I predict that most programs you use will have a ChatGPT option in the near future (in less than a year). Even though ChatGPT has a Microsoft AI driver, even Apple's SIRI is going to be using it soon. So how can you best use ChatGPT in your business? Here are a few ideas:

The BEST Ways to Use ChatGPT

1. Jumpstart your creativity
2. Make a list of ideas
3. Gathering information
4. Providing examples
5. Brainstorming
6. Problem Solving
7. Programming and coding
8. Organization
9. Entertainment
10. Emotional support (you read that right*)
11. Language translation

*OK, the emotional support idea needs clarification. While ChatGPT cannot take the place of a licensed counselor, therapist or psychologist, it can provide you with "someone to talk to". Being an introvert, I cannot imagine needing that, but some folks could use a friend.

One of the first forms of entertainment on my first Mac, was a therapist program called Eliza that would talk with you and seemed to answer your questions - even asking questions of her own. It seemed like the first form of artificial intelligence, but ended up repeating itself frequently. Today, you'll get a more varied, creative, and entertaining response.

AI based language translation has improved. One of my translator friends recently told me that ChatGPT is putting many translators out of business. AI is talented with obscure regional dialects and accuracy.

Finally, please note that I did not suggest using ChatGPT to help you with writing your company brochure or blog. We've been experimenting with AI for quite some time and the writing it produces (even when you ask for it to be in a certain style or voice) is painful. It uses cliched phrasing, puff-speak, is overly sales oriented, and produces poor writing.

I guess that makes sense since most of our population writes and reads at a fourth-grade level. I do not recommend ChatGPT to fill your need for a writer.

Need help with other marketing ideas customized for your business? Give us a call: 573-221-3635.

©2024 Poole Communications

What are Google Ads? I don’t know, Google it! The majority of consumers find themselves doing research online before purchasing a specific product. The benefits of an optimized Google Ad campaign compared to a newspaper or Radio ad is that it can target a wider demographic and the specific target audience for your business. According to Google, “Google Ads makes it easy to show the world what’s unique about your business, so you can reach customers searching for what you offer.” 

One of the advantages to Google Ads, compared to other advertising options, is Google’s flexible marketing platform. This means that it is suitable for all sizes of businesses. You can set your budget based on business type and zip code. The budget is based on how many estimated client clicks your ad will receive based on the budget you have for the ad. 

One of the key factors of a Google Ad is keyword themes. When someone searches for a keyword or phrase related to your business, your ad will show up in their search. When you create your ad, you will select a few relevant keyword themes that will help increase your advertisement reach. 

In order for your ad to reach the correct audience, Google lets you choose the location where your ad will appear in relation to your business. You can target potential customers from within walking distance to even the whole country. The possibilities for your Google Ad are endless.

Google Ads specifically targets and selects the potential client for you. It has something for any size of business with different budgets, goals and target audiences. This is why if you are wanting an Ad that will reach your target audience, Google Ads are the way to go. If you need help with your Google Ad, give us a call and we will get you set up for success! 

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Businesses can track when customers vote with their feet but may struggle to find the why behind the walk away. One reason that once-loyal customers disappear is more likely about a conscious choice than fickle buying habits.

These Conscious Consumers make buying decisions based on the positive social, economic, and environmental impact of a product or service.

From Gen Z to Baby Boomers, many consumers care more about the why and how a product is made than the number on the price tag. If a brand doesn’t intentionally connect with followers’ values, it’s likely sales may drop as much as forty percent according to a study by IBM Institute for Business Value.

Conversely, conscious companies that communicate their authentic focus on natural, organic, or sustainable products and practices have opportunities to build revenue. Nielsen findings show the trend in eye-opening numbers:

• 41 percent of global customers said they would pay more for organic/natural products;
• 73 percent of folks around the world said they would change consumption habits to reduce environmental impact;
• $150 billion in revenue will come from this sustainably-minded crowd by the end of this year.

To communicate to this conscious crowd, share early and often the following about your product or service:

• Where it is sourced.
• How it is made.
• How it is delivered/distributed.
• What packaging is used.
• How employees are treated (environment/pay).
• How it fulfills your company mission.
• What value it provides to the individual, the community, or the planet.
• How a purchase positively impacts a community or the world.

Local companies are at a distinct advantage to sync with these seekers of sustainability. Here are 10 ways to make the conscious connection:

1. Share your founding story and the relationships within the community.
2. Show how you give back to the community — its schools, non-profit organizations, and employees.
3. Watch for a shift in community need or focus for a certain purpose such as poverty, pollution, school supplies, or mental health, and direct additional resources to help in the effort.
4. Highlight your quick and mindful distribution of products.
5. Ask customers how they would like to see your company give back.
6. Promote a give-back connection. For each $5 spent, your business gives a percentage to a local organization.
7. Seek input from loyal customers on new products in which they have gained interest. Sell those products or highlight how yours connect with the same value.
8. Highlight your people, their values, and why they support your business.
9. Serve on community boards that serve a wide range and age of people and purposes.
10. Actively and consistently promote the how, why, where, who and what of your company.

Another tip to attract local, regional and global-minded group from the IBM study:

Conscious consumers shop when and where the mood strikes them, in what are called “micro-moments” while performing other tasks when they may discover a “micro-need”.

Let Poole Communications help connect your company to these mico-needs at the right micro-moment to achieve macro results! We can help you maintain and grow your relevance with the rising opportunities among conscious consumers.

©2021 Poole Communications

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Sustained survival mode can shift anyone’s creativity and drive into neutral. To flip off fatigue and move forward when others are stagnant, tune into purpose and realistic goal setting.  Here's how to make the S.W.I.T.C.H out of survival mode:

S - See what is working. Moving from a day-to-day approach to our next normal is daunting. Instead of allowing the enormity of tasks paralyze you, observe what is working right now.  Write down some small tweaks that can be made to expand and improve those processes, products, and services that are moving in a positive direction.

W – Wonder about the greatest possible outcome of each task. Juliet Funt calls this approach laddering up. When confronted with something you aren’t wild about doing, ask yourself, “What is the best possible outcome of that?”   

• Hypothetical example:  Wearing a mask at work. 
• What is the greatest possible outcome of that? You protect yourself, your colleagues, and your business attracts customers who are highly conscious about their safety in public places. 
• What is the greatest possible outcome of that? You save those customers time and worry and provide access to something that positively impacts their life.   
• What is the greatest possible outcome of that? The positive impact of that product or service may shift someone out of survival mode for the first time in months.

I – Insert Incremental goals. For those small tweaks to the processes, products, and services that are working – set one or two small goals to put incremental changes into action. How can you gain one more customer? What is one step you can take to deliver a service just a little better? Consider what new markets or customer options have developed while we have been in our "survival setting."  What is one way to build on those markets or options for future benefit?

T – Take stock. Take the time to write down what has been accomplished and overcome in the last several months. The list will be long and is guaranteed to switch your team from stagnation to inspiration. 

C - Connect with others.  When possible, find your way out of zoom rooms and make a connection with a colleague or trusted mentor - in person. You'll find strength and energy in strategizing with others who understand our challenges and view things from a different perspective. 

H - Hurry. When setting realistic, incremental goals, set a quick timeline so you can experience immediate results. Then set more short goals and claim your victory by achieving sustained success. 

Switching out of survival mode may be easier than you think.  

 "Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi

Visit our Insights and pick up some quick tips for your business. Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent regular tools and tips.

©2021 PooleCommunications.com

If you’re reading this, you are clearly acquainted with blogs. What you may not know is how to park your expertise, personality, tips, and tricks into an online space where new and loyal customers stop by for advice they enjoy and trust. 

And, if you build this blog will it bring business or just bystanders?  

A blog will do both and is one of the most cost-effective ways to turn bystanders into customers. According to cbo.me, there are five key business benefits of blogging, they include: 

• Builds brand awareness 
• Positions expertise in the industry  
• Develops relationships with customers 
• Helps search engine optimization 
• Provides opportunities for content sharing 

Perhaps the most relevant blogging statistic is that posting your expertise online can be more effective in promoting your company than investing in paid advertising.  

Statistics also point to the big-time benefits of blogs. The SEO Tribunal shares the following data on the booming blogosphere: 

• Blog readership in the United States will exceed more than 31 million in 2020.  
• 57% of marketers shared that blogging resulted in new customers. 
• Business to Business marketers who use blogs earn 66% more leads. 
• Globally there are 409 million monthly readers of over 2.2 billion blog posts. 

It’s clear that opportunities abound in blogging, but where do you begin? 

How to start writing a blog: 

• Make a list of your skills and expertise.  
• Write down questions customers repeatedly ask. 
• Start reading the best business blogs to learn what content and approaches hit home.
• Research popular blog topics.
• Draft your first blog with a subject you know the most about and answers one of your customers’ top questions.  

Where to post your blog and how: 

According to quicksprout.com, the best blog platforms are WIX, Medium, LinkedIn, and Facebook. BlogStarter.com also supplies a step-by-step guide to get you moving. 

So, what are you waiting for? Turn that blank page into a blog – it might be your business’s best friend.  Need a little help? We have writers who can provide you with blog material on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. Give us a call at 800-900-3635.

© 2020 Poole Communications

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Use Chatbots to grow your business.

Wondering what Cathy should be talking about with your customers?

Need help with Chatbot Charm?

Use chatbots to grow your business. Set up a chatbot on your site or social media page, or give us a call: 800-900-3635. While not free, it may be much quicker than setting it up yourself... and we're happy to help.

Here is an example of my video conferencing set up at my office.

Below are some video conferencing best practices to help you look good on camera:

• We recommend using ZOOM.us - it's easy to set up and works great.
• Sit close to the screen. You want your face to fill a good part of it.
• Put your monitor at eye level. Your face will not be distorted in this way and you'll look better. Put it on a stack of books if needed.
• IF you have 2 monitors focus on the one with the camera. You don't want to be looking somewhere else.
• Turn off your phone, email, message applications and everything that makes a noise. You don't want to be distracted or distracting.
• Stay focused! Don't check email, browse online or type. We can see what you are doing and we are watching.
• Look sharp! Be engaged and smile slightly. You don't want to appear bored or preoccupied at all.
• Use an external microphone or headset whenever possible. The sound is really that much better.
• Mute yourself when you are not talking. That eliminates all background noise. Remember to unmute before talking!
• For heaven's sake, don't eat during the meeting.
• Don't sit with a window behind you, so that you are in shadows. Make sure your face is well illuminated.
• Use a lamp to side light and illuminate your face.
• This is not an audio call. When you are on an audio call and muted you can do whatever you like. On a video call, you must be engaged and reasonably happy to be at the meeting. Nod your head, focus on your camera or on the screen.
• Talk in shorthand. Get to the main point quickly. Fill in details later - or when questions are asked. Be concise.
• Pay attention to your background: keep it simple, you don't want a plant or wall hanging coming out of your head. You also don't want a cluttered desk or confidential information showing.
• Be prepared! Have your talking points on screen in front of you.
• If something distracting does happen, handle it quickly and get right back into place.

SHINE, and be concise!

Download a printable copy here: PCZoomWhitePaper

When you're done go to our Insights and pick up some quick tips for your business. Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent regular tools and tips.

© 2020 Poole Communications