Mastering the latest digital tools is both an art and a science. Understanding the science behind the technology gives you an advantage, but the creative application is where mastery truly occurs. With the abundance of AI opportunities, learning to effectively communicate with these tools is a must. So, in comes a brand new skill set to master—the art of AI prompting.

Remember that old adage, “Garbage in, garbage out”? It applies to AI, too. As “smart” as AI seems, it is critical to efficiently cull relevant and insightful information when using these tools. If not, you are likely just using AI as an online encyclopedia and are missing out on its true potential.

Efficiency is a key selling point for opening the door to AI in your day-to-day business activities. But that does not mean just letting it do the work for you. By improving your prompting skills, you can analyze information not previously available, take creative leaps toward true innovation, and, yes, get some things on your to-do list done quicker.

My best advice is this: Treat AI like a highly productive assistant who, with specific direction and desired results (ahem, great prompting), will deliver exactly the information you want or at least significantly streamline the process by telling you where to focus your time.

Here are a few ways to step up your prompting game, according to my favorite AI friends:

• Be specific. If you want to know how to automate a business process, note what software and tools your business is using. To deliver a solution, AI needs to know what success looks like to you.
• Provide context. When asking about your customers, tell AI what industries your customers are in and which positions are generally decision makers.
• Use step-by-step instructions. If you want to automate a process, note what step 1, step 2, step 3, and, of course, the finish line should be.
• Control the format. Ask for information to be delivered in your preferred format, such as in a bulleted list or a 300-word summary.
• Build on your starting point. Keep prodding to get what you want. For example, “Only consider customer sentiment in the U.S.” or “Provide more detail on the manufacturing segment.”
• Provide perspective. “Act as an engineer writing to appeal to optimization specialists. Revise this abstract ...”
• Ask bigger questions. Go beyond facts and yes-or-no questions to analyze information and brainstorm creative solutions.

With a bit of practice, you can quickly improve your prompting and start gaining real business insights. And maybe even get what all the AI buzz is about.

A little lagniappe ... try these with your favorite AI:

• What emerging market trends should (YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE) focus on to stay competitive in our industry over the next 12 months based on current data?
• What are (YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE)'s competitive advantages?
• What are (YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE)'s competitors doing that we should be doing?
• What is (YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE)'s position in the market?
• What is the sentiment of (YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE) among my specific target audience (LIST YOUR INDUSTRY SEGMENTS)?

Our team of experts is here to help you leverage digital tools to hone your marketing efforts and reach new markets. Call 281-448-3435 or contact us online to set up a meeting today to discuss your goals.