Podcast

Episode 92: How Freelancers & Agency Owners Can Make the Most of AI, with Bo-Peter Laanen

By Zach Swinehart

In this episode, Zach talks to Bo-Peter Laanen from https://blaanen.com/

Bo-Peter is a marketing coach and founder of Growth Marketing Hub.

He helps course creators grow their businesses by leveraging AI for content production, marketing, and SEO strategies.

On today’s episode, Bo-Peter talks about how to utilize AI for automation and optimizing your workflow.

You’ll learn how to leverage AI to grow your freelance or agency business, increase lead flow, and build a personal brand.

Follow Bo-Peter:

AI-Generated Summary:

  • 0:00 – 2:00 — Zach introduces the podcast, focusing on freelancing tips, and introduces his guest, Bo, a marketing coach for online course creators, who will discuss using AI in content production and marketing.
  • 2:00 – 4:00 — Bo talks about his early adoption of AI tools for content production, specifically mentioning the use of OpenAI’s framework before ChatGPT’s release, and his exploration of various AI tools for content creation and marketing since 2020.
  • 4:00 – 6:00 — Bo emphasizes the importance of integrating personal ideas with AI tools for effective content creation and outlines his role in a freelancing team that helps online course creators and coaches target and communicate with their audience.
  • 6:00 – 8:00 — Zach inquires about the technical services Bo’s team offers to clients, which vary depending on the client’s business stage, including digital ads, marketing automation, landing pages, and email flows.
  • 8:00 – 10:00 — Bo describes his successful use of AI in SEO, sharing a case where he significantly increased a client’s search traffic, and explains his process of using AI for keyword research and content optimization.
  • 10:00 – 12:00 — Bo elaborates on the effective use of AI for content editing and keyword optimization, while Zach expresses his skepticism and limited understanding of SEO, likening it to “dark voodoo magic.”
  • 12:00 – 14:00 — Zach seeks Bo’s opinion on the necessity of an individual voice in AI-generated content, worried about creating generic listicles lacking in original prose.
  • 14:00 – 16:00 — Bo addresses the biggest objection to AI content creation, emphasizing the importance of injecting one’s unique voice and perspective to avoid blandness and maintain relevance in SEO.
  • 16:00 – 18:00 — Zach shares his content creation process and ponders how it might differ from an SEO-focused approach, suggesting a potential shift in methodology when using AI for content generation.
  • 18:00 – 20:00 — Bo advises on making AI-generated content more personal and engaging, emphasizing the importance of defining one’s brand voice, target audience, and key messages to ensure content does not come across as bland or generic.
  • 20:00 – 22:00 — Zach inquires about specific AI prompt examples Bo uses, and Bo shares his approach to crafting prompts, emphasizing the inclusion of expertise and brand voice.
  • 22:00 – 24:00 — Bo introduces a Chrome extension, IPRM, which helps generate AI prompts and emphasizes the importance of specificity and brand relevance in prompt creation.
  • 24:00 – 26:00 — Zach reflects on different attitudes towards brand voice among clients, and Bo discusses the challenge of aligning AI-generated content with specific client preferences and brand identities.
  • 26:00 – 28:00 — Bo advises on content production frequency for SEO impact, highlighting the strategy of focusing on high-traffic potential content first before refining based on performance.
  • 28:00 – 30:00 — Zach and Bo discuss the balance between creating high-traffic versus high-conversion content, with Zach reflecting on the shift in content strategy of a financial blog client towards more SEO-friendly topics.
  • 30:00 – 32:00 — Bo discusses leveraging AI to automate tasks like email-to-task conversion, using tools like Zapier and ChatGPT for efficiency in his agency.
  • 32:00 – 34:00 — Bo explains integrating ChatGPT into Zapier workflows for various tasks, including content creation and project management automation.
  • 34:00 – 36:00 — Zach inquires about strategies for increasing lead flow, leading Bo to share his plans for SEO optimization and building a personal brand on LinkedIn.
  • 36:00 – 38:00 — Bo outlines his approach to creating a lead magnet for online course creators and discusses the long-term benefits of SEO and LinkedIn for sustainable growth.
  • 38:00 – 40:00 — Bo shares the success story of a client using LinkedIn for career coaching, emphasizing the importance of building a personal brand for high-ticket sales. Zach and Bo then discuss effective LinkedIn strategies for personal branding and lead generation.
  • 40:00 – 42:00 — Bo shares his process for creating LinkedIn content, emphasizing the importance of starting with his own perspective and using AI to enhance and structure his ideas.
  • 42:00 – 44:00 — Zach expresses concerns about the accuracy of AI-generated content, while Bo describes using transcription tools for content creation and refining AI outputs.
  • 44:00 – 46:00 — Bo discusses his method of using AI to convert his spoken thoughts into structured content, highlighting the efficiency of this approach for social media and blog posts.
  • 46:00 – 48:00 — Bo emphasizes the necessity of editing and refining AI-generated content to ensure accuracy and relevance, cautioning against using AI outputs without review.
  • 48:00 – 50:00 — Zach reflects on the workflow efficiency of using AI, considering the time and context-switching costs, while Bo explains his use of efficient transcription tools to streamline the process.
  • 50:00 – 52:00 — Bo discusses using AI for market research, notably in analyzing client emails for service offering insights and customer review analysis for content creation.
  • 52:00 – 54:00 — Bo emphasizes the efficiency of AI in customer research, using AI to analyze reviews and discussions to understand customer sentiment, objections, and desires.
  • 54:00 – 56:00 — Bo shares how he leverages AI to create content and streamline processes, using tools like chat and transcription services to enhance productivity.
  • 56:00 – 58:00 — Zach and Bo discuss the limitations of hourly billing models in the context of AI’s efficiency, pointing towards the need for value-based pricing to better capture the value provided.
  • 58:00 – 1:00:00 — Bo contemplates choosing a new niche using AI for research and Zach considers how Bo’s approach could be applied to different industries, highlighting the importance of aligning service offerings with client needs.
  • 1:00:00 – 1:02:00 — Zach suggests value-based pricing strategies for Bo’s agency, focusing on the impact of increased lead flow and results-based pricing for clients.
  • 1:02:00 – 1:04:00 — Bo discusses potential joint ventures and the challenge of creating actionable, tangible strategies for freelancers using AI tools.
  • 1:04:00 – 1:06:00 — Bo emphasizes the iterative process of working with AI, pointing out the need for multiple prompts and conversations to achieve desired results.
  • 1:06:00 – 1:08:00 — Zach considers typical community members’ needs, and Bo suggests ways to leverage AI for pain storming and niche audience research.
  • 1:08:00 – 1:10:00 — Bo outlines a method for using AI to process and analyze customer feedback, and Zach contemplates applying this to his own business for better understanding customer challenges.
  • 1:20:00 – 1:22:00 — Zach and Bo discuss how to leverage AI for niche market research, focusing on e-commerce and EdTech businesses, using AI to analyze interview transcripts and customer discussions.
  • 1:22:00 – 1:24:00 — Bo suggests using AI to process available information and convert it into actionable insights, emphasizing the need to start with whatever information is available.
  • 1:24:00 – 1:26:00 — Zach and Bo discuss using AI for creating effective content and SEO strategies, beginning with understanding the audience and pain points, and then leveraging AI for content creation.
  • 1:26:00 – 1:28:00 — Bo recommends Surfer AI for content blog production, and Zach suggests the idea of using AI to rework existing content as a starting point.
  • 1:28:00 – 1:30:00 — Bo encourages freelancers to learn and use AI tools to gain a competitive edge, citing low usage rates despite high awareness, and they conclude the interview discussing potential future collaborations.