Marketing automation. They’re tools that are made for small businesses but too often sound like it’s only for big companies.
If you’re a small business owner with a great service or product, but you’re constantly juggling emails, social media posts, customer follow-ups, and lead generation – marketing automation could make your life so much easier.
They’ll give you back the time you need to focus on other parts of your business without sacrificing the personal touch your customers love. And automation isn’t even as complex as it sounds.
In this blog, we’ll tell you exactly what marketing automation actually means, what it can do for a small business website, and how it can make a real difference.
What Exactly is Marketing Automation?
All marketing automation is software that is designed to carry out repetitive marketing tasks without needing constant manual input.
The goal is to manage marketing processes across multiple channels (e.g. emails, your social media accounts, and your website) without needing to actually press “send” or “post” repeatedly. If you schedule it or set it as a recurring task – it’ll just do it.
For small businesses, marketing automation is a game-changing. You essentially have a system that automatically follows up with new leads, reminds customers of abandoned carts, posts on social media at the right time without you needing to, or even sends personalised birthday messages. And, with minimal effort from you.
You don’t even need a huge budget to get started.
Why Marketing Automation is Worth It
Depending on the service or product, customers expect a bit of personalisation and, above everything else, quick responses.
They want to feel like their custom is important. But for a small business, one of the key challenges is being able to keep up with everyone whilst also managing your business.
Marketing automation lets you deliver that personalised experience whilst also ensuring your customers feel valued and your business stays top-of-mind.
With the right automation in place, you have the potential to nurture leads, increase conversions, improve customer retention, and, ultimately, boost your revenue. And you get to do all of this whilst saving time and resources. It’s kind of like having an extra pair of your own hands.
The bottom line is that if you’re not using marketing automation to your advantage, you’re missing out. 76% of companies that are actively using automation have seen a boost in ROI within one year alone, and 80% say they saw a significant increase in leads in the same time frame.
Best Types of Marketing Automation for Small Businesses
Automating your marketing processes can and will save you hours, and it can be used for all different parts of your business.
Some automation tools will be industry-specific. However, if you’ve never used anything like this before, the core marketing automation tools to look into that’ll save you a lot of time are:
- Email marketing automation
- Social media scheduling
- Stock management software
- Customer relationship management tools
- Appointment booking software
- Chatbots
- Customer feedback reminders
Email Marketing Automation
If you’re already using email marketing, automation can elevate your strategy without requiring much extra effort. Automated emails can be set up to send based on triggers, like a customer’s behaviour or important dates, which keeps your communication consistent and also relevant. Don’t overdo it, though. No one likes to be spammed!
There are a few different email campaigns that are key to automating. These would be:
- Welcome emails: Designed to automatically greet new subscribers or customers with a warm, engaging email as soon as they sign up.
- Lead nurture emails: These will help guide potential customers through their buying journey, giving them valuable information and answering common questions along the way.
- Abandoned cart reminders: If you’re running any kind of e-commerce store, abandoned cart emails can remind customers of the products they left behind, encouraging them to complete their purchase.
- Re-engagement campaigns: Reach out to existing customers who haven’t interacted with or purchased from your business for a while. A little reminder could be all it takes to bring them back!
Automating these emails not only saves you so much time and effort, but it also ensures that you’re not neglecting your marketing, and you’re also constantly building relationships with your audience in a relevant way.
Plus, the data-driven nature of automated emails means you can monitor what’s working and refine your approach over time.
Social Media Scheduling
Social media is a massive opportunity for small businesses, but spending time posting consistently can feel impossible when you’re already strapped for time. Marketing automation tools (such as SEMrush) allow you to schedule posts in advance, ensuring your brand stays visible on feeds.
Most social media tools also come with analytics features, so this will help you understand what type of content is resonating most with your audience so you can continuously improve.
Stock Management Software
If you’re a small business that sells physical products, inventory management software helps by tracking stock levels, sending alerts when items are low, and even (if you want it to) automating reordering for popular products.
This automation reduces the risk of stockouts, which will disappoint customers, and keeps inventory levels aligned with demand. It also provides insights into which products are selling really well.
Customer Relationship Management Tools
Customer relationship management systems (CRM) automate the process of tracking customer interactions, making it much easier for small businesses to keep detailed records of each customer.
With a CRM, you can track essential data, such as:
- Customer preferences
- Past purchases
- Previous communications
This information helps deliver a more personalised experience, which can lead to increased customer loyalty. Additionally, many CRMs have automation features that can follow up with customers after purchases, send reminders, and even handle feedback requests, so it’ll help shape your email marketing campaigns, too.
Appointment Booking Systems
For service-based businesses, managing appointments manually can be time-consuming, and you’re likely to make a couple of errors here and there.
Online booking systems allow customers to schedule their own appointments, depending on your availability as a business. So they can choose preferred time slots and receive automated reminders before their appointment.
This frees up time for the business and reduces the likelihood of no-shows or last-minute cancellations. Customers also simply appreciate less hassle and the convenience of booking online, which can definitely improve satisfaction and retention.
Chatbots
One of the main advantages is that a chatbot can provide customer support around the clock.
Small businesses often don’t have the resources to have staff available 24/7, but a chatbot can answer customer questions at any time, day or night. This means that even when the business team is done for the day or just busy, customers can still receive a level of assistance.
Chatbots can also help generate leads. Some chatbots are designed to collect information from visitors, like their email addresses or phone numbers, so that you can follow up with them later. This means that the chatbot is assisting visitors whilst it’also gathering details that could lead to new opportunities.
Customer Feedback and Reviews
We all know just how essential customer feedback is when you’re looking to grow. And as timing is everything – marketing automation can help you reach out to customers at the right moments, like after a purchase or a customer service interaction, to request reviews or feedback.
Many review platforms (e.g. Google or Trustpilot) also integrate with automation tools, making it easy to make this process efficient.
Marketing Automation for Small Businesses: How to Get Started
For small businesses, jumping into automation might seem really confusing, but it’s more accessible than you probably think.
Many tools offer affordable pricing and easy-to-use interfaces, plus there are plenty of resources to help you get set up. Here are a few tips to get started:
- Start by choosing a few tasks that take up the most time. For example, email follow-ups or social media posts. Focus on automating these first.
- Begin with basic workflows, like a welcome email series for new subscribers or a follow-up for abandoned carts. As you get comfortable, you can add more.
- Popular automation tools for small businesses include Mailchimp for emails, Hootsuite for social media, and Salesforce for CRM. But there are many to choose from. Look for platforms that fit your budget and offer scalability.
- Automation is not a “set it and forget it” process. Regularly check your metrics to see what’s working and tweak your approach as needed.
Need Help? Get in Touch!
Marketing automation might sound like a huge change, but it’s actually all about doing more with less. Start small and build your way up – and you might be surprised at how big a difference it makes.
From the development of custom CRMs to social media management and email marketing campaigns, if you need help with marketing – get in touch today. Call us on 0151 652 4777 for more information on how we can help.
Posted on Friday, November 15th, 2024 in Digital Marketing.
