Stephanie Nivinskus of SizzleForce Marketing clued Ocean Beach merchants in on the value of using artificial intelligence in promoting their businesses at Ocean Beach MainStreet Association’s annual marketing breakfast on Feb. 20.
Nivinskus is a dual-certified AI marketing consultant and CEO of SizzleForce Marketing, an AI-powered marketing agency specializing in branding, strategic planning, content marketing, and AI consulting. She has taught AI marketing strategies and tactics to the marketing and communication teams at Microsoft, Pepsi, MetLife, FedEx, Nissan, Intuit, Charles Schwab, T-Mobile, and countless others.
The marketing consultant has also written for Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines, as well as being the author of the international No. 1 best-seller, “Absolutely Unforgettable: The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Creating A Heart-Centered Brand And Standing Out In A Noisy World.”
OBMA event program manager Kristen Keltner opened the breakfast detailing marketing opportunities available through the business improvement district’s OB online business directory, which she noted is a “great way for all members to list their businesses.”
Tracy Wagner, OBMA operations manager, noted: “We (OBMA) are installing directory signs throughout the Ocean Beach area with a QR code directing them to the business directory. We got a grant for the signs themselves and are paying for their installation. We’re keeping this all local. Our website is so robust, we have over 800,000 clicks that go to our website. So let’s use that.”
After asking OBMA members if they’d posted anything yet that day, AI marketing consultant Nivinskus, during her presentation, joked that she felt others’ pain in using social media, noting, “It’s about as fun as putting your head in a blender and turning it on high. It’s just one of those things that drives everyone nuts: There are just so many platforms.”
The marketing expert pointed out that social media takes “a lot of time to come up with content, to know what to say, when to say it, etc.”
Nivinskus’ recommendation to OBMA members about AI was simple: utilize it. “I’m going to show you how to train AI to create really powerful social media content,” she said. “I have trained AIs that do everything from my emails to newsletters, to website content, to video scripts for different platforms and all my social media including things I’ve translated into different languages.”
Regarding expectations from using AI in social media, Nivinskus urged caution. “[AI] cannot work autonomously,” she said. “There are certain things that these agents have been trained to do that they’re doing well. But there are many things that they’re not doing well yet.”
During her slideshow presentation, Nivinskus had a panel showing a happy cartoon figure because “it had a trained AI that was saving tons of time and tons of money, really handling 90% of the heavy lifting.” She added, “Along with having humans oversee it – you’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll. It sparks engagement, whether that be likes or shares or re-posts or whatever it is on the platform you’re on. This is the power of having a trained AI bot.”
For more information, visit sizzleforce.com.
OBMA history: Originally formed in 1978 as the Ocean Beach Merchant’s Association, Ocean Beach MainStreet Association is comprised of area merchants and professionals dedicated to building a thriving business district fulfilling the needs of the neighboring community and visitors alike. OBMA is a private nonprofit with 14 elected board members. In June 1998, OBMA received national and state designation into the “Main Street” program and thus changed its name. The program divides its scope of work into four areas: organization, promotion, economic vitality, and design.
Throughout the years, OBMA has provided an active voice for area merchants in government agencies, offering merchant assistance with storefront improvement projects, utilizing public funding for special events that draw thousands of visitors to the business district, and most recently through the creation of a website that offers merchant advertising, a business directory and community event listings. The Ocean Beach MainStreet Association is the management organization for the O.B. Business Improvement District and Newport Ave. Landscape Maintenance District.
