If you’ve been thinking about using artificial intelligence for your online store, there’s an AI hack you need to know. And social media and messaging superstar (and my friend) Anna MacFarlane joins me on this episode of the How to Sell Online podcast to talk all about it…and shares a few other tips as well.
One thing to know about Anna is that she has over 800,000 followers (WHAAAAAA?) on her Instagram account, KidsAreTheWorst. She started it as a way to connect with other parents and build a community. As it grew, it made sense for her to start another Instagram profile, AnnaIsTheWorst. Her second profile gives tips and shares ideas for growing your Instagram game.
Like many of us with online businesses, Anna has taken an in-depth look at AI programs like ChatGPT. We agree that one of the biggest advantages of using tools like ChatGPT and ChatAI is the time savings they can provide. This is especially true if you feel like you aren’t a great writer or if you’re just getting a smidge stumped on what to write. They’re so great for helping overcome writer’s block, I promise!
When you automate certain tasks using these kinds of tools—like generating content faster—it frees up your time to focus on other areas of your business. But there are a few things to consider.
Things to Consider With AI
These tools can offer a lot of good things and are a hack on their own, but they’re not perfect. In fact, they are prone to errors and have some limitations. That’s why Anna recommends being very specific in your requests and providing clear context as you type in questions. That way you can get better results.
She also reminds us (and I love this!) that even the best AI-generated content can’t replace you or your personality. Whether you're creating content for social media, writing emails, or communicating with customers, it's important to let your own voice shine through.
Know your audience, know the purpose of what you’re communicating, and write the way you’d speak if you were having a one-on-one conversation. Heck—if you don’t use perfect grammar when you speak, it’s okay not to use it when you write (trust me on that one!) It’s all about communication.
AI Hack You Need to Know
But here’s the AI hack that Anna shares…and it might not be the kind of AI hack that you’re expecting: it’s all about relationships. If you’re going to use AI, that’s great. You just need to make sure that what’s being generated is going to be helpful in achieving that goal. It’s her great connection to and relationships with her audiences that have allowed her to grow her online presence and her online business. Again, AI is a great tool, but it can’t recreate person-to-person relationships.
One of the questions that I get a lot, and Anna and I talked about, was feeling burdened by social media. Online businesses often depend on social media to promote products…but sometimes we can go down rabbit holes on social media—or feel like we need to constantly be checking our Facebook, Instagram or TikTok accounts. Anna gives such great recommendations about what we can do to get our “musts” done and stay connected to our followers while not spending every spare minute online.
You’re gonna want to listen to the entire podcast to find out more about the AI hack Anna MacFarland shares. Psst! She also talks about an app she uses for her business that you’ll wanna check out!
Top 10 Takeaways:
- Be very specific when you're using ChatAI, ChatGPT or similar tools.
- Put your personality into the writing so it’s not robotic.
- Avoid sounding like you’re writing an essay like you did in school.
- Read it aloud; make sure it sounds like you’re talking to someone.
- ChatGPT and ChatAI can save you massive a amount of time.
- The ultimate business-building hack is relationships.
- Show up; let your people know you’re there.
- Be real.
- Choose a time for responding to DM’s (set a timer so you don’t get sucked in.)
- Use the BOARDS app to keep links, articles, pictures, and more in one place.
Additional Resources:
Follow Anna MacFarlane:
- On Instagram: @annaistheworst and@kidsaretheworst
- Anna’s website: annamacfarlane.com
Connect with Alison:
- On Facebook: @alisonjprince
- On Instagram: @alisonjprince
- Learn about the 0-$100K System and how you can launch and grow your own online business at 0-100k.com
- Join Alison’s Print Sprint at theprintsprint.com
Listen to Anna’s other appearances on the podcast:
