AI Tools to help all SMEs
AI Tools to help all SMEs
Artificial intelligence - it all sounds very futuristic, but it’s happening right now. In fact,66% of global adults say AI products and services will significantly change their lives in the next three to five years. AI is revolutionising the way the world operates and that’s good news for small businesses like yours.
By familiarising yourself with AI tools now, your small business could be miles ahead of the competition as AI continues to support everyday business outcomes. So how can your small business benefit from AI tools? Here, we look at the best tools for SMEs, alongside a list of the top AI tools that you can get started with straight away.
What are the best AI tools for business?
When choosing the best AI tool for your business, you’ll need to consider costs, integration, ease of use and your specific business needs. What do you actually want an AI tool to do for you, and how are you going to integrate it into your current business performance?
Consider your goals and business objectives, and think about how AI tools could help you achieve them. Whether supporting on-site content creation for SEO, scraping and automating data for PPC campaigns or using AI to boost team productivity, there are endless ways to incorporate AI across all areas of your business.
AI tools learn and become more accurate as they work, so it may take a while to get the most from them. The list of things AI can help with is extensive and can be overwhelming, so V-Hub has put together a list of the top AI tools on the market right now.
AI tools for designs and PowerPoint
PowerPoint, it's not you - it’s Tome.
Most small businesses will need to create a presentation at some point, but for some business owners, that’s just not their thing. Tome will create polished, professional presentations in minutes. Enter a simple prompt to get a presentation that suits your brand's aesthetic and gets your message across. You’ll need to tweak it to make sure it works for you, like every AI creation, but it’s a great starting point for PowerPoint design. There’s a free plan available for individuals, or a pro plan is $8 (€7.58) per month.
AI for communications support
Grammarly is a great browser extension to check for spelling and grammar errors, but it’s also great for supporting wider communications within your business. Emails, lists, brainstorms, blogs- if you need to write it, Grammarly can help. It can help get your message across by suggesting ways to help you say it better. However, the writing assistant can make it tough to get a personalised or casual tone as it’s more focused on professional communication styles. You’ll need to pay for the business plan to get the most out of Grammarly, for $15 (€14.21) per month.
AI prompts
ChatGPT was the AI tool that buzzed on everyone’s radar in 2022. It’s the pillar that many other AI tools have built on, and its chatbot design is great for just about everything. It’s great to help with research, get ideas for social media posts or if you simply fancy a chat. The facts aren’t always correct, and you’ll need to double-check the sources, but overall it’s a great tool to discover what an AI tool can do for your small business. There’s a pro plan, but you’ll get everything you need from the free version, although it’s worth bearing in mind that the free version has a limited data set and slower processing times during peak traffic times.
Find out more about how ChatGPT can unlock your business potential.
AI for content creation
Think of Jasper as your marketing co-pilot. It integrates into your current systems and the Chrome browser extension brings Jasper with you wherever you work. It’s designed to help you create content that matches your brand’ tone of voice and style while working alongside your overall marketing strategy. It’s an all-in-one central hub for each member of your team to access easily. It's on the more expensive side, but as it’s more niche - it benefits businesses that might need this type of AI support.
How to use AI tools for business
It’s important to remember that AI tools are used as a starting point, not a final draft. They are best used to prompt your ideas, get your project started and generate ideas when you’re struggling to get them off the ground. Our beginners guide to AI for business offer a variety of top tips to help you learn how to get started.
Overall, AI tools are great for:
Enhancing your existing workflow - think project management tools that allow you to keep track of tasks across your teams
Saving time on menial tasks - like data analysis and automation, allowing you to focus on the insights
Improving decision-making - giving you the keys to unlock your business potential
Analytics and insights - turning complex Excel sheets into accessible reporting dashboards
Supporting the customer experience - quick response times and support available 24/7
You can’t rely solely on AI as a replacement for human work as it misses that all-important element - humanism. You’ll always need to work on what AI creates to make sure it’s an accurate reflection of what you want to say or do. Take advantage of the tools available to stay ahead of the curve and sense-check as you go. By creating a seamless approach to using AI tools in your business, you’ll be converting your audience into customers in no time. So get out there and find out what AI tools can do to help your business.
To find out more about getting started with AI, get 1-2-1 advice from our real, human, V-Hub Digital Advisors.
