AI for small business

Unleash the power of AI for your small business

Generative AI is changing the way businesses of all sizes operate. Small businesses in particular can use AI to accelerate research, be more efficient, brainstorm new ideas, organise spreadsheets and more, so that you can focus on what matters most.

How is AI being used in small businesses?

For small businesses and start-ups, creativity is at the core. Finding inventive ways to use AI can help level the playing field for small businesses, giving you the tools to work faster. From helping you organise receipts, getting insights into how your business is performing or creating compelling blog posts, AI can help small businesses speed up workflows in smart, responsive ways.

AI applications for your small business

More and more businesses are adopting AI-powered tools to help them work smarter. For small businesses, AI can help you maximise your resources. AI's capabilities can give small businesses more time to tackle important projects and streamline busywork.

Sales and marketing

Every business, no matter how big or small, needs to have a solid sales plan and marketing strategy to generate profit. With limited time and resources, it can be difficult to keep a pulse on sales and marketing trends. Generative AI can aid sales and marketing efforts by helping to accelerate research and summarise lengthy information about audiences and markets. With Gemini for Workspace you can use Google Gemini to help with research, create content and organise data, so that you can find the time to craft great messaging. Gemini in Slides can also help you outline presentations, tailoring pitches to a specific customer. It can be tricky to know if your sales and marketing efforts are working, but you don't have to be a spreadsheet wizard to figure it out! With Gemini for Workspace, you can uncover helpful insights without all the fuss.

Creative writing

For smaller teams with a long list of competing priorities, generative AI makes it easy to push past writer's block and quickly create a first draft or repurpose existing content into a different format. Gemini for Workspace can help you create emails, branded materials, social media posts and much more, helping you save time. Use Help me write and include your company's brand voice, target audience and other relevant details to give Gemini in Docs the information needed to create an initial draft. From there, review and apply your creative touches to get your message out into the world.

Customer service

Small businesses can set themselves apart from the competition with exceptional customer service. Generative AI can help automate and personalise customer service emails, craft timely responses and more. Gemini in Sheets can help you organise customer information, helping inform communications with your customers and offering a personalised touch that makes those interactions more meaningful.

Operational efficiency

Whether you're launching a new product or working on a new project, Gemini for Workspace can help you stay on track. With Help me organise, Gemini in Sheets can help you build checklists, project trackers and more in just seconds. The collaborative nature of Google Workspace allows you to share these materials with your team and keep an eye on progress to keep things running smoothly.

Bookkeeping

Freelancers and small business owners like you have a lot to handle, and bookkeeping and logistics can be overwhelming. Gemini for Workspace is your assistant that can help you organise and track receipts from your Gmail inbox, so that you don't have to waste time searching for critical information. Gemini for Workspace does the heavy lifting for you by extracting essential details, organising summary notes in Docs and helping you create spreadsheets. Using Gemini for Workspace with these kinds of insights can help get to answers, like "where is the money spent", that matter most to you and your business.

How can AI help small businesses do more with less?

AI can help small businesses make the most of their resources, giving them the tools needed to easily create tables and trackers, create compelling first drafts of content and presentations and serve as a research partner. AI can help small businesses summarise customer communication and craft meaningful responses to enquiries and common questions.

These are only a few ways that small businesses can use the power of AI to do more with less. The more you work with AI, the easier it is to find even more ways to help streamline tasks, save time and find creative inspiration. AI is changing the way that we work. To use AI successfully, small businesses need to learn how to write effective prompts that can help generate the most helpful output.

AI prompts for your small business

Speaking with investors

Let's say that you are a founder of a startup and your online business is gaining traction. You have always dreamed of opening a bricks-and-mortar shop, and now might be the perfect time. You want a thought partner to help you better understand the current landscape. You open gemini.google.com, and you type:

I am the founder of a startup. I am considering opening a bricks-and-mortar shop. Conduct an analysis into the competitive landscape focusing on [focus area]. Provide the strengths and weaknesses of [key competitors] in this area, including their specific strategies, tactics and results. Identify actionable insights and recommendations for how [my company] can improve its approach and gain a competitive analysis.

Enable customer self-service

Imagine that you own a small boutique and you get a lot of emails with questions about your return policy. Customer feedback has consistently said your guidelines are unclear. You open a Google Doc that states the return, refund and store credit policies. You prompt Gemini in Docs by selecting Help me write. You type:

Summarise this content to write a clear and concise product return policy and outline five steps for customers to take in sequential order.

How can I start using AI for my small business?

Gemini for Workspace can help small businesses make the most of their resources. Save time by tapping into Gemini for Workspace to help automate repetitive tasks, giving you more time to do work that matters. Use Gemini in Sheets to create tracking tables and lists. Craft images and presentations with Gemini in Slides. Ask Gemini in Docs to help you create first drafts for different types of written materials, including emails and more. Gain your time back to focus on your craft with Gemini for Workspace.