How To Master ChatGPT to Unlock Your Business Potential

There is so much advice out there about prompts for ChatGPT so rather than adding to that with yet another list, I want to help you to create own guide on how to use it.

We all need different things so to make AI work for you you need your own personal How To Guide, not someone else’s.

Tailoring the Guide to what you truly need will mean it’s more helpful and you’re more likely to use it.

For me this journey of how to fully benefit from its vast resources has been a careful balance between researching, fact checking, restructuring and adding my personality.

It takes time, so here are some short cuts and a step by step guide in how to create your very own ChatGPT User Manual.

There’s a danger of suddenly panicking that you’ve got to post on every platform every day now just because you can use ChatGPT to churn it all out for you. But quality over quantity is still the most important thing if you want to come across to your audience as authentic and helpful.

Your Very Own ChatGPT Manual

To start, ask yourself these questions.

Take your time, sit down with a cuppa and your favourite notebook and allow yourself some space to consider this.

One of the main problems we have (in my opinion) is that we are in such a rush to get to the next thing that we don’t do anything with our full attention.

Imagine setting aside 20 minutes to do this exercise, to really commit to thinking about it, what different could it make to your business and your working day? Ask yourself,

1. What do I struggle with the most in my business right now?

2. What have I never got time to do?

3. If I had a physical personal assistant, what would you give them to do?

Ok, now take those answers and continue by asking yourself,

Identify the Type of Support You Need

Look at what you struggle with the most and determine if it's a lack of knowledge, skill, or time. Do you need research, content creation, or maybe just organisation? This will guide how you use ChatGPT effectively. For instance, if research is a time drain, ChatGPT can summarise articles, find data, and even suggest resources.

Delegate the Digital Workload

For the tasks you never have time to do, ask yourself if ChatGPT can automate them or make them quicker. For example, drafting emails, scheduling content, or creating first drafts of blogs or reports. This isn't about replacing your touch but enhancing your efficiency.

Set Clear Objectives for Your AI Assistant

Think about what you would hand off to a personal assistant. Now, translate that into digital tasks. Need customer feedback compiled? Want a quick market analysis? ChatGPT can handle these efficiently, provided you give clear instructions and specific goals.

Customise Your AI Playbook

What you will end up with is a specific list of how you use ChatGPT in your business.

For example, this is my go-to manual for it right now. It might change as what I do evolves but this works really well for me at the moment.

I ask it what it needs to know in order to give me specific answers on how to help me complete the task I’m working on.

I ask it for clarity with something. I give it the specific details of what I’m doing and what my concern is, and ask it to clarify if that is right and what else I need to be aware of in order to complete this task. I also ask it to give me a step by step process to follow if this is a more complex task.

To help finish your playbook, here are 5 practical tips for interacting more effectively with ChatGPT:

1️⃣ Be Specific

To get the most relevant and precise answers from ChatGPT, provide clear and detailed questions. Specificity helps the AI understand exactly what you're looking for, reducing the chances of receiving generic or off-target responses.

For example, instead of asking, "How do I market my business?", try "What are the most effective digital marketing strategies for a small online apparel store targeting women aged 25-40?"

2️⃣ Be An Interviewer

Leverage the conversational nature of ChatGPT by using follow-up questions to delve deeper into topics or clarify previous answers. Almost as if you’re interviewing it. If an initial response isn't quite what you needed, ask for more details or request examples to illustrate complex points. This process can help you uncover richer insights and more actionable advice. I do this all the time and it’s really helpful.

3️⃣ Give It Context

When asking for help on a project or decision, give ChatGPT some background information. Context can drastically improve the quality of the advice and suggestions it provides.

For instance, if you're asking for help in choosing a business location, mention your target demographic, budget, and any logistical considerations. Think of it like you’re explaining it to a child, every detail, as if they’ve never heard of the subject you’re talking about. It sounds weird, but it really does make a difference to the answers you get.

4️⃣ Check Important Information

While ChatGPT can provide a wealth of information, it's crucial to cross-verify critical facts, especially when making business decisions. Use ChatGPT as a starting point to gather ideas and data, but consult primary sources, experts, or up-to-date databases for confirmation before taking action. This helps mitigate the risk of relying on outdated or inaccurate information.

Fact check everything. Here is a list of fact checking websites to help.

5️⃣ Set Expectations

ChatGPT is not infallible and can sometimes misinterpret questions or deliver less relevant information. Which is why it’s so important to be extremely clear about what you’re asking, how you’re asking it and what you need as a response.

Recognising these limitations will help you adjust your questions and be more critical of the answers, ensuring you use the tool as effectively as possible while maintaining realistic expectations.

Social Media Management

And if you’re like me and struggle keeping on top of social media, you can also use ChatGPT to help you organise and schedule posts so you can be more productive and not feel like you’re constantly having to think about it.

Integrating ChatGPT with social media management tools like Hootsuite or Buffer can revolutionise how content is created and scheduled.

ChatGPT can generate creative content ideas, draft posts, and even suggest optimal posting times based on audience engagement patterns. This makes maintaining an active and engaging social media presence more manageable. For instance, a fashion boutique owner could use ChatGPT to craft unique product descriptions, promotional tweets, or Instagram stories that resonate with her target demographic.

Here are some social media content prompts to inspire you.

Onwards and Upwards

As with anything new, we can feel resistant to it at first, scared of it even. So in order to feel in charge of what it’s capable of and use it to our advantage we need to spend some time with it, nurture your relationship with it and approach this as an incredible resource. Because, it absolutely is.

Written by Kate Greenslade and ChatGPT 😉

Click here to learn more about how Kate can help you and your business thrive.