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In my dream world, I’d be a content creator full-time. I’ve been an influencer at heart since 2009, before that was even a thing you could be, and have spent my career looking for ways to make a sustainable living from sharing my passions and expertise with the world. As the face of Period Nirvana—the most comprehensive website and educational resource on the topics of menstrual cups and other reusable menstrual products—I spend a good portion of my time making fake blood and sitting on a toilet filming myself, and I love every second of it.But I’ve also been in the online content world long enough to know that making a living from content alone is a grind. You can have a million views on your Instagram Reels or YouTube videos and still not make nearly enough money to support yourself. Your income can also be wildly inconsistent month to month. I’m not saying it’s impossible to make a living as a content creator, but I found it challenging to make the math add up based on my previous experiences in the industry. When I started brainstorming the launch of my new brand, I realized that if I wanted to be able to consistently provide free, educational content that makes millions of peoples’ lives easier, I needed to find another way to monetize it.So, alongside my educational brand, I decided to launch an e-commerce store dedicated to reusable menstrual products: Period.Shop. Thanks to this unique hybrid business model, I’ve been able to reach multi-six figures in revenue within just two years of launching the brand. This year, I anticipate that I could reach $1 million in sales. Whether you’re a business owner looking to use content to grow your brand, or a content creator wondering about launching another stream of income, here is why this approach works so well, plus some of my advice for marrying content and retail in a way that can lead to incredible results.I use my content to advertise for my own productsThe content I create on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and my blog serves as marketing for my shop. Not only does it help me build thought leadership and a following of potential customers who trust me, I can use every single video I create as an advertisement for the products I stock. For me, this is more effective than trying to get other brands to pay me to advertise their products in my content, especially considering companies in my niche don’t tend to have huge ad budgets. My retail store also allows me to earn money from the products I’d be recommending anyway—instead of sharing an affiliate link and making a small 1-5% commission, I can push viewers toward my store that has higher margins (40% on average). Though these higher margins also come with the higher overhead costs of operating a retail store, I still find I’m able to turn a better profit than I would be able to via ad revenue, affiliate links, and sponsored posts.In April 2021, our content strategy paid off with our first viral TikTok that netted Period.Shop an $8,000 day. One video instantly boosted awareness of our account and brand. Multiple viral videos on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have fueled continued success and growth while gaining our brand global recognition as the top source of menstrual cup and disc education.   @periodnirvana Is this a world record? #periodtiktok #menstrualcup #periodstories ♬ Steven Universe – L.Dre The income I make from the store gives me the freedom to create the content I want to, without juggling other brands’ demands or stretching myself too thin doing something else on the side to make money. The content itself is also monetized through programs that pay creators for the eyeballs they receive—such website ads, Reels Bonus, TikTok Creator Fund, and YouTube ads—though I see that more as bonus income each month rather than having to rely on it to support myself and my family.I’ve kept my content more educational than promotionalThat said, the biggest mistake I see people make when trying to grow content channels to support their business is focusing too much on selling their products. A far more engaging approach is to educate your audience on your niche. Yes, I talk about and demo the products I sell, but I also answer questions about products I don’t stock and menstruation in general. Why? Because I want my community to feel like I’ll provide value whether they buy something from me or not. When they feel like I’m really here to help them and am not just out for the sale, it helps people connect with the brand. Plus, it builds trust: when I share information about my products or recommend something I do sell, my followers know it’s coming from a place of true expertise. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kim Rosas (@periodnirvana) Think about what you’re the expert on, or what you’re passionate about, related to the products you sell, and lean into sharing that. It will help you create content that really resonates instead of content that comes across as disingenuous and salesy.I created a strong lead magnet to tie everything togetherOf course, you don’t want the content you create to be completely disconnected from the products you’re selling, either. A strong lead magnet—or a free resource you offer customers, typically in exchange for their email address—can be a great way to drive people to your site without it feeling like you’re pushing a sale. My primary source of sales is our quiz funnel. My videos on TikTok or YouTube primarily point to further content on my educational site (rather than pointing directly to my shop), where our quiz will help people find the right product (even if that’s not a product we stock!) and encourage them to join our mailing list. We also have other resources on the site that provide value while also driving toward some of our products, like our comprehensive menstrual cup chart and our filterable cup and disc finder. If I ended all of my videos by pushing people directly to buy my products, they could start sounding too marketing-heavy, fast. Instead, a compelling lead magnet allows me to have a gentler call to action, directing viewers to a resource where I can help them find the best products for their needs and further build trust.I didn’t put all my eggs in one content basketAnother mistake I see businesses and content creators make is going all-in on one channel. Maybe they had a video go viral on TikTok so decided to double down there, or they feel most comfortable on Instagram. I get it: Creating content takes time, so you don’t want to stretch yourself too thin over multiple channels. But I always remind people that you don’t own your audience on social channels, and they can change the algorithm and take away your growth at any moment. That’s what’s happening for me on TikTok right now: I used to get 30,000-100,000 views even on my lowest-performing content, and now I’m seeing 1,000 views or fewer. Thankfully, YouTube is on an upswing right now, so I’m not losing traffic on the whole—which is exactly why businesses need to make sure they’re putting out content on multiple channels. You don’t even have to start from scratch each time: I will regularly reformat videos from my YouTube into shorter-form clips for Instagram and TikTok. (I also know business owners who hire virtual assistants to take on the work of reformatting.) Yes, it’s a little more time-consuming to add this step, but it’s so worth it in helping protect me from the whims of social media.I streamlined business operations to leave time for contentI won’t lie: Running a content brand and a retail store simultaneously is a lot of work. And transitioning from a solo content creator to a business owner having to deal with customers and complex logistics was a huge adjustment.But I’ve found ways to streamline my business operations to ensure I still have plenty of time and brain space to be creative and make content. For instance, I’ve worked with a local 3PL (third-party logistics) fulfillment center from the start, which means I don’t have to spend time shipping out orders. I do customer service myself, but try to time-block it, starting and ending my day answering emails so I can have large swaths of content creation time in between. But there’s so much to do when running a shop—from managing vendors to creating listings and product photography—and I’m still the one doing most of it myself.When I have to take time away from my first love (creating content) to work on building the retail side of my business, I try to remind myself that I’m investing in financial stability, both now and for the future. One of the other challenges of making a living as a content creator is that when you stop creating content, you stop making money. I love that I’m building a foundation so that, if I ever decide to step away as a public figure, I can still have a thriving business.

GPT-3 is everywhere. The AI tool has sent the internet into a frenzy, as users marvel at its accelerated text generation capabilities and fixate on its potential business use cases.

But what exactly is GPT-3, and how does it work? And, most importantly, is it worth all of the hype? Below, we answer all of your questions about the modern AI tool in this complete guide to GPT-3.
Table of Contents

What is GPT-3?
How does GPT-3 work?
Why is GPT-3 so powerful?
GPT-3 Limitations

What is GPT-3?
GPT-3 is a language model that can process and generate human-like text. The tool was developed by OpenAI, an AI research lab, and is currently available as an API.
GPT stands for generative pre-trained transformer. The “training” references the large compilation of text data the model used to learn about the human language.
During its creation process, GPT-3 digested billions of words to become well-versed in understanding human language, analyzing the meaning behind words, and generating language independently. GPT-3 is trained in many languages, not just English.

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How does GPT-3 work?
Let’s backtrack a bit. To fully understand how GPT-3 works, it’s essential to understand what a language model is.
A language model uses probability to determine a sequence of words — as in guessing the next word or phrase in a sentence.
GPT-3 uses natural language processing (NLP), a function of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is the idea that computers can be programmed to complete human tasks. NLPs fall under the general AI umbrella and focus on the communication aspect of that programming, specifically between computers and humans.
When it comes to construction, GPT-3 is powered by four main models under Open AI. Each model is powered differently, and each offers different capabilities suitable for various tasks. These are the models:

Davinci
Curie
Babbage
Ada

This video offers a thorough explanation of how GPT-3 works compared to other language models.
GPT-3 is more powerful than the NLPs that came before it. GPT-3 contains 175 billion parameters which make it 10 times greater in size than previous processors.
Another element that makes GPT-3 different from other language models is its human-like accuracy. The NLPs that came before were more focused on fine-tuning and struggled with reading comprehension, filling in the blanks, and question answering.
GPT-3 has tackled all of these challenges to become the most powerful language processor to date.

Why is GPT-3 so powerful?
GPT-3 is a major development for modern technology and communication. Not only does it help facilitate communication between computers and humans, but it can also be used to improve a wide range of processes.
Here are a few benefits and use cases of GPT-3 in today’s context.

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Text Generation
GPT-3 uses NLP not only to analyze and understand human text but also to create text that is human-like in response. This is the biggest takeaway and arguably the greatest use case for the AI tool, as it can be applied to various tasks.
Text generation can be useful for real-time communication, responding to prompts, and filling in the blanks, among other things.
Here are a few use cases for text generation using GPT-3:

Customer service
Virtual assistants
Chatbots
Content creation
Language translation

For example, let’s say you want to improve your customer service support process. You can use GPT-3 to generate instant and human-like responses on behalf of your customer support team.
Because GPT-3 can quickly answer questions and fill in the blanks when needed, it can be used for real-time, back-and-forth messaging in customer service. It would also help reduce the response time, which customer support professionals know is critical.
Another valuable way to use GPT-3 is for content creation purposes. The AI can generate text for various content assets such as social media posts, blog posts, and even video scripts. The best part, again, is how quickly GPT-3 can produce content.

By taking advantage of GPT-3’s speed, brands and creators can cut significant time out of the content creation process, which is valuable when producing a substantial amount of content on a regular basis.
Adaptability
While it’s not perfect, GPT-3 has been highly trained in deep learning and can adapt to a wide range of tasks aside from text generation.
While it’s not perfect, GPT-3 has been highly trained in deep learning and can adapt to a wide range of tasks. For example, the tool can be used to generate simple code. This makes it powerful for creators and developers who want to integrate NLP into their applications but lack the right expertise.

Remember that generating more complex tasks like code is not GPT-3’s expertise. So while it can produce lines of code when prompted correctly, the code may need debugging to ensure it meets the intended functionality.
The key to getting the most out of this function is giving GPT-3 the right prompts to help program what it produces.
It’s also important to note that GPT-3 is not open source but can be accessed through an API. This makes it easy for developers to integrate it into existing applications. Developers can use GPT-3 to create NLP features in their applications without developing their own algorithms or models.
Time and Cost Savings
GPT-3 is fast. The speed at which it can generate text is incomparable.
For example, when used to fill in the blanks for prompts or to answer questions, GPT-3 can have a response ready in seconds.
While it may take longer for GPT-3 to handle more complex tasks, such as analyzing large datasets, the tool is still much faster than other processors — or humans, for that matter.
When used to supplement or support an organization’s current practices, GPT-3 can save time. And saving time helps save on costs, which is another important consideration for organizations of all sizes — from lean startups to enterprise-level companies.
With the time and cost savings from using a text generator like GPT-3, your organization can use those resources in more effective business areas that will drive impactful results.

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GPT-3 Limitations
GPT-3 may be a valuable language processing tool, but it’s also important to consider its limitations before diving in. Here are a few ways GPT-3 may be limited in its functions when put into practice.
Bias
One of the biggest limitations of GPT-3 is that the information it generates or presents can be biased. This is because it reflects the data it was trained on.
So, if all of the data that was used to train it suggested that dogs are better than cats, then that bias would most likely appear in any text GPT-3 generates about dogs or cats. This is obviously just an example, but it represents a larger flaw in the design.
Bias can be harmful when it’s taken at face value. As with anything found or created on the internet, it’s always best to consider multiple sources of information before making a statement or taking action.
Memory
As human-like as it is, GPT-3 doesn’t have a long-term memory and can’t retain information from each interaction it has. It’s not designed to have ongoing conversations, which means it can’t be used for a continuous or evolving task.
For example, if you’re using GPT-3 to help form responses for your customer support team, it won’t have any memories of each interaction once it’s over. Each session would be considered independent, even if the same customer comes back the next day for support.
Full Context
At the end of the day, GPT-3 is not a human. While it can produce human-like text, it still lacks full context and natural common sense. As a result, it can generate text that doesn’t quite make sense. This is a common result when GPT-3 doesn’t have full context around a scenario.
To navigate this limitation, provide as many details as possible when prompting GPT-3 with a task. Doing so can help limit inaccurate or irrelevant statements. It’s also important to review any text GPT-3 generates to correct any inaccuracies before publishing it somewhere for an audience.
Getting Started
GPT-3 is a powerful language processor — probably the best one yet. It can help save time and resources by generating human-like text, filling in the blanks, and answering questions in seconds.
However, it comes with its limitations, which should be considered before using GPT-3 as a replacement for any one tool or practice.
To get the most out of GPT-3, consider its uses and limitations and experiment with how it can best support your needs.

In April 2021, my co-founder and I launched a live online course platform for professionals. We ran courses we called “sprints”. Live, actionable, short courses ran by cohort. A sprint lasted 3 to 5 days. Think of them as cheap mini-bootcamps. In December 2021, we decided to call it off. We realized a lot of things about the online education space. I wanted to share with you some of these findings 👇 —#1: CAREER ROI— It’s not a secret, professionals are busy. So if you are pulling them away from their duties to teach them something – it needs to advance their career significantly. Professionals willing to spend time/money training expect a direct career ROI (return-on-investment). The training needs to give them immediate leverage on the job market. It should allow them to access higher management positions, higher pay, or change jobs more easily. They should be more valuable to their employer. Another important factor not to disregard: how good it looks on the resume. Professionals who invest time and money in education want to be able to take pride in it and display it to their peers: “look I have done this course”. They need to be proud to show that label. If you think they’d be proud to put your course on their LinkedIn profile – you are probably on the right path. By the way guys, I’m an experienced WordPress developer who has been working with people from various industries. I’m looking for 5 more volunteers who are willing to let me design a free website for them to expand my portfolio. The website would be completely free; the only requirement is that you have a real, running business and cover the basic costs like domain and hosting which is inexpensive. Please PM me if you’re interested and I’ll share more details. ​ —#2: PRICING CONSIDERATIONS— The learning industry is large. There are many actors and the competition is fierce. We noticed a pattern about pricing that should be taken into account when designing your course. Basically, there are 2 pricing trends: Expensive courses (usually many thousands of dollars). These include boot camps, university courses…They also usually include a degree or some kind of professional certification. And they are usually delivered live with an instructor. Then there are dirt cheap and free courses. You will find learning content on almost any topic for free or for less than $20. The content is out there you just need to look for it. What you need to keep in mind is that there isn’t much space between these 2 lanes. You can price a course very high and you will find people willing to pay for it if there is a direct career ROI (see tip #1). But do not try to aim for the middle of the market, you will have a hard time finding customers. So my advice would be either to price your course above $1500 or below $100. —#3: TIME SPENT IS A COST— Professionals all say they want to learn more. They all talk about how important learning is and that they try to take time to learn new things. The reality is that they don’t spend that much time learning and are not necessarily willing to spend more. With learning, there is a big difference between what they say they want and what they actually do. The reality is that time spent in learning is always seen as an extra cost on top of the actual dollar cost. So even if the course is already paid for by their boss, for example, there is still a price to pay which is the time spent learning. This is why most of the L&D programs are unsuccessful and why most online courses are never completed. —#4: BLENDED LEARNING— The format of learning for professionals is very important. They need the training content to be concise and entertaining. This is why blended learning is probably one of the most efficient and enjoyable experiences for professionals. Blended learning is a mix between video and live. It is a mix of self-paced learning and instructor-led learning. What we found to be most efficient is: Teaching the theoretical aspects of the course by pre-recorded video. [It’s also usually quite boring to repeat the same concepts over and over every session for the instructor]. In addition, having live sessions with interactions, group activities, and questions. This is also where the live presence of the instructor has the most value. During the live sessions, you can debrief the videos, and have group exercises to apply the knowledge. —#5: PRIMARY & SECONDARY SKILLSETS— Every professional has a primary skillset and secondary skillsets. The primary skillset represents the skills they need to do the core of their job. So marketing is a primary skillset for marketers, coding is a primary skillset for software developers. On the other hand, coding is a secondary skillset for marketers and marketing is a secondary skillset for software developers. Overall it is much easier to train professionals on their secondary skillsets. They will be much receptive to the training proposition and enjoy it much more because they have almost zero knowledge about the topic. If you want to train professionals on their primary skillset you will need cutting-edge expertise, content, and world-renowned instructors if you want them to pay for it. With primary skillsets, professionals usually know how to upskill themselves for free. Marketers know where to find and learn the latest marketing techniques for free. However, a marketer will have a hard time self-learning data science for example. ——————————- If you liked this content and if your looking for to design a website for your business, I’m willing be happy to help 5 people design a websites for people for free in return I ask for your permission to add your website to my portfolio as an example of my work. If this sounds good, feel free to send me a PM and we can take it from there. submitted by /u/LaptopAddicted [link] [comments]

As a marketer, it’s important to find the right balance between personalization and privacy in your marketing efforts. On one hand, personalization can help you create more engaging and relevant experiences for your customers. On the other hand, customers are becoming increasingly concerned about their privacy and data protection. ​ Tips to strike the right balance between privacy and personalization: Be transparent about data collection and use: Clearly communicate to your customers what data you are collecting and how you will use it. Make sure to obtain their consent before collecting any personal information. Respect customers’ preferences: Allow customers to control their data and preferences. Provide them with the option to opt-out of certain types of data collection or to delete their data if they choose to. Use anonymous data where possible: Use anonymous data to personalize experiences whenever possible, such as through website analytics or aggregated customer data. This can help you create personalized experiences without compromising customer privacy. Use targeted advertising carefully: Be careful when using targeted advertising. While it can help you personalize experiences, it may also be seen as intrusive by some customers. Consider using opt-in advertising to ensure that customers are comfortable with the level of personalization. Invest in data security: Invest in secure data storage and processing to protect customer data. Make sure to comply with all relevant data protection regulations and standards. Provide value through personalization: Make sure that your personalization efforts provide real value to your customers. Personalization should be used to enhance the customer experience, not just to collect more data. Monitor customer feedback: Listen to customer feedback and adjust your personalization efforts accordingly. If customers are concerned about their privacy, consider adjusting your approach to prioritize privacy. Different ways how you can earn customer’s trust Establish a privacy policy that outlines how data is collected and used In today’s digital age, protecting individual privacy has become a pressing concern for both individuals and organisations. It is essential for businesses, websites and apps to have a privacy policy that outlines how they collect and use the data of their users. This policy not only assures users that their private information is in safe hands, but it also complies with GDPR regulations. By clearly stating how and where user data is collected, stored and used, organisations can build trust and establish transparency with their users. The privacy policy should also offer users the opportunity to opt-out of data collection, which enables them to maintain control over their personal information. A thorough privacy policy is a critical element of any business that deals with data, and it can be the difference between winning or losing a customer’s trust. Offer customers the option to opt-in or out of personalized advertising/marketing In today’s digital age, targeted advertising has become extremely prevalent. While some customers may find personalized advertisements helpful, others may feel as though their privacy is being invaded. That’s why it’s important for businesses to offer their customers the option to opt-in or out of personalized advertising and marketing. By providing this choice, it empowers customers to have control over their own data and helps to build trust between them and the business. It’s a win-win situation for both parties, as customers receive advertisements that are relevant and wanted, while businesses can still effectively reach their target audience. Use segmentation to personalize marketing messages Personalization is a powerful way to connect with consumers and build lasting relationships. Segmentation enables marketers to identify specific groups of people with shared interests or characteristics, allowing for more personalized and targeted messaging. Instead of sending the same generic message to everyone, segmentation allows marketers to create tailored content that speaks directly to the needs and preferences of different segments. By using segmentation to personalize marketing messages, businesses can increase engagement, drive conversions, and ultimately, grow their bottom line. Whether you’re targeting millennials, empty nesters, or any other group, segmentation is a valuable tool for creating meaningful experiences and building lasting relationships with your customers. Leverage customer feedback to improve personalization efforts In today’s increasingly personalized and data-driven world, customer feedback has become a crucial component in delivering effective experiences that truly resonate with consumers. By leveraging customer feedback, companies can gain invaluable insights into what their customers want, need, and value, allowing them to tailor their personalization efforts and deliver experiences that are more relevant, engaging, and impactful. Whether it’s through surveys, focus groups, or social media, capturing and analyzing customer feedback is essential for any organization looking to stay ahead of the curve and truly connect with today’s empowered and discerning consumers. So if you’re looking to take your personalization efforts to the next level, make sure you’re not overlooking the valuable insights that your customers have to offer. Know how appICEcan help with personalization. submitted by /u/appICE [link] [comments]

“I barely have time to write blog posts. Now you’re telling me I need to create eBooks?” If this is your reaction to the blog title, your frustration is valid. Writing a valuable eBook takes time and effort but can do a great deal of good for your business. Authoring an eBook sets you up…
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