Using AI to Improve Your Manufacturing Communications
With the new year often comes new goals to take your manufacturing business to new heights. One way to do that is by using AI (artificial intelligence), a tool businesses have used for many years. Recently, however, new AI tools have surfaced that will take your business communications to the next level – and they’re readily available to everyone. Despite being only in its sophomore year, the AI program ChatGPT is a highly sophisticated and well-developed tool that can help you streamline your business communications for overall company benefit. Users can access this tool for free to ask complex questions and receive human-like responses in real-time. From ideation of content and blog topics to writing emails and social media copy, ChatGPT can serve as a valuable tool for growing your manufacturing business, and we’re here to break it all down.
What is ChatGPT?
Launched by developer OpenAI in November of 2022, ChatGPT is a language software program that allows users to ask and converse with an artificial intelligence chatbot. OpenAI’s release spurred the engineering of competing chatbots, and the overall use of conversationalist AI is now widespread and increasing. The core function of ChatGPT is to mimic conversation in a human-like fashion to answer questions and write content, but the use of the program has abounded. The software can also do research, write code, compose music, generate images, simulate games, write song lyrics, do homework, and much more. While the wide range of ChatGPT’s capabilities has raised some eyebrows, others have recognized the way such programs can aid and assist individuals and businesses. With approximately 100 million active users, ChatGPT is only growing in popularity and use.
How can ChatGPT help your manufacturing business?
ChatGPT can be used in a variety of ways to generate traction and profit for your business. For example, to identify what your customer base is interested in, you can ask the platform a question like: “What are buyers looking for in their manufacturers?”. Asking a question such as this will provide you with broader answers from which you can build your communications strategy; in this case, maybe a social media post dedicated to the given AI response. You can also ask the program something more direct, such as, “Write an Instagram caption for a post about my new CNC machine,” which will provide you with completed communications. The program can be helpful no matter what stage of communication you are in, whether you are looking for a caption to solidify an already strong post or are experiencing writer’s block and need help getting off the ground. Utilizing ChatGPT for these tasks and more will also allow you more time for other tasks, increasing the overall productivity and profitability of your company. From the broader ideas available to the specific content you can use, here are six ways you can use ChatGPT to improve your business communication.
How to use ChatGPT for manufacturing business communication:
- Ideation and brainstorming. We can all hit a wall sometimes with developing ideas and new content, but to keep customers engaged and attract new ones, it’s essential to release regular content. ChatGPT can be a great aid here to help you brainstorm ideas for your social media, customer communications, and your website. Simply ask the program for ideas to promote your business. When we asked ChatGPT, “Help me promote my manufacturing business to my customers online,” we received 10 suggestions ranging from content marketing and infographics to website optimization and client testimonials.
- Develop content ideas for social media. If you’re struggling to brainstorm new content for your social media pages, like LinkedIn or Facebook, ChatGPT can help you there as well. Writer’s block when originating content is nothing new, but the solution of integrating AI is relatively so. Ask the program to give you some ideas for your social media page, even for a specific platform. At MFG, when we asked ChatGPT, “Give me ideas for social media content for my manufacturing business,” the software replied with various in-depth ideas. Suggestions included showing behind-the-scenes of the production process, employee spotlights, product features, customer testimonials, industry news, and more. Additionally, these topics were accompanied by detailed suggestions for execution and material.
- Write email flows and social media copy. ChatGPT can help you with more than just the social and online content, it can also assist you in writing the copy and communications that accompany that content. You can ask ChatGPT to write you a set of emails to remind customers about a deal your offerings, or an Instagram caption to promote a new machine in your retinue. To avoid any plagiarism or spelling errors, it is best practice to read through and edit anything the program produces before releasing it to customers. Let the software provide you with a baseline, change a few words if the email or caption is not in your voice, and you’re ready to communicate with customers!
- Find relevant Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keywords. Improving business communications happens on more than just social media, and ChatGPT can lend a hand with optimizing your website as well. Ranking high on Google Search is incredibly important for business growth overall, and picking the right Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keywords to insert on your website is essential. You can ask ChatGPT what keywords your ideal customer would be searching for on Google, or what keywords would be applicable in content regarding machining, and use those keywords in communications on your website. SEO keywords can be utilized in headlines, in bodies of text, and in your blogs to rank higher when potential customers search for those terms on Google.
- Get topic ideas for your blog posts and develop outlines. Let’s say ChatGPT told you that your customer base is searching for the keywords “CNC machining” and “screw/swiss machining,” and you want to include these terms on your website to receive more clicks. A blog post is a great way to do just that, and ChatGPT can help you write it. Ask the program “What blog post can I write about CNC machining?” or “Write a blog post outline on the differences between CNC machining and screw/swiss machining.” You can take these foundational building blocks and write out the content in your voice, producing a blog post with applicable content and the given keywords. Publishing content like this will bring traffic to your website, save you time, and boost your business communication.
- Ask for information sources on new ideas. Accurate information and proper sourcing for any business communication are incredibly important. Readers want to know where you got your information from, what backs your claims, and what makes your words trustworthy. However, finding relevant and trustworthy information can be incredibly time-consuming. Here’s where AI can help. Ask ChatGPT to find articles or websites featuring a topic you want to write about. It’s important to read through any results to verify the author and if it contains what you’re looking for, but ChatGPT can get the ball rolling on finding sources to create content. With compiled sources and an outline to work from, ChatGPT can give you a great start to creating content for your business and communications.
From writing a clever caption for a new Instagram post to email templates and blog outlines, AI and ChatGPT can simplify and enhance the way your business handles communications. Introducing ChatGPT into your set of business tools can bring you new ideas, generate new leads, increase customer engagements, boost website visitors, and more. It’s important to remember, especially with long-form content, that your own voice should always take precedence. Take inspiration from the AI, but do not copy the entire article. Always fact-check sources and proofread short-form communication, such as emails and copy, before sending and posting. Used right, ChatGPT is a great tool to include in your arsenal to bring your business to new heights in the new year.
For more tips on how to grow and market your manufacturing business, read our other MFG blog posts.
