Fear not: AI can do wonders for your business

Artificial intelligence, or AI, could be the best tool a company can have in its toolbox. Artificial intelligence makes your job much easier and is a great way to acquire new customers while improving your business infrastructure.

That’s what two executives from Ogden Digital, the digital arm of Ogden Newspapers, of which Breeze is a member, explained to business owners at a North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce luncheon this month.

Digital marketing manager Eric Martin said people’s concerns are valid. But AI can be an important tool in bringing in more business, especially for younger customers.

“AI is growing faster than the internet. You hear scary things. I get it,” Martin said. “But they’re making life more efficient and making consumers more inclined to buy. As a company, we want to make sure you’re on the path to that consumer.”

Gone are the days of searching for keywords. Martin said they are becoming more like a phone book.

The switch to AI may not happen overnight, but it’s happening now for consumers.

“We have three different types of consumers here in Florida: permanent, seasonal, and vacationers, and we want to understand their journey to purchase,” Martin said, adding that as consumers are asking more specific questions, it’s become more important to get names as optimized as possible.

Joining Martin is Marty Valania, digital sales manager at Ogden Digital. He said optimizing your website for AI will allow you to be seen as an expert in the field.

“You want engagement. The more engaged people that come to your site, the more likely they are to do business with you. That’s the whole idea,” Varania said. “The more recognized you are as an expert, the more money you are likely to make.”

Martin said the days of “set it and forget it” websites are over.

Chamber President John Gardner said he knows people who update their websites daily with blogs and other information.

“There are always things that need to be updated all the time, and the AI ​​looks at these things to see if you are an expert,” Gardner said. “The more relevant and up-to-date content you have, the more you will be seen as an expert. If you have content on your site that hasn’t been updated or updated for three years, that’s not going to help you.”

The numbers bear this out. Over 40% of all product and service searches begin on an AI platform. That number has tripled in the past 12 months alone. According to McKinsey & Company, 55% of people now use AI instead of traditional search.

Google Gemini has experienced explosive growth in just a few months, reaching 750 million monthly users. These are integrated together with Grok and ChatGPT to become your go-to source for AI information.

Martin said he hopes business owners learn that their businesses need to be readable and discoverable using the same engines people currently use to find products and services, and that fears about AI are unfounded.

“People say AI is going to end the world and robots will take over,” Martin said. “It’s important to adapt to the consumer’s purchasing aptitude. Many people don’t have the income to pay $150 for a service, so they look for answers online.”

Kristin Meyer, owner of North Fort Myers Florist, said she uses AI in her daily life, but not as much in her business.

“One thing I don’t consider is how my website and social media will impact that,” Meyer said. “We talked with Eric about how we can leverage our content to derive relevance from ChatGPT.”