Why small businesses should use automation
Posted on 19th August 2024 at 11:35
Marketing automation sounds like big business tools, doesn’t it? Platforms like HubSpot or SharpSpring seem like big ticket items for your business, especially if you’re not used to using CRMs with additional marketing features. However, a small business might be the exact perfect customer for such a platform.
This article looks at why your business should at least consider investing in marketing automation.
Time working on your business
The idea of working on your business and not in your business is fast becoming a cliché. However, just because it has been said on repeat doesn’t mean it is has no value. Your business can’t grow unless you spend time working on it. That means freeing up some time.
That’s what automation is good at.
Yes, it takes a little time to get set up, but once you have your information in the platform, and everything set up and designed, you can just let it run. Workflows are particularly handy as they guide your prospects through a customer journey, feeding your customer the information at the moment that it is important to them. Doing this manually would take a lot of time, time that you could spend working on something else that would help you build your brand.
Improved lead management
If you’re still using .csv files to hold your customers on, the lead management will be taking some time. It isn’t easy for your salespeople to leave messages and record everything they have done for a specific client unless they can access the CRM easily. Also, knowing exactly where each customer is along the pipeline is difficult unless you have an automated solution working on it.
The more customers you pick up, the more disparity there will be between customer journeys. Automation picks up on this, analyses their behaviour, and helps you decide how to approach them from there.
It’s actually cost-effective
It might sound strange to say this about platforms that charge in the thousands, but for what it is worth, marketing automation platforms are cost-effective. Firstly, not all charge thousands. Just the powerful ones. But secondly, considering the work they do; to get the same level of service and marketing without an automation platform, you probably would have to pay another salary.
Business owners aren’t good at everything. They are good at their product or service, but few business owners are exceptional accountants, marketing directors, and salespeople as well. Usually, it’s marketing that gets left to the wayside. Perhaps business owners aren’t good at it, or perhaps they don’t have the time to do it until it is too late. To keep your business busy, you need marketing. And marketing doesn’t stop when you’re busy either. You can choose to interact occasionally with a marketing automation software, or hire someone to spend their entire time marketing. Which is better for your business and budget?
Let’s talk about automation
So, what about automation? If you could automate as much of your business as you possibly could, then you would free up all sorts of resources and maximise your profit margins. Isn’t that what it is all about? Large companies might have the resources to add salaries to their roster. Smaller companies probably don’t. It just makes sense to automate where possible.
If you wish to discuss your business goals further, contact us on 01604 698 948 to arrange a coffee and a chat, or email hello@tj-marketing.co.uk with any questions or enquiries.
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