Fear not: AI can do wonders for your business
Artificial intelligence —- AI —- may just become the best tool a business can have in its toolbox: It can make work a whole lot easier and it’s a great way to bring on new customers while better serving your business base.
That’s what a pair of executives with Ogden Digital, the digital arm of Ogden Newspapers of which the Breeze Newspapers are a part, explained to business owners at this month’s North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Eric Martin, digital marketing manager, said people’s fears are justifiable. However, AI can be a critical tool in bringing in more business, particularly for younger customers.
“AI is growing faster than the Internet did. You hear scary things. I get it,” Martin said. “But they are making life more efficient and make consumers apt to purchase. As a business, we want to make sure you’re on that path to that consumer.”
The days of searching a key word are over; they’re becoming like phone books, Martin said.
The switch to AI may not happen overnight, but for consumers, it’s happening now.
“We have three different types of consumers here in Florida (permanent, seasonal and vacation) and we want to get in front of them on their path to purchase,” Martin said, adding that consumers are being more specific with their questions, making it more important to get your name as optimized as possible.
Joining Martin was Marty Valania, digital sales manager at Ogden Digital. He said optimizing your website for AI will help you be seen as an expert in the field.
“You want engagement. The more engaged person who comes to your site is more likely to do business with you. That’s the whole idea,” Valania said. “The more you’re seen as an expert, the more chance you have to make more revenue.”
The days of the “set it and forget it” website are over, Martin said.
John Gardner, president of the Chamber, said he knows people who update their websites daily with blogs and other information.
“There’s always something you need to update all the time. AI is going to look at these things to see if you’re an expert,” Gardner said. “The more relevant, up-to-date content you have, the more you’re seen as an expert. Something sitting on your site for three years that isn’t updated or refreshed doesn’t do that.”
The numbers bear this out. More than 40 percent of all product and service searches start on an AI platform. That number tripled in the last 12 months alone. Also, 55 percent of people now use AI instead of conventional searches, according to McKinsey & Company.
Google Gemini has exploded in just a few months with 750 million monthly users. They, along with Grok and ChatGPT, have combined to become the go-to sources for AI information.
Martin said he hoped the business owners learned their business needs to be readable and found by the engines people are now using to find products and services and that the fears of AI are unwarranted.
“It’s been presented that AI is going to be the end of the world and the robots will take over,” Martin said. “It’s about adjusting to the consumer’s aptitude to make a purchase. Many people don’t have the income to pay $150 for a service so they go online to get answers.”
Kristin Meyer, owner of North Fort Myers Florist, said she uses AI in daily life, but not as much for her business.
“One thing I have not considered is how my website and social media feeds into that,” Meyer said. “I spoke with Eric on how I can leverage our content to draw relevancy to ChatGPT.”