Small business owners are often burnt out and stretched thin from their multitude of tasks. Here are a list of five digital hacks to help you streamline work and even automate some processes using tools or apps.

Our 5 best hacks to get you back on track

Schedule social media posts in advance

Social media posting is often something which hectic business owners either neglect entirely, or try to do regularly but get frustrated as it sucks up a lot of time. By scheduling all your social media posts for a week ahead of time, you can minimise disruptions to your workflow on a daily basis. Scheduling all your social media posts across multiple platforms for the entire week can be done in as little as 10-20 minutes using tools such as Hootsuite, increasing your productivity.

Crowdsource tech advice

Being a small business owner can feel overwhelming especially if you don’t have other business owners you can turn to for advice. Facebook has thousands of networking and support groups for business owners and entrepreneurs across multiple niches. Most of the groups have thousands of members who have dealt with the exact same situation you need advice on – and these groups include business owners who are experts in accounting and web development. Some popular Facebook business groups are: Business, Business, Business, Australian Small Business Network,  and Australian Business Mums.

Set up alerts that notify you of customer behaviour

One of the best ways to convert leads into customers is to gain better insights into their behaviour. Most top CRM software and apps have a feature called alerts that lets you track behaviours you are interested in, e.g. when a lead lands on your site, if they request a trial, watch an online video on your site or download a whitepaper. You can also use further automation techniques like pop-ups that offer leads an incentive to sign up to your email list, apps that respond to messages when you are offline, or automated emails that are sent out to re-engage with inactive leads. Most of this information can be tracked and analysed through software like HubSpot or PipeDrive.

Set appointments easily

Do you have prospects reach out to you to set up a meeting and then you play phone or email tag trying to set up a time that suits both of you? Solve this problem now. Simply sign up for Calendly, and sync it with your Google or Outlook Calendar. The next time someone wants to book an appointment with you, send them the link to your personalised Calendly site. They will see when you are free and book an open slot that suits them. You’ll receive an email informing you that the appointment has been made, it will be added to your calendar and you’ll be reminded on the day.

Hire freelancers on the cheap

Do you need someone to design a web banner or a flyer for an advertising campaign? Sites like Fiverr allow you to hire freelancers to achieve simple design jobs. Rates can be as little as $5 or $10, but be warned that the quality of some freelancers on these sites can be dubious so check out their reviews, ask to see samples of their work before hiring them and make sure you ask for the quote to includes up to three revisions if needed.

This post first appeared on KBB on August 20 2020 and was republished on December 29 2021.

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