All Systems Go! Automation, Evolved for the AI Era

Ep. 192 - Chris brings back a guest that is no stranger to the show, Samantha Pointer Foxx, to discuss the latest updates and features from Keap. Samantha explains Keap’s new strategic focus on automating entire small businesses, not just their marketing and sales. Chris and Samantha also cover Keap's refreshed user interface, improved integrations, and new AI capabilities. You’ll learn how Keap is positioning itself as a holistic solution for businesses looking to automate operations, onboarding, hiring, and more through a combination of software and strategic services. Tune in to find out if Keap might be the right fit for your business automation needs and how partners like Samantha can help drive success with the platform.

What You'll Learn:

• 4:15 - What made Samantha want to dive deeper into learning about Keap
• 10:44 - The areas beyond just marketing and sales that Keap is now aiming to automate for small businesses
• 15:00 - Changes Keap has made to streamline and modernize its user interface
• 22:35 - How Keap is improving its pricing with bundles
• 28:17 - How partners are bringing strategy and implementation services to Keap
• 31:47 - Improvements Keap is making to their integration capabilities with other tools
• 32:35 - New features Keap is rolling out, like two-way text messaging and email health monitoring
• 33:16 - How Keap is leveraging AI for capabilities like content writing support
• 37:58 - Samantha shares why Keap’s capabilities align with Chris’ “Significant Six" principles

About Our Guest:

Samantha Pointer Foxx, CASP™ is a Certified Automation Service Provider™ & owner of Samantha Pointer Enterprises and founder of Sam’s Tech Academy. She helps small business owners and CEOs who need their marketing systems automated, but don't want to touch the tech or do it themselves. Her from Audit to Automation™ service connects strategic planning, process documentation, technology, automation implementation and data to help organizations optimize and grow.

Resources:

• Fill out Samantha’s Form to Learn More About Keap
• ASG 004 - The Significant Six
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 191 - Looking past the typical marketing automation, where else in your business can you implement automated systems to drive efficient scaling? This week, Chris invites on Irit Levy to discuss the vast potential of automation beyond just marketing processes. Irit shares successful use case scenarios where she optimized task management which led to automating daily recurring tasks and reducing both overwhelm and human error. She also highlights unique ways she’s using automation in her own business, like using Airtable for her CRM which allows proposals to be generated with a single click after calls. Tune in to learn how you can identify new areas that are ready for automation in your own processes, from project management to customer interactions.

What You'll Learn:

• 4:36 - Chris and Irit share their opinions on using AI in your business
• 13:18 - Why it’s important to look at software choices through the lens of future scalability needs rather than just current requirements
• 21:50 - Irit’s secret process that will lead to identifying optimization opportunities in your business
• 25:12 - The hidden costs of team members constantly switching between disparate tools and doing manual data entry
• 27:03 - Why consistent naming conventions are so crucial for automating processes effectively
• 34:34 - What makes Google Workspace such a powerful hub for automations
• 37:51 - How has Irit been able to use Airtable as her full CRM system while integrating proposals, contracts and more

About Our Guest:

Irit helps coaches, creatives, and consultants scale their businesses with process, strategy, software, and automation. She has provided 13,697+ software recommendations over the years. But at her core, she's about SCALABILITY, not software. Her approach is different because she believes technology is just a tool. It's only as valuable as it is helpful.

Resources:

• Airtable
• Google Workspace
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

• 3:21 - Brian shares what inspired him to create Puzzle
• 14:45 - The key difference between shallow documentation tools like Lucidchart and the deep documentation approach of Puzzle
• 17:57 - How Puzzle's relational database allows you to pivot and view processes connected to teams, roles and tools
• 27:47 - Recommended ways for getting started with mapping processes in Puzzle's blank canvas
• 29:41 - Which tools Puzzle integrates with to easily visualize existing workflows
• 38:56 - Why Brian views Puzzle as an "operational journal" for continuous process improvement
• 43:19 - High-level maps VS granular detailed maps - and which works better in Puzzle

• Start Your Free Trial of Puzzle
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 189 - In this episode, Chris invites back Kay Peacey, a world-leading ActiveCampaign specialist and founder of Slick Business. They dive into the latest updates and features released by ActiveCampaign in Q2 2024, including new email sending limits, crucial email authentication changes, recurring payment integrations, and powerful enhancements to email engagement tracking. Kay shares valuable insights from her role on ActiveCampaign's Customer Advisory Board, offering a unique insider's perspective. Whether you're a seasoned ActiveCampaign user or just getting started, this episode is a must-listen to stay ahead of the curve and unlock the full potential of your email campaigns.

What You'll Learn:

• 6:32 - How new email sending limits could impact businesses with high sending volumes
• 14:25 - Major changes made to email authentication requirements from Google and Yahoo in February 2024
• 24:49 - Kay walks through how to use an auto authentication tool to check your email authentication settings
• 37:11 - Brand new recurring payment integrations ActiveCampaign released - Subscription businesses: This one's for you!
• 41:16 - How updates to tag management and handling unsubscribes in automations have made things easier for users
• 49:21 - Benefits the new time window conditions for email clicks provide (especially for contact management and segmentation)
• 52:49 - How the new time windows for email engagement can be leveraged to identify inactive/engaged contacts
• 56:17 - Kay teases about a major overhaul is coming soon to the way segments are managed within ActiveCampaign

About Our Guest:

Kay Peacey has honed her email marketing automation skills to the very highest levels over 6 years of consulting and training for small businesses.

She’s a world-leading ActiveCampaign specialist with a seat on the Customer Advisory Board for ActiveCampaign, and founded the ActiveCampaign Academy at her own company, Slick Business.

Kay’s unique combination of top-level strategy and technical skills, plus a lifetime of teaching, make her the perfect person to help your business unlock bigger return on investment from your email marketing automation whilst keeping the human touch.

She’s also partial to using the Lego mini-figs or paper aeroplanes to drive home the learning.

Resources:

• Free Accelerated ActiveCampaign Training
• The ActiveCampaign Academy
• Join Kay's Facebook Community
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 188 - In this episode, Chris is joined by Shaun Pereira, the founder and CEO of Emailpref, a software that simplifies user preferences while empowering businesses to gain deeper insights into their users. They discuss the importance of properly managing email lists and user preferences, and how Emailpref integrates seamlessly with ActiveCampaign to handle list subscriptions, unsubscribes, and segmentation based on user preferences. Shaun even walks through a live demo, showcasing how Emailpref fetches lists and tags from ActiveCampaign, creates customized preference pages, and syncs user preference updates in real-time. If you're looking to reduce your email unsubscribe rate, this may be the tool for you!

What You'll Learn:

• 4:46 - The purpose and benefit of having customized preference centers
• 8:54 - How Emailpref seamlessly integrates with ActiveCampaign's lists, tags, and fields
• 16:46 - How Emailpref handles real-time syncing of user preferences
• 19:49 - Powerful use case scenarios Shaun has seen for businesses utilizing Emailpref
• 23:00 - Shaun shares what business size Emailpref is suitable for
• 25:24 - Shaun’s tips for new users to set up clean preference management
• 29:11 - New features and improvements coming soon to Emailpref

About Our Guest:

At just 24 years young, Shaun is already making waves as a visionary entrepreneur. With a proven track record as the founder of a contact sharing company, which he successfully sold, Shaun now leads Emailpref as the CEO. He's passionate about simplifying user preferences while empowering businesses to gain deeper insights into their users.

Resources:

• Claim your Emailpref discount with code: automationbridge 
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 187 - Are you prepared for when disaster strikes in your business? In this week’s episode, Chris draws from personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of having systems and automation in place to ensure business continuity. He discusses the challenges of relying solely on human resources, the risks of not documenting processes, and the value of facilitation automation to streamline operations and enable faster onboarding of new team members. Tune in to learn how to future-proof your business and ensure it can withstand unexpected challenges, whether it's a personal crisis or a key team member's absence.

What You'll Learn:

• 0:43 - Disaster can strike at any moment - are you truly prepared for when it derails your business operations?
• 3:15 - The hard lesson Chris learned when sickness made him unable to run his business - and how to avoid that pitfall
• 9:08 - The powerful role "facilitation automation" can play in reducing errors and enabling anyone to seamlessly step in
• 13:23 - Why SOPs alone aren’t enough to keep your business running if key players are out of commission
• 19:02 - Efficient steps to quickly train anyone on even your most complex processes when needed

Resources:

• ASG 186 - Dear Manual Marketer...
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 186 - Why continue to settle for tedious manual efforts when technology allows for streamlining work, reducing errors, and freeing up time - all while producing the same or better results? In this episode, Chris challenges you to level up beyond simply "getting it done" and consider truly optimizing your processes through marketing automation. He argues that CEOs could be getting more value from what they pay marketers, and marketers could be providing more value without exerting more effort. By the end of this podcast, you’re sure to be inspired to stop settling for basic automation and embrace a smarter way of working.

What You'll Learn:

• 3:45 - Why the manual marketer shouldn’t settle for their current "good enough" efforts
• 6:30 - Examples of why you may want to use automation to facilitate tedious and redundant tasks
• 11:25 - What Chris is tired of seeing from marketers in Facebook groups and training programs
• 12:30 - The difference between learning marketing strategy vs. applying technology and automation to marketing efforts
• 19:05 - Chris argues that CEOs and clients could potentially get more from their marketers with the switch from manual to automated
• 23:15 - Why marketers should want to evolve their marketing and automation efforts
• 24:33 - Where marketers can learn more about marketing automation and improve their skills

Resources:

• ASG 185: Your Done Doesn’t Equal My Done
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 185 - Are you truly satisfied just coasting at "good enough" or do you have that hunger to level up and achieve even better results? In this episode, Chris tackles the idea that what clients see as a completed job may not match an expert's standards. He dives into why so often, clients simply don't have the specialized knowledge to recognize areas for improvement. It's an insightful look at the importance of getting objective feedback from real experts and why it is crucial to get uncomfortable and actively seek out opportunities to grow, rather than staying stuck in a mediocre comfort zone. This episode is sure to light a fire under you to stop settling and start striving for more.

What You'll Learn:

• 0:47 - What Chris means by “my done" is not the same as "your done"
• 2:50 - The human behavior that often leads to settling for mediocrity in business
• 6:15 - How to qualify what is really “working” and what isn’t
• 12:01 - What “better” means when it comes to marketing automation
• 14:19 - Chris compares the dynamic of clients applauding basic work to an NBA player dominating in high school
• 19:53 - The challenge Chris poses to digital marketers regarding their skills
• 24:59 - Why business owners often enable and perpetuate mediocrity in the marketplace
• 29:47 - The issue with businesses not properly investing in continued learning for their marketing and tech personnel

Resources:

• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 184 - Do you really need all those bells and whistles, or should you focus on mastering the fundamentals first? In this episode, Chris challenges the conventional theory of building for scale. He draws on his lengthy experience in marketing and scaling businesses to argue that entrepreneurs should prioritize building functional, basic systems before worrying about advanced scaling strategies. Tune in as he shares insights on keeping things simple yet scalable, measuring the right metrics, and maintaining your systems – a refreshing perspective that will save you from costly mistakes in your journey for growth.

What You'll Learn:

• 00:31 - How Chris's initial experience of working at a rapidly scaling startup shaped his mindset about marketing
• 05:14 - The benefits of building basic landing pages and funnels first before adding advanced features
• 10:24 - The approach Chris recommends for new businesses - Hint: It’s not building for massive scale from the start
• 18:37 - Chris answers if advanced marketing skills and complex tactics automatically translate to better results
• 23:35 - The role that mastering the fundamentals and consistent execution play in achieving scale
• 28:23 - What the main considerations should be when building marketing systems initially
• 33:56 - The importance of having someone to actively maintain and optimize the basic systems

Resources:

• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

Ep. 183 - Chris sits down with Scott Moran, co-founder of SamCart, the leading checkout solution for digital creators. Scott shares eye-opening data from SamCart's 2023 Creator Profit Report, including the surprising number of clicks needed to power a six-figure business, the conversion rates of different traffic sources (You may be surprised at the top performer), and the critical importance of generating repeat sales from existing customers. He also shares actionable insights on maximizing customer lifetime value, expanding product offerings, and leveraging data-driven analytics to identify growth opportunities. Don't miss this episode packed with valuable strategies to increase sales conversions and drive sustainable revenue growth for your business.

What You'll Learn:

• 3:01 - Scott shares the original inspiration and mission behind creating SamCart
• 7:47 - How SamCart revolutionized the checkout experience compared to other tools
• 19:09 - The key conversion-focused features and designs that SamCart provides
• 24:23 - How many monthly clicks it takes to power a six-figure online business
• 28:26 - How the conversion rates of different traffic sources compare - according to data
• 34:31 - Why repeat customers are so critical
• 38:44 - Ways to effectively increase customer lifetime value and average order value
• 42:10 - What differentiates the analytics and dashboards in SamCart compared to other payment processors
• 51:41 - Where you can access the full 2023 Creator Profit Report and learn more about SamCart

Resources:

• SamCart
• The 2023 Creator Profit Report
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training