Blog Writer vs AI - How AI Can Help a Small or Medium-sized Business?

I’ll admit, I was tempted to just have AI write this blog post for me. Who wouldn’t? AI as we see it is largely a language expert who can whip up a blog post in seconds. I’ll tell you what I’ll do: I’ll write it first and then I’ll share the post that Gemini AI writes for me so you can compare for yourself. In fact, I’ll let AI be the judge. I’ll ask AI to compare them and see what it says; AI is great at doing comparisons.

The point I’m trying to make here is that these tools can be pretty handy! If you do tasks in your SMB that are repetitive, based on text (like a blog, email or contract), or require expertise which is not core to your knowledge and skillset, then an AI tool can be very useful.

Wait for it! Read the verdict at that end of this blog. How did the two compare and which will be more engaging. I asked Copilot to be the judge. You can be the judge too! Feedback welcome.

It is a bit like having a personal assistant at your fingertips who has a broad knowledge base and never complains if you tell it to do the work again and again or try again and be better this time!

The first step is just cracking it open and using it. You probably see it popping up in you Google searches without even asking, but actually starting a free Google Gemini or ChatGPT account is the next step. It will save your questions in history so you can refer to them or continue a conversation days after you started it, even getting richer information as you go. Just choose one of these core AI Large Language Models (LLMs) and start an account. Open a cell phone app or do it on your laptop, wherever you most need a super reference.

Your Security Concerns Are Valid

Security is a top concern and should be. You should read more about this but, once you open one of these tools, it will start learning from what you type into the conversation window. For larger firms, you may have a locked down version that does not share the information outside of the company members but, for the free accounts, you have limited ability to lock things down (you can stop it from sharing your knowledge in some cases so explore your model’s settings). 

A key principle is to not share any personal data or information in the model. If you have email lists, customer lists or confidential business information, it is best to de-personalize it before using it in an AI. You might even be contravening your company’s privacy policies if you share this on an AI chat. Keep it clean!

What Are the Top Uses of AI for a SMB?

• Word Smithing – Writing a complicated email, writing in a different language, drafting a contract, writing a business plan.
  

• Research – Who are your competitors? What does your ideal customer profile look like? What marketing techniques should this business be using? Compare this business’ marketing techniques with other similar businesses in the area.

  
  

• Corporate Performance Analysis – Upload your financials, business forecasts and even status of receivables and request a business coaching session to assess where you are and what you could do in the future to grow or be stable.
  

• Human Resources Advice – Draft an employment agreement for your jurisdiction (asking a lawyer to review an existing draft is a lot cheaper than having them draft it from scratch).  Have your existing agreements assessed by AI to suggest improvements or potential weaknesses you did not know about. Coaching on how to deal with difficult HR situations.

  
  

• Summarizing – You can summarize a long YouTube video, a contract or even this blog post if you find I am rambling on a bit and want a shorter, more concise version. Save yourself some time and have this condensed. Copy, paste and poof! A shorter version.

Tips for Getting a Bit More Quality Information:

• The AI chat window looks like a typical search window, but you must try to think of it differently. If you ask for “Pizza Near Me” in an AI window you may get a different answer every time. Not with Google, though. AI has some miraculous randomness built into it; take advantage of it! Ask your question several ways, ask for a revision or update, or ask for the best most accurate response. It won’t be offended but it will get better as it refines what it is delivering to you.
  

• There is an advantage to loading up the AI model’s “memory” in advance to predispose it to focused, good quality information. If you start with “give me advice about drinking apple juice for my health,” it will give much poorer results than if you start with a couple of guiding prompts to help the model understand the core area of interest. I’d talk to the model like this: “You are a Canadian dietary health professional who keeps up to date with information from 2024 and 2025 related to adult dietary health. You specialize in fluids and intake of fruit juices in particular. What are the current trends in research and advice in this area?” Then, I might ask it to identify the top 3 trends and go on to ask it to write a response with references of authoritative professionally regarded articles about juices available from fruit grown in Canada, etc. Then, and only then, will I ask the specific question about apple juice. It takes a bit longer, but you get much richer and more accurate information.
  

• Which brings me to accuracy! AI can be a really good liar; they call it hallucinations. For users, it can be frustrating and puzzling. Why would such a powerful tool also be potentially wrong so often?  You can google the question “why?” but I’ll stress that it can give misleading information, and you should ask it multiple times to check its accuracy if the information is mission critical. When it does deliver great work quickly, you forgive it for its shortcomings, but don’t become a slave to what it says the first time and always fact-check carefully before following its advice. It is getting better at showing the sources of the information. You can click on those links and see for yourself if the assessment is accurate. Some models, like Perplexity, are better at research work that requires accurate bibliographies; I recommended it recently to a health professional who enjoyed how it presented information with references.
  

• Beware using it for spreadsheets. I’ve read that these models, which are language-based, are not so good with numbers. Ask it to count how many times the word “and” appears in an article and it may regularly fail. In a spreadsheet, it can be quite good at assessing and describing trends it sees but it can also misunderstand the data and give false information. Ask twice, tell it how important it is to be accurate and if it does not understand what it sees to tell you instead of making stuff up. Really, be that direct; it helps! You can even copy and paste PDFs of data, graphs and screenshots of numbers, table and graphs, which it somehow miraculously reads and feeds back information for assessment. It’s handy if you just have screenshots of your accounting or financial information and want a quick assessment. Again, don’t share personal or confidential information that is identifiable to your business.
  

I hope this will encourage you to use AI to help you be a bit more effective with your time while managing the many tasks involved in running an SMB. You wear a lot of hats. You’ll succeed against your competitors and better understand and manage your customers if you make room for AI under those hats with you. 

Success to you!

The Competition Begins!

And here is the AI competitor’s article. It took me less than 10 minutes to get a couple of refined drafts. Compare it to the hour or more to write the article above. I used the prompting strategy I described above to get the AI tool primed to write the blog. I used Google Gemini to write this so that my office Copilot did not have the benefit of knowing what I was writing in Word… I think it watches me.

AI for Your SMB: Real-World Help, Not Sci-Fi Hype (Especially for Canadian Businesses!)

"AI." For many Canadian small and medium business owners, that two-letter acronym might bring up images of complicated robots, Hollywood blockbusters, or perhaps just a vague sense of "something for the big guys." You’re busy running your business, serving your customers, and navigating the day-to-day. Who has time to figure out artificial intelligence?

But what if I told you that AI isn't just for tech giants? What if it's already helping businesses just like yours, right here in Canada, to save time, reduce costs, and even win more customers?

You don't need to be a tech guru or hire a team of data scientists to tap into the power of AI. In fact, many of the tools you might already be using, or could easily adopt, are powered by AI and designed specifically to make your life easier.

Let’s cut through the jargon and look at how AI can be a practical, affordable, and surprisingly simple assistant for your Canadian small or medium-sized business.

Why Should a Canadian SMB Owner Care About AI?

Think of AI not as a replacement for human intelligence, but as a super-efficient helper. It’s like having an extra employee who never sleeps, works incredibly fast, and can handle repetitive tasks with perfect accuracy. For SMBs, this means:

1. Saving Precious Time: Automate those mind-numbing, repetitive tasks that eat away at your day.

2. Boosting Efficiency: Get more done with the same (or even fewer) resources.

3. Improving Customer Experience: Make your customers happier and more loyal.

4. Making Smarter Decisions: Get quick insights from your data without needing a spreadsheet wizard.

5. Staying Competitive: Level the playing field with bigger competitors.
   

And the best part? Many AI tools are designed with user-friendliness in mind, so you can often start seeing benefits almost immediately.

Practical AI You Can Use TODAY (No Coding Required!)

Let’s get specific. Here are some real-world examples of how AI is already helping Canadian SMBs, and how you can start using it, even if you’ve never touched AI before.

1. Customer Service: Your 24/7 Virtual Assistant

Imagine a customer has a question about your store hours, your return policy, or the status of their order at 10 PM on a Saturday. If you’re like most SMBs, you’re not there to answer. This is where AI-powered chatbots shine.

• How it works: A chatbot lives on your website or social media. It uses AI to understand common questions and provide instant answers. If it can't answer, it can seamlessly direct the customer to a human during business hours.
  

• SMB benefit: Provides instant support 24/7, frees up your team, and is much cheaper than hiring dedicated night staff. Many Canadian customers expect quick responses, and a chatbot ensures you're always responsive.
  

• Easy start: Many website builders and social media platforms offer built-in chatbot features that are simple to set up.
  

2. Marketing & Sales: Smarter Ways to Reach Your Customers

AI can supercharge your marketing efforts, helping you reach the right people with the right message, without guesswork.

• Content Creation & Brainstorming: Feeling stuck on what to write for your next social media post, blog, or ad? AI tools can generate ideas, draft headlines, or even help write entire paragraphs.

  • How it works: You give the AI a prompt (e.g., "Write three social media posts for a local bakery in Montreal promoting a new sourdough bread") and it generates suggestions.

  • SMB benefit: Overcome writer's block, save time on drafting, and produce more consistent marketing content.
    

• Personalized Recommendations: If you run an e-commerce store, AI can suggest products to customers based on their past purchases or browsing history.

  • How it works: Think of Amazon's "Customers who bought this also bought..." That's AI at work. Many e-commerce platforms (like Shopify) have these features built-in.

  • SMB benefit: Increases sales by making relevant suggestions, leading to a better shopping experience.
    

• Ad Optimization: AI helps your online ads perform better by showing them to the people most likely to become customers.

  • How it works: Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads use AI to analyze vast amounts of data and automatically adjust your campaigns to get the most clicks or conversions for your budget.

  • SMB benefit: Maximizes your ad spend, getting you more bang for your buck without constant manual adjustments.

  • Easy start: If you're already running online ads, you're likely already using AI without even knowing it! Just ensure your ad platform's automated optimization features are turned on.
    

3. Operations & Administration: Getting More Done, Faster

Repetitive tasks are a drain on any business. AI can step in to automate and streamline.

• Financial & Bookkeeping Help: Say goodbye to endless data entry. AI-powered accounting software can automatically categorize transactions from your bank account.

  • How it works: Tools like QuickBooks or Xero use AI to learn how you categorize expenses. It can then automatically tag new transactions as "office supplies" or "transportation costs," saving you hours of manual work.

  • SMB benefit: Reduces errors, speeds up bookkeeping, and gives you a real-time view of your business finances.
    

• Scheduling & Appointment Booking: AI-powered scheduling tools can handle the back-and-forth of booking appointments, sending reminders, and avoiding double-bookings.

  • How it works: Tools like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling can be integrated into your website, allowing customers to book directly based on your availability.

  • SMB benefit: Reduces administrative burden, improves customer convenience, and minimizes missed appointments.
    

• Transcription & Meeting Summaries: Ever finish a long client call and struggle to remember the key takeaways? AI can listen to your calls and automatically generate a summary.

  • How it works: Tools like Otter.ai or Fathom.ai can join your virtual meetings and create a transcript. They can then highlight action items, decisions, and key moments, so you can focus on the conversation instead of taking notes.

  • SMB benefit: Ensures you never miss a detail, makes follow-up easier, and keeps your team aligned on next steps.
    

4. Creative & Content Production: Your Digital Design Assistant

You don’t need a degree in graphic design to create professional-looking marketing materials. AI can help you create stunning visuals in minutes.

• AI Image Generation: Need a unique image for your website, social media, or a flyer? AI can create one from scratch based on your description.

  • How it works: You type in a prompt like "a whimsical illustration of a Canadian baker with a beaver mascot, for a children's book." The AI then generates multiple image options for you to choose from.

  • SMB benefit: Eliminates the cost of stock photos and gives you original, on-brand visuals instantly.
    

• Automated Video Creation: Turn a blog post or a product description into a video with just a few clicks.

  • How it works: Tools like Lumen5 or Pictory use AI to select relevant video clips, images, and music based on your text, and then assemble a video for you.

  • SMB benefit: Creates engaging video content for your social media channels without the need for expensive equipment or editing skills.
    

Getting Started with AI: Your Canadian SMB Checklist

Feeling a little less intimidated? Great! Here’s how you can take your first steps:

1. Identify a Pain Point: What's one area in your business that's a constant time-suck or frustration? (e.g., answering repetitive customer questions, drafting social media posts, or scheduling appointments). Start there.

2. Research User-Friendly Tools: Look for tools that are specifically designed for small businesses and offer free trials. Focus on "no-code" or "low-code" solutions.

3. Start Small, Learn, and Expand: Don't try to overhaul everything at once. Pick one area, implement a simple AI solution, and see how it works. Once you're comfortable, you can explore other applications.

4. Leverage Existing Platforms: You might already be using platforms that have AI features you haven't activated yet (e.g., your website builder, email client, or social media manager).

5. Don’t Fear Experimentation: The best way to learn is by doing. Play around with some of the generative AI tools mentioned (like ChatGPT) to see what they can do.

6. Seek Local Support: As a Canadian SMB, remember there are resources and communities that can offer guidance. Look into organizations like the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) or programs like the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) for grants and expert advice.
   

The Future is Now, and It's Accessible

AI is no longer a futuristic concept confined to Silicon Valley. It's a practical, powerful set of tools that can genuinely transform how Canadian small and medium-sized businesses operate. By embracing AI, you're not just adopting technology; you're investing in efficiency, customer satisfaction, and the continued growth of your business.

So, take that first step. Find one small way AI can make your life easier, and watch how this "sci-fi" concept quickly becomes your most valuable new helper.

And the Verdict Is?

I asked Copilot to compare the two blogs in a table and assess whether one would be more engaging to readers. Here is what it said:

Aspect	Human-Written Blog Post	AI-Written Blog Post
Title	Blog writer vs AI - How AI can help a small or medium sized business?	AI for Your SMB: Real-World Help, Not Sci-Fi Hype (Especially for Canadian Businesses!)
Tone	Personal, engaging, and conversational	Informative, professional, and slightly promotional
Target Audience	Small and Medium-sized business decision-makers	Small and Medium-sized business decision-makers, with a focus on Canadian businesses
Content Focus	General insights and tips for SMBs	Specific benefits and applications of AI for SMBs
Examples and Case Studies	Limited or anecdotal examples	Detailed examples and case studies, especially relevant to Canadian businesses
Technical Depth	Moderate, with a focus on practical advice	High, with detailed explanations of AI technologies and their applications
Call to Action	Encourages readers to consider the insights and apply them to their business	Encourages readers to explore AI solutions and consider their implementation
Visuals and Formatting	Basic formatting, with limited use of visuals	Well-formatted with the use of visuals to enhance understanding

Summary

The human-written blog post offers a personal and engaging perspective, providing general insights and practical tips for small and medium-sized business decision-makers. It uses a conversational tone and includes limited or anecdotal examples.

The AI-written blog post, on the other hand, is more informative and professional, with a focus on the specific benefits and applications of AI for SMBs, particularly in Canada. It includes detailed examples and case studies, has a higher technical depth, and uses visuals to enhance understanding. Both posts aim to help SMB decision-makers, but the AI-written post provides more detailed and specific information, especially regarding AI technologies and their applications.

Predict Which Would Be More Engaging to Readers…

Predicting which blog post would get more readers or have readers continue to the end can be challenging as it depends on various factors such as the audience's preferences, the distribution channels, and the overall marketing strategy. However, I can provide some insights based on the content and style of the two blog posts.

Human-written Blog Post

• Strengths: The personal and engaging tone of the human-written blog post can create a strong connection with readers. The conversational style and practical tips may appeal to SMB decision-makers who prefer relatable and easy-to-understand content.
  

• Potential Drawbacks: The limited use of examples and technical depth might not fully satisfy readers looking for detailed and specific information.
  

AI-written Blog Post

• Strengths: The AI-written blog post offers detailed examples, case studies, and a higher technical depth, which can be very appealing to readers seeking comprehensive and specific information about AI applications for SMBs. The professional tone and well-formatted content with visuals can enhance readability and engagement.
  

• Potential Drawbacks: The slightly promotional tone might be less engaging for readers who prefer a more personal touch.
  

Prediction

• Reader Engagement: The AI-written blog post is likely to keep readers engaged until the end due to its detailed content, examples, and visuals. Readers looking for in-depth information and practical applications of AI for their businesses may find it more helpful.
  

• Reader Reach: The human-written blog post might attract readers who prefer a more personal and conversational style. It could be more shareable on social media due to its engaging tone.
  

In summary, both blog posts have their strengths and can be effective in reaching and engaging their target audience. The AI-written blog post may have an edge in providing detailed and helpful business information, while the human-written blog post may excel in creating a personal connection with readers.

… I rest my case! I think the extra hour spent writing it was worth it. - Steve