Small business owners spend over a third of their workweek on tasks that don’t drive growth. That’s why automation is such a promising option – even if the idea initially seems scary to many SMB owners. Fortunately, you don’t need extensive technical skills or a large budget to implement these automations.
In this blog post, we’ll show you several marketing tasks you can automate immediately, with easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions.
Why small business marketing automation matters
It saves time and reduces manual workload
Marketing automation tools handle the simple tasks, so you can focus on more strategic jobs. Instead of manually sending follow-ups or tracking data in Google Sheets, automation tools handle:
- lead management
- email automation
- automatic lead scoring
- web forms
- appointment bookings
Digital marketing professionals who use automation save an average of 3.6 hours per week or 23 workdays per year.
Better yet, many of the techniques and resources for reaching that goal are available at no cost – you simply need to investigate further to see how.
It helps maintain consistency in marketing efforts
Without automation, it’s easy to lose track of marketing campaigns. When it comes to automation, everything falls into place:
- Scheduled emails and social posts keep your marketing on track without last-minute scrambling
- Audience segmentation helps you send messages that make sense for each group
- A/B testing allows you to run different versions of emails or ads – so you know what gets the best response.
With advanced features like CRM integration, a good marketing hub connects all your marketing efforts – from landing pages to audience segmentation. You get a complete understanding of your customers.
It allows small business owners to focus on growth
Manual work can hold you back. With marketing automation, you can clear bottlenecks, and focus on actually making sales:
- Lead follow-ups can be sent to new contacts without manual work
- Abandoned cart emails remind customers to finish their purchase
- Automated scheduling lets clients book meetings on their own
- Payment reminders nudge clients before and after due dates
With the best marketing automation tools, you open up new opportunities. Automation handles customer data collection and lead nurturing, so you lose fewer sales and keep your customers happy – even when your plate is full.
6 simple small business tasks you can automate right now
Instead of constantly catching up, you can keep your outreach running and connect with leads without the extra effort. Let’s start with one of the biggest time-savers: email marketing & follow-ups.
1. Email marketing & follow-ups
Email is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep potential and existing customers engaged. But manually sending every welcome message or follow-up? That’s a huge time drain.
With email marketing automation, you can set up emails once and let them work in the background – keeping your outreach consistent without adding more to your plate.
How can you automate email marketing & follow-ups?
- Welcome emails – When someone signs up or makes a purchase, send an automated email to introduce your business, highlight key benefits, and guide them to the next step. If you're using Transpond, setting up a welcome email automation is simple—just follow this step-by-step guide to create an automated sequence that greets new customers instantly.
- Lead follow-ups – Some leads need a nudge. Set up automated emails for those who haven’t responded or completed an action, like booking a call or making a purchase. For example, take a look at this abandoned cart email, which subtly reminds potential customers about the item still in their cart:
- Drip campaigns – Schedule emails to keep leads engaged over time. It serves to educate potential customers and build trust before they make a purchaseExample: Week 1: Intro | Week 2: Customer success story | Week 3: Special offer
- Re-engagement emails – Some customers go quiet. A simple check-in or a new offer can bring them back. Hulu decided to go for a special deal:
Best email marketing tools
- CapsuleCRM + email integration – Keep all customer interactions in one place.
- Transpond – Powerful email marketing automation software with workflows and native integration with Capsule:
➡ Action: Pick one email to automate today – a welcome email, a follow-up, or a re-engagement message. Once it’s set up, you’ll never have to send it manually again.
Coming up with ideas for your campaigns or content isn’t always easy. For some inspiration, check out Really Good Emails:
2. Social media scheduling
Keeping up with social media is time-consuming, but disappearing from your audience’s feed isn’t an option. Instead of posting manually every day on each platform, set up a scheduling tool to plan posts and keep a steady presence – without the daily hassle.
How can you automate social media scheduling?
- Create a content calendar – Create a content calendar—plan what you’ll post and when. Check out these Google Sheets calendar templates for inspiration:
- Use social media scheduling tools – Move your calendar to a social media management tool. With solutions like Buffer or Hootsuite, you schedule your posts to go live on multiple platforms simultaneously. You can avoid manual entry by importing your calendar directly from a spreadsheet. Don't worry about the price – free accounts with basic features can get you started!
- Produce content in batches – Set aside time once a week to create and schedule multiple posts. If you don’t know how to handle it, you can use a free AI assistant to create content; one example is Social Media Plans PRO.
- Recycle high-performing posts – Repurpose popular content by resharing or tweaking it for different platforms. For instance, turn a good-performing blog post into a LinkedIn article or break it into smaller tips for X. If a video gets good engagement, cut it into short clips for Instagram or TikTok. You can do it with tools like Quso – a free account gives you 75 credits, enough to create a few video clips a month.
➡ Action: Pick a scheduling tool and plan your next week (2-3 posts) today. Once it’s scheduled, your content will keep working in the background while you focus on other priorities.
3. Lead capture and nurturing
Tracking leads manually is a huge time drain—and if you’re using sticky notes or spreadsheets, you might miss potential customers. Automation makes sure every lead is captured and organized.
How can you automate lead management?
- Use website forms to collect leads – Embed a form on your site to get contact details. For instance, we embed forms like these at the end of our blog posts:
If you’re using Google Forms:
- Create your form:
- Go to Google Forms and create a new form.
- Add the fields you need (like name, email, etc.).
- Link to a Google Sheet:
- Click on the 'Responses' tab.
- Click the green Sheets icon to create a new Google Sheet.Every form submission will now automatically appear in that Sheet.
- Embed on your website:
- Click on the 'Send' button in Google Forms.
- Choose the embed code (the '< >' icon) and copy it.
- Paste this code on your website so visitors can fill out the form.
If you’re using a different website form:You can use a tool like Zapier to automatically send form submissions to a Google Sheet. Simply connect your form tool with Google Sheets using Zapier’s step-by-step guides.
- Set up instant responses – Send an automated email or message when someone fills out your form.Example: 'Thanks for reaching out! Here’s more info while you wait to hear from us.'
- Score and segment leads – Use automation tools to prioritize high-intent leads, so you can focus on those most likely to convert. You can do it in Capsule with custom fields.
If you're using Transpond:
You can create sign-up forms that automatically feed leads into your CRM and trigger follow-up emails.
➡ Action: Set up a simple lead capture form today. Connect it to your CRM and schedule an automated follow-up email so new leads can immediately hear from you – without any manual effort.
4. Review & testimonial requests
With 99.9% of online shoppers reading reviews before purchasing, happy customers are your best sales tool – but if you don’t ask for reviews, most people won’t give you one.
Only 47% of people leave reviews, according to a report by GlobalWebIndex. Making the process quick and simple can help encourage more reviews.
With review automation, your customers can share their thoughts while you focus on your business.
How to automate review and testimonial requests
- Send an automated request after a purchase or service –Automate a friendly follow-up message a few days post-sale when customers still remember their experience. You can do it by scheduling a message in your email marketing software.
- Include a direct review link – Make leaving reviews easy by linking directly to Google, Facebook, or Trustpilot. The fewer steps for your clients, the better!
- Capture testimonials – Ask open-ended questions in a form or email to collect longer testimonials for marketing purposes. These work well as social proof that you can add easily to your website:
Action: Set up an automated email for review requests today! Keep it simple, include a direct link, and wait for your first response.
5. Appointment scheduling
How often do you find yourself stuck in an endless email exchange just to set up a meeting? It’s frustrating and slows things down.
With automated scheduling, customers can book a time that works for them, and your calendar stays organized without the extra effort.
How to automate appointment scheduling
- Use a scheduling tool – Let customers book time slots according to your availability. You can set up your calendar for free with Cal.com
- Sync with your calendar – Automatically block out booked times and send reminders to reduce no-shows
- Embed the calendar on your website or emails – If you already use a scheduling tool, embed a booking widget in your emails or on your website. It's a simple way for customers to set appointments without any extra back-and-forth.
- Send automated reminders – A quick follow-up email or text before an appointment helps prevent cancellations.
Best tools for appointment scheduling
- Google Calendar + Google Meet – Free and ideal for quick scheduling. Integrates with Capsule
- Calendly – Simple, user-friendly, and integrates with most calendars
- Acuity Scheduling – Customizable, with payment collection options.
➡ Take action: Set up an appointment scheduling tool today and add the link to your website or email signature. Let your meetings book themselves!
6. Invoice and payment reminders
What if your problem isn’t about late-paying clients, but the way invoices are managed? Hand-managing payments and reminders is time-consuming and can slow down how quickly money comes in.
How to automate invoices & payment reminders
- Set up recurring invoices – For repeat clients, use an invoicing tool like Xero to generate and send invoices automatically.
- Schedule payment reminders – Send a friendly nudge before and after the due date to keep payments on track. Let your accounting software manage it, or if you prefer a hands-on approach, just schedule an email to send a week before the payment is overdue – if it’s still pending.
A few templates you could use:
Template 1: Pre-due friendly reminder
Subject: Friendly Reminder: Your Payment is Due Soon
Hi [Customer Name],
Just a quick reminder that your payment of [Amount] is due on [Due Date]. Please let us know if you have any questions or need assistance.
Thanks for your prompt attention!
Best,
[Your Name]
Template 2: Post-due gentle nudge
Subject: Follow-Up: Payment Due on [Due Date]
Hello [Customer Name],
We noticed that the payment of [Amount] due on [Due Date] hasn’t been received yet. If you’ve already taken care of this, thank you! Otherwise, please arrange payment at your earliest convenience. Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.
Warm regards,
[Your Name]
Template 3: Reminder with a personal touch
Subject: Quick Reminder: Payment Due Soon
Dear [Customer Name],
Just a friendly note to remind you that your upcoming payment of [Amount] is due on [Due Date]. We appreciate your timely response and are here if you need any assistance.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Best wishes,
[Your Name]
- Provide simple payment methods – Many customers skip payments when bank transfers feel cumbersome. With tools like Stripe, you make paying easier and faster.
- Track overdue payments – Automate alerts for unpaid invoices so you can follow up without manually checking records.
➡ Take action: Set up automated invoices for recurring clients or schedule a simple payment reminder today.
Already using Xero or QuickBooks? Try them with Capsule CRM now!
How to get started with automation
With all these methods, it might feel like a lot to take in – but where do you even begin? Try these steps: Marketing automation isn’t all at once; start small and add more as you go:
- Pick one task to automate. Start with something repetitive, like sending follow-up emails, posting on social media, or scheduling appointments. Tackle the time-consuming tasks first!
- Choose an easy-to-use tool. Try CapsuleCRM for lead tracking, Xero for invoices, Transpond for email automation, or Google Calendar for booking meetings.
- Set up your first automation. Create an email sequence, schedule a few posts on Facebook, or add a payment reminder. Keep it simple.
- Let it run and track the results. Set it in motion and track your progress. At first, the time savings might be subtle, but gradually, you'll save a lot.
- Automate another task. Once you notice the benefits, move on to the next task. Keep automating until manual work takes up very little of your day!
➡ Start now. Pick one small task and set up your first automation now!
Stop wasting time on tasks that should run themselves
Every hour spent on manual work is one less hour growing your business.
Automating even small tasks keeps your leads engaged and your messaging consistent. Don’t overthink it – pick one thing to automate today and see the difference.
Capsule CRM can take a lot off your plate by automatically organizing your contacts and tracking your follow-ups. Sign up now and start working smarter!
