Running a business is hard. Most business owners struggle with all the things. Those “things” consist of the constant tasks that add themselves to the to-do list. For example, you have billing, phone calls, emails to answer, and leads to follow up. The list never, ever ends. In fact, the list becomes so extensive that you hardly have time to do the main work, which is usually why you started the business in the first place. If you could put some of those tasks on autopilot, wouldn’t you do it? Fortunately, that’s where marketing automation enters the picture.

What is Marketing Automation?

I like to think of this as “crock pot marketing”. Part of what makes a crock pot easy is that you fix everything ahead of time, set it, and let it cook the dinner for you. In other words, you set some of your marketing in place and then it runs itself. It takes a little time to set up, but once you have it in place, you’ll be so glad you took that setup time.

Who uses marketing automation? The number of marketers who employ this strategy grows yearly. According to emailmonday, 56% of companies are currently using marketing automation. 40% plan to start using it in the near future.

Suffice it to say that if you don’t use marketing automation yet, you’ll soon feel left behind.

How to Get Started

You’ve already figured out your audience and marketing persona, right? You know what makes that person tick and the questions they probably have. Marketing automation sets them down the path to realizing that the answers to those questions lie with you.

New Subscribers

Now it’s time to write some emails. First, you need a welcome email. Make the subscribers glad they filled out your form and connected with you. Remind them that you understand that their time is precious and that you don’t plan to waste it. They should receive this email as soon as they confirm their subscription.

Over the next few days, send them some educational emails that show you know what you’re talking about, but don’t be pushy. This isn’t the time to do some major selling.

Marketing Automation for Lead Nurturing

Most email marketing programs have the capability to tag or segment subscribers. Use this to your advantage! What if you label a potential customer as interested in a particular product? The next logical step would be to send that person emails specific to this interest. Over time, they will see you as a trusted source on the subject.

Additionally, if a user fills out a form on your website indicating interest, you must follow up right away. Seriously, you can’t miss this. I can’t tell you the number of folks I’ve talked to who say they chose a specific company because it was the only one that got back to them. What a huge missed opportunity! Having automated responses ensures that, no matter what is going on in your life, you connect with that prospect immediately.

New Products or Initiatives

If you roll out a new product or service, you want to create some buzz. Based on a user’s actions, you can send targeted emails about when the new product is coming and how they will benefit. This works great for sales and promotions, as well.

Other Automations

Automation doesn’t always have to be about sales. I’ve started automating parts of my business that have saved me hours in email writing. I use it to onboard new clients and explain my workflow, qualify leads, follow up on proposals, and more. All I have to do is tag the subscriber with the right phrase, and the emails go out automatically. I wrote them once and never have to write them again. This frees so much time to get the real work done! It also keeps communication from falling through the cracks and makes clients feel more connected.

In fact, I’ve written a guide to help show you what I’ve done:

Marketing Automation Tools

Tons of platforms exist that can help with getting your automation going. MailChimp has incorporated a lot of automation tools, even in their free account. Here are my other favorites:

• ConvertKit – This is what GuppyFish uses.
• HubSpot – a bit pricey, but a great all-in-one customer relationship system.
• Drip – concentrates more on ecommerce.

Another tool on which I rely heavily to keep all the software connected is Zapier. You can get started with their free account and rarely need to upgrade.

Listen, you don’t have to put all your marketing automation in place at once. A step-by-step approach is best. When you realize that you’ve written an email more than once, that’s how you know it should be automated. The next time you write it, automate it! You were going to write it anyway. So, get those tools in place and keep swimming along!