(How) Can I leverage Ai to help my local business thrive? Adopting Change for Local Business Owners

Hey everyone. Welcome to the Local Voice. I'm Alex, your guide to uncovering the latest trends and strategies for local business success. Alongside our expert host, Jeff Harrison, we dive deep into what you can leverage right now to boost your business. Let's get started.

Hey Alex, how you doing today?

Hey Jeff. I'm doing great. Excited to dive into today's topics and help our listeners find new ways to grow their businesses. How about you?

I, I'm good. I'm, I'm also excited to talk about this and it's a perfect entry into this and we're going to talk today a little bit about, hey, how would a local business leverage AI to help them be more productive while holding down some of their, their costs and reduce redundancy? What do you think?

That sounds like a fantastic topic. AI can definitely be a game changer for local businesses by automating routine tasks, improving customer interactions and freeing up time for more strategic work. Let's break down some practical ways they can implement AI without breaking the bank.

You know, one of the ways, and I was just doing this for a client who wants to become more, I'm going to call it visual or video first Alex. And so what we did is we used A product called HeyGen and HeyGen allows us to use already produced avatars and then write a script and then produce a video that will create a real nice seamless video that can actually be sent out to their customers. And we were creating this, Alex, for them to send out to their database, their email database, which that's where they get most of their business.

As a thank you and then also reminder to leave a review.

That's a brilliant approach. Using a tool like HeyGen to create personalized professional videos is a fantastic way to engage customers. It adds that personal touch and keeps your brand top of mind. Plus, reminding customers to leave a review can significantly boost online credibility and attract new clients. It's a smart, cost effective way to leverage AI and video marketing together.

Well, you know, Alex, reviews are so important. There's been a couple of our customers that we started working with over the last six to nine months and it was really about creating a digital footprint for them. And one of the things we did is we helped increase their, their five star reviews and actually just getting reviews where they might have only had a few reviews to start with and now they have hundreds. And this has increased their customers anywhere from 35 new clients to one of our customers who got a contract for 2200 new customers. Pretty exciting stuff.

That's incredible. It really Highlights how powerful a solid digital footprint can be. Reviews build trust and can dramatically influence potential customers. By leveraging AI to streamline the process and encourage more reviews, you're not just improving visibility, but also driving real business growth. It's amazing to see those kinds of results.

Well, you know, another thing is when I talk to customers is they often will say, you know, Jeff, it's great to create content. As a digital content marketing company, it's great to put that out there, but I just don't have the time. And so, you know, we have the ability. Now let's say for instance, that business owner finds an article that really resonates, it really works. They can actually take that article and do many things with it. One is they create a podcast. It could be an audio podcast. And now with some tools like 11 labs, you can actually drop that in there and it will give two different voices and converse about that particular article so it makes a really cool a piece of content. Or you can take that same script and drop it into an AI video tool and like a video, video AI and actually create a video straight from that article. What do you think about that, that process?

I think that process is a game changer, especially for busy business owners. Repurposing content in multiple formats maximizes its reach and impact without requiring a lot of extra time. Using tools like ElevenLabs for podcast style content and Video AI for turning articles into engaging videos is a smart way to stay consistent with content creation. It not only saves time, but also helps maintain a strong presence across different platforms, which is crucial for visibility and engagement.

You know, it's one of those things. Again, we start out by talking about video first and you know, we talk about the engagement levels that video has over other types of content. Will you take a second and just talk about if you had to compare somebody that said, hey, I'm going to put a text post on, let's say social media or send it through their email versus a video. What can they expect out of that as far as engagement? Is it better, worse, or the same?

Video typically outperforms text in terms of engagement. Studies show that people are much more likely to watch a short video than read a block of text. Video captures attention more effectively, conveys personality and emotion, and often leads to higher click through and conversion rates. So if a business wants to boost engagement and connect with their audience on a deeper level, video is definitely the way to go.

You know, one of the things we've done with, with some of our customers is we have a weekly show for them. And it allows us to really be, if you excuse the expression, it's like a content farm. So we'll do an interview for 35 to 45 minutes, maybe up to an hour, and then we'll take that content and repurpose it into shorts. And what we've seen is those shorts are getting anywhere from 300 to 1,000 views a week that really are not so much converting people into new customers, but driving them from the short video back to the website to dive in a little deeper about that client. That's been a way to take something that they're already good at at creating that content and then repurpose it in many ways. Any other ideas that we could use that content for?

That's a fantastic strategy. Another way to leverage that content is by turning the key insights and quotes from those interviews into engaging social media graphics or carousel posts. You can also create a blog post summarizing the main points from each episode, which helps with SEO and provides valuable content for your website. Additionally, you could compile the best moments from multiple episodes into a highlight reel or a best of series, which can attract new listeners and keep your current audience engaged.

You know, as we talk about video, Alex, I want to really take a second here because many people when they're talking about creating content, let's say business owners, they're really not sure where to start. And I always suggest the best place to start is to find out. Once you decide who your ideal customers are and their avatar and you know exactly who you're speaking to, is to find out what problems or challenges they're having that their product or service solves and start by answer. Or creating videos that answer one question at a time. Not quite an faq, but maybe it is an FAQ but a little longer. Like as an example, if it's an H vac customer's, somebody might ask a question, you know, why is my AC blowing warm air? As an example, start there and create those kind of, those kind of videos. I call it breadcrumbing. It leads them back to that business owner as an authority in their marketplace. What are your thoughts on that?

I think that's a perfect approach. Addressing specific questions that your ideal customers are already asking not only positions the business as an expert, but also builds trust and credibility. By providing these bite sized, informative videos, you're essentially guiding potential customers through their decision making process. This not only increases engagement, but also helps convert viewers into loyal customers. Plus, it's a great way to organically attract traffic to their website. And keep them engaged with valuable content.

You know, one of the things that really has come up lately, and it really is talking about SEO, is where to put your content. And we know that the, the search bots, they will, they will look at, look at content when it's on a website, when it's on, let's say, Google Business Profile, when it's on YouTube. But what about when it goes on to social media platforms? It's not really searched like that. So if you spend a lot of time just putting content on there, hoping that you're going to get search results back to your website for that, is that a, is that a little bit misleading? And should more time be spent on, let's say, creating shorts for YouTube and putting on Google My Business or Google Business Profile?

You're right, Jeff. Social media content is great for engagement and brand awareness, but it's not as searchable in the long term as content on your website, YouTube or Google Business Profile. By focusing on platforms where content is indexed and can appear in search results like YouTube and your website, you're building a library of content that can continually drive traffic. Posting shorts on YouTube and regularly updating your Google Business Profile ensures that your content remains discoverable and can help improve your SEO rankings, ultimately leading to more consistent and sustainable traffic to your website.

You know, Alex, I could talk about this, and I know you could. We could talk about this for a long time, but I want to leave it here and really leave some thoughts. And my last thoughts are, if you're a local business owner and you're not sure where to start, I would start video. You know, if you're saying, hey, I haven't created any content up to now, I would start with video. And the reason I say that, Alex, is this. All things can be made from video. In other words, if I make a video or you make a video as a business owner, it can be transcribed and then turned into an article. And as you say, it could be turned into then video posts or carousels as well as what, what we're doing right now, an audio podcast. What are your thoughts? Am I missing anything?

You've nailed it, Jeff. Starting with video is like creating a content goldmine. From a single video, you can generate multiple content formats. Transcripts for blogs, snippets for social media, audio for podcasts, and even visual quotes or infographics. It's the most versatile and efficient way to produce content that can reach your audience across multiple platforms. Plus, it helps you connect on a more personal level, which is crucial for building relationships and trust with your audience. You're not missing anything. You're giving local business owners the perfect roadmap.

I love it. Well, Alex, hey, it's been fun. This is our first go round with Alex, AI, if you will. He is my sidekick on the Local Voice and I look forward to having him back. And we talk a little bit more. Today we talked about video and for the local business and how it can turn into, as you say, Alex. A video is a virtual gold mine when it comes to content. Until next time, my name is Jeff Harrison. Alex, take us out.

Thanks, Jeff. It's been a blast being your sidekick on the Local Voice. Remember, everyone, video content is your ticket to boosting engagement and building authority. Stay tuned for more insights and tips to help your local business thrive. Until next time, take care and keep creating.