It seems like everywhere you turn in the business world, you see the word “automation”. While it’s clear that automating your workflow can increase your team’s productivity, I’ve found that many companies haven’t fully embraced the marketing tools available to them.
This is a shame, because I believe that the implementation of proper marketing tools is critical to the long-term survival of any company in the age of information.
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My Favorite Automation Tools
Here are 3 of my favorite automation tools that help lay a solid foundation in marketing:
- Hubspot: All good marketing starts with a solid CRM, and I’ve been using Hubspot in my businesses for the last 4 years. It’s a one stop shop that includes webpage hosting, email automations, and built-in integrations with other software solutions like Stripe, Zoom, and most ad platforms.
- Zapier: In the past you had to hire a team of API developers to send information between, say, your CRM and payment platform. Zapier is an incredibly innovative company that disrupted this market by working as a “glue” between the software solutions that you already use in your business. You can create “Zaps” to connect all your apps, so you can automate tasks in the background and focus on more important work.
- Hotjar: Hotjar is a user behavior monitoring tool. You always hear me talking about the importance of listening to the data and gathering customer feedback. Hotjar can be added to nearly any website and captures data about your users on your site like clicks, mouse movements, and scrolling behavior to create a heat map. This can help you optimize your site for lead capture, featured content, and more.
While automation is a brilliant solution in marketing, there will always be a need to connect with people on a personal level. Marketing is one of the best tools for building and maintaining relationships in your business.
My friend Joe Polish has been an incredibly valuable marketing resource for me and my businesses. He hosts an annual event called Genius Network (apply here), which I attend every year to stay up to date in marketing, and to connect with other successful entrepreneurs. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from his program.
3 ways to connect with your clients:
- Send a thoughtful gift such as an autographed book or gift card. When connecting with your clients, ask them personal questions about their preferences, hobbies, and other causal topics.. When the time is right, send a gift based on what you learned about them Don’t just send a Starbucks card, send something that shows you really listened. For example, If you know me, you know I love space. A few years ago, a salesperson sent me a small meteorite as a thank you gift. That was one of the most thoughtful and personal gifts I've ever received because it signaled to me that our relationship was personal, not just transactional. It should come as no surprise that I continue to do business with them to this day.
- Connect with them over the phone, send an email, or mail a thank you note. Staying in contact with your clients is critical to your success. I’ve found that mail can still be an incredibly effective way to be in touch with people that are important to your business. Earlier this year, I hosted an event for a group of Abundance 360 members. While I sent an email invitation, I also sent a written card to members inviting them to the event using a company called Addressable to help me “hack” time. They use a small “team” of robots to write and mail letters for you.
- Show in-person support by participating in one of your client’s events, or visiting them in their office environment. Attending a client-hosted event shows support for their business and is a great way to indicate mutual respect and admiration. It also signals your understanding that business relationships go both ways – that you don’t mind going out of the way for your client’s convenience.
If you’re interested in diving in deeper into these concepts, I recommend attending Joe’s Genius Network event November 2-4 in Phoenix, AZ. I’ll be there alongside speakers likeKeith Cunningham, Chris Voss and Barbara Annis. You can apply here.
