3 Ways to Use Your Website to Automate Your Marketing (Even if Tech Isn’t Your Thing)

Running a small business means wearing a lot of hats, and “marketer” is usually one that gets pushed to the bottom of the pile. The good news? Your website can quietly do a lot of your marketing for you if you set it up the right way.

Here are three simple automations you can add to your website that work in the background, build trust, and help you connect with more of the right customers, even if you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy.

1. Use Email Workflows to Nurture Relationships Automatically

When someone signs up for your free guide, your newsletter, or a resource, don’t leave them hanging. A simple automated welcome sequence can:

• Introduce your business and what you do

• Share helpful content that positions you as the expert

• Invite them to take the next step (book a call, register for a class or workshop, get a quote, shop)

This happens automatically, so every new subscriber gets the same consistent, professional experience without you lifting a finger. Bonus tip: Squarespace, MailerLite, MailChimp, ConvertKit, and Flodesk all make automation super beginner-friendly.

Tools to Consider:

Squarespace has built-in email marketing with simple, easy-to-use functionality. This is great for beginners; but you may find as your business grows, your automation needs grow. If that’s the case, there are other alternatives to consider such as FloDesk, ConvertKit, MailChimp, and even MailerLite (among many many others). With that being said, you can choose to keep it simple, work only within Squarespace, and still get AMAZING results! Remember, it’s not about being fancy, it’s about being functional.

2. Add Inquiry Forms That Filter Potential Customers for You

Instead of random emails or DMs asking, “How much do you charge?” or “Do you offer this?” your website should guide people through a clear process. Even if you have a clear process, you will still get inquiries, but you can use your form as a way to gather the details you need to respond quickly and appropriately and cut down on the back and forth required post inquiry. Often times people will simply link to an email. This can leave the request open to a lot of interpretation and eventually more than a few emails back and forth.

A good inquiry form can:

• Collect important details

• Help you determine whether they’re a good fit

• Route their message to the right place

• Trigger an automatic “next step” email - after they submit a form you can have an automated email trigger

This reduces back-and-forth, eliminates no-shows, and gets you working only with people who are ready to work with you. If you’re service-based, this is one of the easiest and most impactful automations you can add.

3. Add Built-In Scheduling or Booking

If you offer consultations, estimates, coaching sessions, free classes or workshops, give people the ability to book directly from your site.

Tools like Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, and even Google Workspace Calendar allow visitors to see your availability in real time, select a time, receive confirmations and reminders, and even fill out intake questions. There are several other booking tools out there, depending upon your business, and in many cases you can easily use a button or a link to link directly to those tools.

Benefits:

• Fewer emails

• Fewer missed appointments

• A smoother customer experience

• Time back in your day

This is one of the fastest ways to look more professional instantly.

Tools to Consider:

FREE Option - When you purchase a Squarespace Core, Plus, or Advanced website subscription, you will receive one free year of a professional email from Google Workspace with the Google Workspace Business Starter edition. Inside of Google Workspace, you can set up Google Calendar which includes an area to add a Booking Pages. You can create intake questions on this Booking Page and set up your availability.

Acuity Scheduling - For businesses who rely on scheduling and it is a core part of your business, it makes sense to invest in a solid scheduling platform Squarespace has partnered with Acuity Scheduling to offer a built-in scheduling tool that is accessible and customizable from directly within your Squarespace platform. Yes, it’s an additional investment, but if this is your primary revenue driving activity, then it’s worth the additional investment.

Calendly - This is another popular scheduling tool that is also easy to use and integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook or iCal. The free plan allows you to schedule one-on-one meetings and includes basic functionality. If you want group bookings/events, email notifications for reminders, workflows, or other advanced features, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan.

4. Want to go one step further? Create a helpful freebie or download for your customers!

This doesn’t have to be complicated! You can offer some sort of checklist, a template, a “before you hire us” guide, a free workout, recipe guide. or any other mini resource. Once it’s set up, it links directly into your email list automatically and works 24/7.

What to do next?

You don’t have to be a tech expert or use a dozen different tools to automate your marketing. Choose one small strategy and start with that! Maybe you start with an automated email. When someone submits the form on your website, you send an email. Once you’ve mastered that for a while, move on to the next strategy. There is no hard and fast rule that you have to do it all, all the time. The goal is to find what works for you, so your website can work harder for you rather than act as just a brochure!