We’re often asked how to do it all. When we speak with business owners about scaling their brands (in marketing or just in general), the pushback often has to do with the amount of time needed to complete new business tasks…that’s where business automation comes in.

Who has time to post on social media 3 times a day, 7 days a week?

No one wants to sit in front of their computers all day waiting for client invoices.

Who enjoys data entry? Updating new customers to CRMs, then Google Sheets, then project management tools – over and over and over again.

For those unfamiliar with business automation, time is a precious resource. At Smart Girl Digital, instead of stressing about a lack of time, we rely on Zapier to do the work.

What is Zapier

Zapier is an automation tool. It’s designed to connect between the many different apps and websites businesses use. It automates your business workflow & makes life easier. 

Imagine posting on Twitter and having it automatically spread throughout your business pages so you don’t have to rinse & repeat all of your updates.

Or receiving a notification directly to your cell phone when a client invoice has been paid so you’re not waiting by your laptop all day.

Whether you use MailChimp, Facebook, Google Docs, or Asana, Zapier has a seemingly infinite number of ways to connect every app you use and make your business processes run smoothly.

Business Automation, FTW!

The truth is, when we’re asked how to “do it all”, we make sure to mention that we don’t. 

Using Zapier for business automation is a huge part of how SGD spends less time on busy work & more time on what actually matters – clients. Here are 10 reasons we can’t live without it:

1. Affordable – Putting this at the top because who doesn’t want to use affordable solutions to make their business better?! Zapier has a free option with some limitations. But paid versions allow for more complex logic and workflow set-ups.
   
2. Quick Set-Up – Getting started is easy & quick. Just select the apps you want to integrate, authenticate access to the apps, and Zapier walks you through the rest!
   
3. Tons of App Integrations – With the digital marketing landscape offering over 7k+ solutions for your martech stack, Zapier has integrations with over 2,000 apps! Almost any major platform or app you are using in business can be used with Zapier. And BONUS…if you use something that doesn’t have an app, then with some technical assistance, they offer a robust API for you to build what you need.
   
4. Reduces Redundant Tasks – For all of those behind the scenes tasks that are redundant and not fun for you in your business, Zapier can help you reduce redundancies and free up your time for more important tasks. Setting up workflows to automate repetitive tasks is smart automation that should make you happy.
   
5. Connects Systems – This is the whole value proposition of Zapier…to connect your systems. From accounting systems to marketing systems, Zapier helps business owners seamlessly connect all the systems for a cohesive flow of data between them
   
6. Easy to Use – Okay…if it hasn’t been clear up to this point, Zapier is SUPER easy to use. Their interface is user-friendly. The search functions help you find specific apps and specific functions that you want to automate. And they have a robust help section to walk you through almost any scenario you need.
   
7. Automate Full Workflows with Multi-Step Zaps  – Practically our favorite reason for loving Zapier (and worth the monthly cost) is the ability to set up and automate multi-step zaps. You can set these workflows to push triggers and actions through multiple platforms, send notifications, log the data, and set time delays based on the situation. From form completion to purchase,multi-step zaps can automate those steps so you don’t have to worry about doing them.
   
8. Idea Library & Zap Templates – Not sure where to start? Follow the easy to use prompts and Zapier has already mapped out some of the most popular workflows. You can find new ideas for workflows or use templates to help you start creating your first zap.
   
9. Creates Consistency in Your Systems – Once you have set up some zaps, you can rest easy knowing that those systems are going to run consistently time after time. Knowing your business systems are consistent ensures that you can spend your energy and brainpower on delivering your services to happy customers.
   
10. Zap Tracking So You Know It’s Working – Enough said. With all of this automation and reliance on AI, it is nice to know there is tracking you can check on to make sure everything is running as you want. There is nothing worse than an automation workflow breaking and you not knowing about it. Keep up with weekly reports on your zaps.

4 Smart Zaps to Automate Your Business

Using Zapier is incredibly easy, but if you’re looking for some guidance on how to begin automating your business processes, here are 4 zaps to help get you started:

Invoice Paid → Notification by text

• Transition prospective clients with ease by automatically adding them to a CRM as soon as the contract is signed. 

Signed Contract/Paid Invoice → CRM

• In addition to adding new clients to your CRM, add them to a Welcome Email Sequence as well!

Client Onboarding Tasks → Project Management

• And once that’s done? You can add client onboarding tasks to a project management tool like Asana without lifting a finger!

Paid Invoice→ Adding a new client to Welcome Sequence

• No need to sit by your computer waiting on client payments either. Get notifications on Slack or by text whenever an invoice is paid.

Have you used Zapier? What zaps do you use?

If you’re ready to automate your business, contact us today to see how we can help you build an automation strategy.