Written by Rae Dillon
AI is a topic everyone has an opinion on, from embracing it with open arms to trying to avoid it at all costs. Whichever side of the divide you’re on, or even if you’re balancing on the rope bridge above it, AI is here to stay. Figuring out how to use it to your advantage is essential to keeping ahead of your competition, and Nick Crawford, owner and principal consultant of Twist Consultancy, specialises in supporting businesses to do just that.
“AI isn’t going to take your job, but someone who can use it effectively might,” said Nick. “Bringing AI into your business isn’t about replacing people, it’s about having an extra resource you can utilise.”
Twist Consultancy, so named for Nick’s love of balloon twisting as much as his twist on marketing, began in 2016 when Nick’s marketing agency job was keeping him away from his family more than he had initially agreed to.
“I’d been talking about being an independent consultant forever, so decided to step off the cliff and see if the parachute opened!” he said.
Luckily, it did. Within a few months, he had his first big client. The agency he had just left knew his value and experience, so when Travelodge became their new client, they asked Nick to run the company’s email campaigns. He decided to try out an AI tool that generated subject lines for emails, thinking that the human-written subject lines would out-perform the AI-generated ones. He was wrong.
The AI-generated subject lines produced a 33% uplift in engagement and conversion compared to the human-written ones. Such a striking result sparked Nick’s interest in AI and he began investigating different platforms. Fast forward to now, and Nick has not only integrated AI seamlessly into the marketing services he provides, but he also trains people how to use it effectively both in their business and at home.
“Twist Consultancy is all about helping individuals and businesses become more efficient, more effective and more creative using AI,” said Nick. “It’s helpful to have fun with it first to get more comfortable using it and understand what it can do. My workshops are all about having fun with AI in a non-tech way and finding out how to use it in practical, everyday situations, both in business and at home.
“If you’re stuck on what to cook for dinner, take a photo of your fridge contents, upload it to your chosen AI tool and ask it to create a recipe or meal plan for you. Or maybe you want to make the most of your time at the gym but can’t invest in a personal trainer – ask your AI tool to create a weekly workout plan based on your goals, time and equipment. The only limit to what AI can do for you is your imagination.”
On the business side, AI tools are ideal for analysing data and summarising it. Nick recommends speeding up data analysis by uploading a spreadsheet, asking it to summarise the contents and expanding the analysis by asking additional questions. A quick way of staying on top of all the new publications in your industry, and one of the ways Nick keeps up to date with the rapid changes in AI, is to upload them to your chosen AI tool and ask it for a summary of the key points.
Along with ChatGPT, there are numerous AI tools available which can provide different services, from organisation and automation to visual creation and customer service. The sheer number of options can be overwhelming and makes it difficult to know which to choose. This is where Nick’s knowledge and expertise come in – he has tried them out so you don’t have to, and he can provide advice on the best ones to suit your needs. One of the tools Nick uses regularly is Google NotebookLM – a free AI tool that turns the information you upload into an audio overview with two people talking about the topics, just like a podcast. It even has a function where you can interact with it by pretending to call into the podcast and ask questions.
“Lots of people have either dabbled in AI or don’t know where to begin and feel like they should know more,” said Nick. “The training I provide is all about taking that first step into the world of AI. We start by exploring the art of the possible for you personally by learning how to create something simple like an image or a menu, and then look at how AI can be implemented into ways of working in a business.
“People also find it valuable to understand the history of AI – the idea of it has been around since Alan Turing wrote a paper about whether a computer could imitate a human in 1950, which became known as the Turing Test. The latest version of ChatGPT passed the Turing Test recently, and I find this fascinating. AI is being used for amazing things already, like helping NHS clinicians diagnose cancer patients earlier than ever before. It’s changing and improving at an incredible rate, so we can only imagine what else it will be able to do in the future. I want to support my customers in the best way possible, and AI helps me do this faster and more efficiently.”
As if Nick didn’t have enough to do managing Twist Consultancy, he also runs the Milton Keynes branch of The Marketing Meetup (TMM). Every two months, Nick hosts a positively lovely marketing event at MK:U Innovation Hub with guest speakers, a welcoming community of marketers, and pizza.
“I first went to the Northampton TMM where I loved the vibe much more than regular networking,” said Nick. “I wanted to get more involved and give something back to support other marketers alongside growing my own network. As well as giving me real world experience and keeping me up to date with advertising trends, I really enjoy building a supportive community. For all the time and effort I put in, I get much more back – I meet lovely people, find new opportunities and events, and learn something new at every meeting.”
Looking to the future, Nick’s main ambition is to keep doing what he loves – training people in practical AI uses through regular online workshops, bespoke in-house training, and speaking at conferences and events.
“People starting to adopt AI are ahead of the curve,” said Nick. “Everyone can benefit, we just have to be a little bit brave and try it out. Showing people how to get on the AI path is very rewarding, and I’m passionate about helping people see that AI can be exciting as well as useful.”
Contact Nick Crawford for support with AI training, guest speaker sessions, and implementation in your business.
