{"id":8408,"date":"2017-03-08T11:01:01","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T10:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.invoiceberry.com\/?p=8408"},"modified":"2024-05-28T12:41:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T10:41:40","slug":"25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Amazing Tools to Automate Your Small Business [Expert Roundup]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you&#8217;re a small business owner, it&#8217;s important to save your time as much as possible, meaning you need to find the best tools to help automate your business.<\/p>\n<p>But with so many amazing software programs out there, which ones are the best?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>InvoiceBerry<\/strong><\/a> of course is great for automating your invoices, but we reached out to some small business experts on what tools they use the most.<\/p>\n<p>The answers fall into three\u00a0groups: social media management, customer resource management, and other business operations. Let&#8217;s see what the most effective tools are to automate your business processes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip_box choice\" style=\"color:#555;background-color:#fff8f8;border-left:5px solid #e22524;padding:30px 30px 25px 30px\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-4 col-xs-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/free-ebook-ultimate-guide-social-media-small-businesses-freelancers\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<div class=\"blog_hp_img\" style=\"height:120px;background-image:url('https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/feature-image-social-media-ebook2.png?fit=600%2C252&ssl=1');\" title=\"Free ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Small Businesses & Freelancers\" alt=\"\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-8 col-xs-12\" style=\"text-align: left;font-style: normal;margin-top:-8px;\">\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/free-ebook-ultimate-guide-social-media-small-businesses-freelancers\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\"><span style=\"font-weight:bold;color:#e22524;font-size:16px;display:block;\">Free ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Small Businesses &#038; Freelancers<\/span><\/a>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style=\"font-size:14px;color:#000;line-height:1.8;display:inherit;\">Get InvoiceBerry & Pickaweb's new free ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Small Businesses & Freelancers to get social leads & convert traffic.<\/span>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/free-ebook-ultimate-guide-social-media-small-businesses-freelancers\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\" style=\"color:#e22524;font-size: 14px;line-height: 2;display: inherit;\">READ MORE<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<h2>Social Media Tools to Automate Your Business<\/h2>\n<p>These are the best tools according to our experts to help you automate your <a title=\"Free ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Small Businesses &amp; Freelancers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/free-ebook-ultimate-guide-social-media-small-businesses-freelancers\/\">social media<\/a> and gain new followers.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8414 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/David_Lowbridge-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"David Lowbridge explains the automation tools he uses the most\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">David Lowbridge, Managing Director\u00a0at TwoFeetMarketing<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twofeetmarketing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">twofeetmarketing.com<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/2feetmarketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@2feetmarketing<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>We use numerous tools to help automation,\u00a0but the best are social media management tools. The two best in the field, in my opinion, are <a href=\"https:\/\/hootsuite.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>HootSuite<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialoomph.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>SocialOomph<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The importance of a regular social presence is vital. Customers expect at least three to five Facebook posts a week and between six and eight Twitter updates a day. This routine can be disruptive to your operations.<\/p>\n<p>This is why using Hootsuite or SocialOomph to plan and schedule updates in advance can be such a time saver \u2013 especially for a small business. When doing it manually, these tasks can take up to two hours a day. When automating the task, it can take less than thirty minutes per social media account.<\/p>\n<p>Hootsuite is even more powerful because it can help you monitor up to three social accounts for free. This saves you lots of time and effort in checking what is going on and who is interacting with you.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8418 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Ellie-Heintze-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Ellie Heintze discusses the best tools to automate her business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Dr. Ellie Heintze, Business Success Coach at Simplify Your Practice<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.simplifyyourpractice.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">simplifyyourpractice.com<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrEllieND\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DrEllieND<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>When I first started out I realized that I needed to have systems in place to make everything in my business run efficiently. Since it was just me at the time &#8220;wearing all the hats.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So automation was the key! I created a system where I would write blog posts a month in advance, get them edited, and scheduled to publish on my WordPress site. I used the <a href=\"https:\/\/coschedule.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Coschedule<\/strong><\/a> calendar to help me automate all blogs to be uploaded into an automated social media campaign.<\/p>\n<p>This would automatically publish content on the date of being published on my website, the next day, next week, and a month later on all major social media platforms. This created a way for me to be active on social media and share content without spending hours doing so everyday.<\/p>\n<p>It also allowed my blog content to be refreshed and continuously posted on social media for potential clients. I still continue to use this strategy in my other business as it is such an effective way to automate sharing content.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8428\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Jessica_freeman-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jessica Freeman loves using these tools to automate her small business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Jessica Freeman, Jess Creatives<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jesscreatives.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">jesscreatives.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jesscreatives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@jesscreatives<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The best tool that I use to automate in my business is <a href=\"https:\/\/meetedgar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Meet Edgar<\/strong>.<\/a> This tool helps me be consistent on social media, by constantly cycling through my curated library of posts and links.<\/p>\n<p>Edgar is so automated that I don&#8217;t have to think about posting on social media at all \u2013 it posts for me day in, and day out. By freeing up my time, Edgar has almost doubled my following on social media, and 46% of my clients have found me on social media!<\/p>\n<p>Because of Edgar, I&#8217;m not having to chase after clients \u2013 they&#8217;re finding me.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8433 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/anita-kirkbride-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Anita Kirkbride's favorite automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Anita Kirkbride, Head Twirp at<br \/>\nTwirp Communications Inc.<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twirp.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">twirp.ca<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/anitakirkbride\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@anitakirkbride<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>In my business, I use\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/revive.social\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Revive Social<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a WordPress plugin that reposts and recycles my blog articles on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<p>This keeps my social profiles full and also shares evergreen content with new followers I&#8217;ve gained since the last time it was posted. This saves me a ton of time on rescheduling old content to be reused.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip_box choice\" style=\"color:#555;background-color:#fff8f8;border-left:5px solid #e22524;padding:30px 30px 25px 30px\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-4 col-xs-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/customer-retention-small-businesses\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<div class=\"blog_hp_img\" style=\"height:120px;background-image:url('https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/feature-customer-retention.jpg?fit=600%2C252&ssl=1');\" title=\"Proven Customer Retention Strategies for Small Businesses\" alt=\"\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-8 col-xs-12\" style=\"text-align: left;font-style: normal;margin-top:-8px;\">\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/customer-retention-small-businesses\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\"><span style=\"font-weight:bold;color:#e22524;font-size:16px;display:block;\">Proven Customer Retention Strategies for Small Businesses<\/span><\/a>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style=\"font-size:14px;color:#000;line-height:1.8;display:inherit;\">It can be 5-25 times cheaper to keep a customer than get a new one\u2014which is why small businesses need to work on their customer retention strategies.<\/span>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/customer-retention-small-businesses\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\" style=\"color:#e22524;font-size: 14px;line-height: 2;display: inherit;\">READ MORE<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<h2>Customer Resource Management &amp; Email Campaign Tools<\/h2>\n<p>Use these trusted tools to help how you communicate with your customers and ensure they become loyal to your brand.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8419 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Crystal_Ignatowski-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Crystal Ignatowski discusses her best small business automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Crystal Ignatowski, Marketing Content Developer at Surety Solutions LLC<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/suretysolutions.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suretysolutions.com<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6891\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/linkedin.png?resize=20%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/crystalignatowski\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crystalignatowski<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The tool we use most to automate our marketing efforts is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Hubspot<\/strong><\/a>. We use Hubspot as our blogging platform, and also as our CRM, emailing platform, etc. We have API\u2019s set up that allow us to connect Hubspot to our custom e-commerce software platform.<\/p>\n<p>Hubspot has helped us grow our online business from 1,500 views a month to over 90,000 views a month. We now are visible online and it is awesome.<\/p>\n<p>Hubspot has also allowed us to focus on being proactive instead of just reactive. Since our Hubspot emails are set up with APIs, customers who click on a link, view a product, get a quote, etc, are sent an email automatically.<\/p>\n<p>We do not have to worry about being reactive and reaching out to them. Hubspot does that for us, and we get to work on being proactive with other efforts. Allowing us to be proactive instead of reactive is one of the greatest gifts automation has brought to our company.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8420\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/HeatherClark-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Heather Clark uses these tools to automate her business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Heather Clark, Brewery Rep at Video Brewery<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">videobrewery.com\u00a0|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/videobrewery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@videobrewery<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>We use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.infusionsoft.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>InfusionSoft<\/strong> <\/a>for our CRM and marketing automation needs.<\/p>\n<p>The flexible campaign builder has helped systematize and automate our qualified lead follow-up, raising our close rate by 10%.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, we&#8217;ve built campaigns to follow-up with new potential vendors, allowing us to have a better pool of video professionals to call on and actively remove the ones who aren&#8217;t aiding our sales.<\/p>\n<p>The learning curve was a little steep and we&#8217;re still not using the system to its full potential, but the initial payoff has been huge!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8425 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Ujwal_Surampalli-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Ujwal Surampalli uses these tools to automate his business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Ujwal Surampalli, Chief of Interview Buddy<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/interviewbuddy.in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interviewbuddy.in<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6891\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/linkedin.png?resize=20%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/haiujwal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">haiujwal<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>My favourite automation tool is\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mailchimp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>MailChimp<\/strong><\/a>. We&#8217;re an EdTech company and our target audience is in the age groups 19-24 which makes it imperative for us to keep updating our content regularly at all times.<\/p>\n<p>MailChimp is one of the most affordable email automation tools in the market. We can use the tool to create segments basing on various data pertaining to the campaign being designed such as on the customers&#8217; previous interaction with the brand, behaviour, previous purchases, the stage he&#8217;s in as per the of the marketing funnel and so on coupled with scheduling.<\/p>\n<p>All this goodness comes with a pretty clean and simple to use interface which makes it easy for any new business owner with even minimal domain knowledge to easily kickstart their email marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>The icing on the cake here is &#8211; MailChimp is free to use for up to 2,000 subscribers and allows us to send in about 12,000 emails per month without having to pay a dime.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8426 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Bj\u00f6rgvin_Benediktsson-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bj\u00f6rgvin Benediktsson loves these automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Bj\u00f6rgvin Benediktsson, Musicpreneur at\u00a0Audio Issues<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.audio-issues.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">audio-issues.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/audioissues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@audioissues<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>A couple suggestions for a more automated business for me would be:<\/p>\n<p>1. Use automated email campaigns using <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aweber.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aweber<\/a>, Mailchimp, Infusionsoft,<\/strong> etc to send value driven emails to your subscribers that they want to learn more about. You can get these topics easily by simply asking them what they&#8217;re biggest struggles are in the first email.<\/p>\n<p>Once enough subscribers tell you some of the problems they have related to your business you can create a series of email tackling that problem, giving them solutions while also promoting your product along the way.<\/p>\n<p>2. Use something like <a href=\"https:\/\/recurpost.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Recurpost<\/strong><\/a> (free) or <strong>MeetEdgar<\/strong> (not free) to completely automate your social media postings. If you have a lot of content marketing articles on your blog you can set Recurpost up to distribute your posts regularly to your social media feeds.<\/p>\n<p>I have hundreds of blog posts and Recurpost regularly sends them out on Facebook for me after I&#8217;ve set them up in their content library.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a set it and forget it system that gives new social media followers a lot of valuable content regularly without you having to do anything extra other than monitor the comments, respond to them and engage with your audience organically.<\/p>\n<p>Using these two tools means that both your email marketing and social media marketing is automatic as much as possible, allowing you to focus more on creating and working ON your business.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8434 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/scott-layson-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Scott Layson uses these great automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Scott Layson, Owner\/Marketing Director at\u00a0Layson Group<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.memphisrealtysearch.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">memphisrealtysearch.com<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>My wife and I own real estate teams in Nashville and Memphis and one tool that I could not live without is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.followupboss.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Followupboss<\/strong><\/a>, which is our CRM. It allows us to set up automatic drip text and email campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>This means that as soon as a new lead arrives in our CRM, each prospect is sent an email and text automatically that appears to be coming from us, even while we&#8217;re sleeping!<\/p>\n<p>This has been a great way for us to contact prospects immediately, which has increased our conversion rate of online leads.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8435 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Andrew_Legrand-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Andrew Legrand uses these automation tools for his business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Andrew Legrand, Founder of Spera Law Group, LLC<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/nolasmallbizlaw.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">nolasmallbizlaw.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lawbylegrand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@lawbylegrand<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.activecampaign.com\/crm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>ActiveCampaign<\/strong><\/a> has been a huge benefit for my firm, and I&#8217;ve effectively automated the client intake process. Now, when a client submits the contact form on my website, they&#8217;re first directed to a landing page that includes the details and pricing for an initial consultation.<\/p>\n<p>If they book right away, then ActiveCampaign automatically sends them information that they need to get the most out of our consultation. If they don&#8217;t book immediately, then they&#8217;re automatically added into a drip campaign that encourages them to schedule that consultation.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s just the tip of the iceberg. Those contacts are added to my monthly newsletter, I understand where people are in the sales process, and track so much more within ActiveCampaign.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip_box choice\" style=\"color:#555;background-color:#fff8f8;border-left:5px solid #e22524;padding:30px 30px 25px 30px\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-4 col-xs-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/18-marketing-ideas-boost-business\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<div class=\"blog_hp_img\" style=\"height:120px;background-image:url('https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/feature-18-marketing-ideas.jpg?fit=600%2C252&ssl=1');\" title=\"18 Fantastic Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Small Business [Expert Roundup]\" alt=\"\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-8 col-xs-12\" style=\"text-align: left;font-style: normal;margin-top:-8px;\">\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/18-marketing-ideas-boost-business\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\"><span style=\"font-weight:bold;color:#e22524;font-size:16px;display:block;\">18 Fantastic Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Small Business [Expert Roundup]<\/span><\/a>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style=\"font-size:14px;color:#000;line-height:1.8;display:inherit;\">Marketing can be difficult and costly for small businesses. However, it doesn't have to be. Get these 18 proven marketing ideas straight from the experts.<\/span>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/18-marketing-ideas-boost-business\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\" style=\"color:#e22524;font-size: 14px;line-height: 2;display: inherit;\">READ MORE<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<h2>Other Automation Tools<\/h2>\n<p>These are some of the other tools you can use to help you automate the most important parts of your business.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8415\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Lee_Drozak-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Lee Drozak's most often used tools to automate her business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Lee Drozak, Digital Strategist at LeeDrozak Biz<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/leedrozak.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">leedrozak.com<\/a> |\u00a0\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/leedrozak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@leedrozak<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Many consultants and coaches rely on that first conversation to vet their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.contactout.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">potential clients and all prospects<\/a>. Without automation, this can take a lot of time out of your day. Because time is money, I use several apps to make the process simple without my input until the first conversation.<\/p>\n<p>My vetting forms are created using <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Gravity Forms for WordPress<\/strong><\/a>, and thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/leadgenapp.io\/conditional-logic-forms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">conditional logic in forms<\/a>, I can vet based on questions asked on the form. Also, it can disqualify those who are not right for me and send a response accordingly.<\/p>\n<p>The next step is to get the appointment scheduled, and for that, I use Acuity Scheduler which allows me to set different appointment types and send automated responses such as confirmations and reminders. I also have a questionnaire set up so that I know what exactly we will be discussing and how they found me.<\/p>\n<p>After the call, I have a series of responses set in <strong>ActiveCampaign<\/strong> that allows me to recap and give the next steps based on a tagging system for automation. So for example, those who turn to clients are marked accordingly and those not become touches, warm, no interest, etc.<\/p>\n<p>If the client is a perfect fit, a contract is sent using<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/acrobat.adobe.com\/us\/en\/sign.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AdobeSign<\/a><\/strong>, and upon the signed return, those are sent to my bookkeeper so she can update the record with missing client information that is provided in the contract.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8417 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/AJ_Saleem-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"AJ Saleem describes his favorite automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">AJ Saleem, Director of Suprex Tutors Houston<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.suprexlearning.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suprexlearning.com<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SuprexLearning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SuprexLearning<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>I am the owner of the start-up tutoring company, Suprex Tutors Houston, and I have been automating my business.<\/p>\n<p>The tool that has been extremely helpful for me has been the browser extension, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixmax.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MixMax<\/a><\/strong>. MixMax allows me to save templates and schedule emails to be sent at optimal times.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, we have been starting to use a virtual assistant in order to answer phone calls, thus saving us precious human time.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8416\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kevin-Mako-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kevin Mako describes the tools he uses to automate his business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Kevin Mako, Founder of Mako Design + Invent<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.makodesign.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">makodesign.com<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/kevmako\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@kevmako<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The single most effective strategy that has allowed the business to function without him is to systemize and record every single interaction that takes place in the business.<\/p>\n<p>This involves writing step by step, easy to understand instructions for each role. For example, MAKO\u2019s quoting structure has step-by-step questions to ask, the sales pipeline has step-by-step instructions to follow and check off and the designing process has key steps to be completed before the next step can be done.<\/p>\n<p>I\u00a0also have the whole team on the project management software, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrike.com\/login\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WRIKE<\/a><\/strong>, which allows me\u00a0to place each of these steps in their projects and view the progress of any client and employee in or out of the office.<\/p>\n<p>WRIKE also allows me to place things as higher priority, which means any job or responsibility that follows the highest priority task cannot be completed until this task is done. Something that is a very helpful solution to one of the most damaging behaviors to fall victim of \u2013 procrastination.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8422\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Bryan_Koontz-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bryan Koontz's best automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Bryan Koontz, CEO of Guidefitter<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.guidefitter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">guidefitter.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/guidefitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@guidefitter<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>As a small business owner, my agenda and to-do list is full nearly everyday, so any way I can streamline our operations and efficiently complete tasks is a necessity.<\/p>\n<p>I use a tool called &#8216;If This Then That&#8217; or <a href=\"https:\/\/ifttt.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>IFTTT<\/strong><\/a>, which is a free tool that allows users to create &#8216;recipes&#8217; which trigger actions across web-services such as Gmail, Facebook, Dropbox, and Flickr. This tool automates the resources and time needed to maintain our web presence into the click of a button.<\/p>\n<p>For example, whenever I post a picture to our company Instagram, it automatically saves the image to our Dropbox and posts on our Flickr account as well. It can also automate in office communication, quickly posting messages to our Slack message board, and can instantaneously save new contacts to our Google Drive.<\/p>\n<p>With previously time-intensive tasks, IFTTT has allowed us focus on what matters most\u2014running our business and connecting with our clients.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8423 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Airto_Zamorano-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Airto Zamorano uses these automation tools every day\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Airto Zamorano, Managing Director of<br \/>\nBecker Ear, Nose and Throat Center<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/beckerent.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">beckerent.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6717\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/facebook-1.png?resize=20%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beckerENTcenter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">beckerENTcenter<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>We use <a href=\"https:\/\/gsuite.google.com\/together\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>G Suite<\/strong><\/a> to coordinate much of our reporting. By linking data from one Sheets document to another, we save a tremendous amount of time.<\/p>\n<p>When we import data from one or several reports into another, that data feeds into summary pages which are setup with formulas to report information in a uniform format.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve even developed a way of creating the summary pages so we can replicate the format in the following year without having to rework all of the sheets and\/or linking.<\/p>\n<p>All of our data sheets are setup in a way that they can keep growing month by month, and year by year, without a need to change anything unless we wish to expand the report.<\/p>\n<p>This saves a tremendous amount of time, and cuts down on errors. These automated systems apply to virtually every aspect of our business including running KPIs on all departments, managing vendors, etc.<\/p>\n<p>The result is that I can have employees at all levels entering data into any report that will feed into the reporting I need to see as a business leader. With all of the controls and safeguards built into G Suite, I don&#8217;t have to worry about having too many hands in the pot.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip_box choice\" style=\"color:#555;background-color:#fff8f8;border-left:5px solid #e22524;padding:30px 30px 25px 30px\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-4 col-xs-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/21-ways-small-business-owners-save-money\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\">\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<div class=\"blog_hp_img\" style=\"height:120px;background-image:url('https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/feature-save-money.jpg?fit=600%2C252&ssl=1');\" title=\"21 Ways for Small Business Owners to Save Money [Expert Roundup]\" alt=\"\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t \t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-8 col-xs-12\" style=\"text-align: left;font-style: normal;margin-top:-8px;\">\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/21-ways-small-business-owners-save-money\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\"><span style=\"font-weight:bold;color:#e22524;font-size:16px;display:block;\">21 Ways for Small Business Owners to Save Money [Expert Roundup]<\/span><\/a>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style=\"font-size:14px;color:#000;line-height:1.8;display:inherit;\">We reached out to successful small business owners and asked: what's the best way you save money in your business? Read their expert answers here.<\/span>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/21-ways-small-business-owners-save-money\/?ref=25-amazing-tools-automate-small-business\" style=\"color:#e22524;font-size: 14px;line-height: 2;display: inherit;\">READ MORE<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8424\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/John_Kinskey-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"John Kinskey's best automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">John Kinskey, President-Founder of AccessDirect, Inc.<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.messagingservice.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">messagingservice.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AccessDirect\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@AccessDirect<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>I love <a href=\"https:\/\/stripe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Stripe<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s automated billing features! Once we set up a new account in Stripe the monthly recurring billing is automatic. Monthly invoices are automatically generated and sent, the credit cards run and the proceeds deposited to our bank account.<\/p>\n<p>The customers initial online order and credit card charge is also automatic.<\/p>\n<p>If a customer\u2019s credit card does not run at the next due date, we have automated dunning notices set up through Stripe to be sent at key intervals, with automatic account suspension if all four notices to update the credit card are unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, we spent a lot of time generating invoices through our accounting software, emailing, running credit cards by hand, and sending late notices. Stripe allows that entire process to be automated and hands free!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8427 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/jason-parks-name.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jason Parks loves to use these automation tools for his business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Jason Parks, President of The Media Captain<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themediacaptain.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">themediacaptain.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheMediaCaptain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TheMediaCaptain<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>We utilize a tool called <a href=\"http:\/\/pitchbox.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>PitchBox<\/strong><\/a>. This automates the outreach process to find relevant websites where you can contribute content for SEO purposes.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a Saas software and you can segment which websites you want to reach out to based off of topic or strength of the site. They also have a scraping tool that helps you find the contact information from everyone on the site.<\/p>\n<p>If your small business is looking to grow, SEO is a great investment. PitchBox can help automate the process for you.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8429\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gene-Caballero-entrepreneur-success.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Gene Caballero uses these tools to automate his business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Gene Caballero, Co-Founder of GreenPal<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.yourgreenpal.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">yourgreenpal.com\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/twitter-1.png?resize=24%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"twitter-1\" width=\"24\" height=\"20\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/yourgreenpal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;@pelipeli&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:6659,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;4&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:16777215},&quot;12&quot;:0,&quot;14&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:2236962},&quot;15&quot;:&quot;arial, sans-serif&quot;}\">@YourGreenPal<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>An innovative tool that we cannot live without is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Intercom<\/a><\/strong>. Intercom is a customer engagement tool that allows you to interact with your customers at any point in time while they are on your site.<\/p>\n<p>With this tool, we have inserted ourselves into our on-boarding funnel and can reach and talk to customers and get real time feedback during critical moments of the sign-up process. With this data and real time feedback, we can make design or copy changes to improve our click-through rate and overall customer experience.<\/p>\n<p>How this has helped our automation is Intercom also acts like a marketing and CRM tool and will automatically send out email reminders for specific events. For example, if a homeowner hasn&#8217;t rescheduled an additional appointment after their initial appointment, Intercom will fire a reminder email.<\/p>\n<p>Also, if a vendor has not performed a service that was on his calendar for the day, it will send him a reminder email that the property needs to be completed or it needs to be rescheduled.<\/p>\n<p>With these practices in place, Intercom has saved us countless hours on follow up emails and we have seen over a 40% uplift in conversion after Intercom&#8217;s implementation.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8432 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Ben_Bisbee-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Ben Bisbee utilizes these automation tools\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Ben Bisbee, Principal &amp; Founder of<br \/>\nRhinocorn Consulting<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rhinocornconsulting.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rhinocornconsulting.com<\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6891\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/linkedin.png?resize=20%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/benbisbee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">benbisbee<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>There is one\u00a0tool I use passionately to help me automate a wealth of needs as a small business owner and consultant: Asana.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/asana.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Asana<\/strong><\/a> is a project management tool and allows me to easily and visually track all of my clients, their individual projects, and my work flow. I take maybe an hour a week to just update and include any weekly projects and then spend the rest of the week confirming the projects and tracking my efforts effortlessly.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-20121 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Untitled-design-1.png?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Untitled-design-1.png?w=200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Untitled-design-1.png?resize=120%2C120&amp;ssl=1 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Antonio Gabric, Outreach manager at Hunter.io<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/Viralspy.io\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Viralspy.io<\/span><\/a>\u00a0| <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6891\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/linkedin.png?resize=20%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/antonio-gabric\/\">antonio-gabric<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>As a small business owner, lead generation is something I do almost every day. And, my favorite way to do it is through cold email outreach, which is getting more challenging each day.<\/p>\n<p>For the lead generation process, I use <a href=\"https:\/\/hunter.io\/\">Hunter<\/a>. The main reason is that I aim for simplicity in my tool stack, and Hunter is a complete lead-generation solution. It helps me to find and verify the email addresses of potential clients, so I know that my emails will reach the inboxes. I can also create and segment lead lists, craft cold email sequences without losing the personalization touch, measure performance, and manage all the conversations from one place.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8431\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Coby_Pachmayr-tools.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Coby Pachmayr's automation tools help simplify his business\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Coby Pachmayr, Idea Spring<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ideaspring.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ideaspring.com<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6891\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/linkedin.png?resize=20%2C20&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/cpachmayr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cpachmayr<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>At Idea Spring we use a number of cloud-based tools to help manage and automate our business. In fact, automation is so important to us that any application we choose must have an application programming interface (API) so that we can connect our various tools through automation.<\/p>\n<p>Hands-down one of the best tools we use is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.zapier.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Zapier<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0which enables us to create &#8216;Zaps&#8217; that fire automatically and can move data back-and-forth between all of the cloud applications we use (and we use quite a few!).<\/p>\n<p>I travel quite a bit, but as the primary manager for our small business, it&#8217;s important that I keep a good pulse on what the team is working on. One of the ways that we&#8217;ve automated is to use <a href=\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Toggl<\/strong><\/a> (a timer and reporting application), and <a href=\"https:\/\/slack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Slack<\/strong><\/a> (team communication application), tied together with Zapier.<\/p>\n<p>Whenever my team starts a new timer for a project or task in Toggl, they enter a brief description of what they are working on, and every description starts with a 3-5 letter identifier related to the client.<\/p>\n<p>When they start the timer, a &#8216;zap&#8217; is automatically triggered and automatically posts the name of the team member, along with the description of what they are working on into the &#8216;#workingon&#8217; channel in our Slack.<\/p>\n<p>This has helped my team and myself tremendously. I don&#8217;t have to interrupt my team to ask what they are working on, and when I&#8217;m out-of-pocket for the entire day with meetings, I can quickly scan the #workingon channel to get a quick recap of my team&#8217;s day\u2014without having to ask them to recap it for me.<\/p>\n<p><em>What are some of your favorite tools that help you automate your business? Did we miss any big ones? Let us know in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you&#8217;re a small business owner, it&#8217;s important to save your time as much as possible, meaning you need to find the best tools to help automate your business. But with so many amazing software programs out there, which ones are the best? InvoiceBerry of course is great for automating your invoices, but we reached [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":8438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[115,417,364,58,166],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/feature-25-automation-tools.jpg?fit=1380%2C580&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5m6q6-2bC","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8408"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8408"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20513,"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8408\/revisions\/20513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}