Today’s article takes us to Bantul, Indonesia, a town approximately 8–10 hours by car or about an hour’s flight from Jakarta.
In Bantul, there is a cluster of SMEs known for their agricultural and artisanal products. Despite their resourcefulness, these businesses face significant challenges, particularly in leveraging digital tools to remain competitive.
As described in their 2025 paper, Syaifuddin and A’yun trained these SMEs to empower them with the skills needed to use generative AI for copywriting.
They designed their program in using these 3 steps:
Step 1: Problem Identification
This begins with preliminary visits aimed at identifying the primary challenges faced by the business. The team conducts a detailed observation of the business operations and engages in in-depth interviews with the owner to gain insights into the issues impacting their performance. This systematic approach ensures a thorough understanding of the challenges from various perspectives.
This is the approach we default to at the start of any training projects. Like the authors, we’d utilized methods and mechanisms similar to the Empathy stage of Design Thinking. This ensures that we avoid assumptions or preconceived notions about the challenges faced by our participants.
Step 2: Assistance in Developing Copywriting with Generative AI
The authors gather crucial data concerning the business’s products and target market. Using this information, they collaboratively develop AI-driven copywriting strategies tailored to the business’s specific needs. This approach aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of the marketing content, helping the business reach a broader audience and enhance brand visibility.
This step shows how the authors design the training sessions, such as introducing AI tools to the businesses and enabling SMEs to gain hands-on experience in crafting compelling content to help them compete globally using copywriting.
Step 3: Evaluation
This period emphasizes measuring time savings in marketing efforts and the versatility of the tailored copywriting across various channels. Over several days, the team and the business owner collaboratively test and refine the AI-driven strategies. This approach ensures that the new methods are effective, adaptable, and well-integrated into the business marketing operations.
This final step is crucial as it allows both the authors and, more importantly, the businesses to evaluate whether the adoption of generative AI in marketing has made a tangible impact on their operations.
Although the authors did not provide empirical evidence to demonstrate how well this approach worked for the businesses, they did leave us with this insight:
A notable advantage of using generative AI is the ability to tailor content for various marketing channels effortlessly. The SMEs have successfully adapted their copy for use across social media platforms, email campaigns, and websites, ensuring consistency and coherence in their messaging. This versatility is essential for reaching different segments of their target audience and expanding their customer base.
If you’re looking for a process to empower your team with the skills and tools to harness generative AI effectively, this could be an excellent approach to follow.