Isn’t technology absolutely wonderful? There are so many things that we can now automate which wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago. This makes being in business so much easier.

Automation simplifies areas of a business by automatically completing tasks that you or an employee would otherwise have to do manually.

Small businesses can incorporate automation into all aspects of business: from capturing leads to client onboarding. When repetitive tasks are automated, small business owners can spend time doing the big picture stuff —like growing the business.

If you are wondering where to start then I would suggest starting off with some, or all, of the following three automations, which I believe are the ones that every small business owner needs to make their day run more smoothly.

1. Nurture New Leads

I once heard someone (I can’t remember who, but my money is on Amy Porterfield or Neil Patel) describe someone’s inbox as their virtual living room. People don’t want you in there unless you have been invited!

The perfect way to get invited is to offer an irresistible freebie (aka lead magnet) related to your area of genius. Your free content might be an ebook, a checklist, a webinar or another useful resource. The possibilities are endless! If you are stuck on what to offer then read this blog for some inspiration.

Thankfully software now allows us to easily automate the process of sending the freebie out AND even a setting up an email series to follow it. Add a form to your website, social posts and bio, which allows people to sign up to receive your content. When they enter their email address into the form, automation software delivers the requested resource and a series of email afterwards to bring them further along the customer journey.

2. New client onboarding

Make a great first impression by sending a series of emails to welcome new customers and let them get to know you and your business and what they can expect.

You can set up your software so that a purchase triggers this welcome email series. In the first email, sent immediately after a purchase, include a thank you and an introduction.

If you are in ecommerce, you may consider sending a token to say thank you. For example, a discount on their next purchase.

Check in again after the client has started using your product or services to see how they’re doing. This is a great point to include some helpful content, like tips on using the product or how to get the most of your service.

At a appropriate point you could ask for feedback on your product or service.  Send a link to a survey or ask how you could improve. People love to be asked their opinion and you can use the feedback to improve your service. If the feedback is positive, share the testimonials to help other potential customers decide to work with you.

3. Appointment reminders

Comparing calendars and manually scheduling appointments can consume hours of your week.

Scheduling apps like Calendly allow potential and existing clients to schedule an appointment at the time that works for them, and that’s available on your calendar. You can then set up a series of emails to be sent to the client: an appointment confirmation, followed by reminders in the days or hours prior to your meeting. If they cancel, the software will automatically notify you so you can follow up and reschedule.

Automate as much as you can when it comes to appointments! We live in a busy world. The easier that you can make it for someone to book an appointment and have all the information in their calendar when the time comes the better.

To go a step further and make life even easier for yourself, sync your scheduling app with your video conferencing software. This will set a meeting automatically and send the passcode to your client’s and your calendar. If it’s a paid for appointment, sync it with your payment platform to take payment on booking. This allows you to skip another step of invoicing.

If you are ready to automate and would like to have a chat about how I can support you, please book a discovery call here