How to Automate Your Website for Your Small Business: a Guide to Saving Time & Closing More Leads

Let's be honest: when you're a small business owner, your to-do list is constantly longer than a CVS receipt, and it somehow never stops growing (even when you're actively checking things off).

For example: you finally finish your website, you hit "Publish" and you're super excited about it (as you should be!!). But then reality sets in when someone actually books a call or downloads your free resource and you realize that you have to be the one to manually send your free PDF.

This is one of those tedious tasks that can (and should) be automated.

but, what exactly is an automation?

Before we go any further, let's define what an automation is because it sort of has become a buzzword in the marketing and tech world.

An automation (in the world of websites) is simply a bridge between two actions. It is a set of rules that you create that tells your website "When [Person Does This], then [Do This] Automatically."

For instance, it might look something like this:

The Trigger: a customer purchases a product, books a call, or downloads a free guide.

The Action: your website sends an email, adds them to a list, or pings your phone with a notification.

Essentially, it's like a digital employee. You're taking the "manual" labor out of the equation. So, you no longer have to manually send a follow up email with a link to the call they booked or the guide they downloaded. Instead, it's sent automatically. This way your business can continue to keep moving forward even when you're not sitting in front of your laptop.

Additionally, in case you need even more convincing:

1. when you automate the back end of your business, you take so much off your plate and free yourself up to focus on other areas of your business

2. when set-up correctly, less leads slip through the cracks

3. Amazon has programmed people to expect things immediately (if not sooner); so, automations help satiate that need for convenience and immediacy

The Time Commitment

I'm going to give it to you straight: setting up automations takes an extraordinary amount of time on the front end. You have to sit down and map out the client journey (considering all services, products, freebies), consider any "if-then" situations, write out allll your emails, design graphics, actually set up the automation, and then test and try until you feel cross-eyed.

It really does take a lot of time and real effort.

But! after you put in the work, you can sit back and let your automations run in the back end for you. (Btw, this is what it means when people say "have your website work for you"). Now, anytime someone books a call, purchases a product, or downloads a free resource, you can be a little more at ease knowing that you have follow-up emails being sent out automatically.

Automation Sequence Example

Now that you have a better understanding of what an automation is, let's go through an example of what this looks like in a sequence.

But real quick, before we begin please note: that this is just one example and how many emails you schedule to send or however long your email sequence is will be completely dependent on things like: your personal preferences, your business model, your client journey, how many emails you want to sit down and create.

Now that you know there are a variety of factors involved and it is highly dependent on you and your business --

here's an example of what an email automation sequence might look like:

Step 1:

It starts when a visitor first fills out a form on your website. In this case, it's to download a free resource guide.

Your site automatically collects their information and puts them into a segmented email list for a nurture sequence.

They will immediately receive an email that:

• welcomes them

• delivers the freebie they signed up for

Email 1: Keep it short and simple. No need for any fluff, because they really just want the freebie. Something like: "Here is the [Name of Guide] you asked for! I created this because I know how frustrating [Pain Point] can be" with a link to download the resource, is perfectly fine.

Step 2:

We don't want to bombard people in their inboxes so here is where you will start to space out your automations so they aren't sent one immediately after the other.

Set the next automation to send 3 days after the previous one.

We always want to provide value because it helps build trust. So, instead of just saying, "Hey, did you read [Name of Guide] yet?" (because the answer is usually no):

Email 2: pull a specific, valuable tip or piece of information from the guide and talk about it in this email; discuss how they can apply it to the real world/their business.

Step 3:

Set another delay to send this next email 2-3 days after the previous one.

You might want to still be giving additional value and link to a relevant blog post. So it might look something like this:

Email 3: “Hey! We noticed you downloaded our free resource [Name of Guide], check out this blog for even more information regarding [Relevant Topic].”

Step 4:

Set another delay to send this next email 2-3 days after the previous one.

Maybe you're still giving additional value here (again this is all highly-personal), so it might look something like this:

Email 4: “Hey _____! We noticed you downloaded our free resource on [Topic of Guide]. We wanted to also share that we have a full podcast episode on this topic if you want to dive even deeper. We invite you to listen here [Link to Podcast Episode]."

Step 5:

Set another delay to send this next email 2-3 days after the previous one.

Email 5: If you want to continue building trust, this would be a good place to include a client review, testimonial or case study. Show proof that you are trustworthy and know what you're doing.

Step 6:

Set another delay to send this next email 2-3 days after the previous one.

Here is where you can start of introduce a soft offer that aligns with the free resource.

Email 6: No pressure here – just genuinely offering help with something that they already showed interest in initially.

Step 7:

Set another delay to send this next email 2-3 days after the previous one.

In this email, you are now officially selling.

Email 7: Here is where you can explain:

• what the offer is and who it's for

• the problem it solves/ transformation you guarantee

• a link to your website to learn more

Step 8:

Set another delay to send this next email 2-3 days after the previous one.

Email 8: Include a different client review, testimonial or case study. Again, show proof that you can genuinely help them.

Step 9:

Set another delay to send this next email 2-3 days after the previous one.

This can be your 'sign-off' email. You've already sent all the things (the guide, blog, podcast, testimonial, case studies, etc.,). At this point, they have all they need to decide if they want to work with you from here, so keep it simple and send clear instructions on the next steps. For example:

Email 9: “Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can work together [Link to Book a Call or to Website Services].”

Step 10:

Let's be real, sometimes life just gets in the way and even when we're determined to do something, it has to be set on the back burner for a bit. And this is why it can be beneficial to check back in even after a month or so.

Set another delay to send this next (and final) email 45 days after the previous one.

This is your final 'sign-off' email.

Email 10: “Hi _____! I just wanted to check back in case you were still needing help with [Pain Point].

If you are, check out this blog that goes into [Relevant Topic]. I wrote it for this very reason.

If you're looking for more in-depth and one-one-one guidance, simply book a free consultation call and find out how we can help [Link or Button to Book a Call].”

The Result

Now, that might look like a lot of work, (and that's why I pre-warned you in the beginning), because it is!

But when it's all said and done, here's what your website just did for you:

• attracted a lead

• captured their information

• educated them

• nurtured them

• warmed them up

• presented a link to take the next step (book a call/ learn more about services)

• presented an offer that will genuinely help

And this was all automated.

a zoomed out example of an automation sequence; tap to enlarge

So sure, you had to spend 4-5 hours setting up the entire process to even make this possible, but now:

• you don't have to remember to manually follow-up

• your sequence is doing the selling for you

• you know leads aren't slipping through cracks by getting lost in your inbox

Yes, this process can be a bit tedious. But, I promise, it's worth it. Because at the end of the day, you didn't start your business to be in your inbox all day. You started it to do the work you're passionate about.

And I'm sure we've all experienced that terrible stomach-dropping feeling of finding an email lost in your spam/junk folder or a submission from a form filled out lost in your inbox from 3 weeks ago.

That's why automations are important. Because they're like your safety net. They're a way to ensure that when someone fills out a form on your website, they are at least greeted and on a journey to being nurtured automatically.

So, start small and don't over complicate it. You don't need some complex system, you just need something simple and reliable that your future self (and clients) will thank you for.

written by:

Adriana Leos

Chief Creative Officer

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