Welcome back to Smarter Than Busy.

This week, we're looking at how Meta plans to use AI chat data to target ads — a move that could quietly reshape small-business marketing. You'll also see how local shops are catching up on AI without big budgets, a simple ChatGPT feature that fixes the "lost draft" problem, and a family-owned tamale shop that turned a 10-minute AI script into 22 million views.

We'll wrap with a new Mega Prompt that walks you through building an effective "About" page — step-by-step, using proven storytelling and trust-building principles.

📰 AI News That Impacts SMBs

Insights and stories at the intersection of AI and small business — what’s changing, why it matters, and how it actually hits the ground

Meta will use your AI chats to target ads (starts December 16; no opt-out)

Meta says it will start using what people type or say to "Meta AI" to personalize Facebook/Instagram content and ads beginning December 16, 2025.

Meta AI will notify users who have used it starting from October 7; there's no opt-out option. Rollout excludes the EU, UK, and South Korea at launch. Meta has stated that sensitive topics, such as health and politics, will not be used for advertising.

Why This Matters

If you advertise on Facebook/Instagram, Meta's targeting signals will now include AI-chat intent (e.g., someone chatting about "hiking boots"). That can raise conversion quality—but also increase costs in crowded niches as targeting becomes more precise. EU/UK advertisers won't see the change yet.

How This Plays Out

Expect micro-interest audiences to become more targeted (people discussing a purchase in chats will receive more relevant Reels/ads), faster creative fatigue (more lookalike ads targeting the same individuals), and potential ad policy questions if staff use Meta AI on work devices.

What This Means for Your Business

• If you run Meta ads, refresh creative weekly and segment by intent keywords your buyers actually chat about (e.g., "beginner pickleball paddles," "holiday photo mini-sessions").

• If you're in the EU/UK, watch for a later rollout but prep your keyword/angle list now.

• Update your employee policy: assume any Meta-AI chat on company devices could influence ad profiles tied to that account.

Source - Reuters: Read More About This Story

New SBA analysis: small firms are catching up on AI—without investing much

A new U.S. Small Business Administration (Office of Advocacy) spotlight using Census BTOS data (through Aug 2025) shows:

• AI adoption among small firms (≤249 employees) increased to 8.8%, while among large firms (> 250 employees), it rose to 11.1%—the gap is narrowing. Six months earlier, small firms were 6.3%.

• Very small firms (<5 employees) use AI more than other small businesses.

• Marketing automations are especially common among small-business AI users.

• Approximately 50% of small firms using AI report no investment in AI (training/tools/process) compared to around 40% for large firms.

• The #1 barrier for the smallest firms not planning AI: they think AI is "not applicable" (reported by ~82% of firms <5 employees or fewer).

Why This Matters

Main Street is adopting AI where it obviously pays (marketing), but many are doing it without budget or training, which caps the upside. The "not for me" mindset—especially among owner-operators—means that there are still easy, practical wins left on the table.

How This Plays Out

We will see more basic automations, such as content drafts, ad variants, and email replies, within small teams. However, deeper gains, such as data analytics, chatbots integrated with CRM, and RPA, may lag due to the required spending and setup. The firms that invest even a little in training/process will pull ahead.

What This Means for Your Business

• If you have fewer than five employees, start with one paid upgrade: train the team 1 hour/week on a single workflow (e.g., converting FAQs and orders into templated replies).

• Put $100–$300/month toward "compounding" AI: analytics inside your POS/CRM or a lightweight chatbot tied to order status—areas where SBA notes small firms lag.

• Track one metric tied to the workflow (reply time, booked calls, cart recovery). If it moves, scale that use case before chasing new ones.

Source - Advocacy.sba.gov : Read The Report

🛠️ Tool Updates / Feature Highlights

Two fresh updates this week that make everyday work simpler without adding headaches.

ChatGPT Adds "Conversation Branching"

This recently added feature lets you take any message in a chat and spin off a separate version of the conversation from that exact point. You can explore new ideas, rewrite drafts, or test alternate approaches — all without touching your original thread.

For small business owners, this solves a constant but straightforward problem: once you start editing or trying new prompts, your original version is gone. Branching finally gives you a way to experiment safely — the same way you'd use "Save As" in a document.

🗓️ Released September 4, 2025

To use it: ➡️ Hover over any message → click the three dots (⋯) → select "Branch in new chat." You'll now have two parallel conversations — one to keep clean, and one to play with.

💡 Why It Helps

Most small-business owners don't use ChatGPT like a coder — they use it like a notepad. You ask it to write an email, a caption, or a quote. Then you tweak, overwrite, and keep going until the thread's a mess and you can't remember which version was good.

Branching fixes that.

It turns ChatGPT into a place where you can safely test ideas — just like saving multiple drafts in Word or Google Docs.

You can:

• 🧩 Keep your original message clean while exploring new options

• ⚖️ Compare two tones or formats side by side

• 🧠 Build small creative experiments without cluttering your chat history

In plain English: it lets you work like a professional without the chaos.\

Example:

You've got a service description that's too formal. Instead of overwriting it, branch the message and tell ChatGPT, "Rewrite this with a friendlier tone that still sounds credible."

Now you have both — one version for your website and one for social media.

👀 Picture This

🖌️ Freelance Designer: You're writing a proposal in ChatGPT for a new client. You like the structure, but the voice sounds too casual. Hover over that section → ⋯ → Branch in new chat → ask, "Make this version more formal but still conversational." You keep both drafts — one for a corporate client, one for a startup.

🛠️ Home Renovation Contractor: You had ChatGPT write a short Facebook ad for kitchen remodels. It's good, but you want to test a second version aimed at realtors. Branch that message → ask, "Rewrite this ad for real estate agents who want faster sales through renovations." Now you've got two ready-made ads for different markets.

👜 Online Boutique Owner: You used ChatGPT to draft a "Spring Sale" email. You're curious what it would sound like if you ran the sale as a "members-only early access" promo. Hover → branch → say, "Rewrite this email as an exclusive early access offer." Two full campaigns, one starting point.

🧭 Try This

Open any recent ChatGPT chat where you worked on something practical — maybe a post, an email, or a price list.

• Hover over a message you want to experiment with.

• Click the three dots (⋯) → select "Branch in new chat.

• In the new chat, type: "Rewrite this to sound more direct and persuasive, but still friendly."

Compare the two versions side by side and select the one that best aligns with your brand's voice or purpose.

💡 Pro Tip: Rename each branched chat (like Version A – Formal or Version B – Friendly) so you don't lose track later.

💎 Hidden Gem Feature: Custom Instructions

This feature allows you to tell ChatGPT who you are and how you want it to interact with you — before you even start typing. Once set up, every new chat automatically follows your tone, context, and goals.

For small-business owners, that solves a constant headache: every chat usually starts from scratch. You waste time re-explaining your business, correcting brand voice, or reminding ChatGPT to "keep it short" or "make it sound like me."

Even worse, if you keep reusing the same chat, ChatGPT eventually forgets your original direction. It starts responding based on the last few turns, not your intended style or goals.

“Custom Instructions” fix that.

They give ChatGPT a standing brief, which act as a quiet set of guardrails that keep every new chat on the rails, consistent, and grounded in your voice.

To use it: ➡️ Open ChatGPT → click your name (bottom left) → Customize ChatGPT.

💡 Why It Helps

Most small-business owners use ChatGPT like a scratchpad — opening a chat, tweaking something, and watching it slowly lose cohesion. That's where Custom Instructions come into play.

They act like a standing brief that ChatGPT reads before every new chat — a reminder of who you are, what kind of business you run, and how you want it to sound.

You can:

• 🕑 Skip the constant re-explaining at the start of each chat.

• 🗣️ Keep a steady brand voice across all replies.

• 🎯 Get responses that match your market, not generic advice.

In plain English: it keeps ChatGPT talking like your teammate, not a random copywriter.

Example:

You run a small cleaning service in Kansas City. Instead of a generic setup, you give ChatGPT a clear brief:

"We're a residential cleaning service in Kansas City. Our customers are busy families who value reliability and straight talk. Avoid words like premium or luxury. Keep things friendly, useful, and under 150 words. If you give examples, make them local — KC neighborhoods, holiday seasons, game weekends."

Now, when you ask, "Write a quick post about getting ready for Thanks giving." ChatGPT gives you something that actually sounds like you:

"Thanks giving prep gets messy fast. We'll handle the scrubbing so that you can focus on the cooking. Book your pre-holiday clean early — spots go quick."

ChatGPT now knows your lane — tone, audience, and context — and it stays there.

👀 Picture This

🧑‍🏫 Consultant / Coach: ''I run a small coaching practice helping new managers. My tone is practical, not motivational. Keep examples workplace-real, not self-help fluff." → Now ChatGPT gives frameworks and checklists instead of pep talks.

🧵 Online Boutique Owner: "We sell handmade home décor. Our brand voice is friendly, conversational, and not corporate. Keep descriptions under 80 words with one sensory detail." → Every product caption sounds on-brand without extra prompting.

🔧 Local Trades Business: "I own a small HVAC company. Talk like a neighbor — plain English, zero buzzwords. Give seasonal reminders and maintenance tips." → Posts read like trusted advice, not ad copy.

🧪 Try This

1. Go to Settings → Customize ChatGPT.

2. In the first box, describe your business and who you serve.

3. > Example: "I own a residential cleaning service. Most of my clients are working families. Keep examples real, not generic."

4. In the second box, describe how you want ChatGPT to sound.

5. > Example: "Use plain English. Be helpful and conversational. Avoid using hype words like 'premium' or 'cutting-edge'. Keep answers short unless I ask for details."

6. Start a new chat and ask:

7. > "Write a 3-sentence 'About' section for my website using my custom settings."

💡 Pro Tip: Start a new chat when you switch topics — even inside the same project. Each new chat re-reads your Custom Instructions fresh. Long threads start to drift toward recent tone and context, while new ones stay closer to your original setup.

🔗 Further Reading

Source: Gudprompt.com Learn About Custom Instructions (with examples)

💡 Smarter Than Busy in Action

Real small-business owners using AI in simple, clever ways — the stuff that actually works in the wild.

🌮 Family Tamale Shop Uses ChatGPT to Script a 22-Million-View Video

📖 The Story

The Original Tamale Company, a family-run shop in Los Angeles, utilized ChatGPT to assist in scripting a short, meme-style promotional video for their restaurant.

In about ten minutes, they fed the AI a few ideas about their menu, tone, and customer base. They then used AI voiceover tools to narrate it and posted the clip on Instagram and TikTok.

The result? 22 million views, 1.2 million likes, and a line out the door. Several new customers said they came in because of the video.

🧠 Why It's Smart

They didn't overthink it or chase some shiny "AI strategy." They used a free tool to shortcut one piece of the creative process, writing the script, and left the rest (filming and flavor) to humans. It's a perfect example of AI acting as an assistant, not a replacement.

No agency. No budget. Just a faster path from idea → finished video.

⚙️ Takeaway

You don't need a marketing budget to test AI. Pick one message your customers already love—maybe a signature dish, product, or client story—and ask ChatGPT to turn it into a short script or skit. Record it with your phone, post it, and see what happens.

Sometimes "working smarter than busy" just means getting to publish faster.

💬 Mega Prompt of the Week

✍️ The "About Page" Story Workshop

Most About pages sound like copy-paste fluff. This Mega Prompt guides you through crafting a concise, relatable story that fosters trust by leveraging your genuine "why," clear language, and customer-centric details.

The output provides a story paragraph, values list, and closing tagline, ready to be dropped on your site.

This multi-step prompt is a powerful tool designed to help you generate a high-quality, comprehensive draft for an "About Us" page using an AI.

What the Prompt Does

The prompt serves as a structured data collection and formatting guide that forces you to provide all the essential narrative, ethical, and factual components of a great "About" page. It organizes this information into four critical areas:

1. Identity: Who you are and what you offer.

2. Story & Values: Why you exist and what you believe in.

3. Proof: Objective evidence that builds trust (E-E-A-T).

4. Action: What you want the visitor to do next.

By including specific instructions for tone, length, and required sections, it ensures the final AI output is not just a generic blurb, but a cohesive and strategic marketing asset.

The Prompt is available in this FREE Google Doc: Just Copy and Rename

See you in the next edition……

That’s it for this edition. I hope you enjoyed the insights and takeaways. If, you did, consider sharing with friends.

Until the next edition

Gordon Meagher