For most small business owners, the answer is a big fat zero.
This is a problem that you can’t avoid and will absolutely wreck your company if you don’t get your head out of the…sand.
One of the first ways that AI will affect small businesses is through marketing/advertising. If you get a significant amount of your business from advertising and E-Commerce on your website…you need to start learning more about AI as soon as possible. A great starting point is the most recent blog: AI is going to kill websites and advertising, which marketers will blink first? from my friend Tim Hughes of DLA Ignite.
There is no question that buyers’ use of the Internet to find information is changing (they are using AI more and more to search vs. Google). The real question is how and when the shift from advertising will occur.
I have a bigger question: How AI-friendly is your business and brand?
Here is a test that we ran in our Roanoke Business Owners Roundtable last night.
In one of the AI products (I love Perplexity.ai Pro), do the following:
- Open a new thread/query with the following question: “Who are the top experts in “insert your profession/industry”? Don’t add anything else to it to make it easier. What are the results?
- Add a qualifier after it? “Is ‘your name’ an expert in ’your profession/industry’? What are the results?
This is the baseline for my clients when I am working with them to leverage the increasing power of referrals for their businesses while making sure we understand what prospective clients will find when they use AI.
The answers to those questions are the starting point for your digital transformation and your shift to embracing AI with strategy and awareness. Going forward, you now have the measuring stick to see if you are becoming more AI-friendly and discoverable by your ideal clients.
There is so much to be done to prepare for the next wave of disruption and opportunity that AI is going to demand and provide for business owners. Hopefully, this article and Tim’s give you a starting point to get some traction on what to do so that you can thrive going forward.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Hit me below, or send me a note.
All the best and tight lines,
Mike
