7 Things Artists Should Have On Autopilot
Hello fellow creative one. Between you and me, we know there is a special magic that happens that allows us to come up with the ideas we bring to fruition and there’s nothing that kills that special vibe more than tedious little tasks we don’t want to do. So, in this week’s blog post, I want to share with you 8 things that you should have on autopilot as a small artisan business owner.
Now, before I lay them out for you, I want to say this… there is ZERO judgement if you don’t have all, or any, of these things set to autopilot right now. You’re the creative one, remember, it’s not your job to think of these things, that’s what I’m here for. However, once you learn these things, it will be your job to get them set up. The good news, once you do, you can set them and forget them, and it will bring not just you but your business, artisanal bliss.
So let’s dive in…
Standard email response (Set it and forget it)
If you get a lot of emails from customers and it makes you feel guilty to not get back to them as soon as they write in, first of all, let yourself off the hook, and second, create an automated response that you can turn on, or leave on, when you know you want to take some time away. It can even be something as simple as letting them know you will get back to them within 24-48 hours but, if it makes your stomach get tight and brings tension to you neck and shoulders knowing there might be an email in your inbox that you haven’t gotten back to, creating this automated email will be like a personal assistant saying, “thank you for calling, she’ll be with you soon.”
Order “thank you” (Set it and forget it)
You may already have this set up if you sell online but, if you don’t, it’s time to put it in place. If you do already have this set up, read over it and make sure it’s heartfelt. As small business owners, every order brings a special smile to our face and a warm feeling to our heart. Make sure your “thank you” email conveys this to your customers. In fact, an added tip would be to write out the first “thank you” email to the next person who orders from you. Then, copy and paste it into an automated email that goes out to future customers and your same heartfelt message that took you 5-10 minutes to write will go out right away and it will cost you zero time to put it together.
Follow up asking for review (Set it and forget it)
Reviews are what grow a business, especially a new one. Asking for a review can not only get you feedback on your product and customer service, but it can also be used to show future shoppers that you can be trusted. If someone else says they love your work and they’d happily order from you again, other shoppers need to know this! You can either create an email in your email management system (such as MailChimp, ConstantContact, or Flodesk), or, if you use Shopify, get an app that does it for you. Once it’s set, you can sit back, relax, and let the good word spread without you having to reach out nervously to every single customer, asking how it went.
Welcome series (Change 1-2x a year)
In my Artisan Coaching Studio, I have a download that includes 12 things to send you new email subscriber and it’s a perfect welcome series for any artist to put into place. An email welcome series, in case you aren’t familiar, is a series of emails that gets sent to a new email subscriber whenever they join your email list. This is done, again, through an email management system and can, not just thank people for subscribing but, double or even triple your online sales! And while this might be something you can “set and forget” for life, although you can leave it as it is for a long time, I do recommend mixing things up and updating it at least once every year or six months, just to keep it fresh and relevant.
Social media posts (Weekly/monthly)
Okay, this is definitely not a “set and forget” task item but you CAN set these up for automation on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on how much time you have to batch create. For example, I usually delegate Monday or Tuesday to set up my social media posts for the week. I plan them out until the next Monday or Tuesday and then I don’t have to think about it again until the following week. They say that the majority of time on a task is setting up and tearing down. Well, if you only have to set up and take down once a week, versus doing it every day, you’ll save yourself a heck of a lot of time. Plus, you don’t have to have the dreadful thought every time you wake up in the morning of, “ugh, what am I going to post on social media today?”
Response to direct messages on social media (Set it and forget it)
Auto responses to frequently asked questions in your direct messages on Instagram can save you a TON of time. Or, simply creating a general response with basic information about your products, where to find them, and what your shipping times are is really helpful too. Of course there will always be the unique question that you’ll need to answer on your own but, if you can save time by giving out general information on autopilot, you could use that extra time doing something you actually like, such as creating your artistic work!
Responses to comments on social media (Change up quarterly)
This is something I only recently started doing but it is a total game changer. You can sign up with ManyChat and then, if your audience simply comments a particular word or sends that word to you in a DM, they will receive an automated message back. For example, if you do a post about a new collection you created, you could put a call to action at the bottom of it saying, “comment ‘NEW COLLECTION’ below and I’ll send you the direct link!” With this, it eliminates the confusion a customer might experience if you simply direct them to you link in bio and it also makes the interaction feel 10x more personal because they will be getting a special message from your account, instead of having to do everything on their own.
I hope this was helpful for you and, if you want more tips and tricks for selling your handmade work online, join my Artisan Coaching Studio! I teach women artists how to make sales while they sleep or make pancakes for their kiddos so they can not only create what they love but have a thriving business from it as well.
