Online Marketing Automation

Updated January 13, 2023

Tools When You’re Out of the Office

Online marketing automation can really help in managing repetitive tasks. Most likely you’ve just returned from a long Labor Day weekend. Did your online marketing labor while you were out of the office? Here are a few tricks to automate your online marketing so you can take the day (or two) off:

1. Auto-Responder Forms

We use Gravity Forms as it provides more functionality than free WordPress form plugins. They boast 500,000 sites that use their forms. If you know your way around WordPress, it’s a cool online marketing tool that lets you build various types of forms, like:

• Multi-page forms with a progress bar so the user knows where they are in the process
• Contest forms where you can set limits
• Schedule form so you control the start and end date with a custom message
• Order forms with pricing fields
• Post forms to customize directory listings and user-generated content

Gravity forms also plugins into our favorite email management tool, MailChimp.

2. Email Automation

For online marketing automation, specifically email management, we love MailChimp. Our clients really like their easy-to-follow and on-demand tutorials. We also appreciate MailChimp’s sense of humor and willingness to educate everyone, not just their clients. Their resources section has a wealth of information including:

• eMail Marketing Field Guide
• Info for High-Volume Senders
• How to Avoid Spam Filters
• MailChimp for Bloggers
• How to Create an Email Marketing Plan
• How to Use Google Analytics with MailChimp
• Common Rookie Mistakes

3. Online Marketing Automation & WordPress Security

Bad guys don’t necessarily take a long-weekend off. They use automated programs like brute-force software scripts to guess passwords and gain unauthorized access. What better time for hackers to bust into your WordPress site than when you’re away for a several days. We recommend several plugins and best practices for WordPress security. One of the best automation tools to add is Limit Login. By default WordPress allows unlimited login attempts. This plugin limits those attempts. You can customize the number and automatically tell users via email notification. We also use two-step verification as an added layer of protection.

These are just a few of the online marketing automation tools we use. What are your favorites?

photo credit – top: InSapphoWeTrust
photo credit – body: Alden Jewell