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As a wedding photographer I typically work alone, as part of the bigger team of suppliers providing specialist services.
I love the independence and creative freedom this allows me but occasionally its fun to fully collaborate as a team on a project.
So this Rock n Roll themes styled shoot represented just that. As a WIBN member I have been delighted to connect with so many fabulous business owners, many of whom work in the same sectors as me. So recently I invited a few local suppliers to join forces on a shoot in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
We decided on a more quirky theme so it definitely wasn't going to be an average shoot!
On the day we started off in a very empty Hitchin market, giving me some excellent urban backdrops to work with. Then we moved through town to Hitchin Priory who were kind enough to let us use their beautiful venue. The Priory also happens to be the location of the WIBN Hitchin meeting so we knew it well. We had a lot of fun both inside the venue and utilising the outside spaces.
On the day not only did we have Kate's gorgeous VW Bus but a vintage motorbike to play with too! In support of our local charity Garden House, our models wore some stunning dresses selected from the charity's incredible Bridal store. Which is right in the centre of Hitchin should you know of a bride-to-be, bridesmaid or Mother-of-the-bride looking for a dress - be sure to mention it.
It really was a joy to work with so many talented individuals, all contributing to help me produce images I am very proud of. I love WIBN and the support of my fellow WIBN members, which I feel is reflected in the quality of the photos we all got out of an incredibly enjoyable day.
Bring on the next shoot!
Of the amazing Team involved the following are WIBN members:
For more details of the other fabulous suppliers who contributed to this shoot or if you would like to be involved in my next one, please feel free to message me directly.
Emily
Owner, SpinKreative Photography
I talk to people all of the time who say that they aren't living their 'best business life'. Something is holding them back and it's often quite frustrating for them.
Out of all of those people there are three main issues that are mentioned time and time again...
Imposter Syndrome
Not Enough Time
Lack Of Energy
Imposter Syndrome - is it a thing?
It's the thing that most people say is holding them back in their business.
But, do you know what?! It's not a syndrome... It's just a thought.
A cloud passing over the sun!
And I've got another thought for you - a much brighter one! You are unique - and there is nobody quite like you.
This means you aren't in competition with anyone else and Imposter Syndrome goes out of the window.
Be careful with your thoughts, they can end up controlling you.
Not Enough Time
The second most common answer is lack of time.
Now, I know that we all have the same 24 hours in a day. But, people who manage their time better achieve way more.
There are two important ways that you can use your time better...Set your priorities for the day, week, month and year - stick to them!Focus - so much time is wasted getting focused on your work. Work on that and you'll save yourself so much time!
Lack Of Energy
The third and final most common answer is lack of energy.
Working at full capacity, flat out all of the time seems impossible to achieve. And they're right. It is!
You need to replenish your energy to keep going.
However, there are ways to fill your energy cup that will stop you feeling burnt out. Everything we do either takes energy away or gives us energy. And it's working that bit out that will help you to feel more energised.
For example, for some social media is a great energiser as they enjoy posting and reading other people's news. For others, it's a huge drain and they find it both draining and un-enjoyable.The same can be said for people - some people will lift you up and some will zap all of your energy.
Keep an eye on the things that fill your cup and the things that drain it.
Posted By Elaine Walsh-McGrath, Managing Director,
12 April 2023
The first course that I put together was recorded at my kitchen table. It had great natural light coming from the big sliding doors at the back of our house and I had some plants and furniture behind me which gave a nice approachable and interesting feeling to the background.
I recorded it using my really old Macbook and Keynote with me talking over it! At the beginning of each “lesson” I recorded a piece to camera.
Here’s the thing: there was great content in that course.
I had a workbook that yoga teachers could use to create their central marketing strategy.
It covered:
Why? Your niche
Who? Your future clients
What? Do you say to them?
Where? Should you put your message.
It was comprehensive and took new teachers through from finding their niche to where to share their message.
But my sales page was dreadful! And these days using different tools it’s so much easier to create more engaging content for your courses.
When you have decided what topic you’re going to teach and pulled together an outline of your course, you might need a few tools to make life easier.
In this article I answer some common questions about what I use to prepare and share my courses.
What template to use to create slides for the course, webinars and the supporting workbook?
I suggest using a designed template. You could get one on Canva or Etsy. The one that I use is from an amazing creator, Amber Chalus. She has a great supportive group on Facebook and teaches people how to use her templates with Canva.
I bought the Ultimate Course Template which came with everything I needed. I love the community that she created so much that I signed up as an affiliate for her. So if you want to check them out here’s the link:https://rebrand.ly/Biz-Sister-Templates
If you end up buying a template I’ll get a small percentage of the sale, so thank you in advance!
What to use to record the videos for the course?
I still use my 2015 Macbook! But I’ve upgraded my web camera because honestlyI just couldn’t deal with the grainy look of my videos with the inbuilt mac webcam.
I bought the Logitech Brio. I did lots of research at the time and decided to make the investment to uplevel the quality of my videos and I’m glad I did. You can buy it on Amazon, if you do again here’s my affiliate link:
If you end up buying it using this link I’ll get a small percentage of the sale as I’ve signed up to be an Amazon Affiliate.
Lighting is important. It makes videos look much more professional.
And since the wifi wasn’t amazing in my kitchen, where you get the best light, I moved to the front room in our house. Originally I had a Neewer 18” ring light. I loved it. But some advice that I got which I will share with you now is that get the lights that you can afford. It is always a good idea to have better lighting. There are options at every price point.
Here’s a good option: It’s anInkeltech Ring Light - 18 inch 3000K-6000K Dimmable Bi-Color Light Ringhttps://amzn.to/3S7NLRC
It’s not the one that I bought as they’re out of stock at the moment. My additional tip is to think about your height and whether you’ll be doing videos standing or not. I’m tall so I went with one that had extra height.
What lights to use if you have glasses?
Life changes… and about a year ago I had to get glasses. So the ring light didn’t work as well for me because you could see the reflection of the light in my glasses! I invested in softbox lights from Neewer! Some people might think that was crazy, but honestly when I turn them on I feel like I’m ready to perform.
These are the ones that I bought:
Neewer Photography Bi-Color Dimmable LED Softbox Lighting Kit: 20x27 inches Studio Softbox 45W Dimmable LED Light Head with 2 Color Temperature and Light Stand for Photo Studio Portrait Video Shooting
But they’re not available at the moment. So I would check out theSoftbox Lighting Kit, skytex Continuous Photography Lighting Kit with 2x20x28in Soft Box
I always go with something that’s well reviewed and has lots of purchases when I’m buying something that’s outside my realm of expertise, which at the time, photography lights were!
But I’ve had them for a couple of years and I use them for online networking, my coaching sessions and shooting my online courses.
If you end up buying it using this link I’ll get a small percentage of the sale as I’ve signed up to be an Amazon Affiliate.
How do I record the actual presentation?
I use Zoom. For many of my courses I record them live. I like the energy of teaching live. And generally I offer the recordings as a course afterwards.
If for some reason you haven’t used Zoom before then here’s a link to check it out:
What about writing out the notes from the videos for the course?
A great time saver for converting your videos or audio training to text is a software called Descript. I have to admit that I only use about 10% of what it can do, but I still love it. It’s great for creating show notes:
If you end up signing up, by using this link I’ll get a small percentage of the sale as I’ve signed up to be an Amazon Affiliate.
Great sound is important for video.
Initially I used the internal microphone from my MacBook but I recently invested in an Apogee Mic Plus. I bought mine locally but you can get it on Amazon.
If you end up buying it using this link I’ll get a small percentage of the sale as I’ve signed up to be an Amazon Affiliate.
When I have finished recording my video I usually compress it using a free open source tool called Handbrake. It makes videos easier for people to watch and quicker for you to upload to wherever you are going to make them available to your students.
It gives users a 30 day trial instead of the standard 14 day trial. If you want a behind the scenes look at my courses when you’ve started your trial then drop me a line tohello@elainewalshmcgrath.comand let’s get on a Zoom call together.
And that’s the list of tools that I use. If you have any questions about any of the tools I use then come on over to my Facebook Group and feel free to ask me a question. I’m not a techie but I’ll answer based on my personal experience.
Posted By Danni Johnson, Head of Digital Marketing,
12 April 2023
Did you know, LinkedIn is 277% more effective for lead generation than other social media networks? Of all leads generated from social media, 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn. These are shocking numbers, especially if you’re NOT using LinkedIn right now.
So how can you make sure you’re taking full advantage of the above stats when it comes to your own LinkedIn profile? Here are 5 tips that can help you.
1. How to make your profile stand out
There are lots of things you can do to optimise your LinkedIn profile to make it stand out from the noise, below are just a few that can contribute positively towards your SSI score:
Picking the right picture: When you appear in search results, your picture is the first thing someone will see in addition to your headline. First impressions are important, especially on a professional network like LinkedIn. Try to keep your headshot professional but friendly and also make sure you are the only person in the picture.
Adding a cover image: The cover image is your virtual billboard – use it. This is prime real estate on your profile and can be used to highlight offers, services, your expertise or even events. We regularly use this space to advertise our upcoming events. It can be useful to mimic your company page cover image to allow for consistency across your social profiles.
Create a headline that hooks: LinkedIn will add a generic headline with your title and your location. Change this, don’t leave it on default. This is your chance to sell yourself and create a connection with potential leads. Use relevant keywords to hook people in so they want to click on your profile and see what you’re all about.
Tell your story: Whether you’re B2B or B2C, you’re dealing with people. As humans, we love a good story. Storytelling has been used for centuries to communicate key ideas and help people connect through shared values. You can use this powerful method to share your own story which your potential connections and leads can resonate with. Use the about section to share more about ‘you’, your why, what you believe in, and why you started your business/got into what you’re doing. This is your opportunity to build a relationship with the reader.
Use buzzwords sparingly (if at all): Be careful with buzzwords such as ‘specialist’, ‘expert’, and ‘guru’, these words don’t add anything. People are so used to seeing these words that they have become immune to them. If in doubt, when writing a word always think, “can I back this up”?
List your skills and take tests: LinkedIn has a whole library of tests and certifications you can take to prove your expertise and skills in any area, it also allows you to add these skills to your profile.
Spotlight your services: This is a new section where you can add your services and what you provide, to allow people to see how you can help them. It also allows you to be found when someone searches for a service you offer, as LinkedIn will send you a notification if someone is looking in the local area.
Use social proof: This can be done by the ‘recommendations’ section in your profile. Use this section to show proof of the claims you have made in the rest of your profile, by asking for recommendations from colleagues, past clients, co-workers and customers. This will allow people to see that you are genuine and deliver on your promises. Make sure to share the love with others too!
Listing industry information—such as Internet, Financial Services or Education Management —leads to up to 9x more profile views and can help you get discovered up to 38x more in recruiter searches, according to LinkedIn data.
Plus, adding something as simple as your location in your profile can help you get up to 19x more profile views.
2. Using a commenting strategy
We get a lot of people asking about what content to post, and what to say on LinkedIn. We get it, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with ideas for content all the time. That’s where we recommend the commenting strategy.
The commenting strategy is an easy and simple way to engage on LinkedIn without having to post new, fresh content all the time. It allows you to leverage other creators who are already creating content in your industry and simply add to the conversation already going on.
When it comes to the commenting strategy, the LinkedIn search bar is your best friend. You can use this to search for keywords related to your products or services which will bring up posts that are around those topics.
You can now go in and read through the posts that show up, if there is a specific post that you have a comment on you can get involved by contributing useful insights that further the conversation.
This strategy is a secret hack that you can use to bring in more leads than actually posting on your own profile as it allows you to tap into the relevant conversations going on in your area of expertise.
The LinkedIn search box
3. How to get involved in groups
Groups are a huge opportunity that not a lot of people utilise. Again, using the LinkedIn search bar you can search for almost any group in any industry.
Joining, posting and contributing to a group can open up more opportunities than posting on your own profile. The reason is that the people who have joined the group are super targeted, they are there to learn more and connect with like-minded individuals. So if you are contributing to the group then this allows you to get in front of the relevant people, who may be your target customers.
Another benefit of joining groups is that you can go in and message the group members, to take your conversations further if you like. You do not have to have a LinkedIn premium account for this.
Use this sparingly though, don’t spam people as you WILL get banned.
4. How to bypass the follower button and personalise your connection request
Content creators on LinkedIn who are focussed on growing their following now have the option to have a ‘follow’ button instead of the ‘connect’ button displayed on their profiles. It may seem as though you can’t directly connect with them anymore due to these button changes.
However, you can still connect with them, you just have to do a workaround. You can do this by going to a person’s profile, and instead of clicking the ‘follow’ button, click ‘more’ instead.
This will give you the option to connect with them and send a personalised message as well, just be mindful that not everyone will have this option though (if they are paying for the services to block this).
Make sure to always customise your introduction message, take time to look through their profile and customise your invitation. This additional step can be the difference between your connection request being accepted or declined.
Note: If your request gets declined, this contributes to your SSI score – so it’s well worth taking the time to customise your connection message.
Below are some quick ideas that can help you personalise your message:
Just be honest
Look for similarities in their profile
Connections in common
“I’d like to see more of your content”
“Expanding my network”
Both members of the same group
5. How to create quality content with the algorithm in mind
Content forms the foundation of any social media strategy, and that includes LinkedIn. There are six key ingredients in any content recipe- which will allow you to create content that people actually want to read, these include:
The ‘trigger’- This is the hook, it’s the sentence that shows before you press the ‘see more’ and is prime real estate to get your audience interested in what you’re talking about. Its purpose is to ‘stop the scroll’ and entice people to read more.
Post layout – No one wants to read a huge block of text. Space out your text with smaller paragraphs or one-line sentences to allow people to skim your content if they want. Short and sweet is best. If you feel confident then make a video.
The tag – Is there someone you can tag in the post? This could be a colleague, business or another individual. Make sure it is relevant though, and the person will actually engage with the post.
Hashtags – Use relevant hashtags. The key is 3 to 5. Make sure they are relevant to your post and audience.
The storyline – As mentioned before, storytelling can be useful when you are wanting to deliver any message. Every story has a beginning middle and end, it has a structure – try and incorporate this structure into your content.
Call to action – In such a distracted world, people need direction. If someone has taken the time to get to the end of your post, they are engaged so tell them what to do next. Want them to call you, tell them. Want them to comment, tell them. Tell them what action they need to take.
Bonus: Make your company page a consistent priority
We’ve been talking about your LinkedIn profile, but it’s important to note that a lot of the methods outlined above can also be applied to your company page.
Your company page is equally important as personal pages, so make sure it’s up to date, don’t just post random stuff on it, inconsistently.
Posted By Rachel Bradley, Volunteer,
04 April 2023
At Smart Works we passionately believe that female workers are one of the greatest assets we have in our economy. However, too often our clients come to us after months and years of trying to secure work without success and lacking confidence.
The Smart Works Female Unemployment Index is a report designed to highlight the experiences our clients face when looking for work. It covers all aspects from experiencing unemployment, experience of the interview process and the meaning of having a job.
1 in 4 unemployed women revealed they have been out of work for over three years. The average time spent applying for jobs is 23 hours a week and more than 1 in 10 women have applied for over 50 roles.
When they do make it to interview women had an Overall Confidence Score of 68 (with 100 being positive about succeeding in interviews, 50 being neutral and 0 being negative). They felt least positively about employers’ perceptions of them being a woman, with an Interview Confidence Score of 61, and being a parent, with a score of 55.
In a three-month period almost 900 women shared their experience of being unemployed with us to help create this report. During this time there has been one recurring theme; that despite the barriers faced our clients remain determined to find employment with 23% citing their main driver for getting a job was to find a sense of purpose and identity.
The process of securing a job is increasingly complex but by researching and publishing data on the issues facing unemployed women, we can help pave the way for progress.
By giving a voice to unemployed women, we can help unlock the female workforce.
Smart Works Reading opened in October 2015 with a vision of bringing a dressing and interview coaching service to women across Berkshire. The Smart Works Reading team is available five days a week (4 days for client appointments) and has delivered over 350 appointments in the last year.
Smart Works Reading has a team of over 75 highly skilled, fully trained, professional volunteers. In addition, all our stock is donated through professional women & organisations or comes direct from our retail partners.
Posted By Sally Inkster, Brand Specialist,
31 March 2023
What do you wish you'd known before you started your business?
When you start a business you usually come from a point of 'Being good at something'! This can cause a problem - There is so much more to running a business than just doing our job!
You may have come from a corporate company and decided it would be in your best interest to freelance your skills. You may have a job you hate but a hobby you love and so you start a business hoping to monetise that hobby!
According to Durham University in 2020 6 million new small business's started.
4.6 million of those were sole Traders.
When you take into account that statistically 60% of those will fail in the first 3 years it’s good to put the work into knowing your stuff.
This will help us to be one of the 40%.😁
Identifying your Personal Brand right at the beginning of your journey puts you on a positive trajectory.
Looking back I wish I had understood that I would have to become 3 personalities, within that Personal Brand.
These are the three personalities...
The Entrepreneur
Has the ideas
Creates new services, packages, products
Has the vision
Pulls things along
But an entrepreneur can mean you have too many ideas, too many thoughts and get excited by a shiny new object too often!
Apps on my phone that have helped me in this mode are...
Blinkist
Fiverr
Upwork
Pizap
Canva
Pocket
The Manager
Is the pragmatist
Creates order from the chaos
Doesn't see opportunities, just problems to fix
Is absolutely necessary for a business to survive and succeed
Apps on my phone that have helped with this...
Canva
Trello
Hubspot
Kajabi
Dropbox
Buffer
Hootsuite
The Doer
Loves to control the workflow
Loves getting things done
Gets instructed by the entrepreneur and the manager
Apps on my phone that have helped me in this role...
Canva
You Tube
Pexels
Kajabi
Zoom
Social Media Platforms (Find your party)
For the balance to really work you need
10% Entrepreneur
20% Manager
70% Doer
Would you find it helpful to have some clarity around your personal brand to help with the 3 people you need to be?
Book a Free chat with me Here.
Love Sally x
Sally Inkster
Finding Brand YOU!
What's a personal Brand?
''It's who you are, your values and beliefs and the ENERGY you bring to all you do''
As spring is welcomed here in the UK, the colours are bright and abundant. This is usually the time when people yearn to add colours to their outfits. If this feels alien to you, and you are wondering where to start with colours, then I am here to help.
If you are just beginning to dip your toe into adding colours to your outfits, or haven’t yet tried to do so and are feeling overwhelmed, then here are my tips for adding colours to your wardrobe.
Play with colours that match your neutrals
If you want to make your colours feel appropriate for a look, investigate the colours that work with your neutrals. As a part of a colour clinic with us, we provide the base neutrals and complementary colours to work with them in your very own colour palette. This can be taken with you in your handbag so you can quickly pick and choose colours that go together.
If you don’t yet have one of these, here are a few of my favourite complementary colours that go with specific neutrals:
Colours that work with black:
Considered one of the most versatile neutrals, black is in fact one of the hardest colours to wear. Breaking up this basic colour with an additional colour within your colour wheel will make a huge difference to your look.
Some of my favourite colours to put with black are:
●Dusty rose
●Fuchsia
●Green
●Metals (copper, gold, silver, platinum)
●Lilac
●Red
Colours that go with navy:
Navy is a great base colour in particular for professional outfits as it isn’t as harsh as black.
Some of my favourite colours to put with navy are:
●Pink
●Red
●Orange
●Lime green
●Mustard yellow
●Gold
Colours that go with beige:
Perfect for the warmer months, beige is a light, airy colour that can be an excellent neutral in your wardrobe.
Some of my favourite colours to put put with beige are:
●Rust
●Aqua green
●Burgundy
●Olive green
●Mauve / lilac
●Pastel pinks
Start with the extremities
There is nothing more daunting than an entire outfit full of colours. This is why for those of you who want to dip your toe into adding colours to your looks may be stepping back.
The first way to approach colours can be starting with your extremities – such as your hands, feet or head.
These smaller areas of your body can take on a little dash of colour, while the rest of your body remains neutral, permitting for that colourful flash to be more approachable.
Shoes & bags are often the best place to start as they come in so many different colourways and patterns. Shoes can be covered gently with wide leg trousers or boot cut jeans meaning the colour peaks out.
Bags can be swapped out easily between outfits (as long as you remember to swap out your essentials!) so you can play with whatever look you feel like. Take a bold bright bag one day, and more composed look with a colourful handle the next.
Another option is to add a colourful headband or earrings, which can also quickly and easily be swapped depending on the occasion.
Break up the colours with your layers
Now you have your neutrals and your accessories set, you can look to adding additional pieces to your outfit. You can break up the colours in your outfit by wearing layers such as a blazer, a jacket, or even hosiery.
For example, if you want to bring a dash of colour to a summer dress, you can pair a neutral dress with a colourful blazer. You could also add an underlayer to your dress such as a thin long sleeved mesh top in one of your colours.
For your two-piece, why not add a colour through a slogan tee under your neutral suit? Pick out the colours from the tee and pop on a pair of shoes or a bag which has a colour that is in it.
Monochromatic looks
Just like your neutral suit feels less daunting than a bright one-off dress, you may find that monochromatic looks can be an excellent solution for adding colour to your outfits.
Picking one colour and seamlessly utilising it across your outfit can be a beautiful way to make an outfit feel approachable yet bright and inviting.
Consider a green suit, or match a pink dress with pink shoes and accessories. Picking out different levels of the colour can make it more dimensional as a look, too.
If you are looking for someone who can help you discover the perfect colours for you to add to your looks so you can shine, our colour clinics can be an excellent solution.
And if you can't meet us in person, we could help through our Online Colour & Style Clinic.
Posted By Sally Inkster, Brand Specialist,
16 March 2023
If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again…
Then tell everyone about it!
Your successes and failures all make up who you are as a person - AND your brand story!
When I ask people what they think their Brand Story should consist of, I get these sort of answers
My history.
Why I do what I do.
My experience and skills.
What I am doing and how I help.
These are all perfectly understandable and reasonable answers, but they are not the full picture.
Your Brand Story is a very important part of you and your business
Finding out who you are and putting it into a story, is a way of getting paid for being you. It will attract your clients, who are are drawn to you because of who you are and what you have to offer.
A brand story isn't your life history, skills and your success, in fact it's nearly the opposite.
It’s the story of your failures, the uncertainty, when things went wrong, the hardest times you had and then... showing how you won through!
Let's look at some celebrities’ brand stories
Oprah Winfrey - molested by family members as a child, pregnant at 14, gave birth to a son who died a few days later! She could have rightfully been upset and become a victim of those circumstances, but instead she used those experiences to help others to be couragous and change their mindset.
Richard Branson - He was a really bad student, dyslexic and had bad grades. He used his creativity and personality to develop lots of successful businesses, often citing that his success is down to facing his fears and seeing failure as a challenge to overcome; to teach himself and others, to get up and try again.
Thomas Edison failed 1000 times before he got the lightbulb right!
How did they and others overcome their adversity or trauma, to come out on the other side?
Each of them used their perceived setbacks as a springboard to their success.
All stories have a hook that we can connect to on an emotional level
Have you noticed that when you connect with a story, it's often a story of two halves? For example...
Love - they will talk about the time they were heartbroken.
Belonging - they will talk about the time they were excluded.
Connection - they will talk about a time they felt disconnected.
In other words, a time when they were vulnerable.
Showing people that we have been, or are, vulnerable allows people to have a connection with us. It gives purpose, meaning and comradeship with others and as humans this is what we want and why we are here.
At this time the whole world is going through a degree of uncertainty this can make us feel vulnerable, it can shine a light on feelings we would rather not have.
When we are vulnerable it is because in some way we feel shame, which is when other people can see that we are not perfect and that gives rise to a fear of being disconnected.
We say these things to ourselves!
I am not good enough!
I am not ......... enough (fill in the gap, as you see fit)
I am not… (you can finish the sentence)
The good news is, vulnerability is often the birthplace of joy, creativity, success.
But, how often do we try and numb it or hide it under an addiction, or by sabotaging ourselves in some way.
We look for perfection.
We look for certainty.
We pretend.
None of which are really us or our history
People connect to us through our stories, especially about our vulnerabilities, they don't have to be traumatic or as devastating as some peoples, but we all have difficult times. If we didn’t, we wouldn't have the good times and we wouldn't grow. This is what people like to hear about.
So your brand story isn't about the trauma or the bad times, but how you progressed out of them and what you learnt in the process that you can pass on.
Telling your brand story is about the courage to be imperfect, to show that you do not have a charmed life that has never gone wrong but that it did and you have the courage to overcome whatever obstacles came your way.
Maybe then, this leads us to realise that, there is no failure, just lessons; that’s our story!
There is an analogy I heard, that I love.
‘Imagine your life is a computer game, at each stage you have to learn how to do something to get to the next level.
Our problems are just our learning curves so that we can get to the next level and...
Want to get clear on your brand story? I'd love to help you craft a story that 'Pops'.
I have a workshop that's perfect for you, all you need to do is drop me a message and I'll send you the details.
Posted By Cate Caruth, Founder and Director,
15 March 2023
Forgive the sensationalist headline – far more tabloid than you might expect of me, but I’ve been asked this question quite a lot recently along with “have you tried…?”, “what do you think about….?”, plus a host of other questions along similar lines.
Since the release of ChatGPT in November last year, everyone seems to be wondering if machines are soon going to be replacing humans. Of course, we’ve been wondering that in various forms for a long time – HG Wells touched on it in The Time Machine in 1895 – and it hasn’t happened yet, so I suspect the end of the world isn’t quite nigh.
I’ve been looking into it recently, so here is my take on the current rise in AI content creation and whether you should use it.
AI has a place
I suppose a good place to start is for me to say that I find technology fascinating (little known fact: my degree includes a minor in computing), so the research to create a ‘thinking machine’ is one I can appreciate. While AI content writers might not yet pass a Turing Test (developed to assess whether a machine can display intelligence) they certainly seem to be getting more and more sophisticated. The capability of the developers who have brought it to this point should be applauded – from a purely academic standpoint.
ChatGPT is still a developmental tool of course and one developed from the world of R&D so it isn’t yet considered to be a ‘product’ for commercial exploitation. Every time I go to try it out, it is ‘at capacity’. I was mildly amused that the first thing it did was verify I was a human…. There are others, however, which claim to offer the same, or similar, services – Jasper, Grammarly and Creaitor to name a few.
And, if you are short on time and on budget, using AI to generate content for you seems a useful solution, especially when it can give you 500 possible blog topics that might work for you. Fantastic!
I know that web developers are very keen on the AI code development features that are available too – great for solving knotty coding problems and for debugging.
Can AI replace a writer?
This, of course, is the knub of the issue. ChatGPT can write poetry and has written a sonnet in the style of Shakespeare. It’s very creative and interesting but ‘in the style of…’ isn’t Shakespeare. Part of the glory of Shakespeare is the style and meter and the way it scans. But surely part of it is the sheer glory that a person created those wonderful words. He sweated over them, to get them just right. He didn’t go though 100,000 word combinations at a million operations per second until he found a match.
I think it all comes down to what you, as the business owner, want from your content.
Pages of fast copy?
Or something authentically you?
Science? Or Art?
If you are looking for ideas or a first draft that you can then edit to match your own tone of voice and generate the ides you can then rework, then it seems a reasonable thing to do. Mind you, Google is already saying it will down-rank content created by AI, so if you want to optimise your website for search engines, it could well work against you. I’d be interested to find out it’s capability for differentiation too – if four people ask an AI for an article on the same topic, will they get the same article?
A question of ethics
We now come to the knotty problem of attribution.
When you publish an article, blog, book or web page, you are implying that the content is your own. If everything has been written by a clever robot, do you need to declare that?
You don’t if it is written by a copywriter – although any good writer would have spent time with you to understand your values and perspective, so anything published under your name reflects your opinion. If you review and edit a computer-generated article, is that any different?
To my mind, though, using a professional writer to create something for you feels less ‘transactional’ than using AI. It lacks the human touch (literally) and it feels like a deceit for your audience.
What about copyright and intellectual property?
I don’t imagine this is an issue that is yet to be fully addressed but consider this:
You use AI to write you an e-book and prospects can download it free of charge from your website. It creates a relationship which, later, leads to you making a sale. Who is entitled to that revenue? You – most would argue.
Okay – seems fair. What about this one:
You use AI to generate an eBook which prospects download for a small fee. Who owns that revenue?
And what if it isn’t an eBook, but a business book? Or an online course?
Who is entitled to the revenue? Who owns the copyright? And who owns the intellectual property?
A quick chat with a solicitor friend of mine confirmed that this particular ‘copyright time-bomb’ hasn’t been explored but that someone, somewhere is likely to light the fuse.
AI is still a machine
Whichever tool is used, artificially created content is still a creation of technology and not of heart and mind. The developers of ChatGPT admit that it ‘lacks critical analysis’ which means it can draw information from the internet and come up with a wrong answer. And, more worryingly, it lacks moral and ethical judgement. It can be asked to comply with local laws, for example, but won’t necessarily reflect your own values or a current sway in public opinion. The site itself warns you that information may be inaccurate, harmful or biased.
The implications of that worry me a little. I was chatting to someone last week who is using ChatGPT to write the management reports on his team performance. He makes notes each day on what they have done and at the end of the month says “Hey, ChatGPT can you summarise these into a report using a professional business style?”
But he wasn’t checking them….
Which means, if he had a bad day and one of his team did something stupid, that prompted him to write a thoughtless note about them, ChatGPT would simply include that in the report. It wouldn’t think, “That’s a bit harsh” or leave it out because performance on other days was fine and reason that this poor performance was an isolated incident. Nor would it know that that was a ‘bad day’ and not a fair reflection on the manager’s feelings.
Outcome: Grievance, or someone quitting because they felt undermined, to name but a few consequences.
I pointed this out and the possibility hadn’t occurred to him. He will now check the reports before submitting them.
This is one example but, for those who put faith into technology we could be seeing a rise in mis-information and hurtful content.
So, am I for it or against it? And would I use it?
AI is a tool like any other. Tools are useful if used correctly.
If used incorrectly, they can be downright dangerous. If you choose to use AI to generate content, do so with an enquiring mind and with your eyes wide open. Check it, add your own tone of voice and values to anything it creates and check the facts it presents. And be aware that, some time in the future, you might need to declare or credit AI content (just as you might for a guest blog), so make a note of what content is your own work and what is the work of a machine.
As to where I’d use it, I have, finally, managed to create a ChatGPT account and I will play with it to find out its capabilities – after all I love technology and it is really clever. I have tested its ability to come up with a list of blog titles for a specific industry and target market and I can see myself using it for that.
For actual content though? No – I see writing as an art form and content gold comes from the glory that is human. So, our clients can expect only actual intelligence creating content alchemy for the foreseeable future.
Want to join the discussion about AI content? Add a comment below. And if you want to see how Creative Words can give you real, authentic, bespoke content, contact us for a chat.
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