When you own a small business, a lot of the work often falls on your shoulders. As you become busier, it can be hard to invest time in growing your business as you get stuck in the daily operations.
Incorporating automation can help you handle the workload so that you can focus on pursuing new customers, refining your marketing strategy, and creating new product offerings. Here are some automation strategies that can help you scale your business.
Employee Scheduling
Employee scheduling can take hours of your time each month. While it seems as though a few hours each month isn’t that much, the time adds up over a year and detracts focus from core business strategizing.
Using an employee scheduling app can take care of scheduling for you, and even use smart technology to analyze past trends and forecast your staffing needs accordingly. According to Humanity.com, you can set up a centralized system for your employees to handle their own shift changes and vacation requests, and set reminders about upcoming shifts.
Lead Generation
Creating a lead magnet or opt-in can open a gateway to potential customers. Look at something that pertains directly to your business offering such as a free eBook, course or challenge. The lead magnet shouldn’t be just anything– it should be something of value that shows what further benefit your business can offer someone.
By automating your lead generations, you let business come to you rather than going out and searching for it yourself. This frees up time for you to focus on converting those leads into paying customers.
Email Marketing
Having an automated email marketing funnel to put your leads into will help you keep conversions simple. While not all of your customers will come from your lead magnet, having this method of contact will allow you to build a strong rapport with your audience, getting them comfortable with your brand and cultivating trust.
When setting up an email marketing strategy, find a balance between providing interesting and useful information that will keep them opening your emails and sales. Too many pushy sales emails will put people off while giving away too much won’t benefit your business.
Social Media Management
Having a strong social media strategy is integral for success in modern business. It’s a convenient way to communicate with customers and inform them of what’s going on in your business. It’s also a way to build a personal connection with your customers by showing what’s going on behind the scenes.
Using a social media management tool like Buffer is an affordable way to post across platforms with the click of a button, rather than switching back and forth between your various channels. You can also schedule things in advance to post automatically. By using a social media management tool, you can invest a few hours each month to keep a strong online presence while working with the algorithms to reach your audience.
Expense Tracking
Tracking your expenses is essential for keeping track of your budget and ensuring that you have everything in order during tax time. Using an app like Hurdlr can automate the process for you, and help you track everything from your mileage to your taxes owed. It can sync with your automobile and your bank account for a centralized, streamlined approach.
Meticulously tracking your expenses gives you a better idea of what’s going on in your business overall. To meticulously track and organize your expenses, you can request a tracking software system be used in your business. It can help you make strategic decisions regarding which areas may need to be cut to become more profitable.
By incorporating automated processes into your standard operating procedures, you create time for yourself to scale your small business to get more customers and boost your bottom line.