It is no secret that running a business requires a lot of time, resources, and money. It is nearly impossible to run all the aspects that make up a successful business alone. You may find yourself in need of extra help, but aren’t quite ready to hire a full-time employee. Or maybe you have full-time employees and you want to open up their time to bigger, more efficient tasks. That is where business automation tools come into play. These tools will help you cut costs, save time, and help you achieve your business goals.
Why Business Automation?
Business automation tools will help you to achieve the 80/20 rule of business; 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Business automation will save you from wasting precious time in your day and prevent burnout in your company. You will no longer have to spend hours doing menial, daily tasks. With business automation, you can utilize the “set it and forget it” mentality and let the tools do the work for you.
Imagine how much time would be added to your week if you only spent 1 hour a month on social media or were able to use a customer support system that freed hours from your week. These are the types of tools that will set you apart from others and streamline your business in an efficient way so you can focus on bigger picture goals.
Which Tools Should You Use?
It is time to create your own business automation tool belt equipped with everything you need to systemize your tasks. Here we have listed the top 6 tools businesses can use in 2020.
#1 Zapier
(Photo Via Zapier)
If you’re running a business, it is likely you are using a myriad of web apps like Google Drive, Shopify, Trello, social media platforms, and more. Think of Zapier as the glue that connects these webapps to one platform and allows you to use them seamlessly with one another. You can create custom “zaps” that will trigger a workflow of your choice to occur automatically.
Example Features:
- Send an email to your team every time a Shopify sale is made
- Create new Trello cards based on your Google Calendar
- Add Facebook ad leads to an organized Google Sheet
- Pin your newest Instagram photo to Pinterest
There are 300+ ways to automate your apps using Zapier. With just a few clicks you can save yourself hours of time. Instead of bouncing round from webapp to webapp updating each platform with new information, automate it.
#2 IFTTT (If this then that)
(Photo via IFTTT)
Similar to Zapier, IFTTT helps you create automation recipes that perform specific actions based on your decided triggers. You can be the creator of any automated task you need completed. This will help you make the most of your time in your business and streamline daily activities.
Example Features:
- You can setup automatic posting from one social media platform to another
- Send live updates from your social media posts to a Slack channel
- Automatically save your email marketing stats to a google spreadsheet
- Track work hours in a google calendar
IFTTT is geared towards the beginner automator. The platform is simple and easy to use, making it a great option for those getting started in automation.
#3 Activecampaign
(Photo via Activecampaign)
This automation software gives you the email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM tools you need to create great customer experiences. Activecampaign allows you to engage with your customers on a more personal basis in a way that saves you time and boosts conversions.
Example Features:
- Send personalized email campaigns using information specific to each customer
- Setup automatic welcome emails to new customers
- Manage and organize your customer data in one platform
- Send automated text messages to your customers when it’s best for you
By interacting with your customers on a more frequent basis gives you a better opportunity to convert leads and meet business goals. With a little time and setup, you can make a big impact.
#4 Hootsuite
(Photo via Hootsuite)
Need more social media but don’t have enough time? Hootsuite allows you to manage all your social media in one place. No more bouncing around from platform to platform to get your daily posts up. This automation tool will allow you to set up social media posts days, weeks, and even months in advance making it easy for you to update your audience consistently.
Example Features:
- Set up your monthly social media feeds across all platforms
- Measure and monitor your social media results
- Respond and interact with customers by reply to comments and DMs
- Find and filter social conversations by keyword, hashtag, and location
Your monthly social media feeds can be setup in as little as 1 hour, saving you time and money while staying relevant across these platforms.
#5 Zendesk
(Photo via Zendesk)
If you are typing up custom email responses to every customer, you are wasting precious time. With Zendesk, you can manage all your customer support messages across various platforms in one place. This allows you to never lose touch with the customer’s timeline and solve issues without losing context. This system creates productive customer support representatives and more satisfied customers.
Example Features:
- Provide your agents with a view of the entire customer journey
- Get real-time performance metrics, KPIs and SLAs across the customer experience
- Access to an issue tracking system to track common problems raised by multiple customers
- Enable live chat and messaging across web and mobile
- Utilize the call center software for direct phone communication with customers
Exceptional customer support can make your business stand out. With Zendesk you can streamline your responses to customers and build better quality relationships in less time.
#6 Mailchimp
(Photo via Mailchimp)
Email marketing remains one of the most successful strategies in driving conversations within your business. However, it can become a timely process. Mailchimp makes it easy to create and send email campaigns to the right customers. Their easy-to-use platform and professional templates will make you look like an email marketing pro.
Example Features:
- Use pre‑designed templates and drag‑and‑drop builder for easy email creation
- Pre-schedule emails to go out ahead of time
- Use ready‑made email automations or customize your own to reach the right customers
- Keep tabs on your campaign data
Mailchimp will make your email campaign creation process easy and efficient so you can send out emails that will drive leads.
These tools can be key factors in the success of your business. Not only can you eliminate tasks from your to-do list, but you can add in key business strategies that you previously thought you wouldn’t have the time or resources for. Automating your business will help you drive conversions while saving you time and money in the process.
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Perform Growth is a digital agency that helps businesses grow by making it easy for them to create, manage, and amplify content on social media.
In a world where the internet has made that vast majority of businesses commodities, we believe the best way to cut through the noise and grow a business is to build trust with customers and prospects at scale. This is done by creating as much educational, entertaining, and inspirational content as possible, and distributing it on the social media platforms that matter most to your business.
Perform Growth helps businesses build trust by offering unlimited social media management, graphic design, and video post-production packages.
To learn more about Perform Growth’s packages, email rob@performgrowth.com to set up a free 1–1 consultation.
