It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and also the craziest! There are cookies to bake, trees to decorate, concerts to attend, and the list goes on and on. This is the time of year when it’s easy to let your blogging business fall by the wayside. You might want to focus on your business to grow your income, but there’s a lot competing for your attention right now. So, today we’re going to talk about blog automations. If they aren’t part of your business already, they should be! They save you a lot of time and headache and help you create passive income.
This post contains affiliate links but don’t worry, I only recommend things I love. You can read more in my Disclaimer if you’re interested.
What is a blogging automation?
Automation is simply taking the processes that you do in your blogging business and putting them on autopilot. Sounds easy, right? The idea is simple, but I'm not going to lie, it takes some work to set up. However, it's well worth investing your time into. Here are some ideas of time saving automations for your business:
Sending out emails to subscribers
Posting on social media platforms
Running sales funnels
Delivering purchased products
Anything that can be automated should be because it's going to make your life a lot easier. And, if you've been wondering how to make passive income online, this is a huge part of it!
A real-life example
To prove that this really works let me tell you about an example from my own life. A few years we were getting ready to move into a new house. It turned out that we were able to move in earlier than I expected which was super nerve-wracking for me. See, I had already announced that I was going to be launching a product during that time.
I couldn’t just go back on my word and not move forward with the launch. So, here's what I focused on doing:
Scheduling content - I took the time to write and schedule every email that I would need for the launch. I also focused on scheduling social media posts for both my Facebook page and group to remind my followers about the launch.
Made sure products could be delivered on their own - I took the time to set up my products so when someone purchased one it could be automatically delivered without me needing to lift a finger.
How I automated product delivery
On some websites when you purchase a product, you have to wait for the entrepreneur to manually deliver the product to you by either emailing you or getting you set up on their system. This is a no-no. It's just not something you want to do in your blogging business. It's frustrating for your customer and it's really frustrating for you! If your site runs this way, you have to constantly keep your eye out for new sales. It's a hassle, and you don't need or want hassles in your business.
So, when I knew that I wasn't going to have time to monitor sales all throughout my launch I made sure all my products were set up on Teachable (it’s an affiliate link but don’t worry, I only recommend the stuff I love!). This allowed people to receive the product they purchased as soon as they purchased it.
The results of my first automated launch
I had to work hard to make sure my emails and products were set up so I could focus my attention on my move and essentially wash my hands of the launch. This was the first launch I did that was 100% hands off. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about how my automations would work.
But, it went even better than I could have expected. In fact, I even made $1,300 in one day! I was able to focus on moving boxes and taking care of my family's needs and I was still running my blogging business and making money. I didn't spend any time sending emails or delivering products and it was an incredibly successful launch.
Why you need automations
There are so many reasons automations are important. You might not be getting ready for a move, but what if you end up with a sick kid one morning? You'll want to be the one to give them that extra time and love that they need while they feel sick. But, you can’t just walk away from your business. When your attention needs to be somewhere else you don’t want your business creeping in to steal it away.
When you automate blog processes for your business like your emails, sales funnels, and product delivery, you gain more control of your schedule. This doesn't mean you don't ever need to work on your business. Your business still needs your time, but it allows you to work on a time schedule that works for you. That means if your kid wakes up sick and you have to toss out everything on your schedule for the day in order to take care of them, your business will keep running. This exact situation recently happened to me. And, trust me, during times like that, the last thing you want is to have to worry about what you are missing while you aren’t working on your business.
This is a great time to get automated
Don’t panic if you don’t have automations set up just yet. This is a great time to do it! Start working on it for the coming year. That way you can have it ready for the birthdays, holidays, and vacations that are coming in 2019. It’s important to be able to take some time off from your business. You need to be able to do that. And, with all the automation options we have available now, you shouldn't have to worry about not being able to sell products, email your subscribers, or post on social media when you step away.
Your business should be able to keep running even if you aren't sitting there the entire time running it, and blogging automations make that possible. If you're serious about growing your blogging business in 2019 subscribe to my channel to hear all my blogging tips on how to make money with passive income on your blog.