Keep It “Human”: 5 Tips To Train AI for Small Business Marketing
AI is everywhere right now. From the way musicians are experimenting with AI-generated tracks to how brands are jumping on TikTok trends, it’s clear that small business owners can’t afford to ignore it. But here’s the catch: if you don’t train your AI, the content it produces will sound like every other generic post out there. Think less Beyoncé-level polished album drop and more background noise no one remembers.
If you want your content to sound like you and not like a computer trying too hard, here are five best practices to follow.
1. Feed It Your Real Words
Just like Spotify learns your music taste the more you use it, AI learns your style the more samples you give. Share emails you’ve written, Instagram captions, website copy or even customer replies. The more you feed it, the more it starts to “get” you.
2. Set Clear Voice Guidelines
Be upfront. Do you want bold and rebellious, or warm and approachable? If your brand never uses emojis or slang, say that. If you want to sound like you’re giving the advice over coffee, tell the AI that too. Clear rules equal better drafts.
3. Treat It Like a Drafting Partner
Think of AI as your co-writer, not your ghostwriter. It can get you 80% of the way, but that last 20%—the part where it feels authentically yours—still has to come from you. Just like reality TV, the editing makes or breaks the final cut.
4. Cross-Check With Your Brand Voice
Before you publish, ask yourself: would I actually say this out loud to a customer? If the answer is no, tweak it. AI is powerful, but you are still the one steering the brand.
5. Train It Over Time
Training AI is like training for a marathon or perfecting a TikTok transition—it gets smoother with practice. Save prompts that worked well and keep adjusting. The more you do it, the stronger your results get.
Bonus Thought!
Read your AI-generated content out loud. If it sounds like you, you’re good. If it sounds like you’re reading the manual for your car, give it another go and edit until it feels right.
AI can save small business owners hours of time and help them scale their marketing efforts, but only if the content feels genuinely human. That’s exactly why I created the Rebel AI + Me Content Strategy Playbook. It’s designed to help you use AI strategically while keeping your brand voice front and centre.
If you’re ready to level up your small business marketing, book a consultation with and let’s make AI work for you, not against you!
