Here’s what you missed if you didn’t join us live for the Informi Talking Small Business lunchtime webinar, where Sophie Cross talked to marketing trainer and chartered marketer Jean Atkinson about how small businesses can harness AI and automation to work more efficiently, serve clients better, and reclaim their time.
Introducing Jean Atkinson…
A chartered marketer with 29 years of experience across manufacturing, education, e-commerce, charity and finance sectors, Jean has been running her own business as a marketing consultant and trainer since 2011.
She’s a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and specialises in helping freelancers and SMEs cut through the overwhelm of modern marketing, including making the most of the AI and automation revolution. Her raison d’être is to take the pain out of marketing and set small businesses on a path to more leads, more sales, and sustainable growth.
24 key takeaways from the webinar
25 key takeaways from Jean Atkinson on how to use AI tools and workflow automation to transform the way you work.
1. AI and automation are not the same thing, and the distinction matters
Automation triggers a repetitive process with no thinking involved (think automated invoices, calendar bookings, or 30-day payment reminders). AI is the thinking side; it can handle research, content creation, strategy, and customer conversations. They’re different tools, but they can work brilliantly together.
2. Start with the outcome, not the tool
Before reaching for any AI or automation solution, ask yourself: what is the task that’s draining my time? Is it repetitive? Is it boring? Does it require thinking, or just doing? Two out of three of those questions will tell you whether you need AI, automation, both or neither.
3. AI is a game-changer for research
Jean used to spend three or four hours researching a new industry before a client meeting. Now she throws the question into Claude or ChatGPT and gets a comprehensive overview of the market, buyer personas, statistics and competition in minutes. She landed a new client in the pet treats market this way, and she’d never worked in that space before.
4. Your first port of call is AI itself
Not sure which tool to use for a particular task? Ask ChatGPT or Claude. They’ll give you a list of options based on your specific situation. AI is, first and foremost, a search and research tool so use it to do the grunt work of finding what will help you most.
5. Use AI to get you out of a “sticky situation”
Jean’s lightbulb moment came when a client called at 7am asking her to deliver a branding session that afternoon with no slides prepared. She turned to ChatGPT to create the content, then used Gamma to build the presentation in minutes. She delivered the session and got the gig, and that was the moment she knew AI was indispensable.
6. Gamma turns content into beautiful presentations fast
Gamma creates slide decks, investment decks, proposals, PDFs, and lead magnets from content you give it. You can import copy from ChatGPT, choose your colours and theme, and have a polished presentation in three to five minutes. It’s particularly useful for people who struggle to visualise design. The free version works well; the paid version is around £180 a year.
7. Use individual tools for what they do best
No single tool does everything brilliantly. ChatGPT and Claude are stronger for writing; Gamma is the visual tool; Perplexity and Claude are excellent for research; Copilot is the go-to when confidentiality matters. Mix and match rather than expecting one platform to do it all. Copilot is the safest option for sensitive work. If you operate in a regulated industry like finance, legal or healthcare, Microsoft Copilot keeps your data in a closed environment. It also provides source references when pulling statistics, which is helpful for compliance-conscious work.
8. Don’t take AI output verbatim
AI gives you a brilliant starter for ten, but it’s your job to refine it. Add your own case studies, check any statistics against reliable sources, adjust the tone of voice, and put your own spin on it. The human knowledge and life experience you bring is what AI can never replicate, and that’s your competitive advantage.
9. Your prompt quality determines your output quality
The more specific and detailed your prompt, the better the result. Tell the AI what you want, who the audience is, the tone you need, and what it’s for. If the first response isn’t right, keep the conversation going; you can ask it to rewrite with a friendlier tone, remove bullet points, or add more detail. You’ll get better at prompting with practice.
10. AI will flatter you, so take it with a pinch of salt
AI tools are enthusiastic cheerleaders, and they’ll tell you your idea is wonderful. Make sure you build in some critical thinking: ask it to challenge your work, poke holes in your plan, or be brutally honest about what’s missing. It can do that just as well, but you have to ask.
11. Check your tools’ terms and conditions
Many platforms, including email systems and file-sharing tools like WeTransfer, have updated their terms to allow them to use your content to train AI. Jean recommends checking the settings on every tool you use regularly and switching off any smart features that allow access to confidential information.
12.AI doesn’t need to change what you charge
Using AI to deliver work faster doesn’t mean you should lower your prices. You’re being paid for the outcome you deliver, not the hours it takes.
13. Introduce AI to clients gradually and transparently
Jean started using AI-assisted blog content with a client without telling them, then revealed it after three posts. Their reaction was delight at the quality and efficiency. Being open about how you use AI builds trust rather than undermining it.
14. Use Google’s built-in tools before paying for other third-party ones
If you’re already paying for Google Workspace, check what you’ve got before signing up for something else. Google has its own appointments system (a Calendly alternative), Google Meet, and AI tools built in, all included in your existing subscription, and small savings like this add up.
15. Set limits on your calendar booking tool
Whether you use Calendly or Google appointments, don’t open your diary fully. Block out your most important working time, don’t allow same-day bookings, and set a buffer of at least a week or two in advance so you stay in control while still removing the back-and-forth.
16. Zoom and Google Meet now handle your meeting notes
The companion tools built into Zoom and Google Meet automatically produce minutes and action points after a meeting. Jean went from spending an hour writing up notes after a 90 minute session to spending 20 minutes reviewing a better-written document. If you mentor, coach, or consult, this one change could free up significant time every week.
17. Automation should enhance the client experience, not cheapen it
Just because you can automate something doesn’t mean you should. AI and automation on the front end of your business (chatbots, AI-run interviews, generic DMs) can feel cold and impersonal. Use it on the backend to free up more time to spend with real people.
18. Zapier and Make get your tools talking to each other
If your email platform, CRM, booking system and website all live in separate tools, Zapier (or Make) connects them so data flows automatically. Jean uses Zapier to enrol website sign-ups into a six-week email sequence without any manual work. Both have free versions worth exploring.
19. Go High Level is an all-in-one lead generation system
For businesses with leads coming in from multiple channels (website, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, email), Go High Level (around £97/month) pulls everything into one CRM and can send automated follow-up messages. It’s Jean’s current recommendation as a more accessible alternative to HubSpot. .
20. AI lets you get out more
The biggest benefit Jean has seen in the past year isn’t the content or the research; it’s the time she’s reclaimed to attend events, speak, and meet people in person. AI handles the backend; she handles the relationships. And in a world saturated with AI generated content, showing up as a real human is becoming a genuine competitive advantage.
21. Use Canva for design
Canva has built-in AI features and is an essential tool for consistently creating marketing assets, even on the free version. Jean’s clients love it because they can use templates in-house afterwards. The paid version is around £100/year and worth it for regular creators.
22. You can get your 30-day content calendar written in minutes
Ask ChatGPT or Claude to write a 30-day content calendar for your specific business, audience, and content pillars. It’ll suggest themes, topics, formats and posting days. You don’t have to use it all, but it’s an incredible starting point that would have taken hours to produce manually.
23. Email subject lines are where AI really earns its place
One of the hardest parts of email marketing is writing the subject line that makes someone actually open the email. Paste your email content into ChatGPT or Claude, tell it your audience and call to action, and ask for subject line and preview text options.
24. Don’t overuse it or you’ll look like everyone else
We’re already fatigued by obviously AI-generated content, chatbots, fake images, and generic outreach emails. Use AI as a tool to help you do better work, not as a replacement for human thought and connection. The businesses that thrive will be the ones that use AI smartly in the background while showing up authentically at the front.
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Connect with Jean Atkinson on LinkedIn
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