for new products (Dialog) 

Small Marketing firm Dialog, founded by Mark Thompson, are using AI data collection tools from Tensor Flow (an AI software library) to gather data on hot products in their clients’s markets and collecting all of the conversations across the internet taking place about those products. This helps Dialog identify opportunities for their clients to innovate on their product lines, using Tensor Flow’s AI data harvesting tool to beat out the competition.  

The tools are free, so Mark had no problem introducing this solution to his team and serving his clients with it.  

Brands & companies in the coming decade will be able to seamlessly develop and launch products that truly resonate with their audience, because mass data collection takes the guesswork away from ‘what the customer wants’. Dialog are using these tools to serve their own marketing clients but consider what help this would be to large-scale commerce brands like Nike or Gucci. 

Get help writing fantastic content (WPBeginner) 

Syed Balkhi, founder of small online education business WPBeginner, has begun exploring artificial intelligence as a means of churning out high-quality, high-value content for his company website without the hassle of hiring external writers, editors and copywriters.  

AI-generated copy has hardly reached terminal velocity yet: for most solutions available in this space, the tools can often result in hilariously poor and robotic outcomes, rendering the content near useless. But Syed’s team don’t use it for raw, unedited and perfect copy.  

‘While it’s not at a stage where you can just plug in keywords and get a fully useful article, it has reached a point where it can assist your current writing efforts in powerful ways’ he told FastCompany in July. If your business lives & breathes online content in written form, it’s time to consider AI-generated copywriting software - just be aware of the current quality of the work (which is constantly improving!) 

Take strain away from your team with Customer Support AI (OneIMS) 

If your small business thrives on powerful and meaningful customer support, you should explore the possibility of implementing customer support AI into your operation. Particularly if you’re dealing with a large sum of clients or a product that requires a great deal of hand-holding (advertising campaigns, intricate software, marketing) it’s essential you make efforts to alleviate the stress on your support team, which may be just one person or a handful.  

The mindset-shift small businesses need to make regarding their support is that not all customer touches, Q&A’s or queries need to be answered by a human. OneIMS, led by Solomon Thimothy, uses AI-generated responses to customer support questions to reduce the workload of their teams, so they can focus on the product, the queries that do require a human touch, and growth.  

Larger Businesses leveraging AI to Stomp Out Competition 

Facebook 

This platform is a minefield for misinformation, scaremongering falsities and fake news. The team at Facebook know this well, and use artificial intelligence in the form of DeepText, a text understanding engine, to understand and interpret the content and emotional sentiment of the millions of status updates and posts that Facebook users submit every day.  

Further and perhaps more creepily, DeepFace allows the team to automatically identify you in a photo that is shared on their platform. The company also uses artificial intelligence to automatically catch and remove images that are posted on its site of an explicit or vengeful nature.  

Alibaba 

Chinese company Alibaba is the world's largest e-commerce platform that sells more than Amazon and eBay combined. Artificial intelligence is crucial to the company’s daily operations, and uses similar technology as Dialog to predict what products customers want now, and will want in the near future.  

With natural language processing, the company automatically generates product descriptions for the site, so they don’t have to worry about hiring writers. On a more futuristic, worldwide scale - Alibaba uses artificial intelligence in its City Brain project to create ‘smart cities’. The smart cities use AI algorithms to help reduce traffic jams by monitoring every vehicle in the city. Further than that, Alibaba is even helping farmers monitor their crops to improve yield, cut costs, and provide their own customers with better produce. 

Artificial intelligence supports businesses, both small and large, by helping reduce manual work and enhancing productivity, on top of keeping labor costs down and production up.  

Ultimately, it is becoming increasingly necessary for small businesses to, at the very least, consider researching how AI can help them grow their business. From a small firm like Dialog to a commerce giant like Alibaba, the companies that are staying ahead of the curve are leveraging this fascinating new tech for rocket-ship growth. 


Would you like to know how we can help you benefit from AI technology? Schedule a discovery call below.

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06.05.2022

How to Deal with Negative Comments on Social Media Like a Pro

Social media has undoubtedly become a powerful communication and marketing tool. Not only does it allow businesses to connect with their customers on a more personal level, but it also gives customers a voice to share their thoughts and experiences about a company or product.  While this two-way communication channel is beneficial for businesses, it can also be challenging. Negative comments are bound to happen, and when they do, you should handle them in a way that won’t damage your brand or reputation. Let’s discuss how to deal with negative comments on social media like a pro. Make Sure You Respond Although dealing with negative comments can be difficult, it’s important to remember that ignoring them is not an option. When customers take the time to reach out to you with a complaint or concern, they expect (and deserve) a response. Not only will a reply show the customer that you care about their experience, but it also shows others that you’re willing to listen to feedback and address any issues. Of course, it’s not always possible to respond to every negative comment. But if a comment is public and could potentially damage your reputation, take the time to craft a thoughtful response. Handle Issues Promptly In addition to responding to negative comments, quickly take care of the issue that caused the comment in the first place. This may involve refunding their purchase, exchanging an item, or simply apologizing for any inconvenience they may have experienced. Whatever the matter may be, it’s important to take care of it promptly and efficiently. Customers appreciate it when companies own up to their mistakes and try to correct them. If you take too long, customers may think you don’t care about their issue or that you’re sweeping it under the rug. Delaying will only damage your reputation further, so it’s crucial to nip the problem in the bud as soon as possible. Be Professional Although it may be tempting to lash out, remember that what you say can be used against you. Therefore, always err on the side of caution and keep your responses professional. This doesn’t mean that you can’t defend yourself or your business – but you should do so in a respectful way that doesn’t make the situation worse. Try saying things like: “We’re sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. We appreciate your feedback and would like to make this right with you.” “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take these issues seriously and would like to look into this further. Please DM us your contact information and order number so we can investigate.” Taking the Conversation Offline In some cases, it may be best to take the conversation offline. This is usually the case when a customer is angry or upset or if the situation could escalate if only addressed publicly.  When you take the conversation offline, you’ll have a chance to diffuse the situation without worrying about making it worse. You can reply to the comment publicly and let the customer know that you’d like to discuss their concerns further in a private message or over the phone.  This shows that you’re willing to listen and help resolve the issue in a way that is considerate of their privacy. Address the Issue Directly When responding to a negative comment, address the issue directly. A straightforward response shows the customer (and anyone else reading) that you take their concerns seriously and are willing to resolve the problem. For example, if a customer is unhappy with your product, you might say something like: “Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that you’re disappointed with our product. Can you please provide more information about what you didn’t like? We’d like to pass your feedback along to our team and see if there’s anything we can do to improve the product.” This response shows that you care about the customer’s experience and want to help resolve the issue. It also gives you an opportunity to learn more about what the customer didn’t like so that you can make improvements in the future. Don’t Be Afraid to Apologize  In some cases, the best way to deal with a negative comment is to simply apologize. 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We want to do everything we can to ensure your next experience is better.” This response shows that you’re committed to resolving the issue while also setting a positive tone for the rest of the conversation. Don’t Scrub Your Social Media Page of Negative Comments While it’s tempting to delete negative comments or hide them from your feed, this is usually a bad idea. Not only does it make you look deceitful, but it also makes it seem like you don’t care about your customers’ concerns. It’s okay to delete comments that are abusive or that don’t add anything to the conversation. But in most cases, it’s best to leave the comment up and respond directly. These comments show that you’re willing to listen to feedback, even if it’s negative. Use Negative Comments to Improve Your Business Finally, it’s important to remember that negative comments can actually be a good thing. They provide you with an opportunity to improve your products or services and show your customers that you care about their experience. As a business owner, you should always look for ways to improve. So, if you’re getting a lot of negative feedback about a certain aspect of your business, use it as a chance to make positive changes.  So next time you get a negative comment on social media, don’t panic. Instead, just follow these tips, and you’ll be able to handle it like a pro.
06.05.2022

How to Drive Traffic & Sales with Short Videos 

Are you looking to increase how much traffic your business is getting online?" You’ve come to the right place. People are constantly on the move, and in today’s world people no longer want to sit through long videos that take up their time. Instead, they prefer short form “bite size” content that is easy to consume on-the-go and doesn’t require too much focus. If you’re a business looking to boost sales and get more people clicking on your site, it’s time to ditch the long videos that just aren’t working and give short-form content a go! Whether it’s 6 seconds or 3 minutes, changing the way you create video content will give your business the results it’s been looking for. Firstly, What is Short Video Content? Most commonly defined as anything under 60 seconds (with some platforms now taking that up to 3 minutes). Short videos are the new marketing go-to. Having surged in popularity after the success of the short-form content platform TikTok, as well as Instagram’s Reel feature, short videos have become commonplace in society. Each video is fast-paced and packed full of excitement, emotion and easy engagement which is why this type of content is still on the rise and showing no signs of slowing down. The more we get done in a day the more accomplished and satisfied we feel. So, being able to consume multiple videos in the time it takes to consume one is a great way to keep people moving whilst also getting the information you want as a business across. And the best bit is, short form content isn’t targeted to one type of business area. Anything can be enhanced with a short video. From brand promotion to product showcasing or even offer announcing, short videos grab, hook and convert. But why is short video content better than traditional long-form content? Have you ever been on a website and seen a blog post you want to read? The chances are, even if you’re intrigued by the content topic, you won’t finish reading the entire article. Whether this is because of time constraints or just a lack of focus, consumers need MORE than lengthy paragraphs to grab their attention and successfully keep it. That’s where visual content comes in, giving the prospective buyer or client a clearer idea without having to try too hard to keep their focus. However, long-form video content just doesn’t cut it anymore. Why? Because there’s no immediacy. People want immediate interest, immediate value, and immediate results. And to do this, you’ve got to be prepared to make the switch to keeping it short. Now that you know exactly what short-form content is and why it’s such a successful strategy, it’s time to get into how you can utilise it to increase site traffic. How Can Your Business Drive Traffic and Sales with Short Video? #1 Add Short Video Testimonials to Your Website This marketing strategy is one we CAN’T stress enough!  Did you know 93% of customers read online views before buying a product? Yes, you heard us right, a whopping 93% of people rely on the feedback of customers to make their own purchasing decisions. So, mix testimonial with short-form video content and you’re onto a winner. Having this on your website will provide users with a sense of comfort as they are already familiar with short-form content on their social media platforms. And short videos are great for answering FAQs quickly without losing the attention of the potential customer. #2 Hop on the Latest Trends Thanks to platforms like TikTok, every day the internet sees a new viral trend or challenge that seemingly appears overnight. Take advantage of this! Not only are you capitalizing on something popular, but because the content is short, there’s more chance of people actually watching it. Hopping on trends is a great way to get your brand out there and really immerse your business in what’s hot online.   Want to participate in an easy trend?  Try the “Tell me without telling me trend.  It works pretty much as you would assume.  Businesses can talk about their core values, and products/services by demonstrating they are high quality/sustainable/earth friendly/long lasting/etc.  Find all the latest trends and sounds on the discover page.  #3 Repurpose Your Content and Repost it on all Social Media Platforms Posted your short video to TikTok? Great. 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And what better way than to take a look at a local business doing exactly that! Carpet Repair Guys, a business located in Bay Area, found success on TikTok at the start of 2021 and have over 23 million likes and 800k+ followers today. But what’s their secret? Well, its’s simple. They are authentic and don’t try too hard to be something they’re not. Which is something that’s super important for smaller businesses looking to grow organically online. Keeping it real is really valuable in today’s climate. Let’s face it, do the internet actively seek TikTok’s about carpet repair? Probably not, which is why their marketing is incredible!  The founder uses light and humorous commentary to show the company’s processes in a satisfying way. By using time lapses of real-time business life, their videos have gone viral on more occasions than we can count on one hand. As a local business yourself, you’ll need to find your niche and play around with TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts to find your flow. But all it takes is a few seconds and you’ve got yourself a good start. Whether you decide to add commentary over business processes like the Carpet Repair Guys or you use trending sounds to bring your videos to life, there are so many different ways you can make short videos work. And don’t forget, short-form video content is great for starting conversations, and Carpet Repair Guys utilise this activity to respond to online comments in the form of videos and strengthen the relationship they share with the community on the platform. Keep this in mind as short videos really do open the door to more audiences than you might think! Be sure to check out the Carpet Repair Guys on TikTok to get some ideas of how you could get started.  Conclusion If you’re a local business looking for new ways to improve your marketing strategies and create content that sells, it’s time to shift to short-form content and watch your traffic soar. There is no ‘one shoe fits all’ method of leveraging short video content to drive more traffic for your business. Instead, there are a whole load of strategies ready for you to play around with and find out which one works best for you and your audience!  For more tips, tricks, and bits of advice on everything marketing and more, head over to our website and check out our other digital marketing resources designed for local business.
06.05.2022

10 Most Common Mistakes Small Businesses Make on Social Media (and How to Fix It) 

As a small business, social media is your secret weapon for marketing. It's essential to use social media to reach new customers and connect with existing ones. Whether you're just getting started or already running a highly successful campaign, there's always room for improvement. In this article, we'll explore the top social media mistakes small businesses make and how to fix them, including our own tips on improving your social media marketing strategy. Not Posting Regularly Enough One of the most common social media mistakes small businesses make is not posting regularly enough. This can be for a variety of reasons, from lack of time to simply forgetting. If you're not posting regularly, your audience will quickly lose interest and move on to other brands that are more active on social media. The fix: Set aside some time each week to plan and schedule your social media posts. If you can, designate someone on your team to be responsible for social media and make sure they have the time and resources they need to succeed.  Some popular social media planners include Hootsuite, Later, and Buffer all with free to paid plans. Posting Too Much On the opposite end, some businesses post a little too much. This can be overwhelming for your followers and turn them off from your brand. It's important to strike a balance between posting too little and too much. The fix: Take a step back and analyze how often you're posting on each social media platform. If you're posting multiple times a day on any platform, try scaling back to once a day or a couple of times a week. Experiment with different posting frequencies and see what works best for your audience. Remember that each industry is different, so what frequency is too much in one niche is perfectly fine in another. Not Posting Relevant Content Another common mistake is posting content that isn't relevant to your audience or industry. This can happen if you're trying to be too general in your social media marketing or if you're not sure who your target audience is. As a result, your posts will fall flat and fail to engage your audience. The fix: Take some time to research your target audience and what kinds of content they're interested in. Once you know who you're talking to, you can start creating content that resonates with them. If you're struggling to come up with ideas, try looking at what other businesses in your industry are doing on social media. Use social listening tools to track relevant keywords and see what kind of content is being shared the most. Then, adapt and improve upon it for your own audience. Not Engaging with Your Followers Another mistake small businesses make on social media is failing to engage with their followers. This means more than just responding to comments and @ mentions (although that's important, too). It also means liking, sharing, and commenting on other people's content. The fix: Spend some time each day engaging with your followers and other people in your industry. Like and comment on their posts, share their content, and start conversations. Not only will this help you build relationships, but it will also make your brand more visible to new potential customers. There are many tools that can help you organize and consolidate all your social media profile into one dashboard. These listening tools can single handedly change the game if you’re trying to increase your engagement across all social media platforms.  Sprout Social, Salesforce’s Service Cloud, and Reputation are the best at this. On a budget? Try Hootsuite. Not Measuring Your Results Measuring your results is essential. This is important for any marketing campaign, but it's especially important on social media. With so much noise, it can be easy to get lost and not know if your efforts are actually paying off. The fix: Use social media analytics tools to track your progress and measure your results. These tools will help you see how many people are engaging with your content, what kind of impact you're making, and where you can improve. Without measuring your results, it's impossible to know if your social media marketing is actually working. Many platforms will have these tools built in, but addition services like Sprout Social, Buffer Analyze, Hootsuite, and Social Report, can give you deeper insights about your customer base and what resonates with them.  Not Having a Strategy One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make on social media is not having a strategy. They might post randomly or without any purpose, which can lead to wasted time and effort. The fix: Having a social media plan in place will guarantee that your efforts are more successful and are working to assist your company's broader objectives. When you're coming up with a strategy, it's critical to keep in mind these goals so that you can create material that supports them. Additionally, figure out what your social media goals are, what you want to get out of it, and make sure to track them with analytic software (mentioned above) to ensure that your work is paying off. When developing a plan, remember who your target audience is and create content that speaks to them that aligns with your goals.  It is essential to take some time to develop a strategy since it's easy to get lost in the sea of social media and fail to accomplish anything without it. Not using social media to its full potential Social media is a powerful marketing tool, but many small businesses don't use it to its full potential. They might not take advantage of all the features available, or they might not use them to reach their target audience. The fix: Make sure you're using all the features available on each social media platform. For example, on Facebook, you can use groups, events, and Messenger to reach more people. On Twitter, you can use hashtags and lists to organize your followers. And on Instagram, you can use Stories, Live Video, and IGTV to engage with your audience. Take some time to learn about all the features of each social media platform and how you can use them to reach your target audience. Then, start using them to your advantage. Not Promoting Your Content Not promoting your content can be a big mistake, especially if you're a small business with limited resources. If you're not promoting your content, it's unlikely that anyone will see it. The fix: Promote your content on social media and other channels. Use paid advertising, share it with influencers, and post it in relevant groups and forums. Don't make the mistake of not promoting your content. Make sure you're doing everything you can to get it in front of as many people as possible. Not taking advantage of social media trends Trends are everywhere and they're easy to pick up if you use social media in both a private and work setting. Taking advantage of a trend can make your post go viral, especially if it's curated to your audience. Ignoring trends will make you miss countless free promotion opportunities. The fix: Use social media trends to your advantage. If you see a trend that's relevant to your business, jump on it and use it to promote your content. Not only will this help you reach more people, but it will also make your brand more visible and relevant.  If you're not sure where to start, check out some influencers in your industry and see what they're doing to get eyes on their posts. Use can also use free websites like Google Trends, TweetDeck, and BrandMentions to track trends. Ignoring negative feedback It's inevitable that you'll receive some negative feedback at some point. And while it's not pleasant, it's important to take it in stride and use it as an opportunity to improve your business. The fix: Don't ignore negative feedback. Respond to it in a constructive way and use it to make your business better. Negative feedback can be painful, but it's important to listen to it and use it to improve your business. Bonus tip: Remaining in your comfort zone can kill your social media marketing efforts If you're not comfortable with change, you'll never be able to take advantage of new opportunities or reach your full potential. The fix: Be open to change and willing to try new things. Social media is constantly changing, so you need to be too. Conclusion  These are just a few of the most common mistakes small businesses make on social media. By avoiding these mistakes, you'll be well on your way to social media success.
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