AI Automation: How to Speed Up Your Work

Want to save time and increase efficiency in your business?  Looking for practical ways to implement AI automation in your daily operations?

In this article, we explore how to use AI automations to speed up your work.

Why AI Automation Matters

In today's fast-paced business world, efficiency is key. Many entrepreneurs and marketers are turning to AI (artificial intelligence) automation to streamline their business processes, boost productivity, and save time. But what exactly is AI automation, and how can you implement it in your business?

AI automation is becoming increasingly crucial for businesses of all sizes. As AI strategist Rick Mulready explains, “If you're not embracing AI, all the other online businesses are, and you will be left behind.” By combining AI tools with automation, you can save time, reduce costs, and focus on more important tasks that require human creativity and decision-making. 

For example, you could automate the process of creating a podcast episode or YouTube video. This might include using AI to research topics, generate outlines, and create social media posts based on the content. The automation tool would then connect these steps, automatically moving data between different platforms and triggering actions. 

The beauty of AI workflow automation is that once you create your workflow, you only have to do it once.

The power of AI automation is evident in the results Rick has seen with his clients. “One of our members automated their weekly emails. They saved literally five hours a week and saved a thousand dollars a month in expenses because they had somebody doing this, and they didn't need that anymore.” 

 It's important to note that we're still in the early stages of AI development. This means that the potential for AI automation is vast, and businesses that start implementing these technologies now will be well-positioned for the future.

Getting Started With AI Automation

#1: Triage Your Task Load

Before diving into AI automation, it's crucial to understand what tasks you can automate and how to identify them. Here are some detailed steps to help you get started:

Conduct a Time Audit

Do a time audit for 5–7 normal business days. This involves writing down everything you do during the day and how long each task takes. This audit will help you identify which tasks are taking up most of your time and where you might be able to implement automation. Be as detailed as possible in your audit, as even small tasks that seem insignificant can add up over time.

Identify Low-Value Activities

Once you have your time audit, look for “lower value activities” that you'd love to get off your plate. These are often repetitive tasks that don't require much creativity or strategic thinking. Examples might include data entry, scheduling social media posts, or formatting documents.

Consider Energy-Draining Tasks

In addition to time-consuming tasks, think about activities that drain your energy. These might be tasks that you procrastinate on or dread doing. By automating these tasks, you not only save time but also preserve your mental energy for more important work.

Prioritize Your List

If you've identified multiple tasks you want to automate, it's important to prioritize them. Focus on what will give you the most return on investment (ROI) regarding time saved. For example, if you spend 2 hours a week scheduling social media posts and only 30 minutes on data entry, you might want to prioritize automating the social media scheduling task first.

#2: Choose Your Tools for AI Automation

To implement AI automation effectively, you'll need a set of tools. Here are the main ones Rick recommends:

Make

Make is an automation platform that connects different tools and services. This tool is more visual and often more cost-effective than well-known alternatives like Zapier. 

This visual approach can be particularly helpful for those who are new to automation or who prefer to see their workflows laid out graphically.

AI Language Models

AI language models like ChatGPT and Claude can help with various tasks, from writing content to analyzing data. Test different models to see which works best for your specific needs. 

For example, you might find that one AI model is better at writing social media posts while another excels at data analysis. Don't be afraid to experiment with different models to find the best fit for each task.

Airtable

Airtable is a flexible database tool that works well with AI automation and is particularly useful in AI workflows. Airtable can store information, track approvals, and integrate easily with other tools like Make. 

#3: Create Your AI Automation Workflow

Once you've identified tasks to automate and have your tools ready, it's time to create your workflow. Here's a detailed approach:

Start with the End Goal

What do you want to accomplish? What is your final output? Once you can answer those questions, you can then work backward. This approach ensures that your automation is focused on achieving a specific, valuable outcome.

For example, if your goal is to create and schedule social media posts from your podcast episodes, that would be your end goal. You'd then work backward to determine all the steps needed to get from a recorded podcast to scheduled social media posts.

Break Down the Steps

List out all the steps needed to achieve your end goal. This will help you understand what needs to be automated and in what order. Be as detailed as possible in this step.

Using the podcast example, your steps might include:

• Transcribe the podcast audio
• Extract key points from the transcript
• Generate social media post ideas based on key points
• Write social media posts
• Create images for social media posts
• Schedule posts on various platforms 

Identify Where AI Can Help You

A crucial part of AI automation is knowing where AI systems can help you with your tasks and how to communicate with AI tools effectively. Here are some detailed tips for creating better prompts:

• Be Clear and Specific: Clearly describe what you want the AI to do. The more specific you are, the better results you'll get. For example, instead of asking, “Write a social media post,” you might say, “Write a LinkedIn post about the benefits of AI automation for small businesses. Include three specific examples and end with a call to action.”

• Assign a Role: Tell the AI to act as a specific type of expert. For example, “You are a world-class conversion copywriter.” This helps guide the AI's “thinking” and can lead to more relevant and high-quality outputs. If you're unsure what role to assign, ask the AI to give you three different roles.

• Provide Context: Provide the AI with the necessary background information to better understand your request. This might include details about your business, your target audience, or the specific situation you're addressing.
• Use Examples: AI models love examples. If you want a specific format or style, provide an example for the AI to follow. 
• Set Constraints: Tell the AI what not to do or include. This helps guide the output in the right direction. For example, if you don't serve eCommerce businesses, tell the AI: “Please do not include any eCommerce examples.”
• Iterate and Refine: If you don't get the results you want, refine your prompt and try again. 

Use  this structure for effective prompts:

• Role: Assign a role to the AI
• Task: Clearly state what you want it to do
• Voice: Describe the tone or style you want
• Requirements: List any specific requirements
• Examples: Provide examples if needed
• Constraints: Mention any limitations or things to avoid

Here's an example of how this might look in practice:

You are a professional social media manager with 10 years of experience in B2B marketing. Write a LinkedIn post about the benefits of AI automation for small businesses. Use a professional but friendly tone. Write as if you're explaining to a colleague over coffee. Include three specific examples of how AI automation can benefit small businesses. End the post with a call to action encouraging readers to explore AI automation tools. Here's an example of the structure I'd like you to follow: [Insert example post]. Do not mention any specific AI automation tools or brands. Avoid technical jargon that a small business owner might not understand.

Identify the Trigger

Next, determine what will start your automation—the event that will put your entire workflow in motion. 

In Make, this trigger is represented by the first module in your scenario. For example, you might start your automation when a new file is added to a specific Google Drive folder, a voice note is sent to a designated Slack channel, a new row is added to an Airtable base, or an email with a specific subject line is received.

The key is to choose a trigger that reliably indicates when your automation should begin.

Map Out Your Workflow in Make

Use Make to visually map out your automation workflow, connecting different tools and services as needed. This is where Make's visual nature becomes particularly useful.

To set up your trigger in Make, Create a new scenario and then click the “+” icon to add a new module to your scenario. 

Then, search for and choose the app you want to use as your trigger (e.g., Google Drive, Slack, Airtable, or Gmail). Once you've selected the app, you'll need to choose the specific trigger event from the options provided. For instance, if you're using Google Drive, you might select “New File” as your trigger.

Next, you'll need to authenticate with the service you're using. 

After authentication, you'll need to specify the exact conditions that should initiate your automation. This might involve selecting a folder in Google Drive or a Slack channel or setting up filters for incoming emails.

Take time to set up each step of your workflow, ensuring that data is passed correctly between different tools and services.  

Pro Tip: Use Make Foundation to help guide you through the process of setting up workflows. 

Automate Your Remaining Workflow Steps

For each remaining step in your process, you'll need to configure the module in Make, specifying what data should be passed from the previous step and how it should be processed, connecting different tools and services as necessary. Examples of steps might include:

• Using Slack for communication: Sending notifications or updates to team members
• Employing Whisper API for transcription: Converting audio files to text
• Utilizing Airtable for data storage: Storing generated content or tracking workflow progress

Open the Make scenario where you've already set up your trigger, and click the “+” icon after your trigger module to add a new action.

In the search bar, type the name of the app or service you want to use (e.g., Slack, Whisper API, or Airtable) and select the app from the list of results.

Next, choose the specific action you want to perform within that app. 

For example:

• For Slack: “Send a message”
• For Whisper API: “Transcribe audio”
• For Airtable: “Create a record”

Configure the module by filling in the required fields. This usually involves connecting to your account for the service and selecting specific details like which Slack channel to post to or which Airtable base to use.

Now, it's time to map data from previous steps to the fields in your new module. Click the small “map” icon next to a field to do this. In the mapping interface, you'll see available data from previous steps. Select the appropriate item to pass that data to your new module.

Add any additional processing if needed. For example, you might use Make's built-in functions to format text or perform calculations. 

Click “OK” to save the configuration for this module. Repeat these steps for each additional action in your workflow. Once all steps are added, click “Save” to save your entire scenario.

Finally, test your workflow by clicking “Run once” and watching the execution to ensure each step works as expected. Make any necessary adjustments and continue testing until everything works perfectly.

Include Approval Steps

Include approval steps in your workflow for important tasks like social media posting. Rick suggests using Airtable for this. It allows you to review and approve content before it's published, ensuring quality control even in an automated process.

Other Notes From This Episode

• Connect with Michael Stelzner @Stelzner on Facebook and @Mike_Stelzner on X.
• Watch this interview and other exclusive content from Social Media Examiner on YouTube.

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