How to Automate Your Marketing

Are you ready to spend more time doing this...

and less time doing this?

We thought so. 

The words "Digital Marketing" often invoke a sense of panic over the elusive, ever-changing tools that we can’t seem to live (or run our businesses) without.  We’ve hear it constantly, marketing is always the thing that is put on the back burner in small business. Whether it’s because of time, or lack thereof, not fully understanding the tools at your fingertips, or simply not wanting to put in the time and effort in to setting it up - it just doesn't get done.
 
Creating a digital marketing plan is a sure-fire way to set your business up for success. A plan implements accountability into your marketing to ensure you consistently provide value to your audience, build trust, and establish a loyal repeat customer base.

Below are 7 ways to take you can bring automation into your marketing efforts, giving you more structure and in turn, more time each week to work on other aspects of your business... or escape on your next adventure. 

Create A Content Calendar and Auto-Schedule Social Posts
Creating a monthly content calendar filled with a month ahead of posts, including images, copy, hashtags, and links, takes the guesswork out of what to post from day-to-day, saving you time on the regular. What’s more, Facebook recently released its Creator Studio. This is the content planning hub for Facebook and Instagram. It allows users to create posts and schedule them out on both platforms. Scheduling posts means your Facebook and Instagram accounts nearly run themselves, aside from engagement.

Schedule a Monthly Newsletter
Designate a set amount of hours each month for your newsletter. Build your newsletter into your monthly content calendar, and align the newsletter concept with the content happening in other areas of your marketing, like blog posts or social media channels. This creates cohesive campaigns each month across all communication channels. Using tools like MailChimp, you can create your newsletter ahead of time and schedule it to send on your desired date.

Set up Instant Replies on Facebook Messenger
We’re not always able to answer customer questions right away, which is where instant replies via Facebook messenger becomes a worthy tool to implement. Instant replies enables a pre-determined message to be sent as your page's response to new messages from potential customers. A simple way to do this is by creating a message to let customers know that you will respond soon or to thank them for getting in touch.

Add Messenger Bots on your Website for FAQ's
On that same note, setting up automated messages, also known as chat bots, on your website helps support your customer experience, without you personally having to hand hold through the process. This sort of conversational commerce also can re-engage customers that were mindlessly browsing your website or left something in their cart, can help with customer service inquiries like tracking a package or booking an appointment, or even can suggest a product to try.
 
Set up Goals and Track Conversions in Google Analytics
 
First let’s cover what a goal means in Google-lingo. A goal could be a customer purchase on an ecommerce site, downloading a .pdf, completing a contact form, entering an email... the list goes on. Basically it the completion of a set action that you define.  
 
Setting goals allows Google to generate the conversion rate of your marketing campaign or initiatives,  showing the effectiveness of your marketing methods so that you can evaluate (maybe even re-evaluate) your plan. Once you set up your goals initially, Google Analytics will continue to track them automatically for you over time. 
                                         
Create Automated Freebies 
There are so many different freebies you can provide your customers with depending on your business. Examples include: sending a discount code when someone signs up for your newsletter, including a free sample product when someone spends $50 or more online, or sending a thank you email with a coupon for a customer's next purchase. The best part of these freebies - you can set them up to happen automatically, so you just set, forget, and watch the new and return customers roll in. Maybe website platforms and email marketing platforms offer features or plugins to set up these automated marketing tactics.

Add Shopify to Instagram
If you’re a shop owner that offers goods or services, integrating your shop within Instagram gets rid of click barriers (like needing to leave the app) so customers can complete the purchase seamlessly, in turn - selling more product. Once you set up Shopify and upload your product catalog, Instagram becomes just another way customers can purchase your goods online, while your off exploring the next beautiful place on your bucket list.