Automate Your Marketing. Save 1 Day a Week.

Emma runs a graphic design studio. She is passionate about design, but the part she dreaded most was marketing. She spent evenings chasing social posts, writing emails, and following up with leads. It felt like a full-time job on top of her business. She believed that marketing automation was something only big companies could afford.

This is a common belief among small businesses and entrepreneurs. Many assume that automation is expensive, complicated, or impersonal. The truth is, as I discuss in my book, The AI Business Opportunity, today, any business—no matter how small—can harness AI-powered tools to automate key aspects of its marketing. It is one of the simplest and most impactful places to start.

In the book, I encourage businesses to view sales and marketing as the perfect test bed for automation. It is an area where small steps can deliver quick wins, freeing up time and energy that can be reinvested into other parts of the business.

Where Is Your Time Really Going? (The Covey Matrix in Real Life)

Before you look at tools or techniques, the most critical question to ask yourself is:
Where is my time really going?
Most small business owners often feel overwhelmed and busy. But being busy is not the same as being productive. Frequently, the day is consumed by what Stephen Covey calls Quadrant I (Urgent and Important) and Quadrant III (Urgent but Not Important) tasks—the squeaky wheels that demand attention right now.
The critical work that grows your business—nurturing leads, improving your marketing, and building customer relationships—usually falls into Quadrant II (Important but Not Urgent).
This is the work that often gets pushed aside when you are in firefighting mode.
This is where marketing automation can genuinely make a difference. It helps you escape the 'busy trap' by clearing the repetitive, low-value tasks from your day, giving you back time to focus on the work that moves your business forward.

Figure 1: 2x2 Time Management Matrix, Stephen Covey
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High Performers Use Time Boxing—So Can You

Another simple, proven habit of high performers is Time Boxing.
It is precisely what it sounds like. Instead of letting tasks drift or reacting to interruptions, you schedule fixed blocks of time for focused activities—and stick to them.
For entrepreneurs, this can be a game-changer.
It forces you to protect time for essential, non-urgent work—such as marketing, customer relationships, or strategic thinking—that often gets squeezed out.
You can use Time Boxing to:

• Block 90 minutes every week to work on marketing strategy.
• Block one hour to review and improve your sales funnel.
• Set aside a Friday afternoon each month to review and refresh your automated emails and content.

Combined with automation, Time Boxing ensures that you not only save time but also use it wisely.

Figure 2: Time Boxing: Protecting Focus Blocks for Small Business Success

The Hidden Time Trap Behind Marketing
Small business owners wear many hats. They are the sales team, the marketing department, the customer service manager, and the accountant—all at once. Marketing often becomes a reactive task, done when there is spare time. Unfortunately, this means inconsistency, forgotten follow-ups, and missed opportunities.
In the book, I refer to this as the 'opportunity cost of doing it all yourself.' While it may seem like saving money, in reality, it often costs more due to lost sales and customer churn.
Emma's story illustrates this. She used to forget to follow up after client calls. Leads would go cold, and projects would slip through the cracks. When she set up a simple email sequence using Mailchimp, she reduced her admin time by half and converted more prospects into paying clients.

Why This Matters for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

Customers today expect quick and consistent communication. If you are not staying visible or following up, someone else is. Marketing automation ensures you remain top of mind, even when you are not actively working on it.
In The AI Business Opportunity, I emphasise that businesses should not see automation as a 'tech project.' It is a business opportunity—an easy, low-risk entry point to modern AI-powered tools that can keep you in the game while you sleep.
Raj, who runs a local gym, learned this lesson the hard way. He used to post on Instagram whenever he remembered, often missing weeks at a time. After switching to a tool like Buffer, he now schedules a month of posts in just 90 minutes. The result? His bookings went up by 20 per cent over three months, and he spends less time worrying about what to post each day.
Automation is not about replacing your human touch. It's about building a predictable pipeline that works in the background, allowing you to focus on serving your customers.

Four Simple Automation Wins to Get You Thinking

These examples are not a checklist. They are conversation starters.
There are various approaches to marketing automation, depending on your business type, sales process, and customer base.
Once you have asked yourself where your time is going, the next powerful question is:
If I had more time for marketing, what would I do?

• Would you invest more time in customer relationships?
• Would you create more useful content?
• Would you follow up with leads you have been ignoring?

Automation helps by freeing you from repetitive, admin-heavy tasks that prevent you from focusing on the marketing activities where you can excel.
Here are four of the simplest automation wins you can start with:

1. Email Sequences That Work While You Focus on Your Business

Set up a three-step welcome series for new leads using tools like Mailchimp or Brevo.
Emma now sends this sequence automatically after every discovery call. It builds trust, answers common questions, and nudges her toward the next step—without requiring her to recall each time.

2. Schedule Social Posts in Batches

Block one hour a month to schedule content using Buffer or Later.
Raj uses this method to schedule three posts a week, mixing customer stories, workout tips, and special offers. His social media feels alive and active, even when he is focused on running his gym.

3. Repurpose Content Using AI Tools

Utilise tools like ChatGPT or Canva to repurpose a single blog into multiple social media posts, emails, and videos.
Sarah, a life coach, now uses AI to transcribe her podcast episodes and convert them into blog articles, social media snippets, and email newsletters. What used to take her hours now takes minutes.

4. Automate Lead Capture and Follow-Up

On your website adding a lead capture form, offering a free guide or checklist. Connect it to an email sequence that keeps the conversation going.
Mike, a kitchen fitter, implemented this strategy and now collects around 30 leads a month from his website. He no longer needs to chase leads manually, and his email sequence keeps them engaged until they are ready to book a consultation.

Your Next Move

In "The AI Business Opportunity," I discuss the concept of "Start Small, Think Big."
Automation is an ideal setting to apply this principle. You do not need to overhaul your business. Start by observing your time. Look for the patterns. Notice where your energy is wasted on low-value tasks. Then, choose a straightforward thing to automate.
It is surprising how quickly you can save a day a week—and reinvest that time into the important but often ignored parts of your business.

📘 Want to See More Simple, Practical Uses of AI for Small Businesses?

This article draws on insights from my book, The AI Business Opportunity.
The book is written for small and mid-sized business owners who want to cut through the hype and see how AI can help them today—without needing a tech team or a big budget.
Inside, you will find:
• Examples of how businesses are using AI.
• A step-by-step roadmap to identify where AI can save you time and boost sales.
• Immediately applicable practical tools and tips.
Explore the book at: bpi5.short.gy/AIBook 

Or find it on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Steve Nicholls, MBA MSc, is the author of "The AI Business Opportunity" and founder of Bizedge.ai, where he helps small and mid-size businesses implement practical AI solutions for growth.