Types of Business Automation
July 11, 2021
Business automation comes in many forms, but regardless of the project, the primary benefit remains the same: to make your life easier. Whether you’re a tiny team looking to reduce workload or a major corporation hoping to standardize workflows, business automation is the answer for many office troubles.
Some reports suggest that managers could get between 8 and 20 hours back if manual data tasks were automated. And while large organizations lead the charge in automation, small businesses benefit just as much. Before we dive into types of automation, let’s look at just a few of the benefits companies see when they implement this time-saving tool at their organizations.
The Benefits of Automation
Saves money. Let’s start with the most obvious benefit of business automation, shall we? Cost-saving measures are top of mind no matter what size company you serve. Reduce operational costs, improve profit margins, and reduce waste when you deploy business automation techniques.
Improves ROI.
In addition to the cost-saving benefits of business automation, you’ll find that process standardizations make it easier to accurately report future trends. Likewise, many systems used for business automation offer in-app reporting. Knowing these numbers helps business leaders predict the ROI of a new idea, new venture, new employee, etc.
Gives back “human” time.
There are some processes that only a human can master, but if they’re busy personally responding to every form submission, they won’t have time. Automation of basic tasks frees your talent up so they can strategize, network, sell, develop, innovate...whatever it is they do best.
Improved efficiency.
Much like cost savings, the improved efficiency provided by business automation is a benefit we cannot overlook. Business automation standardizes processes, reduces the time it takes to complete a project or respond to a customer, and generally reduces errors.
Basic Automation for Small Businesses
While any size company can benefit from automation, not all automation is right for all companies. Small businesses often focus on sales-related automation, and you can automate tasks like:
- Lead assignment. If you have a form on your website, you’re collecting leads. Those leads are sent to a sales representative to continue the conversation and, hopefully, close the deal. Inbound lead assignment can be automated so it automatically notifies the sales rep. Without an in-house person waiting to assign the lead, you’ll greatly speed up the time between a lead contacting you and a lead being contacted by a salesperson.
- Lead follow-up. Similarly, automation allows small businesses to immediately respond to a prospect filling out a form on your website. Through automation, you can send a pre-written email thanking them for their interest in your company, and then your sales representative can continue the conversation shortly thereafter.
- Contact storage and management. A CRM automates contact management, making it easy to seamlessly store, organize, access, and schedule meetings with your company’s contacts.
- Invoicing. Collecting payments can be a time-consuming task without automated invoicing functionality. Automate billing and online payments so that the money keeps coming in while you’re out there selling and serving customers.
Midrange Automation for Mid-Sized Businesses
Mid-sized businesses also benefit from the automation used by small businesses--lead capture, emails, invoicing, contact storage--but they frequently go a step further:
Social media. Marketing requires creativity and strategy from human minds, but many of the tasks can and should be automated. Social media scheduling is one of those things. Many mid-sized businesses use automation to share content across social media.- Ongoing marketing messaging. Build complex marketing funnels and ongoing drip campaigns, and you’ll be on your way to a fully realized marketing strategy in no time (even if you have only a small team of professionals creating the content).
- Recruitment. Like marketing, HR requires a human hand. However, the process of sourcing and sifting through resumes can be delegated to an AI-enabled, automated program. In addition to giving your HR team some time back, this also lessens the likelihood of biases seeping into your recruitment processes.
Complex Automation for Large-Scale Businesses
Major corporations and larger businesses cannot run without some level of business automation in place. From lead capture to recruitment, most of these companies have already mastered the automation listed above, and now they’re looking toward bigger and more complex projects.
- Events and ticketing. Client-facing software, like ordering tickets for a concert or other event, requires a seamless experience...and that’s where automation steps in.
- Customer service. Many current consumers prefer to gather their information online rather than over the phone. Chatbots automate this step, making it easier for potential customers to find what they are looking for and greatly reducing the number of people companies need to have on hand to answer simple, repetitive questions.
- Lead scoring. Far beyond just a simple marketing funnel, lead scoring is an automated process that tracks your sales prospects online, on your website, and through your email campaigns so you can determine how interested they are in your business. By weighing certain actions (like downloading a whitepaper or filling out a form) with a higher score, your sales team sees a tangible number that helps prioritize which leads to focus their attention on and which need a bit more warming before outreach occurs.
Client onboarding. Similar to marketing automation, onboarding automation helps companies make a good first impression by delivering a series of timed, informative emails after they sign on. It keeps them in the loop on their status and makes your team seem very communicative.
DIY website builders have flourished in popularity over the years, and with good reason. With the increase in applications for new US businesses hitting a 13-year high in 2020 , many new business owners find themselves in need of a quick, digital presence. In addition to the benefits of having an SEO-friendly website , a digital presence gives your customers a place to go to collect information about your services and availability. The question, then, is how to get a website off the ground quickly. If your hands are full filing for permits, hiring new talent, and sourcing new customers, you might not have time to become an expert in website development and marketing. That’s where two possible solutions come into play: use a DIY website builder or hire a professional web development agency to get you started. Not sure which option is right for you? Let’s dig in. The Benefits of a DIY Builder A DIY web builder allows anyone to build a website from scratch. Without having to know how to code, these helpful tools offer startups, entrepreneurs, and even larger companies the opportunity to personally design and maintain their websites. These solutions are often very cost-effective, running you only a few dollars per month. You can launch a website in just a couple of days once you’ve written content and decided on a design direction. Built-in themes mean you don’t need to be a professional designer to have a sleek, modern-looking website. The DIY website builder is designed for simplicity, with drag-and-drop functionality and automatic scaling so your site looks great on desktop, mobile, and tablet views. Many of these builders will have built-in security, hosting, and simple SEO plug-ins, simplifying the process of running a professional, secure website. The Benefits of an Agency Working with an agency means you will have a custom, carefully crafted website built by professionals. This option is often best for companies with no marketing experience, who need a lot of customization, or who want to perfect their digital presence to drive leads and sales. An agency will help you write catchy, sales-driven content for your website. With a professional eye for design, they can assist with branding suggestions in addition to general design work. A seamless user experience on your website is key, and they come equipped with the know-how to provide that. You’ll have the ability to customize both the design of the website and the functionality of the website, including app integrations. Often, an agency will provide customer support with important, skilled tasks like search engine optimization (SEO) and ongoing content or marketing needs. How to Make the Decision To choose between a DIY builder and a professional agency, consider a few core questions: Do you have the skills necessary to create a professional website with a solid user experience? Customers will make an immediate decision about your company based on what they see on your website. A poorly designed website can cost a fortune in the long run if it drives customers away. Do you have the funds to hire a professional agency? A DIY builder will, typically, cost substantially less than hiring a team of professionals to write, design, and launch your website. Do you need a lot of customization? While some DIY builders can handle customization through app integrations or plug-ins, true customization is best done with the help of a professional team. If you plan to drive most of your sales via your website, it might be worth the expense to build a website that answers that call. We’re Here to Help Regardless of which tactic you choose, The Creative Freeway is available to make your life easier. With a DIY website builder and a team of professionals, we have the service that fits your goals. Let’s chat .
In their excitement over a new business venture, many professionals are in a rush to get a new website up and running. Existing businesses, too, may see their competitio n polishing their web presences and decide it’s time for a facelift on their own website. In this time of haste, many turn to DIY website builders, which allow just about anyone to create a website without any background in coding. These are great, cost-effective tools, but here are a few questions to consider before moving forward. Is my branding in place? First, if you’re going to take on the design of your company’s website, be sure that you have a brand image in place. Most DIY builders make it easy to design a website without much experience, but your website will be representing your company. Logos, colors, and fonts should be standardized, from the sign on your building to your emails to your business cards and, yes, definitely to your website. Do I have content for the website? Similar to your brand image, your brand voice is important. Will you be professional and informative? Quirky and conversational? Hip and young? If you’re converting an old website to a new website via a DIY builder, it might just be a matter of refreshing the language and filling in any holes you uncover when giving your website a fresh look. If you are building a website from scratch, consider what your customers want and need to see on your site . What templates are available to me? The big benefit of a DIY builder is that you don’t need to be a design expert to put together a really nice looking website. This is because these tools come with pre-built templates that help lay information out in a way that’s pleasing and chic. If possible, view the templates that your prospective DIY builders offer to make sure they include page designs that fit your needs. How will I handle SEO? If you’re not an expert in websites or marketing, SEO (search engine optimization) may not be top of mind, but it’s one of the most important parts of your website . Look for a DIY builder that includes at least a basic SEO plugin, which will allow you to nominate specific ke ywords for your pages and set meta descriptions. If that sounds overwhelming, contract with a knowledgeable freelancer to do occasional SEO work on your website. Is the website builder customizable? While the easy-to-use templates are one of the biggest draws for DIY website builders, customization is also an important factor to consider. Can your website builder integrate with a pps that offer additional functionality, like forms and automation? Does it offer SEO plugins or the ability to customize your navigation? Can you add a blog ? Once you build a website on a website builder, you have to either stick with its limits or start from scratch when y ou outgrow it, so consider what features you might need in the future when you’re growing like crazy! How easy is it to edit the content? A DIY builder won’t do you much good if ongoing maintenance is difficult to manage. Websites require regular updates, not only because businesses evolve but because it’s good for SEO. So, this question is simple: is it easy to use? How much does it cost and what extra features does it include? And, finally, the most obvious question: how much does a DIY builder cost? Many of these programs will cost only a few dollars per month, but remember that the l ess you pay, the simpler your website will be. When considering cost, ask yourself what additional features this builder offers. Does it include hosting? Does it offer security protections ? Are there SEO plugins, a responsive design, or social share features? Whether you’re looking for a DIY builder that meets your needs or an agency to build a custom website for you, The Creative Freeway is your solution. Let’s discuss your needs today!
If you’re new to website creation or marketing in general, you may be a bit overwhelmed by all the jargon. What’s a bounce rate, where does organic traffic come from, how does navigation impact user experience, where can I find my meta descriptions? While The Creative Freeway is available to answer all of these questions for you and more, let’s step back and cover the basics: landing page vs website. What’s the difference?
A good logo is the backbone of your company in many ways. It is the core of your brand identity. It’s the representation of your name, your values, your product, your team, and so much more. You and your customers will be looking at this logo on collateral, emails, websites, and swag for years to come. So, figuring out how to design a good logo is key. Worse, a bad logo can do more than just send the wrong message about your company. If designed poorly, it can be difficult to read and difficult to incorporate into designs, making it a nightmare to work with in the long run. Before you start to pick out colors and fonts, ask yourself these three questions.
Planning and a solid strategy got you to this point: you created the product or service for your startup. You got the framework of your business in place. You’re up and running. Now it’s time to get customers—which means it’s time to create a marketing plan. Just like the first steps of your business, a simple marketing plan requires a solid strategy. Before you investigate marketing technology, outline your ideal social media campaign, or put money behind advertising, you need to consider these five things.
After a late-night research session, you’ve come up with a list of the small business marketing ideas that are going to skyrocket sales and make you a household name. You’re ready to take Google by storm, to be the most-followed influencer on Instagram, and to create a wow! website that converts. The next morning, you remember that you have big ambition, but you’re a compact team. That’s okay! Small business and startup marketing have a whole host of tools available to make your job easier (and some of them are free). Here’s a few to get you started.
Regardless of your company’s size, marketing is a task on everyone’s to-do list. Deciding when and where to invest that money, though, is more difficult if you’re a startup or small business, working with a limited team and a limited budget. Marketing strategies for small businesses might look a little different than those for the Fortune 500, but if you focus on the best marketing tips for small businesses and avoid the classic pitfalls, you’ll start to reap the benefits. To get the most ROI on your marketing efforts, focus on digital marketing opportunities. They’re comparatively low-cost, and they’re often the most evergreen. A printed flyer will become outdated, but a well-designed and well-optimized website keeps you top-of-mind and top-of-Google for years to come.
If you’re a small team, investing time and money into marketing seems daunting. Which marketing channels will show the best return on investment? Which marketing ideas for small businesses are worth the money? Should I prioritize website design for my small business? Doesn’t marketing take a lot of time? Doesn’t marketing take a lot of skill? Marketing looks different for every industry and every individual company because you’re responding to different customer needs. There are core pillars of marketing, though, that you can focus on to get started.
Search engine optimization (or “SEO”) is one of the most impactful digital marketing strategies any company can invest in. Whether you’re looking for small business SEO strategies or advice to improve the ranking of your multimillion-dollar enterprise, optimizing for Google is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires consistent, regular work to achieve and then maintain a first-page ranking. Why should a first-page ranking matter in your small business SEO plan? Regardless of what service or product you sell, your buyer is most likely searching for it on Google, and SEO helps you get in front of those customers. Several studies have found that only 25% of users click to the second page of search results—so optimizing your site to appear on the first page of the search engine results page (or “SERP”) is key to reaching those important buyers.
Do you find yourself wondering “why is social media marketing important?” Even if your business doesn’t seem like a prime candidate for social media, social websites are a vibrant part of the digital world. Don’t think of this task as a burden—recognize that it’s an opportunity to tell your story, to connect with your audience, and to remain relevant. Below, we’ll cover what social media marketing is, why social media marketing is important, and social media marketing strategies you can deploy right now.