We often don't think about automation when it comes to some of the smaller tasks in our businesses. How can automation help your business? Below are three ways you can automate your business to help with your everyday tasks.

1. Cut Down On Emails

We're not saying eliminate emails completely, but remove any unnecessary communication via email. How do you do this? Use platforms that allow you to create and automate successful workflows. By doing this, you often get the answers you need more quickly. Here are some platforms we use to streamline our workflow:

Asana: This program drives collaboration. It allows teams to organize, track, and manage goals and workflow. Through the user-friendly platform, you can give clear feedback by leaving comments directly within tasks for easy tracking.

Google Docs: The best feature of Google Docs is the ability to tag others and comment within the doc. This saves you from having to send emails. This program is similar to Microsoft Word, but instead, it allows for multiple team members to type and make edits at the same time. We love this platform for daily tasks such as taking meeting minutes and developing project plans. The best feature of Google Docs is you can tag others and comment within the doc itself. This saves you from having to send emails and creates a more collaborative workspace. Already love Google Docs? Check out the rest of the Google Suite which includes programs such as Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drawings, Google Forms, and more.

2. Schedule Your Social Media

Planning a social media content calendar, creating content, writing copy, and implementing it all can be incredibly time-consuming. Instead of getting overwhelmed by all of these tasks at once, consider batch working your social media. One way to batch work your social media planning is to write a lot of the content at once and schedule your posts for later. Scheduling your posts can be made easier with the help of the many apps and programs that automate this process for you. These tools can assist in scheduling posts so you don’t need to stop what you're doing to post. Here are some of our suggestions:

• Facebook Creator Studios

• Sprout Social

• Loomly Social

• Later Media

3. Think About Customer/User/Client Experience

Often times when we think about automation in email marketing, the first things that come to mind are your welcome series or freebie emails. These types of emails aren't personable enough anymore and frankly, customers expect to get these. Instead, let's dive a bit deeper. Schedule birthday and anniversary emails, invoice reminders, client satisfaction surveys, and so much more. Having these types of emails automated for your clients can save you a lot of time and will guarantee a consistent client experience.

Summary

When you use automation in your business, you don't have to think about how and when certain tasks will be done. Your time is your currency and when you focus on freeing up your time, you and your business will be more creative and profitable.