It's almost like I'm late to the party to create a How To Guide about ChatGPT! However, I've been watching, listening and trying to understand more before I pulled a little mini guide together.
I'm aware that some of you in Simply Club are early adopters and exploring/using Chat GPT already. I suspect some of you are at the eye roll stage when you hear about it. Both are valid and ok!
However, AI is here to stay and as always, we as micros need to understand more. We don't have AI consultants or Tech departments at our beck and call so it's down to us to at least be in the know about what it's all about, even if using it isn't for us yet.
I'm not sure this How To Guide will give you the perfect answer about whether to dive into AI with both feet or not, but here are the basics and key elements to consider and understand.
What is ChatGPT? It's essentially a chatbot created by OpenAI which uses natural language and human feedback and learning to interact to prompts to refine, respond & learn using a dialogue style approach. For example, you ask ChatGPT in a chatbot format to come up with 5 reasons to use ChatGPT and it comes up with them in seconds. Then you can ask it to refine them, write them in French or add 3 more etc and it will respond as such. ChatGPT continues to learn the more it interacts with humans because it's learning and refining all the time. This is known as generative AI.
How do you get started on ChatGPT? Simply register for ChatGPT 3.5 (free version) and start to use/ask questions in seconds from your desktop or mobile. There's a ChatGPT 4 that you can pay for.
Why might it be good for a micro business? There are a good few ways that ChatGPT could save you time, help you find solutions or unlock some ideas. You can simply Google (or use ChatGPT!) to find multiple ways, specific to your business, in pretty much any part of what you do. However, here are some simple beginner ways that might interest you (they are just for starters!):
Use ChatGPT to help you create social media content. You might ask it to offer ideas for an ideal Easter post for your business.
Use it to help you create a blog post. For example, you could ask it to create 10 tips to bake the perfect loaf of bread.
You could ask ChatGPT to help you write a powerpoint presentation on a specialist topic.
ChatGPT could help you think about new ways to create income streams in your business.
You could use it to create simple FAQs for your website or even develop an AI chatbot for your website.
Writing a course or workshops? Ask ChatGPT to help you.
You could ask it to plan out your social media content for the next 6 months.
What do we need to be cautious of? One of THE reasons that your customers buy from you and your brand is because they feel that they have formed a relationship with you. Particularly with small business, this feels (and is) like a personal relationship based on real conversations, authentic dialogue and personal stories. ChatGPT can get better at 'knowing your voice' but it isn't you. However you generate content or ideas through the platform, you need to be mindful about if this is diluting that magic.
Other things to consider. As ChatGPT becomes ever more popular and new versions and platforms arrive, our world might start to feel a little muddy - what's real and what's not? We have an opportunity to be open and clear about how and when we use AI and share that with our customers. We might get to a point where we say to our customers that our social media posts are only ever written by us but that we got help from ChatGPT to create our in depth training course. Clarity and transparency will be our strength.
In conclusion, and as always, knowledge is power in our micro businesses. Understanding how AI is developing and the good, bad and ugly is key so that we can make the most of opportunities without falling foul of pitfalls and being left behind. The more we discuss, share knowledge and experiences, the better we will all be.
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