Small Businesses Are Drowning In AI Slop. One Document Stops It
A hand cursor clicking a button on screen that says “AI slop” AI generation concept
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More than half of small businesses (around 58%) have already implemented some form of generative AI, as reported by the United States Chamber of Commerce. In comparison, last year less than a quarter used generative AI. While the number of businesses implementing generative AI has grown dramatically since last year, its value to those businesses remains a mystery. According to McKinsey research, only 6% of companies have experienced tangible, measurable financial benefits resulting from the implementation of generative AI. Thus, ninety-four percent of businesses that implement generative AI remain unable to effectively utilize it.
The primary reason most businesses have difficulty utilizing the potential of generative AI is not due to limited quality of the technology or prompts used. Rather, it is due to the lack of an existing brand. Any brand that establishes a formalized brand foundation prior to utilizing generative AI for creating content will likely achieve consistent, high-quality output from any AI content generators. When no documentation exists that defines a company’s brand, all AI-based content generator systems will produce generic, unbranded content. As such, consumers (almost 50%) may easily recognize generic, unbranded content created using AI. Since AI is inherently neutral, it cannot intentionally devalue or degrade the image of a client’s brand.
Brand message consistency is disrupted due to unplanned AI use
Prior to the massive adoption of generative AI, the speed at which a company could create confusion in their brand message was dictated primarily by how quickly the company could generate confusing content. For example, if a company posted two social media posts per week and published one blog post each week, then how long it would take to create confusing content was directly correlated with how quickly the company could create that specific content.
Now companies can produce more than 10 new content daily using AI. Because of the greater number of content company’s brand messages generally become ambiguous and as the companies keep using the same artificial intelligence over and again, the company’s brand image disruption happens multiple times faster. Each tool generates slightly unique versions of a company’s “voice,” but not all of these variations reflect who or what a company represents. ChatGPT, Clause, Jasper, and many more, each has their own voice and persona.
A Missing Intermediary Layer Between You and Your AI Tool
In almost all industries when an untrained person uses generative AI to create generic responses by using random prompts, it creates AI persona based content. Even when an editor invests 30 mins to tweak the AI written content it doesn’t fit the business context quite well in most cases.
However, the problem with the AI has nothing to do with the AI. There exists a missing intermediate layer connecting the business owner and the AI tool. This missing layer provides information to the AI:
- Here is who we are
- How we communicate
- What we believe
- What we would never say
One file contains all necessary information defining the Master Context File that all AI systems reference prior to generating content based upon your company’s branding.
While this file serves as an analogy to a briefing document provided to a senior writer on her/his first day, it has additional value in that it provides a constant source of context to guide all content created by the AI system. Unlike human writers, AI tools do not become distracted. Unlike human writers, AI tools do not lose focus.
What a Master Context File Actually Contains
A Master Context file is an integration of two types of documents which many small businesses are unaccustomed to formally documenting. The first is your position statement on the role of AI for your small business: AI will serve the business purpose by solving specific problem where this solution will be different from others and ultimately serves an issue for the business customers.
The second is your AI Content Strategy Voice System: Using AI will reflect the brand’s communication style by choosing specific wording and avoiding others. At the same time, it will reflect the rhythm of the communication in a way that welcomes customers in a more customized tone, not on a belief AI will just create the content.
If you give a blank slate to AI regarding a request, then all content generated by the AI could be created by any other company within your industry. If you give a blank slate to AI regarding a request after creating a Master Context File, the content created by the AI will appear as if it was written at your desk.
Five Steps to an AI Brand System
Building a solid AI branding for a business system, does not need an agency or a technical team. Five steps must be taken to develop the branding.
1. Identify your Positioning
Who do you serve?
What problem are you solving?
How do you solve problems differently than anyone else?
What changes for your clients?
You use AI as a thinking partner, not a writer. This is where AI can organize patterns of information and provide data. You make decisions based on the information provided.
2. Determine your voice
Transcribe yourself talking about your business. Your raw transcript will be more valuable than any polished writing because it represents how you sound when you talk.
3. Create Your Single Source Document (Master Context)
Take what you have learned about voice and positioning and put them together in a single file. It will serve as the ultimate authority to all other AI tools you use.
4. Create A Visual And Digital Brand Presence
Logo, color palette, typography, and brand guidelines. Next build out an AI presence. Many small businesses are currently utilizing:
• AI Avatars
• Voice Cloning
• Automated Brand Representation
Generative AI can help with developing consistent digital branding for small businesses at scale, instead of creating AI generated content.
5. Build Out Your Content Engine
Create simple workflows for your AI to run consistently referencing your Master Context File:
• Brief Builder for planning
• Draft Writer for content generation
• QC Editor for checking brand consistency
Small Business owners are reporting savings from 5-15 hours/week when they utilize AI. However, only the time saved matters when the output created by the AI is “on-brand.
Comparison: AI Without vs With Brand Strategy
Source: Institute Of Business AI
What Consumers Are Already Telling You
Nearly 9 out of 10 (90%) consumers wish to understand if content has been developed by an Artificial Intelligence engine as reported in Getty Images research. There is a truth or reality gap.
There is also an ROI or Return On Investment gap. Businesses that can bridge this gap are those businesses who have an effective small business AI strategy behind them. These businesses do not necessarily use more advanced technologies than other businesses. Instead, they use the same technologies.
This is how it works:Define the business goals prior to automating. Document everything about your business prior to delegating tasks to machines such as AI engines.
Six percent of all businesses today are obtaining real value from their applications of Artificial Intelligence. It is not due to technology alone. Six percent of all businesses are getting real value from their application of Artificial Intelligence because they are clear on their objectives and strategies for developing their brands.
