brittni schroeder
BLOG
Brittni Schroeder Coaching
WORKFLOW AUTOMATION
FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
As a mother, entrepreneur, and small business owner, the most valuable thing I have to manage is my time. I depend heavily on platforms and systems that are user friendly and affordable. As a business coach, one of the most important tools I can teach you is the importance of workflow automation for your small business.
I have outlined below my best marketing and software tools for automation that I canNOT live without.
EMAIL/NEWSLETTER CAMPAIGN - FLODESK
Many small businesses are looking for the best email automation system available. There are a lot of email marketing and automation programs out there, but Flodesk is what I use and recommend.
It offers aesthetically beautiful pre-made designed email templates that are cohesive with all brands. It gives you drag and drop features that make designing your email user friendly and easy to alter. They also have an array of opt-in forms for you to create landing pages in minutes.
Click here to join Flodesk for 50% off
GRAPHIC DESIGN - CANVA PRO
A majority of the platforms we market our businesses on are considered “visual platforms”. This means that awesome visuals are essential in getting the attention of potential clients. If you are not a graphic designer but want to create amazing visuals for your social media, web, and other channels, Canva Pro will be a game changer.
You can create an amazing graphic in minutes with this program. Canva gives you hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-made templates that are formatted for social media platforms, presentations, resumes, business cards and so much more. Each template is easily editable. You are able to interchange colors, fonts, and images to create graphics that are cohesive with your brand. Canva allows you to become a graphic designer without having to learn complicated programs like Photoshop or Illustrator.
Canva also offers a free version that gives you access to a plethora of templates, fonts, graphics and images. I upgraded to Canva Pro for a small fee to gain access to all the fonts, graphics and stock images. The upgraded stock photography feature alone saves me tons of time by preventing me for scouring the internet looking for the perfect image.
Click here to get started on Canva Pro.
PINTEREST SCHEDULING - TAILWIND
If you use Pinterest in to market your small business, Tailwind is the best marketing automation for that platform. Tailwind has taken my Pinterest views from 25K to 450K views per month. This application allows you schedule thousands of pins with ease.
Automatically pin at the best times for more engagement, reach, and website traffic with one tool. You can schedule pins like a pro by scheduling content out over weeks with interval pinning. It allows you drag and drop scheduled pins on your calendar for optimal viewing.
You can use Tailwind’s Tribes feature as a catalyst for growth. This feature allows you to pin your content in different tribes (groups of pinners) to get repined to extend your reach and get views by new audiences.
Tailwind also offers insightful analytics that allows you to view your most successful pins. This feature helps you understand what content is most commonly viewed and allows you to create a marketing strategy.
Tailwind also has the added feature of Instagram scheduling. This includes hashtag suggestions, best times to post, built in content plans, and so much more.
I love Tailwind because I can schedule both my Pinterest and my Instagram with one app.
Click here to get a FREE month of Tailwind.
SCHEDULING - ACUITY SCHEDULING
I have tried a few different scheduling softwares, but Acuity is hands down my favorite one. Acuity allows you to set your availability, adjust times zones, lets clients easily cancel and reschedule themselves. It automatically sends several reminders to your clients and yourself as scheduled appointment approach. This feature reduces the amount of missed or forgotten calls.
Acuity asks clients to fill out an intake forms to gather important information. Acuity allows you to create packages, accepts payments, and offers payment plan options.
Acuity can be integrated into your website for scheduling clients. It can be accessed on a desktop or on your phone using the Acuity App.
WEBINAR/VIDEO CALLS - ZOOM
Zoom is the platform I use when hosting calls, online group meetings, or webinars. Zoom features include screen sharing, call recording, iCloud storage recordings, and easy integration into many scheduling apps.
COURSE AND MEMBERSHIP SITES - KAJABI
If you are looking for an all-in-one, inclusive platform where you can create online courses and memberships, host coaching, incorporate email marketing, build funnels, create landing pages and lead platforms, this platform is for you. Kajabi offers so much in one platform.
I purchased Kajabi for course creation and was able to streamline a lot of businesses all in one platform. It is user-friendly and easy to navigate. In minutes you can take your ideas and turn them into a polished, high-value product. Customize pricing, delivery, and packaging.
They have templates or you can build your own content. It all works seamlessly together and creates a great client/customer experience.
Click here for Kajabi.
WEBHOSTING - BLUEHOST
There are thousands of different website hosts available. Having a good web host is important because it can affect your SEO. I use Bluehost and one of the reasons is because of their superb 24/7 support. Their robust help center includes guides, video tutorials and more. They are also one of the top recommended WorldPress providers.
Click here for Bluehost.
WEBHOSTING - BLUEHOST
There are thousands of different website hosts available. Having a good web host is important because it can affect your SEO. I use Bluehost and one of the reasons is because of their superb 24/7 support. Their robust help center includes guides, video tutorials and more. They are also one of the top recommended WorldPress providers.
Click here for Bluehost.
COPY PROOFING - GRAMMARLY
I will be the first to tell you that grammar is not one of my strong suits. That is why this one of my favorite tools. Grammarly allows you to never worry about type and grammar errors again. Grammarly is an amazing online editor and proofreader tool that automatically checks your writing for any grammar, spelling or punctuation mistakes. You can use the app or install the Grammarly extension to your browser and it automatically runs in the background and highlights any mistakes you make (my preferred method). This app is a must in helping avoid the grammar police.
Click here for Grammarly.
LINKTREE
This app allows you to connect your audience to all of your content with just one link. This app is beneficial when you are limited to one link per bio. Linktree is virtually a landing page that allows you to display as many different links as you want.
It is user friendly and takes seconds using its drop and drag feature. You can customize your link tree with your branding colors and fonts to ensure that it is cohesive with your brand. It also offers third party integrations and allows you to collect emails.
Click here for Linktree.
UNSPLASH
This site is an incredible resource for free stock photographers. It provides a huge selection of stylish images for your content. You have access to thousands of beautiful, modern and stylish stock images for your social media, website, Pinterest, and more.
With limited resources and time for your ever-growing to-do list, it’s important to strategically manage your business operations to maximize your efforts. When you discover and implement workflow automation for your small business that allows you to automate systems and set them up to work when you can’t. With the freedom of automation you can then work on other areas of our business that help you succeed.
Click here for Unsplash.
*Some links may contain affiliate links*
