4 Easy Ways to Automate Your Business in 2023
If you have a successful business and feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to grow it, then it’s time to think about how to automate your work.
Automation is one of the most direct paths to expand your business, and there are plenty of reasons to adopt it as soon as possible.
However, there’s a catch: As we get closer to 2023, there are still many business owners that don’t know where, or even how to get started with automation.
Since we like to put our money where our mouth is, we’ll show you how automation can help your business, and provide you with actual solutions you can try out right away.
Why automate your business?
First of all, automation has a low overhead compared to bringing more people into the business.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost of hiring a new employee in the US is $4,700. In contrast, a full-fledged automation platform like Make can be used for free, with paid plans starting at just $9/month.
Second, you don’t have to wait too long to start seeing results with automation.
You can automate simple workflows in minutes with Make, and solutions for more complex processes can be deployed in days rather than the weeks (or even months) that traditional implementations demand.
Finally, automation is key to organizing your business, as it allows you to set up workflows to improve efficiency, transparency, and communications across the board.
So, where to need to start?
Let’s take a look at what you need to get started, and then jump to the four business areas that are ripe for automation.
What do you need to start automating?
In order to start on the right foot with automation, you’ll need to sort out three key aspects:
Software
Processes
Attitude
Perhaps not known to many, software is probably the easiest variable to solve, as most companies already have most of the software required to automate all kinds of workflows and processes.
We’re talking about apps you likely use in your business every day: Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Slack, Google Docs, Facebook, LinkedIn, HubSpot, Stripe, and so on.
Since most of the time automation is about connecting apps together and setting up rules for expected (and sometimes unexpected) events, the only piece that’s missing is an automation platform.
Aside from software, it’s fundamental to have a clear view of the workflows and processes that give life to your business.
Understanding each process and knowing which apps and people are involved will allow you to see where the repetitive happens, and where human input isn’t really needed.
Lastly, you’ll need to have the right attitude to automate and be able to spread it across your team.
Companies with the best automation tools in the market have failed to automate due to a lack of interest in changing things for the better.
In short, if the right attitude isn’t there, no tool or consultant will help you reach the other side.
Where to start with automation?
As a matter of fact, you can start automating anything you want, but we encourage you to compartmentalize and think in the following areas first:
Data
Communications
Marketing
Sales
These are the easier business areas to automate, as they involve commonly used apps, repetitive tasks, and tons of human input.
Let’s look at four easy ways to automate your business starting with these areas.
1. Data automation
Businesses today live and breathe all kinds of data related to products and services, supply chain, sales, customers, and web performance, among other things.
Oftentimes, businesses can improve their data management drastically with automation.
From simple stuff like backing up emails to more advanced use cases like training a machine learning model with data stored in spreadsheets, the possibilities are endearing.
2. Communication automation
Did your business ever suffer consequences due to someone missing a key message or notification?
You’re not the first, and automation can prevent this from happening again by a large margin.
Make allows you to easily set up notifications for virtually anything, share messages to broader groups, and keep track of what is shared, when, and to whom.
For any event that’s worth communicating, there’s a solution you can build in minutes with Make.
3. Marketing automation
Marketing is filled with potential automation use cases you can benefit from. Whatever your marketing efforts look like right now, there’s a chance you can improve them by adding automation to the mix.
Adding new customers to your mailing list automatically? Check.
Saving new Facebook leads to a spreadsheet? Check.
Tracking interesting keywords for your Google Ads campaigns? Check!
Make turns marketing automation into an art you can master with ease, giving your business a competitive edge to rapidly increase ROI.
4. Sales automation
Whether it’s you or a team that takes care of sales for your business, automation can help you convert faster, and have all the data you need to close a sale at your fingertips.
From adding contacts and leads to your CRM to keeping track of incoming orders, Make will help you streamline your sales process so you can focus on delivering superior experiences to your customers.
Conclusion: Preparedness as the ultimate strength
On top of the evergreen reasons that support the adoption of automation, there are contextual factors that are worth taking into consideration as well.
Some of the most influential financial institutions in the world are forecasting slow economic growth for 2023, which isn’t exactly good news for business owners trying to grow.
In light of this, automation makes more sense than ever, as it’s the option that combines a low overhead with huge potential and immediate impact.
When there’s a solution that can save you several work hours a week, it’s worth trying it out - and a good place to start is by signing up for a Make account.
