Do you have a mega eye roll when you hear someone say that the only way to scale your business is to automate or systemise? Or do you just switch off because the thought of this topic BORES you to tears? When I first started my business I heard these terms bandied around a lot but no-one ever gave me practical examples of how to do it! I’m a process driven kind of gal so I love steps and examples.
If you’re the same, then read on! Here are some examples of how you can automate and systemise.
Batch
Batching means to do similar tasks all at once. The theory behind this is that you complete them faster as you are in ‘the zone’. Practical examples of tasks you can batch:
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Scheduling social media – I recommend at least a month at a time to make it useful
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Creating canva images – for example I create 52 quotes so I have a whole years’ worth!
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Blog writing
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Recording videos
Record it
If a task has more than three steps I thoroughly recommend recording it. Either write it down or audio record/video yourself doing the task. The reason for this is that the task becomes a no-brainer and you don’t miss any steps in the process. It becomes quicker for your plus it becomes a seamless process for others to follow when they join your team. Each business is unique, but some examples of tasks that I have recorded include:
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Blog writing – not only do you need to write the blog, but you need to find an image, upload and schedule to your website, promote and schedule on social media 6 times, create an Insta tile, add to newsletter
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Video – upload to iMovie, edit beginning and end, upload to YouTube, create a thumbnail, add SEO friendly text to YouTube, promote and schedule on social media 6 times, add to newsletter
You can see that by having it written down in order, with the right timings means I can do the task on autopilot and not miss any crucial steps in the process. It also means that when my team expands, anyone can pick up any portion of this process and run with it.
Use email automation
Email automation has many benefits for your business. The main one is that it makes your business work for you without you needing to be present! A virtual assistant can help you set these up and you can use them in all sorts of ways. A couple of examples:
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Welcome series – Once someone downloads your freebie (and consents to further emails) you can send them a series of emails that introduces them to you, your business, a low cost product or a promotion.
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Sales funnel – Take your potential client on a journey from free value to low cost product purchase through to your ‘star’ product. By setting up certain triggers (for example, downloading a particular freebie or when the welcome email commences)
Plan and schedule
I understand that being organised is not everyone’s idea of fun. But I love it! Systemise your content by understanding the pillars of your business, creating a theme for each day, creating and scheduling. Note: the best way to plan and schedule content is to start with a calendar or planner. It becomes much easier to schedule when it is planned first! Tasks that you can plan and schedule include:
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Social media – I have a plan for each day. Eg On Facebook Monday is a quote, Tuesday share an article, Wednesday promote blog…. Having this in place means that when I go to schedule, I know exactly what I need to find for each day
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Blogs and videos – I have a year’s worth of topics planned in advance. Whilst it is flexible, it means that when I’m ready to sit down and write or record, I don’t need to waste time thinking about a topic. Once it’s written I then follow my ‘record it’ method so I don’t miss anything!
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Regular email marketing/newsletters – I like to write mine each month so it relates to what is going on at the time, but there is no reason why you can’t at least plan it out so you know what you’re going to write about.
Your business is never too small to start automating and systemising. Not only will you be able to free up your time to focus on your strategy and doing what you love, but it will also mean that you’ll be ready to outsource tasks when you’re ready to take your business to the next level!
If you’re looking for help in understanding what tasks you could outsource in your business, grab a copy of my free workbook that will help you identify the right tasks for you and your business to outsource.
