Skyrocket Your Profits by Investing in Automation Tools
Ahhh, yes… automation tools.
Doesn’t the idea just exude the entrepreneurial spirit in you? Like, it just evokes the image of a young woman in the big city for the first time, running across the street spilling 6 chai lattes all over herself while an angry cab driver screams profanities at her. Or, a dude in a well-pressed suit walking slow-motion out of a conference room after slaying some investors with his exceptional PowerPoint presentation. Whatever it is, being an entrepreneur means having to show up. Otherwise, forget about making that dirty paper.
Most of the time, it’s easy to show up. That’s because you probably love what you do. More than likely, you wouldn’t be running your own small business if you didn’t (unless you just like that kind of pain, which is great all the power to you). However, sometimes it’s impossible to show up. Your brain is not communicating with your body, rug rats kept you up all night, anxiety’s got you trapped in bed, or you’re living through a pandemic. Listen, showing up is hard stuff.
Sometimes it feels like it’s impossible to get things done, and you’re not alone in this. As small business owners, we have a lot on our plates. You got invoicing, project management, email marketing, social media ad buys, inventory, ice cream tasting, late afternoon siestas, and trust falls with the team. If you don’t create a system for yourself, or invest in the systems that contain your workflow, your life will be an unending to-do list that will keep you from making cash.
And that is not dope, at all. Think of it like this—small business owners need smart automation tools to run the company to focus on making the art, selling products, crafting code, or taking naps. When life is a big free-for-all, your energy gets lost in all the wrong places. That’s why implementing automated tools can help you manage and grow your business while giving you your life back.
Ready To Robot
So, like, what is an automation anyways? Is this some sort of Terminator 2 situation? Btw, that was the best Terminator (just saying). It might bring to mind expansive manufacturing plants where robots have taken over human jobs. And well, there’s some truth to that. The modern workforce has replaced tons of labor-based jobs with machines. Okay, so if it’s not going full-on Jetsons with Rosie the maid robot, then what is it? Automation tools can be as simple as that little button you push to make sure your coffee is made at the same exact time every day. Because if that coffee weren’t ready each morning, you’d be in a different kind of trouble here.
Automation tools are typically programs, apps, software, or add-ons that can be configured for repetitive business processes. They can be used for sending out emails, posting on your social media platforms, invoicing clients, paying vendors, and more. Oh, so much more.
Why The Robots?
Simply put, they help you grow your business by freeing up your time. Automations are meant for those pesky repetitive things that you need to do and probably don’t want to. Monotonous tasks can take up much of your day as an entrepreneur. When you set up systems using automation tools, suddenly you several hours a day that you aren’t screwing around with something a trained monkey could do.
Hey, don’t get me wrong—those recurring tasks are essential to your business. But automation tools were meant to be put to work, and you deserve a margarita. Here are a few reasons why you should let the robots take it from here.
- You forget things all the time.
Are you set-up for auto-pay for any subscriptions or monthly payments? Well, that’s an automation tool. How many times have you thought, “thank goodness I enrolled in that because I would have forgotten to pay, and that would have cost me like a trillion dollars in late fees?” That’s right, boom.
- Because you don’t got time for this.
How many boring things do you have to do for business’ sake, like all the time? These tasks may seem mundane, but they’re important. Plus, they can help you build revenue, and that’s ahhhh-mazing. Automation can save you time and energy so you can focus on tasks that will bring in more sales and help you reach your goals—developing a new pumpkin spice beer for your brewery, prospecting new leads, and having the headspace to plan how you are going to fulfill your vision for your company. These things actually happen when you automate your workflow, And those are the tasks that skyrocket your profits!
- Customers need you, like all the time.
For people who have navigated to the online space, you may have come to find that sales have required your customer service game to level up. If people are purchasing from you online, it’s pretty standard for them to have the option to speak to a representative or provide their feedback. Automations help you work through customer issues without having to be online all the time. A happy customer can only bring you more business.
- Processing orders is a real pain.
Automations are soooooo smart nowadays. When your business grows, that means you probably have more orders to fill. That’s great news, mazel! But it can almost feel impossible getting through all of those things, right? Well, automation can scale up your business and allocate tickets to the right departments. Remember the old days when mailrooms just shoot up a letter in those tubes? Basically, it’s that but through the interwebs. So future, right?
- We get it, you hate email.
Seriously though, we need to have an in-depth dive talk about this. Because email marketing is one of the most effective, revenue-building marketing tools in the entire universe. Fact. Automation can make the best out of your email marketing campaigns with auto-reply, drips, promotions, etc., and they are all personalized. Your customers will love hearing from you! Let’s make money with it.
What Robots Will Take Over, But Not Take Over?
Alrighty, well, we all love a robot uprising moment in the movies, but not so much in real life, right? WRONG. We love a robot takeover, especially when it comes to growing your business. Pay attention, there will be a quiz at the end! There are so many unsexy things you have to do every day, so why not give it over? Here are some of our favorite automation tools to make running your business less boring while helping you crush your goals.
IFTTT
Easy automation for busy people, that’s how you get stuff done (all while saving time and money). Want to automatically save attachments from Gmail to Google Drive? Done. Want to tweet all your blog posts to Twitter as soon as you hit publish? Completed. Want to back up your file to Dropbox? Mission accomplished. Also, the free version is pretty badass.
Active Campaign
This is advanced email marking and CRM in a pretty dope piece of business software. Alright, that was a little techy, so basically, it’s an awesome all-in-one marketing automation tool that allows you to engage with your customers by segments, create a framework for spreadsheets, explore workflow, set up funnels, monitor contacts, and more.
Calendly
Simple yet effective. Just like a shot of Jager. Every business can use a little bit less of that back and forth on email, and Goddess knows we don’t need another Zoom meeting. Candedly lets you set your availability preferences and embeds a link in your email invitation so they can pick a time that works around your nap. Need another reason to turn your schedule over? How about the fact that this program is free?!
Wave
The bigger your business becomes, the more accounting you’ll need. We like this little tool because it helps minimize the workload with cool stuff like automated invoices, cash flow management, payments, and other money matters. It’s easy cash management for small business, and we are into it right now. Plus, it’s free, people!
Google Ads
Stay with us while we take a little detour. Alright, we have Google Ads here to the left. Doesn’t seem like much of an automation tool, right? Well, okay, let’s take a closer look. Google Ads comes with a bunch of absolutely free automation features. Our favorite word in the dictionary. This includes Bid Rules, which increases your bids for ads that drop off the first page, and then Google takes over. Google Ads Scrip, a collection of JavaScript snippets you can use for generating reports, adjusting bids, and refining keywords. Check it out, learn more, and stay tuned. Those crazy kids at Google are all about building new robots.
Leadformly
Automating your sales process is a no-brainer. But how many small businesses are taking the time to truly streamline this process? Imagine the number of sales you could create with an automation that does all the hard work for you. Leadformly will increase your form conversion rates while helping you segment leads and directing them to your landing pages. Seriously, so smart.
Grammarly
Content is kind, right kiddos? It’s really incredible to think about how important it is for businesses to create content. From law firms, e-commerce websites, bakeries, software developers, vintage car restorers, all businesses need to create content. It can be as simple as posting on social media or creating elaborate drip email campaigns. Grammarly helps you sound smart and sophisticated (like us). It won’t make your writing foolproof, but your high school English teacher would be so proud of you. And that’s all that really matters.
You know who else works like robots? We do! That’s right, everyone at Alchemy Accounting is a robot and likes to do the robot (just kidding, we’re all humans around here… mostly). Specifically, though? We were built and crafted to take care of all your accounting woes (and we are sure there are lots of them).
We love automation tools because they make us so efficient, and we know they can make a difference in your profitability. Implement the ones that work for you and discover how helpful they can be. It’s like the virtual assistant you’ve always needed and never have to gift during the holidays.
However, sometimes it takes a human touch to really get the ins and outs of your business. Money management can get messy, but we like to get our hands dirty. Talk to one of our solutions experts to find out how we can take your money matters off your hands.
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