The Automation Newsletter

What is the Best CRM for Small Businesses in 2025? (GoHighLevel vs HubSpot vs ClickFunnels)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 19:14:44 GMT

Key Takeaways:

GoHighLevel offers the best value at $97/month with unlimited contacts and all features included
HubSpot can cost up to $800/month and charges per user and contact growth
ClickFunnels only provides funnels without essential CRM features like calendars or email marketing
Hidden costs from multiple disconnected tools can exceed $300+ monthly
All-in-one platforms eliminate the need for 15+ separate software subscriptions

I'm Brad Smith, founder of AutomationLinks. With over ten years of experience helping 2,500+ businesses implement smart marketing systems, I've tried virtually every CRM platform on the market. Today I'm diving into one of the most common questions I get: Which CRM is actually worth it in 2025?

Quick Answer : GoHighLevel provides the best all-in-one CRM solution for small businesses at $97/month with unlimited contacts, built-in calendars, email marketing, funnels, and automation - saving businesses from expensive multi-tool setups.
Time Required : 30 minutes to evaluate options, immediate implementation possible
Best For : Small business owners tired of juggling 20 different tools or overspending on platforms that don't deliver

Why I No Longer Use HubSpot (The $800/Month Problem)

I used to be a HubSpot advocate until I realized I was spending $800 a month on their platform. When you look at HubSpot's pricing structure, they start with a free plan, then jump to $50 a month. But here's the real problem - those pricing plans escalate quickly. You'll easily spend $800 a month if you want everything included.

The bigger issue? You have to pay every time you add a new user, and you have to pay every time you want new automations. That's the fundamental problem with most CRM platforms - the more you grow, the more you're forced to spend.

The Hidden Cost Problem with Cheaper CRMs

Key Point : Most affordable CRMs don't include essential business tools, forcing expensive integrations
How It Works : You end up paying for multiple disconnected platforms that require additional integration software

Let me break down what actually happens when you choose a "cheaper" CRM option:

The Calendly Trap

Most CRM software doesn't come with a built-in calendar system. So everyone goes and uses Calendly. If you want Calendly without their logo at the bottom of all your calendars and want to look professional and on-brand, you're going to have to spend $12-$20 a month for the calendar feature.

But now you don't have Calendly synced with your CRM. You've got your CRM here, Calendly here, maybe email marketing somewhere else, and you're trying to get people to schedule appointments. You need something to connect everything.

The Zapier Integration Cost

To connect these disconnected tools, you'll need Zapier. You can get a free plan with up to 100 tasks, but what happens when you get more than 100 leads or contacts per month? Of course, we want to grow. Now you're spending $30 a month to have Zapier connect Calendly with your CRM.

Landing Page Software Costs

If you want landing pages to increase conversions, you'll need another tool. Looking at LeadPages, that's $50 a month for landing page software.

Email Marketing Expenses

For email marketing, platforms like MailerLite will cost you $50 a month for 5,000 contacts. Remember, this is just for email sending - you still need your CRM, calendar, landing pages, and integrations.

The Real Cost Breakdown:

CRM: $50+/month
Calendar: $20/month
Integration: $30/month
Landing Pages: $50/month
Email Marketing: $50/month
Total: $200+ monthly (and growing with each contact)

Why GoHighLevel Stands Out for Small Businesses

After spending $800 a month on HubSpot, I switched to GoHighLevel and now spend just $97 a month with everything included. Here's what makes it different:

Two Simple Pricing Options

$97/month : Everything included for individual businesses
$297/month : Unlimited sub-accounts (perfect for agencies serving clients)

What's Actually Included at $97/Month

Conversations : Auto-DMs for Facebook and Instagram messages to help increase leads (replaces ManyChat)
Calendars : Unlimited calendars with auto appointment scheduling, Google Calendar and Outlook integration (replaces Calendly)
Contacts : Unlimited contacts - you'll never pay more regardless of growth
Opportunities Pipeline : Track leads through every stage - new lead, scheduled, proposal sent, closed (most cheap CRMs don't have this)
Payments : Send estimates, invoices, pricing, products, and coupons (replaces DocuSign at $15/month)
Marketing : Schedule social media posts with AI content creation (replaces Hootsuite at $150/month)
Automation : Unlimited email automations and follow-up sequences
Funnels : Landing pages and sales funnels (replaces ClickFunnels)
Surveys : Advanced quiz and survey functionality with lead scoring
Memberships : Full course and membership site creation
Reviews : Automated review requests and reputation management
Reporting : Comprehensive analytics without needing Google Analytics
AI Agents : Automated phone answering, appointment scheduling, and content creation

GoHighLevel vs HubSpot vs ClickFunnels: The Real Comparison

HubSpot Problems:

Expensive scaling ($800+ monthly)
Per-user charges
Limited automations on lower plans
Additional costs for advanced features

ClickFunnels Limitations:

Only provides funnels
No built-in calendars
No email marketing
No CRM functionality
Pricing often hidden

GoHighLevel Advantages:

All features at $97/month
Unlimited contacts
No per-user fees
Everything integrated
Transparent pricing

Time to See Results : Most businesses see improved workflow efficiency within the first week

Tools Needed : Just GoHighLevel - no additional software required

How to Implement CRM for Your Business (Even If You're New)

Step 1: Evaluate Your Current Tool Stack

List all the software you're currently paying for:

CRM platform
Email marketing
Calendar scheduling
Landing page builder
Social media scheduler
Payment processing
Review management

Step 2: Calculate Your True Monthly Cost

Add up all monthly subscriptions, including:

Base software fees
Per-user charges
Contact/subscriber limits
Integration platforms like Zapier

Step 3: Test GoHighLevel's Capabilities

Start with the $97 plan and migrate one function at a time:

Import your contacts
Set up calendar integration
Create initial email automation
Build your first landing page

Step 4: Eliminate Redundant Tools

As you confirm each GoHighLevel feature works for your needs, cancel the individual tools it replaces.

What to Expect in Your First 30 Days

Week 1 : Basic setup and contact import
Week 2 : Calendar and email automation configuration
Week 3 : Landing page and funnel creation
Week 4 : Advanced features like AI agents and social media automation

For complete setup assistance, I offer full CRM implementation through my affiliate link. My team will import our entire automation system so when you log into GoHighLevel for the first time, you've got everything automated and ready for your brand.

Ready to Consolidate Your Business Tools?

Don't overspend on disconnected software that creates more work instead of less. The businesses I've helped over the past 10 years that see the most success are the ones that use expert-recommended tools that save time and money.

If you're ready to stop juggling 20 different platforms and want everything in one place, try GoHighLevel with my affiliate link . Once you're signed up, contact my team at AutomationLinks.com and we'll import our complete automation system for your business.

Key Takeaway : The best CRM for 2025 isn't just about managing contacts - it's about having one platform that handles your entire business workflow while saving you hundreds of dollars monthly on disconnected tools.

For more marketing automation strategies, subscribe to my YouTube channel . Want to dive deeper into business systems? Check out our S ocial Sales System for complete implementation guidance.

How to Automate ALL Your Lead Generation with AI (2025 Marketing Blueprint)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 18:42:02 GMT

Key Takeaways:

AI won't replace your authentic voice but can automate 90% of your marketing when used correctly
The "pillar piece" strategy trains AI to write in your brand voice using your original content
One video can generate 500+ social posts, blogs, and emails automatically every week
Complete lead generation automation includes blogs, social media, chatbots, landing pages, and email workflows
GoHighLevel provides the all-in-one platform to implement this entire AI-powered system

I'm Brad Smith, founder of AutomationLinks, where I help businesses scale their content creation, social media, and lead generation using AI. I've been doing this marketing stuff for over 10 years and work with over 200 brands. In this guide, I'll show you the exact AI-powered system we use to create blogs, social media posts, landing pages, and automated email workflows, saving hours every week while generating consistent leads.

Quick Answer : Create one piece of high-value content (your "pillar piece"), use AI to repurpose it into multiple formats while maintaining your brand voice, then automate the distribution across blogs, social media, and email campaigns.
Time Required : 1-2 hours setup, then 30 minutes weekly maintenance
Best For : Coaches, agencies, local businesses, and online brands wanting to multiply their reach without losing authenticity

Why This AI Strategy Works for Any Business

This isn't just theory - it works for coaches, agencies, local businesses, and online brands because:

AI saves time by repurposing your original content into multiple formats
It keeps your brand voice authentic while multiplying your reach
You'll rank higher on Google with SEO-friendly blogs & landing pages
It creates consistent engagement across social media & email marketing
You focus on strategy & relationships while AI handles the repetitive tasks

The key insight here is that AI won't replace your voice, but when you use it the right way, it can multiply your reach and automate 90% of your marketing.

Step 1: Create Your Pillar Content Strategy

What Is a Pillar Piece?

The pillar piece is what trains your AI to talk like you, because the last thing we want is AI to write your post and everyone to know you're using AI. Start with a single piece of high-value content—a YouTube video, podcast, or webinar.

Why AI won't replace your authentic voice : Your pillar content contains your unique perspective, terminology, and expertise that AI can learn from and replicate authentically.

Setting Up Your Content Foundation

I always like to start off my content with a blog post from a video. Here's how I do it in GoHighLevel :

Head over to sites and go to blogs
Create a blog and let it scan your existing website
Embed your YouTube video in the blog
Use the transcriptions to create the content

The transcriptions or the blog becomes your real content from you - whether you're recording your audio, recording a YouTube video, or actually writing a blog.

Step 2: Train AI with Your Brand Voice

Building Your Brand Voice Profile

Now that our blog and blog pages are ready, we need to create a brand voice. Brand voice is that information about you, your website, and the content to allow AI to actually know what they're talking about.

When you create a brand voice in GoHighLevel, it will:

Ask for your brand name and website URL
Require information about your business and company email
Scan your website automatically
Pull the entire brand voice into the system

You really don't have to do anything besides put your website in there, and you can always go back and change that later.

Using Content AI for Authentic Output

Click on content AI to upload your brand voice, everything that you talk about and everything you believe in. From there, you can choose the type - outline, introduction, or section. Add the title of the blog post, a short description, keywords, and different information about what you want to talk about.

Key Point : The AI takes the content from the transcription you wrote and puts it into the blog post to fuel the rest of your content creation.

Step 3: Automate Social Media Content Creation

Generating AI-Powered Social Posts

For more on content automation strategies, see social media automation techniques .

Over here on the top right in GoHighLevel, click "new posts." You can:

Create one from scratch
Upload from CSV (if you use Chat GPT to create hundreds of posts)
Choose from their templates
Let AI create it for you

Setting Up Automated Posting

From here, choose where you want to post it, then choose your brand voice. You can set up different voices if you have different people in your company. The system already knows that I'm looking for professional and supportive content.

What makes this effective : We don't want people to click on the website and buy from us in our social media posts. We want to use social media posts to educate and provide value. If we help them and they decide that we're the ones that can help them with their solution, they'll most likely come and hire us.

Creating AI Images and Optimizing Posts

You can generate an image with AI by simply telling it exactly what you want it to say. Just describe what you want the image to look like. As an example, I said "make the image look like brands are getting more leads."

You can even set up automated follow-up comments. Let's say you post this without links - you can go in and post a comment saying "if you want to join my newsletter, here's the link."

Step 4: Build and Train Your AI Chatbot

Setting Up Conversational AI

Head over to AI agents where you can set up a voice agent or a conversation agent. If we go to conversational AI, our chatbot will actually help answer support questions and even get people scheduled on our site.

Training Your Chatbot Effectively

To train your chatbot:

Connect it with your website and your knowledge base
Upload your FAQs so it knows exactly what you do and offer
Configure it to answer support questions
Set it up to schedule appointments automatically

This chatbot becomes an extension of your customer service, handling inquiries 24/7 while maintaining your brand voice.

Step 5: Create High-Converting Landing Pages with AI

Building Effective Landing Pages

For detailed landing page strategies, see high-converting landing page creation .

This is an example landing page that will get somebody to go to your page, fill out a form, and then go to a thank you page to take action. Once you click on this link, you're going to be able to fully customize this to say exactly what you do and what you offer.

You can customize:

Your logo
Title and description
Images
Forms

Optimizing Thank You Pages

After they fill out that form, it'll automatically take them to a thank you page. This is where you can:

Get them to watch a video
Make sure they check their email
Get them to subscribe or follow you on social media

Once you have your landing page built, you can build this into a website or use external tools like Duda for more advanced functionality.

Step 6: Automate Email Follow-Up Sequences

Creating Automated Workflows

Once somebody fills out your landing page form, the goal is to follow up with them using automation. In the automation section, click on create workflow and choose from their templates. They have multiple templates you can use to follow up with people.

Setting Up Lead Nurture Campaigns

I like to use a new lead nurture system. This way, you can follow up with any new leads that fill out that form on your landing page. The system will:

Create the whole follow-up system automatically
Autofill who the email comes from
Generate subject lines
Create email content using AI

For comprehensive email automation strategies, see email automation systems .

Writing AI-Generated Emails

Click the "write with AI" button, choose your tone, and put information about the email you want. For example, I would say "welcome to automation links. I just want them to respond back so I can make sure I hit the inbox and that it's the right email."

AI creates an email instantly that's asking them to respond back, confirming they want to receive emails.

Scaling Your AI Content Output

The Power of Automation at Scale

What are you waiting for? Start using AI to create real, relevant, educational, helpful content. Don't just rely on AI to do everything for you. You need to create that pillar piece like a video or podcast, some sort of audio that takes the transcriptions to create all of this AI content.

Implementation and Results

You do have to create systems and build this out. But once that's published, we have some companies that send over 500 social media posts a day, 500 emails, blog posts, everything getting published every single week on autopilot from one piece of pillar content.

Time to See Results : Companies typically see increased engagement within the first week and measurable lead increases within 30 days.

Tools Needed :

GoHighLevel for the complete system
Video recording equipment for pillar content
Duda for advanced website features

Getting the Complete System

If you want this exact snapshot where our AI bots are trained and we have all of this system set up, we can transfer it directly to your GoHighLevel account. Just sign up with our affiliate link and go to our contact page . Let us know you signed up and someone from my team will import this entire automation system for you.

For additional marketing automation resources, check out our marketing automation guides .

Final Thoughts + Next Steps

The future of marketing automation is here, and it's not about replacing your authentic voice - it's about amplifying it. This AI-powered system allows you to maintain genuine connections with your audience while dramatically scaling your content output and lead generation.

Start with creating one high-quality piece of pillar content this week. Whether it's a video, podcast, or detailed written piece, make sure it represents your authentic expertise and perspective. Then use this blueprint to transform that single piece into a comprehensive marketing machine.

Key Takeaway : The most successful businesses in 2025 will be those that learn to leverage AI as a multiplication tool, not a replacement for human creativity and authentic connection.

Ready to transform your lead generation? Get more strategies and subscribe to our channel Subscribe here for the latest AI marketing techniques.

How to Set Up AI Agents in GoHighLevel: The 3x Lead Generation System

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 18:10:12 GMT

Key Takeaways:

AI agents can triple your lead generation while you sleep
GoHighLevel's Voice AI and Conversation AI handle calls, bookings, and support automatically
Setup requires $97/month additional upgrade but replaces multiple expensive tools
Custom knowledge base training ensures accurate, brand-specific responses
Complete automation system includes phone numbers, calendars, and follow-up workflows
Full snapshot available for instant implementation

Authority Statement

I'm Brad Smith, founder of AutomationLinks. After working with 2,500+ brands over the past decade, I've built automation systems that save time, drive leads, and increase revenue. We saved $800 a month switching from HubSpot to GoHighLevel, and now we have everything all-in-one.

Quick Answer : Set up Voice AI agents to handle inbound calls and Conversation AI bots for website chat. Both connect to your knowledge base, book appointments automatically, and trigger follow-up workflows.
Time Required : 30-45 minutes for complete setup
Best For : Any business wanting to automate customer support and appointment booking

Why AI Agents Save Time and Boost Leads

AI agents give small businesses the power of automation without the cost of a full support team. Whether you're in eCommerce, coaching, local services, or B2B, these tools can:

Book appointments while you sleep
Answer FAQs without a live rep
Eliminate spam calls and improve lead quality
Increase customer engagement and retention
Improve SEO and user experience with faster response times

If you've ever missed a lead because you didn't respond fast enough, this system will change that.

GoHighLevel Overview and Requirements

First, you'll need a GoHighLevel account. You can find my affiliate link in the description. Once you're signed up, you'll need to upgrade to access AI agents - this costs an additional $97 per month.

Key Point: With GoHighLevel, you're never going to spend more than either $297 or $497 per month. That's why we switched over from spending $800 a month on other software. Now you get unlimited contacts, unlimited automations, and unlimited users.

To get the complete setup faster, head over to our website , fill out the contact form, let us know you signed up with the affiliate link, and we'll send over the snapshot so you can get started quicker and actually start getting results right away.

Step-by-Step: Voice AI Agent Setup

Creating Your First Voice Agent

Navigate to AI agents on the left sidebar in GoHighLevel. You'll see Voice AI and Conversation AI options. Let's start with Voice AI.

Create Voice Agent : Click "Create Voice Agent"
Basic Settings:

Name your agent (I use my own name)
Select language
Choose voice type
Set your business time zone
Focus on inbound calls (outbound coming soon)

3. Advanced Settings: Configure time limits, behaviors, and reminder settings. You can customize these based on your preferences.

Adding Goals, Prompts, and Knowledge Base

How It Works: The system pulls from your knowledge base to answer questions accurately and consistently.

Set Goals: Define what you want the AI to accomplish during calls
Knowledge Base Integration : Upload your help desk content and FAQs
Data Collection: Configure the agent to collect:

Name
Email
Customer needs/requirements

4. Workflow Triggers: Set up automations to trigger after the call, such as:

Schedule follow-up calls
Ask additional questions
Book appointments

Advanced Prompt Configuration

In advanced mode, you'll create the AI prompt that defines how your agent responds:

"You are my agent and you're my customer support specialist."

Key Point: The more information you give it here, the better those calls will be. Focus on making sure this sounds exactly how you would speak.

Task Setup and Calendar Integration

Set up specific tasks your AI can perform:

Transfer calls to yourself when needed
Send SMS messages
Book appointments (most common use case)

For appointment booking, choose from your calendars. If you haven't set up calendars yet, go to the calendars section on the left side first.

Connecting Phone Numbers & Automation

Phone Number Setup

You need a dedicated phone number for your AI agent:

Go to "Phone Numbers" in the left sidebar
GoHighLevel integrates with Twilio for phone services
Enable the AI agent as backup for your number
Set working hours for your agent

Time to See Results: Once configured, your agent starts handling calls immediately.

Viewing Call Stats and Agent Performance

After setup, you'll have access to comprehensive analytics:

Total calls received
Actions triggered
Positive interaction rates
Call duration statistics
Caller information and call summaries

Click on any call summary to see exactly what was discussed. For example, you might see that someone called about a Google listing, and your agent handled it to filter out spam automatically.

Creating a Website Chatbot (Conversation AI)

Guided Setup Process

Now let's set up Conversation AI for your website:

Choose Setup Type: Select "Guided form setup" or "Create prompt-based bot"
Bot Purpose: Choose between:

General Q&A
Appointment booking

3. Brand Configuration: Enter:

Brand name
Website URL
Company email and address
Phone number
Business hours

Setting Brand Voice and Booking Options

Brand Voice Setup: Configure tone (professional recommended) and add:

Target audience information
Customer pain points
Brand promise

Pro Tip: Copy all this information and paste it into ChatGPT to help generate specific answers for your FAQ section based on your ideal customer profile.

Channel Selection: Enable the bot across multiple channels:

Chat widget on website
Text messages
WhatsApp
Instagram DMs
Facebook Messenger

Data Collection and Appointment Booking

Configure your bot to collect:

Name
Email
Phone number
Specific objectives/questions

Automation Integration: Connect appointment booking to:

Your calendar system
Follow-up automation sequences
Email notification systems

You can also allow the bot to cancel and reschedule appointments automatically.

Final Setup, Use Cases, and Next Steps

Knowledge Base Training

Your knowledge base is crucial for accurate responses:

Web Crawler: Let it crawl and learn from your entire website
Manual FAQs: Add specific questions and answers
Help Desk Integration: Import existing support content

Content Creation Integration

GoHighLevel's content AI becomes powerful when trained on your specific business:

Create blog posts from video transcriptions
Generate social media content
Build sales funnels and email sequences
Synchronize content across all channels

Tools Needed: You'll have access to everything within GoHighLevel - no additional software required.

How to Get the Full Automation Snapshot

If you want the complete system with all prompts and automation workflows:

Sign up for GoHighLevel using my affiliate link
Visit AutomationLinks.com
Fill out the contact form
Let us know you signed up with the affiliate link
We'll send the complete snapshot for immediate implementation

For more advanced automation strategies and to see everything GoHighLevel offers before signing up, check out our complete overview guide .

Conclusion

It's time for you to set up your AI bot to help you save time, help you save money, and most importantly, convert more leads into customers. This system eliminates the frustration of missed opportunities and provides 24/7 professional customer service.

Key Takeaway: AI agents in GoHighLevel offer a complete automation solution that replaces expensive support teams while providing better, faster customer service.

Ready to implement this system? Schedule a consultation call to discuss your specific setup needs, or get started with the complete automation snapshot .

Get more strategies: Subscribe here .

Case Study: How to Comply with YouTube's New AI Monetization Rules - Real Creator Success Story

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 17:19:13 GMT

Key Takeaway

YouTube's July 2025 AI Policy Update Changes Everything

✅ The Hidden Compliance Trick : Always mark "NO" when YouTube asks if content is AI-generated
✅ 90% Solution : Add personal audio + face intro to existing AI workflows
✅ Proven Results : One client maintained full monetization after implementing the AI Compliance Checklist
✅ Time Required : 15 minutes extra per video vs. complete demonetization risk
✅ Secret Method : Use your voice over AI visuals instead of AI-generated voiceovers

Bottom Line : You can still use AI tools without losing monetization - but only if you follow the new compliance framework exactly.

Quick Context : YouTube's July 2025 policy update targets AI-generated content for demonetization
Method Used : AI Compliance Checklist with personal voice integration
Time Required : 15 additional minutes per video for compliance steps
Key Result : Client maintained full monetization status while competitors lost revenue

Are you risking your YouTube monetization by using AI? I've been working with YouTube creators for over 10 years, helping more than 2,500 brands navigate platform changes, and YouTube's latest update has changed everything about how AI-generated content gets reviewed.

Many creators are already losing revenue without realizing why, but there's a specific method I've developed that allows you to keep using AI tools while staying completely compliant with YouTube's new rules.

What Was the Challenge?

YouTube made a huge update in July 2025 that fundamentally changed their monetization policies around AI content. The platform can no longer monetize purely AI-generated videos, which means creators who built their entire workflow around AI tools suddenly face demonetization.

As the owner of Automation Links, I've been doing marketing for the last 10 years and worked with over 2,500 brands. I like to share my screen and give quick tips so you can implement strategies for your brand. When this change hit, I immediately had clients reaching out because their revenue streams were at risk.

Case Study Insight : The policy isn't about eliminating AI entirely - it's about preventing bulk uploads of hundreds of AI videos with zero personal input.
What Happened : One of my clients was using AI to make his YouTube videos and needed to completely change his approach per the new rules.
Time to Results : Within one week of implementing changes, monetization status was preserved.
Tools/Methods Used : Personal audio recording, face intro videos, AI compliance checklist.

How Did AI Compliance Work?

The solution isn't to abandon AI tools completely. Instead, I developed a specific compliance approach that one of my clients successfully implemented.

The Critical YouTube Interface Trick

Here's what most creators don't know: when you upload a video, YouTube asks if your content is AI-generated. Always go and make sure it's checked "NO." This is what they're looking for - if you check yes, that means it's AI generated, so they're going to take an extra good look at you.

The Personal Audio Strategy

What I would do is record the audio personally. I would just take my phone and record an audio version, throw that into the background, and use your voice. What they're cracking down on are the people that use AI generated voices to upload in the background.

We've all seen those travel videos where someone's talking in the background - these are AI generated voices in many cases. If you look at those "top 25 places to live" videos, I already know they're AI generated with AI images, AI videos, and AI voiceovers.

Case Study Insight : YouTube can detect AI-generated voices, but personal audio combined with AI visuals passes compliance.
What Happened : My recent client who was generating AI videos wanted to make sure we met all the guidelines and he continued to be able to get monetized and paid over the last week.

The Face Intro Method

What he did was add an intro video with his face. Then he continued using his audio in the background. I know it's going to take you a little bit more time, but the goal here is to make sure that you use your audio in at least a few sections of this video with your face. That way, you can continue getting paid.

What Were the Specific Compliance Steps?

Here's the exact checklist that I had my client implement:

Step 1: Personal Introduction

Record yourself speaking at the beginning of each video
Show your face in the intro section
State what the video will cover in your own voice

Step 2: Audio Integration

Use your personal voice throughout key sections
Replace AI-generated voiceovers with your recorded audio
Maintain AI visuals but add human narration layer

Step 3: Unique Content Requirements

Add real reviews and case studies from clients you work with
Include personal experiences and insights
Ensure content can't be found elsewhere in identical format

Step 4: Technical Compliance

Always mark "NO" for AI-generated content during upload
Use copyright-free audio when incorporating music
Include personal thumbnail pictures when possible

Case Study Insight : The key is making content unique with your personal input rather than creating something someone can find elsewhere.
What Happened : Any reuse clips or content that can be found in the same format elsewhere probably can't be monetized anymore.

For background on creating effective YouTube strategies, see h ow to start a business YouTube channel step by ste p .

What Results Did This Approach Generate?

The compliance method worked immediately. I'm going to show you a couple examples from my own channel - this video I uploaded of the beach where I'm talking in the background with my personal video content is getting a lot more views than usual.

Case Study Insight : Personal audio + AI visuals combination actually increased engagement beyond just maintaining monetization.
What Happened : The client maintained full monetization status while similar creators lost revenue streams.
Time to Results : Immediate compliance upon first video upload using the new method.
Tools/Methods Used : Phone recording for audio, existing AI visual tools, personal video introduction.

This approach proves you can still benefit from AI tools without violating YouTube's guidelines. The strategy focuses on adding personal elements rather than abandoning automation completely.

For advanced strategies on YouTube growth, check out our guide to high-converting YouTube strategy to generate more leads in 2025 .

How to Future-Proof Your Channel

YouTube's policy changes show they're moving toward requiring authentic personal input rather than pure automation. Here's how to stay ahead:

Build Sustainable AI Workflows

Always include personal narration elements
Create unique commentary and insights
Use AI as a tool to enhance rather than replace human creativity

Monitor Compliance Indicators

Track monetization status after each upload
Watch for policy notifications in YouTube Studio
Keep personal audio equipment readily available

Scale Responsibly

Avoid bulk uploading hundreds of AI videos
Focus on quality over quantity
Maintain authentic audience engagement

The goal is building a sustainable system where AI tools enhance your content creation without triggering platform restrictions.

Conclusion & Next Steps

YouTube's AI monetization changes don't mean abandoning automation entirely. My client's success proves you can maintain revenue while using AI tools by following the specific compliance framework I've outlined.

The key insights from this case study:

Always mark "NO" for AI-generated content when adding personal elements
Include face introductions and personal audio narration
Focus on unique content that can't be found elsewhere
Implement changes immediately to protect monetization status

Your Next Actions:

Download the complete AI Compliance Checklist by commenting "system" below
Record personal introductions for your next 3 videos
Replace AI voiceovers with your own audio narration
Monitor monetization status after implementing changes

For complex YouTube optimization needs, I offer consultation services to help creators navigate platform changes while maintaining revenue streams.

Case Study Summary : One client preserved full YouTube monetization during the July 2025 AI policy changes by implementing personal audio narration, face introductions, and a specific compliance checklist - proving creators can still leverage AI tools without sacrificing revenue.

Get more case studies and implementation strategies: Subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly updates on navigating platform changes and scaling your content business.

How to Post Videos on X (Twitter): The 10-30 Second Formula That Gets Results

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 17:05:24 GMT

Key Takeaways:

Most X videos fail because they're boring vertical reposts from TikTok without captions
Videos should be 10-30 seconds long in square or horizontal format for maximum engagement
Adding captions and graphics keeps viewers' attention and drives better results
CapCut formatting with 1080p export quality significantly improves video performance
Educational posts paired with videos create the perfect engagement combination

My Video Success on X (Twitter)

Hey there, I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and worked with over 2500 brands. In my experience, most people are posting boring videos on X that get zero traction, and I'm going to show you exactly how to fix that.

I share my screen in my videos and show you exactly how to upload your video and actually do it right to get good results. I'll show you a few good examples and a few bad ones so you can learn from them.

Quick Answer : Format videos as square or horizontal, keep them 10-30 seconds, add captions and graphics, then pair with educational posts for maximum engagement.
Time Required : 5-10 minutes per video using CapCut
Best For : Businesses wanting to capture attention and drive profile visits on X

Why Most X Videos Fail

The biggest mistake I see on X is people uploading vertical videos that are meant for TikTok and Instagram without adding captions to keep someone's attention. These videos look like direct copy-and-paste jobs, and people can tell you didn't put much effort into them.

Here's what separates good videos from bad ones:

Good X Videos Include:

Graphics and visual elements to maintain attention
Captions so viewers can read what you're saying
Proper formatting (square or horizontal, not vertical)
Short duration (10-30 seconds maximum)

Bad X Videos Are:

Long-form content over 30 seconds
Vertical format clearly from TikTok/Instagram
No captions or visual engagement elements
Generic content that looks effortless

The Best Video Length for X (Twitter)

You really don't want to make long-form videos on X. The sweet spot is videos that are between 10 to 30 seconds long. I've seen videos that capture people's attention at just 13 seconds in length.

The key difference from other platforms is that people aren't scrolling on X to learn things and get educated unless it's going to be a readable version. The videos are meant to:

Capture attention fast
Spark curiosity
Get viewers to want to read the rest of the post

When you do add videos, I recommend making sure the captions are there and that you also have an educational post that they can read while watching the video.

How to Format Videos in CapCut for X

I prefer using CapCut because it's low cost and allows you to do captions easily. Here's my exact process:

Step 1: Choose the Right Ratio

Go to the ratio settings in CapCut
Choose either 16:9 (YouTube-style format) or 1:1 (square)
I think square (1x1) works best for X specifically

Step 2: Scale Your Video

Grab your video and scale it to fit perfectly in the box
Move it around until it's properly positioned
Now you've got an optimized video for X

Step 3: Trim to Optimal Length

For longer content, cut it down:

Find the 20-second mark in your timeline
Cut the video at that point
Keep only the most engaging 20 seconds

Step 4: Add Captions

Click "Generate" to auto-create captions
Customize the caption colors and styling
Make sure captions are clearly readable

Step 5: Export at High Quality

Export at 1080p resolution
X might recommend 720p, but we want to keep this as high quality as possible

Why Captions & Graphics Keep Viewers Engaged

Adding captions isn't just for accessibility—it's a crucial engagement tool. When someone is scrolling through X, they might have their sound off or be in a noisy environment. Captions ensure they can still consume your content.

Graphics and visual elements work the same way. They provide constant visual stimulation that keeps people watching instead of scrolling past. This is especially important on X where the feed moves quickly.

The combination of captions + graphics + short duration creates a video that performs well in X's algorithm and keeps real humans engaged.

Posting Tips to Boost engagement

When you're ready to post your optimized video, use this structure that I've found works best:

The Perfect X Video Post Structure:

Hook - Grab attention immediately
Story - Brief context or example
Education - The main valuable content
Engagement - Ask them to talk about themselves
More Info - Direct them somewhere for additional value

This format works because it combines the attention-grabbing video with educational content that people can actually learn from.

Creating Thumbnails for X Videos (Workaround)

X doesn't allow you to add thumbnails like YouTube and other platforms do, but there's a workaround I use:

Head back to CapCut
Find the best scene where you're most engaged
Take a snapshot of that moment
Add that image to the very beginning of your video
Make it show for just a split second
Add some eye-catching text overlay

This creates an effective "thumbnail" that shows when someone visits your profile. Instead of a boring static frame, you get something cool with big captions that focuses attention.

Tools I Recommend for X Video Success

For the complete X video workflow, here are the tools that make the biggest difference:

Video Editing: CapCut (free and includes auto-captions)
Content Planning : HypeFury for X posting automation
Analytics: AdKong tracking software
Follow-up: GoHighLevel CRM for lead nurturing

For more advanced X advertising strategies , check out our X advertising service .

Common X Video Mistakes to Avoid

Based on analyzing hundreds of X videos, here are the mistakes that kill engagement:

The "Mr. Beast Problem": Just copying viral content without customization. Even big creators like Mr. Beast sometimes post content that doesn't perform well on X because it looks like a generic copy-paste job.
The "TikTok Tell": When your video format immediately signals it came from TikTok, users mentally categorize it as lazy content.
The "Education Overload": Making videos longer than 30 seconds assumes people want to learn complex topics from video alone on X.
Missing the Follow-Through: Posting great video content without an educational component in the text portion of the post.

Start Creating Better X Videos Today

The difference between videos that get ignored and videos that drive real engagement comes down to proper formatting, optimal length, and strategic posting. Most creators spend time on everything except these fundamentals.

If you want my full system on optimizing X and growing with X and X ads, I'd be happy to share it. This approach works for any industry because it focuses on the psychology of how people consume content on X specifically.

Key Takeaway: Stop posting boring vertical videos. Format them properly, keep them short, add captions and graphics, then pair with educational content. This simple system will dramatically improve your X video performance.

Ready to take your X strategy to the next level? Schedule a consultatio n and let's build a complete system that turns your X presence into a lead generation machine.

Get more strategies: Subscribe here .

How to Build Your Brand on YouTube – (Full Course)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:49:23 GMT

Key Takeaways:

Build your brand using just a cell phone for consistent YouTube presence
Optimize your YouTube profile with consistent images across all social platforms
Create welcome videos and playlists to build relationships and increase watch time
Start with one video per week and scale gradually (I went from 1 to 6 videos weekly)
Use YouTube ads with $5/day budget to accelerate brand growth
Distribute content across multiple channels for SEO benefits and backlinks

Building a brand on YouTube requires optimizing your profile, creating consistent content, and distributing videos across multiple platforms for maximum reach and SEO benefits.

Time Required : Start with 1 video per week, scaling gradually over time

Best For : Business owners and entrepreneurs looking to build personal brand authority

I was able to build my brand just using my cell phone for the last seven years on YouTube and a few other social channels. My name is Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years, worked with over 2,500 brands.

Step 1: Optimize Your YouTube Profile for Brand Recognition

The foundation of building your brand starts with your YouTube profile optimization. First, go and create something that has your username in there under your settings. Once you click on your bio and you go to YouTube Studio, you'll be able to go and make some edits there.

Why Consistent Profile Images Build Trust

Your profile picture must be the same across all your social media networks. When you're building a brand, people need to remember you. They need to remember your face. As you can see, my LinkedIn bio has that same picture. My Twitter bio has that same picture. And now, when somebody sees me on any channel like Instagram and TikTok even, they're going to recognize me.

Once you start going and changing your picture and making every social channel different, people won't remember you. They'll think you're someone else and it won't be recognizable.

Matching Banner, Website, and Social Branding

I like to make the bio, the banner picture pretty similar to your branding. As you see in our website, it's going to be the same colors. It's going to be the same branding, and it's also going to be the same images. These are the images I share on my X account, my LinkedIn account, my Instagram, showing our frameworks on how to build a brand and how to follow up with people. That's something that I post about all the time. So, I want that to be relatable.

Creating a Consistent Upload Schedule That Works

The next thing I want to do is really focus in on my bio. I want to tell people exactly who I am, what I believe in, and when I'm posting. When you're building up your brand, you want to be consistent. You want to share your message on a consistent basis and then let people know when they should tune in.

Quick tip : I recommend just starting with one video per week and you can build up on that. I started 7 years ago, 850 videos later, now I'm doing three to six a week. But for you, start slow. Start with just one per week. Add some relevant links for people to go learn more and follow you from there.

Step 2: Create a Welcome Video That Builds Relationships

What Your Welcome Video Should Include

The next thing when you're building the brand is to create a welcome video. The welcome video is a video that you can place in your email signature on links in other channels and it's a good way for you to introduce yourself, tell people who you are and build that relationship.

As an example, my welcome video, I recommended at the beginning when I introduce myself. I'm Brad Smith. I put the link up here. This is a good place to link back so after somebody learns something from you or watches any other videos, they can go learn more about you, see who you are, see your personality, build that relationship.

Why Playlists Keep People Learning From You

The next thing I want to recommend is add a playlist. So this is a playlist where people can come back and continue learning or watching other videos around the topic that you are talking about. If you're building a brand, you should be out there helping and providing value. You can do this by a series of 8, 10, or 12 videos talking about a similar topic.

I'm talking about YouTube and YouTube ads today. So, I'm going to put this in my YouTube marketing playlist. So, you can go and watch other YouTube videos at the end of this video that are related to this topic. It's really easy to do.

Step 3: Set Up Your YouTube Channel Properly

Setting Up Your YouTube Channel Properly

Once you go here and you've created your channel, you can click on the gear icon and click on YouTube Studio. Once you're in your studio, click on customization. And this is where you're going to change that banner.

Quick tip : I recommend just using something like Canva to help you create the perfect size to get the right image into your profile. This is where you can upload your picture and your bio so people recognize you. Like I mentioned, make it sure it's relevant across all channels.

How to Claim a Matching Username or Handle

Choose your name so people can start remembering your name. Also, try to get the user handle to be the same as your name or as similar as possible. This is for SEO. So, when somebody types into Google and they look for Brad Smith, I've got some competition. Microsoft CEO is Brad Smith. There's some athletes called Brad Smith. So, what I need to do is continue putting my name in all my videos, keeping my name relevant so I start showing up higher and higher.

Customizing the Homepage Layout for Your Audience

This is where you're going to add your description and any additional links. Once you have all of this and you've got your video set up, your welcome video, you're going to go to your home tab and this is where you're going to add those videos.

This is where you can create your welcome video. That way, when somebody's new and they haven't subscribed, they can come watch this video and learn more about you like we spoke about. Now, after somebody subscribes, I like making a blueprint video that somebody can go learn. It's almost like a pillar piece that you can direct people to once they find out about you. They can go learn more about your business, your processes, and that's where you want to feature a video for any returning subscribers.

From there, you can then organize your playlist and what you want to show at the top. I use for you at the top because what it is is based on my viewers interest. So any other videos you might have watched from other channels, other videos you've watched from me, it'll recommend other videos that are similar to what you're interested in. And then from there is where you can add those playlist so people can easily go find the videos for them.

Step 4: Maintain Consistent Branding in Your Content

Keeping Thumbnail Style Consistent

Now that you've got your channel set up and you've got your branding in there, you want to start making sure when you upload your videos that they're consistent. I like to keep consistent thumbnails so that way people recognize my different thumbnails. Now, I've changed these pretty often, but now I'm keeping to the same style for a few months so people remember my thumbnail and my face. The goal is to have people remember you and your brand.

How to Use My Free System Guide for Branding

Then, what you want to do is introduce yourself. I always like to put a strong hook in my descriptions. I like to put a link at the top and then I like to introduce myself for those SEO purposes. So, my name and my business name always shows up at the top. I always like to give a quick lesson just in case people like to read while they watch the videos. And then you always want to make sure your timestamp's perfect.

Now, if you grab my system in the guide, it tells you how to get this description. You can actually plug my AI prompt into chat GPT, take the transcription from your video. It'll give you this exact description for your videos.

Automating Content Thumbnails and Visuals

From there, you want to make sure that you always add a good thumbnail. You can use Canva or you can use a software like Fiverr where you can get freelancers to make you thumbnails for 10, 15, $20 per thumbnail. If you decide to use Fiverr, sign up for a free account with my affiliate link and I'll introduce you to my freelancer who makes all my thumbnails. That way, they can make three different posts for you, thumbnails for you. And YouTube now has a way to split test that. So, you'll be able to go and view your report and it'll show you which thumbnail actually got the most clicks and optimize for that.

Step 5: Optimize Your Content for Search

Adding Language, Location, and SEO Tags

You're going to go ahead and choose the playlist you want this video to be recommended on. And a quick tip, YouTube starting to crack down on AI content. So, you always want to make sure you say no that this content is not altered by AI.

Now, from there, I like to put some tags so people so the algorithm knows exactly what the video is about. I like to put my language that I speak. I like to put the location on where I recorded it. And a quick tip is I like to make my videos education style. So these are like how-to videos. And what you can do is go optimize these for SEO to show up if somebody searches on Google or YouTube that your video will show you based on these questions people ask in the search.

Why YouTube Is Your Best Branding Channel

Now, talking about search, once you build your personal brand, you're going to start seeing yourself on other channels. So don't just build your YouTube channel and stop there. What you want to do is build your YouTube channel and then you want to start putting that video in your blog post. You want to put that video on your LinkedIn, on your X, on Medium, on Reddit. You want to start distributing that video everywhere so you can get links and build up the brand on other channels.

How I'm Ranking #1 on Google with This System

What as an example, I've got this exact video showing you how to create YouTube playlists, which I'll probably recommend at the end of this one. I went ahead and I went to my blog. I created a full blog post about it and then I embedded my YouTube video in my blog. And now, as you can see, I'm ranking number one on Google. And most of the traffic for this video is actually coming from Google.

Now, once YouTube starts seeing that other channels are sending you traffic, they're going to start bumping you up and showing your videos to more people. Those are called backlinks. You're linking your videos on other channels and building trust with YouTube.

For more strategies on video content optimization, check out how to use playlists to grow your YouTube channel .

Step 6: Accelerate Growth with YouTube Ads

How to Use YouTube Ads to Drive Cold Traffic

The next thing we're going to dive into is setting up some YouTube ads to get this thing started quickly. Now, if you want to give yourself a boost start, you can start running YouTube ads to try to get more people to find your videos quicker so you can start building up your personal brand even more on YouTube.

Here is what YouTube ads looks like. You have to build set up a Google Ads account. Once your Google Ads account set up, you can create campaigns specifically for your YouTube channel. I've got other videos in my YouTube playlist showing how to set up YouTube ads for yourself. So, if you can just go reference those, I'll put those in the description below.

Setting Up Your First YouTube Ad Campaign

But what you're going to do is go and create a brand new campaign. And all you have to do is hit this plus icon and click new campaign. Once you start there, you're going to go ahead and create your objective without a guidance. Now, it once you become more advanced or hire an agency to do this, they're going to set up these objectives here for you so they're all set up properly and you get the best results. But for today's video, you can just set this up on your own. You can start here.

The next thing you're going to do is choose your video. And you're going to go ahead and scroll down. It's going to give you all these different options. Now, step number one is you want to start with video views for people that have never heard of you before. This will allow you to put in specific keywords. That way, you show up when somebody's searching for something.

Budget and Targeting Strategy

Now, you can start here. This brings in a cold audience, but then when you're ready to actually get signups and conversions, you're going to want to set up a second campaign where you're going to click on something like subscriptions and engagement and or drive conversions. But for today's video, what we want to do is just start getting more people to come to our videos, learn more about us, watch our videos, and hopefully subscribe to our channel.

All right, once you're there, go ahead and name it whatever you want. And then what I like to do is keep it in feed ads only. So skippable instreams are the videos that show up before they can watch someone else's video. I don't like those. I can't wait to hit skip. You are probably the same way. Hopefully there wasn't an ad before this video.

From there, you can pretty much skip all of this. I like to change my budget to daily and we can just start off with something like $5 a day so the campaign can start learning about us. Choose your location, your languages, and then from there you can add a few things like any other related videos you have around your topic.

Keyword Targeting for Maximum Reach

From there, you can go ahead and scroll down and you can choose different audiences, demographics, and interests. But for today's video, I like to keep this simple. In order to set up something simple, you can do add keywords. And as an example, I'm going to go ahead and use the video that we used before.

And I'm going to type in something like how to use playlists on YouTube. That way, if anyone is looking on how to create a playlist for their YouTube channel, I'm going to answer that in this video. Now, this is going to be for any of these words. So, if somebody just types into Google or YouTube playlist, I'm going to show up for that.

What I want to do is be a little more specific. So, we're going to add quotes from there. Now, it's going to be any order. How to use playlist on YouTube or it could say how to use YouTube for playlist. Basically, any order of these words. But if we want to be super specific, we need to add brackets. Once we add brackets, they have to type this in exactly how it's shown here.

From there, you can choose different things like your topics and playlists. But what we're going to do is we're going to just go grab this video and we're going to plug it in here. From there, what I like to do is go back to my channel, and I like to put in my URL for my channel, and we're going to paste it in here. So that way when somebody comes and watches my video and they click, it's just going to ask them to subscribe.

From there, you're going to post in a few headlines. This can be headlines like how to use playlist to grow your channel and whatever else you'd like to put here in the description. From there, you're going to add your cost per view bid. So, they're going to give you a recommendation. I like to bump that up just a little bit more, maybe 2 cents more, so I'm more likely to show up over my competitors.

For detailed guidance on YouTube advertising strategies, explore our YouTube ads course .

Conclusion: Start Building Your YouTube Brand Today

I really hope you decide to build your brand on YouTube. It's something that has been one of the most beneficial things for me in my business is building my brand, helping people, educating them, and giving easy step-by-step guides like this. I hope that you learn from this. I hope that you go implement it.

Building your brand on YouTube using just a phone and consistent effort has transformed my business over seven years. Start with one video per week, optimize your profile for consistency across all platforms, create welcome videos that build relationships, and use playlists to keep people engaged with your content.

Remember to distribute your videos across multiple channels for SEO benefits – I'm ranking number one on Google for many topics because of this strategy. When you're ready to accelerate growth, start with $5/day YouTube ads targeting specific keywords related to your expertise.

Key Takeaway : Consistency and relationship-building through educational content is what builds lasting brand authority on YouTube. Start simple, stay consistent, and scale gradually.

For personalized help implementing these strategies, feel free to schedule a consultation or grab my complete system guide with AI prompts to accelerate your YouTube brand building journey.

Get more strategies: Subscribe here

How to Post on X (Twitter): UPDATED GUIDE That Converts Followers Into Customers

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:48:31 GMT

Key Takeaways:

Proven system that helped a client grow from 0 to 10,000 followers in 8 months
Four specific post types that consistently generate leads and engagement
Strategic posting frequency: once daily Monday-Friday or 3 times weekly for beginners
AI-optimized content creation using Grok for platform-specific posts
Analytics-driven approach to identify peak engagement times and content performance

Use four proven post templates with AI optimization, post consistently with strategic timing, and leverage analytics to refine your approach for maximum engagement and lead generation.

Time Required : 15-30 minutes per post creation, plus weekly analytics review

Best For : Coaches, SaaS founders, e-commerce brands, and any business looking to turn X followers into customers

Hi there, I'm Brad Smith, founder of AutomationLinks. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and worked with over 2,500 brands. If you're new to X or you just want to learn how to post on X to get the best results, this guide is for you. I'm going to show you exactly how I would post on X if I were you – whether you're a beginner or advanced, this is how it's done to get the best engagement, generate leads, and convert followers into paying customers.

Why This X Posting Strategy Works for Any Business

This system leverages proven behavioral triggers and platform-specific SEO to increase post visibility and engagement. Whether you're a coach, SaaS founder, or e-commerce brand, these templates drive attention and turn followers into paying customers.

By following this method, you can automate your outreach, rank higher in searches, and consistently generate warm leads without spending on ads.

Step 1: Create and Optimize Your X Account

Before diving into posting strategies, you need to have an X account properly set up. Create your X account and go to your profile. I have other videos on my channel that show you how to optimize your profile image, your description, your link, your banner, and get approved.

Once you have your optimized profile, you'll need my four example post templates. These templates form the foundation of your X posting strategy and can be adapted for any business type.

Key Point : Profile optimization is crucial before implementing any posting strategy
How It Works : Optimized profiles increase trust and conversion rates from your posts
Tools Needed : Complete X profile with professional image, compelling description, and relevant link

For more detailed profile optimization strategies, see our complete X setup guide .

Step 2: Post Type #1 - Personal Story Posts

The first post type focuses on personal stories that create connection and build authority. Here's how to create these effectively:

Take your example post template
Use AI assistance with Grok (since we're using X, Grok integration works best)
Prompt Grok: "Can you help me create a post based on my business that I want you to fill in all your information here?"
Grok will help you create an optimized post based on your profile

AI Content Refinement Process

When working with AI-generated content, you'll need to make several adjustments:

Remove quotation marks that AI typically adds
Fix line breaks for better readability
Ensure the content aligns with your expertise
Add hooks that grab attention
Include elements that encourage comments, engagement, and follows

This post type works because it gives you a hook, grabs attention, and encourages people to comment, engage, follow you, and DM you to build up your audience.

Step 3: Post Type #2 - Call to Action with Value Posts

The second post type combines valuable content with strategic calls to action. Here are the key elements:

Visual Content Strategy

I like to use an image that is relatable to my post. What I do is either use software like Canva or have a freelancer create some images for me using platforms like Fiverr . Whatever you're talking about in your post, make sure the image is something of value or a preview of what they're going to receive.

Scheduling for Maximum Impact

You can always use the schedule feature to plan your content strategy:

Click schedule when creating your post
Schedule for today, tomorrow, or next week
Have all posts scheduled and ready while you're sleeping
This ensures consistent posting without daily manual effort

Key Point : Consistent scheduling maintains audience engagement
Time to See Results : Improved engagement within first week of consistent posting

Step 4: Post Type #3 - Value Bombs for Engagement

The third post type focuses on delivering concentrated value that encourages maximum engagement. This is where premium account features become crucial.

If you don't have the blue check mark yet, I encourage you to get verified and upgrade to whatever premium version you can. Premium accounts provide access to detailed analytics that are essential for optimizing your posting strategy.

Analytics-Driven Content Optimization

Once you start making posts, check your analytics regularly:

Go to your premium account analytics
Select your desired date range
Click on replies to see which posts generated the most engagement
Identify which content resonates with your audience
Create more content similar to your top-performing posts

This data-driven approach ensures you're creating content that your audience actually wants to engage with and support.

Step 5: Post Type #4 - Lead Magnet Posts

The fourth post type is designed specifically for lead generation and audience growth.

Optimal Posting Times Strategy

Go to the audience section in your analytics to find out exactly what time to post. You won't know this until you start posting consistently, so for the first month or first few weeks, post as consistently as possible.

After building some data, you can see the active times when the best time to post is. For me as an example, I would post on Tuesday right around 11 because that's when my ideal followers are the most engaged.

Demographic-Targeted Content

Structure your copywriting and posts for the age range you're trying to target, along with the gender and location data from your analytics. This personalization significantly improves engagement rates and conversion potential.

Key Point : Data-driven posting times increase visibility by 40-60%
How It Works : Platform algorithms favor content posted when your audience is most active
Time to See Results : Noticeable improvement within 2-3 weeks of optimized timing

Advanced Posting Strategy: The Highlight Boost

Here's one last quick tip that can significantly extend your content's reach. If you have a post that's performed well – for example, one with 2,500 views and 18 comments, which is reaching a lot of good people and getting them to follow you – use this strategy:

Wait 24 hours after the post goes live
Click on the three dots on your successful post
Select "Add to my highlights"

This gives the post another algorithm boost. While this isn't proven and could change tomorrow, I've seen positive results from this technique. When new followers find you, they often check your highlights, making this a great place for them to see all the value you provide.

For advanced X advertising strategies that can amplify your organic efforts, check out our X advertising service .

Content Creation Workflow

Here's my recommended workflow for efficient X content creation:

Daily Posting Schedule

Beginners : 3 times per week minimum
Experienced : Once daily, Monday through Friday
Advanced : Multiple daily posts with varied content types

AI-Enhanced Content Process

Use your post temperature
Input into Grok with business-specific details
Remove AI signals and quotation marks
Add proper line breaks
Include relevant images
Schedule strategically based on analytics

Tools for Automation

For streamlined posting, consider using HypeFury for scheduling and automation, especially when managing multiple posts across different times and days.

Measuring Success and Scaling

Analytics Tracking

Monitor these key metrics weekly:

Reply engagement rates
Follower growth velocity
Click-through rates to your offers
DM conversation starters
Profile visits from posts

CRM Integration

To maximize lead conversion from your X strategy, integrate with a comprehensive CRM system like GoHighLevel to track and nurture leads generated from your posts.

Key Point : Successful X posting is 70% strategy, 30% content quality
How It Works : Consistent execution with data-driven optimization compounds results over time
Tools Needed : X premium account, scheduling tool, analytics tracking, CRM integration

Start Building Your X Presence Today

What are you waiting for? It's time for you to get started on your X account so you can start helping more people, building your following, and posting consistently to build your brand.

This proven system has helped clients go from 0 followers to over 10,000 followers in just 8 months. The key is consistent implementation of these four post types, strategic use of AI for content creation, and data-driven optimization based on your analytics.

Remember, this system leverages proven behavioral triggers and platform-specific SEO to increase post visibility and engagement. By following this method, you can automate your outreach, rank higher in searches, and consistently generate warm leads without spending on ads.

If you need help implementing this strategy or want to accelerate your results with X advertising, consider scheduling a consultation call to discuss your specific goals and challenges.

Key Takeaway : Success on X comes from consistent posting using proven templates, strategic timing based on analytics, and continuous optimization based on performance data. Start with these four post types and adjust based on what resonates most with your specific audience.

Get more strategies and updates: Subscribe to my YouTube channel .

Case Study: How I Set Up a CRM System to Never Lose a Lead Again in 2025

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:17:31 GMT

Key Takeaway

The System Results:

Complete lead tracking from website visitor to paying customer
Automated follow-up sequences that work 24/7 without manual intervention
30%+ email open rates maintained through strategic automation
Zero missed opportunities with integrated pipeline management

What You Get:

Step-by-step CRM integration with your existing website
Custom form builder that captures the right lead data
Automated email sequences using plain text for higher engagement
Pipeline tracking system to move leads toward conversion
Social media automation and email newsletter capabilities

Time Investment: Initial setup can be completed in one day with proper guidance
Tools Used: Go High Level CRM + Duda website builder + HTML integration
Best For: Any business losing leads due to poor follow-up systems and manual tracking

Quick Context : Business losing thousands in missed leads due to poor CRM tracking
Method Used : Go High Level + Duda integration with automated follow-up sequences
Time Required : One day setup, ongoing automation handles the rest

Key Result : Complete lead tracking system with 30%+ email open rates and zero missed follow-ups

I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links, and I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years, working with over 2500 brands. If you feel like you're just not tracking leads and most importantly following up with them properly, this case study will show you exactly how I solved this problem.

It's 2025, and it's easier than ever to set up a CRM and track your leads. But most businesses are still losing thousands because they don't have the right system in place. I'm going to break down the exact CRM setup I use to make sure leads never get forgotten and end up hiring you over your competitors.

What Was the Challenge?

The biggest problem I see with businesses is they have leads coming in, but they're not properly tracking them or following up consistently. Leads find out about you, visit your website, fill out a form, and then... nothing. No systematic follow-up, no automation, no way to track where they are in your sales process.

This is exactly what was happening with multiple clients who came to me. They had traffic, they had interest, but they were hemorrhaging potential customers because their systems couldn't keep up.

How Did I Solve This Problem?

The Complete CRM Integration Strategy

The solution came down to creating a seamless integration between the website and CRM system.

Here's exactly what I implemented:

Case Study Insight : Replace basic website forms with CRM-integrated forms
What Happened : Direct lead capture into automated follow-up sequences
Time to Results : Immediate lead tracking, automated follow-up within minutes
Tools/Methods Used : Go High Level CRM + Duda website builder + HTML widgets

Step 1: Replace Your Website Form with CRM Integration

The first breakthrough was eliminating the disconnect between website forms and lead tracking.

Here's how I did it:

Depending on your website builder and where your website's built, it's pretty straightforward to go into your website, find out where your form is, and be ready to switch that out for the form for your CRM.

What I recommend is using a software like Go High Level, which is the most cost effective, easiest to use, and tracks all of your leads as well as having multiple different features.

The Integration Process:

Remove the normal website form from your contact page
Drag and drop an HTML widget in that location
Use the form builder in your CRM because then this is fully customizable
Copy the embed code and paste it into your website's HTML widget

This way, all lead and contact information automatically gets added into your CRM account. You can customize colors to stay on brand, and the form integrates seamlessly with your existing website design.

Step 2: Build Custom Forms That Capture the Right Data

Case Study Insight : Strategic data collection improves follow-up success rates
What Happened : Higher quality lead information leads to better conversations
Time to Results : Immediate improvement in lead qualification
Tools/Methods Used : Go High Level form builder with custom fields

For the contact form, I set it up to ask for first name, last name, and email. You can make sure all the colors are appropriate and on brand. The key is asking for enough information to personalize follow-up without creating friction in the signup process.

Once somebody fills out this form, they automatically go into your CRM so you can track them. You can see exactly the pages that they were on, where they came from, and all the information that's been sent to them, whether it's email or text.

Step 3: Automate the Follow-Up Process

This is where the magic happens. Once leads enter your system from your custom form, you want to add them to the pipeline and set up automations to make sure you never forget to follow up with them.

The Automation Framework:

Immediate response : Automated email sent within minutes of form submission
Custom values : Set up templates so you don't have to change emails every time
Plain text preference : I always encourage plain text emails over newsletter style
Logic branches : Different follow-up sequences based on whether they open emails or not

Step 4: Pipeline and Opportunity Management

I encourage you to create opportunities - these are called different things on different CRM platforms. Sometimes they're called pipelines, sometimes they're called opportunities.

My Pipeline Structure:

New Contact : For fresh leads coming in from the website
Newsletter List : For people who sign up for ongoing content
Proposal Sent : When you've moved them to the consideration stage
Volunteer/Donate : For nonprofits or specific action-based goals

You can add tags, update opportunities, and move people through your sales process systematically instead of relying on memory or manual tracking.

The Results: Complete Lead Tracking System

Case Study Insight : Integration eliminates the need for external tools like Zapier
What Happened : Seamless lead flow from website to conversion
Time to Results : Same-day implementation, immediate lead capture
Tools/Methods Used : Native CRM integration without third-party connectors

Here's what this system accomplished:

Email Performance That Actually Works

I encourage you to continue posting good content through your CRM. You can send out emails and email newsletters to stay in touch with all of your leads. The key metrics I track:

Email delivery rates : How many actually reach the inbox
Open rates : We really want to keep an open rate above 30%
Click rates : Measuring engagement and interest

Social Media Integration

Your CRM should allow you to sync with your different social media platforms. You can preschedule content and see how your social media is performing. Once you post, you'll be able to see the stats, same as email campaigns.

Dashboard Tracking for Sales Teams

Once leads are in the CRM, you want to make sure you're tracking them and looking at your dashboard to ensure you or your sales team is moving them along the pipeline and keeping notes on how your conversion process is going.

Lessons Learned from Implementation

Case Study Insight : Direct integration prevents system breaks and data loss
What Happened : Reliable lead capture without technical failures
Time to Results : Ongoing reliability with minimal maintenance required
Tools/Methods Used : Go High Level's native website integration capabilities

The biggest lesson was avoiding external integration tools. By using the CRM's built-in form builder and HTML embed codes, you don't have to use external sources like Zapier or depend on web developers who might create systems that break over time.

This approach ensures:

Consistent lead capture without technical failures
Real-time data flowing directly into your CRM
Easier troubleshooting when issues arise
Better long-term reliability for your lead generation system

For more advanced automation strategies, check out our Social Sales System guide and learn about marketing automation best practices.

If you want to use Go High Level and have our team help you with automation, you can grab that through my affiliate link. We do get a small percentage if you sign up with our affiliate link, but we'll in return send you our automation snapshot so you can get started with a head start with some templates already in your account.

Next Steps

The key to never losing leads again is having a system that captures, tracks, and follows up automatically. This CRM setup eliminates the guesswork and ensures every potential customer gets the attention they deserve.

Case Study Summary : Complete CRM integration transforms random website visitors into tracked leads with automated follow-up sequences, maintaining 30%+ open rates while eliminating manual tracking and missed opportunities.

If you need help setting this up for your business, make sure you reach out to my team. We've got a full course that breaks down exactly how to set up each component so you can get the best results for your business.

For ongoing support and implementation guidance, you can schedule a consultation to get this system working for your specific business needs.

Get more case studies and marketing strategies: Subscribe to my YouTube channel

How to Use X (Twitter) for Beginners: Profile Optimization Strategy That Gets Customers

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:52:46 GMT

If you're new to X and want to actually grow your business, this is exactly where you need to start. I created my account just a few years ago and grown my business from using X, and I'm going to share the exact organic strategy that's gotten me results.

Optimize your X profile before posting anything, focus on consistent branding that people will remember, and use the "support others first" strategy to build genuine connections that convert into customers.

Time Required : 30 minutes for initial setup, ongoing relationship building

Best For : Business owners new to X who want to get customers, not just followers

My name is Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years, working with over 2500 brands. I'm going to show you exactly the best place for you to start, how to get more followers, and actually how to get customers.

How to Research Before You Start Posting on X

Before I even create my first post, I always do research first. What I usually do is go and Google some things like "how to use X for beginners," and I go and try to do a little research before I actually start on a platform.

I'm also really enjoying using Grok to help me with these answers. When I ask Grok this, it gives me just a normal general way where if you're just starting, you've never started on X before, it's going to tell you to start from the very beginning: Sign up, verify, choose your username, set your profile picture, understand the features. This would be a really good way to do that.

For comprehensive X growth strategies, check out our X Advertising Blueprint.

Why Profile Optimization is the #1 Priority Before You Post

From there, what I like to do is go into my profile, and I want to encourage you to really optimize your profile here. Before you start even tweeting or posting, try to get a really strong image of yourself or your brand.

Profile Picture Strategy That Builds Trust

This is something that people are going to relate to that they're going to remember. Now, if you go and switch this and change this all the time, what I've noticed is people forget about you and they think you're a totally different account. If you're trying to build a following and people that trust you, like you, want to engage with you, keep this profile picture the same so they remember you.

Banner Selection: Business vs Personal Connection

The banner, I've played around with a banner quite a bit. A lot of people do business style banners here. I like to do something that is a hobby or something that I enjoy doing. So, my wife and I go on the boat a lot, and I talk about that. I talk about going on the boat, talk about working with my wife.

If you like pickle ball, do something of pickle ball there. If you like golf, something of golf. Now, if you want to keep it strictly business related, feel free to put some sort of business banner there.

For my YouTube channel, right here is a normal banner that you could put there. So, for YouTube, I like putting my business banner there, but for X, I like doing a hobby banner to make it more relatable. Something like this, something that's valuable.

Learn more about creating effective social media strategies in our Social Sales System .

How to Drive Traffic to Your Landing Page from X

Looking at this, this is the exact organic strategy that we use for our business - we try to get people to a landing page after they find us on X.

The more value, the more helpful you can be in these comments and posts, what's going to happen is people are going to see that I've liked a bunch of their posts. They're going to see that I followed them, and then their followers, the other people that are leaving comments, they're going to see that as well.

Key Point : The goal isn't just followers - it's getting qualified prospects to your landing page where you can capture leads and nurture them into customers.
How It Works : Provide genuine value in comments and posts, build relationships first, then naturally guide people to your business offerings.
Time to See Results : Immediate engagement, 30-90 days for significant business growth
Tools Needed : X account, landing page, email automation system

The "Support Others First" Strategy That Actually Works

If I go all the way to the top, they're going to see that I recently left a comment here and other people are going to start seeing that. So then what I could go do is I can go look at Jason's post here - I'm going to look at his profile. He serves people in business that want to win. This would be a great person that I would want to follow me.

So what I want to do is go support him first. And that's the biggest thing I want to teach you on X: go support others first. In return, they'll start supporting you back.

Critical Rule: Never Use AI for Comments

As a quick tip, do not use AI to write these comments. People can tell. Put in your own two cents. Provide value. Help by providing education. Share your experiences.

Content Strategy Based on Your Experience Level

Another quick tip: if you're brand new, talk about the journey of what you're building right now. If you're experienced, give lessons and education to people below you that can learn from you that you can provide value to as well.

For advanced X advertising strategies, explore our X Twitter Advertising Service .

Implementation Timeline: Your First 30 Days on X

Week 1 : Complete profile optimization

Professional/personal profile picture
Strategic banner selection
Compelling bio with clear value proposition

Week 2-3 : Begin relationship building

Find 10 accounts in your niche
Leave genuine, valuable comments daily
Share insights from your experience

Week 4+ : Scale engagement while maintaining authenticity

Increase daily interactions
Start creating original content
Guide engaged followers to your landing page

For detailed automation strategies, check out our A dvertising Calculato r to plan your growth.

Tools and Resources to Accelerate Your X Growth

Based on my experience helping over 2500 brands, here are the essential tools I recommend:

Content Automation : HypeFury for managing posts efficiently
CRM Integration : GoHighLevel for lead management
Email Follow-up : MailerLite for nurturing relationships
Website Creation : Duda for professional landing pages

Measuring Success: What to Track

Unlike vanity metrics, focus on business outcomes:

Landing page visits from X traffic
Email signups from X followers
Actual customer conversations started
Revenue attributed to X relationships

Learn more about tracking in our Marketing Services section.

Next Steps: Your X Success Action Plan

Based on what I've shared, here's exactly what you should do next:

Optimize your profile today using the strategies I outlined
Research your ideal connections using Google and Grok
Start supporting others first with genuine, valuable comments
Set up your landing page to capture leads from X traffic

If you need help with this, make sure that you check out the links I've provided. I've got some really good affiliates and referrals that will help you get a kickstart, a head start on this.

For the complete system on how to grow your X account with both organic strategies and ads, visit our Social Sales System Overview .

Key Takeaway : Success on X isn't about follower count - it's about building genuine relationships that convert into business opportunities. Start with authentic engagement, optimize for connection rather than promotion, and always provide value first.

Get more strategies: Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly marketing insights.

How to Get More Leads Using Marketing Systems: The 24x3 Method That Delivers 16% Conversion Rates

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:52:43 GMT

Build a complete marketing system that combines YouTube videos, Google SEO, X posts, and automated follow-up sequences to generate consistent leads. I get over 200 leads monthly with a 16% conversion rate using this exact three-part system.

Time Required : 30-60 days to fully implement

Best For : Business owners seeking sustainable lead generation without constant ad spend

Why Most Businesses Stop Too Early (And Miss the Real Opportunity)

I've been helping businesses build marketing systems that actually work, and I've discovered something critical: most businesses I speak with have tried marketing, maybe some ads, got a website or landing page, and then that's it. But that's not where the magic happens.

I'm able to get an average order value of $5000 a month at a 22x ROAS with $11,415,000 average in profit every month through the follow-up system. We hardly spend any money on this marketing and ads. We put a little money into the retargeting and then we send those automated emails.

The difference between businesses that struggle and those that thrive comes down to one thing: having a complete system instead of isolated tactics.

The 24x3 Method: My Proven Lead Generation Framework

The core of my marketing system revolves around what I call the 24x3 method. We want somebody to see you 24 times in three different places over the first month. This isn't random - it's strategically designed to build trust and move prospects through your funnel naturally.

How the Complete System Works

Here's exactly how I structure the full sales funnel that generates over 200 leads monthly:

Traffic Sources (Bringing in ideal customers):

Weekly YouTube videos
Google SEO and AI SEO optimization
X (Twitter) organic posts and ads

Conversion Point :

High-converting landing page (17%+ conversion rate)

Follow-Up System :

Retargeting ads across multiple platforms
Automated email sequences
YouTube ads and organic videos for visitors

Building Your Content Foundation

YouTube Strategy: Education-First Approach

I post organic YouTube videos so people can learn from me and learn exactly how to do it on their own. And if they realize that it's not something that they want to learn and go do on their own, they can always call and hire me.

Quick tip : Set up three different playlists so people can learn the three different things. This creates a clear learning path and helps prospects self-qualify based on their specific needs.

For more guidance on structuring your video content, check out our how to start a business YouTube channel step by step guide.

SEO Optimization for AI Search

We optimize for SEO and AI SEO. What that does is anytime somebody searches for something in Google, Chat GPT, or Bing, we have a blog post that links back with a video. This creates multiple entry points into your funnel and ensures you're discoverable across all major search platforms.

X (Twitter) Content Strategy

I post organically on X and also run X ads to build value. What I do is I educate and build awareness. As an example, I put posts about how you should be running your ads to get the best results with proper reporting. What that does is it builds value and educates my audience to make them want to come and learn more.

Creating Your High-Converting Landing Page

This landing page converts over 17% of visitors into a lead once they fill out the form. They're able to get on my email list so I can follow up. I also send them to my blog page so they can learn from me after they fill out the form.

Key Elements of High-Converting Landing Pages :

Clear value proposition
Simple form (don't overcomplicate)
Direct path to your blog for continued education
Immediate email list capture

Whether visitors fill out the form or not, we start showing them YouTube ads, YouTube organic videos if they watch a video, and automated emails. This ensures no one falls through the cracks.

The Follow-Up System That Generates Real Revenue

Automated Email Sequences

I use Go High Level , which tracks every lead, where they came from, their UTMs, their sources, and then adds tags so we can properly follow up.

My Three-Email System :

Email Confirmation : I send out an email that tells them they need to confirm their email to make sure it's a legit person
Free Offer Delivery : We send them the free offer, which is our three-step guide to help them
Newsletter Integration : Get them into the newsletter if they don't sign up for the lead magnet

These three emails show you exactly how to do the marketing, how to do the system with the follow-up, and then how to do the retargeting. That's where the magic happens.

For detailed email automation strategies, explore our simple email automation that generates more sales resource.

Survey and Qualification Process

After the first few days, we get them to a survey page. Once they get to that survey page, it's going to have another YouTube video and give them a survey that they can fill out. Through that, they're going to automatically go to our checkout page where they can sign up for the full offer.

Qualification Criteria :

If they are above $100,000 a month, we allow them to go schedule with us (they usually convert at about 50%)
If they don't qualify for making over $100,000 a month, we send them to the content page and allow them to purchase their entire marketing plan on their own

Long-Term Relationship Building

Everyone goes into the newsletter. I ask them to become an affiliate for us and refer three people if they become a client. This creates a sustainable growth loop where satisfied clients become your best source of new prospects.

Implementation Blueprint: Getting Started

Step 1: Content Creation (Week 1-2)

Build playlists and YouTube educational videos
Set up blog posts optimized for AI search
Create your landing page with clear value proposition

Step 2: Automation Setup (Week 3-4)

Install Go High Level for lead tracking
Set up automated email sequences
Create retargeting pixel campaigns

Step 3: Multi-Platform Presence (Week 5-6)

Post organic content on your favorite platform (I prefer X, you might like Instagram or TikTok)
Set up retargeting campaigns
Launch YouTube ad campaigns for website visitors

Step 4: Scale and Optimize (Ongoing)

Monitor conversion rates and adjust messaging
A/B test different landing page elements
Expand successful content themes

Advanced Strategies for Maximum Impact

Retargeting That Actually Works

We show YouTube ads, YouTube organic videos if they watch a video, and automated emails to anyone who hits the landing page. This multi-touch approach ensures maximum visibility without being overwhelming.

Content Repurposing System

Turn one piece of content into multiple touchpoints across your funnel. Each YouTube video can become blog content, social media posts, email newsletter content, and ad creative.

For comprehensive automation strategies, check out how to automate your marketing in 2025 full guide .

Key Takeaway : The entire follow-up system is how you increase profits, increase revenue, and scale your business. It's not just about getting traffic - it's about nurturing every single prospect until they're ready to buy.

Recommended Tools and Resources

To implement this system effectively, you'll need the right tools:

CRM and Automation : Go High Level for complete lead management
Email Marketing : MailerLite for automated sequences
Website Builder : Duda for high-converting pages
Social Media Automation : HypeFury for consistent posting
Tracking and Analytics : AdKong for performance monitoring

Take Action: Build Your Lead Generation System

What are you waiting for? It's time for you to build out a follow-up system so no lead ever forgets about you. You can provide value and increase your profits.

If you want this exact three-part system that we built out, comment "system" and someone from my team can send you the complete breakdown.

All the software I mentioned today is in my affiliate recommendations - you can get trials and we can help you get it set up.

For more strategies on marketing, advertising, and automation, subscribe to get more insights: Subscribe here .

How to Launch Google Display Ads on YouTube: The Complete Business Guide for 2025

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:52:41 GMT

If you have any type of business or brand and want to learn how to use Google Ads display and show them on YouTube, this comprehensive guide is for you. I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links, and I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years working with over 2,500 brands. In this guide, I'll share my screen, break it down, and show you exactly how to do it step by step.

Launch YouTube display ads by creating a Google Ads account, selecting "Website Traffic" and "Display" campaign types, targeting website visitors and competitor audiences, then adding your YouTube videos to the display network for maximum reach and lowest cost leads.

Time Required : 30-45 minutes for initial setup
Best For : Businesses wanting high-quality leads and YouTube subscribers at the lowest cost per click

Why YouTube Display Ads Beat Traditional Google Ads for Lead Generation

This is really interesting - when you do a search for how to launch Google display ads on YouTube, people are running Google ads to this already. But what we want to do is really dial in YouTube because from the reports that we see, you get the best leads and customers and even subscribers from running display ads on YouTube.

The key insight here is that YouTube display ads provide your lowest cost visitors, viewers, and they're going to get you your YouTube subscribers. This approach works because you're combining the power of Google's display network with the engagement of video content, creating a compound effect that traditional text ads simply can't match.

How to Setup Your Google Ads Account for YouTube Display Success

Step 1: Claim Your Google Ads Credits

First, you'll want to head over to Google Ads and make sure you're signed into ads.google.com. Here's a quick tip that can save you significant money: they update these ad credits very often, so check back every few weeks. Sometimes they'll come back with an even better credit.

Currently, you can:

Spend $500, get $500 back
Spend $1,500, get $1,000 back
Spend $3,000, get $1,500 back

Critical Setup Note : Make sure that one of these credit options is checked off and then click "claim now." If you don't click claim now and just sign in, you probably won't get this credit. You'll need to set up a test account, add your card on file, and as soon as you go through that process, make sure you pause and shut that initial ad off.

Step 2: Create Your YouTube Display Campaign

Navigate to campaigns and click on campaigns, then pause any test ads. For your real campaign, click the plus icon and select "new campaign." This brings you to the campaign creation screen where you want to:

Click on "Website Traffic"
Scroll down to "Create campaign without an audience"
Click on "Display"
Hit continue

If you already have conversion events set up, choose "add goal" - usually "submit lead form" works best for most businesses.

Campaign Configuration That Gets Results

Essential Campaign Settings

Campaign Name : I simply call it "YouTube Display" to keep tracking simple.

Location Targeting : Choose where your ideal customers and viewers are located. For me, United States works since I only speak English.

Optimization Settings :

Choose "optimize prefer best performing ads" - this allows Google to automatically show your winning variations
Set your schedule based on when your best leads come in (you can exclude nights and weekends if those generate poor quality leads)

Device Settings : Since we're focusing on YouTube, I like to shut off TV displays. You can see display doesn't show on TVs by default, but if you're using strictly YouTube ads, definitely shut off TVs.

Budget and Bidding Strategy

Usually you can start at $5 per day, then if the campaign starts performing well, you can increase the budget. When I start, I like to focus on conversions - I want to get as many leads as we can and then let it automatically maximize the conversions.

Important : Once you start building out your ad account even more, you can set target cost per action, but if you have no data, you don't know what to set this at yet. Wait at least a couple weeks, if not a month, to set that.

Building the Perfect Audience for Better Conversions

This is where you want to start adding your targeting - who should see your ads. I do suggest instead of just setting this up yourself, you want to work with a professional. You can use a freelancer (we sometimes use F iver r to help set up your audiences) since this is usually super technical to do.

Audience Targeting Options

Website Visitors : I'll choose website visitors so I can target anyone that's visited my website. This is your highest-converting audience since they already know your brand.

Interest Targeting : You can choose different audiences, browse and see who they are, what their interests are, what they're actively searching for. I like "what they're actively searching" to find out what they're searching for right now.

Competitor Targeting : If you have competitors, I highly recommend going and pasting in your competitor's websites and also your competitor's YouTube channels. That way when somebody's searching on Google or YouTube and they find your competitor, then they'll see you as a recommended option. This is super interesting and effective for stealing market share.

Advanced Targeting Features

Optimized Targeting : Choose this option to let Google help you out with finding similar audiences.
Demographics : You can filter by income levels if that's relevant to your business model.
Keywords : Throw in different keywords related to your business for additional targeting precision.
Topics : I really like taking topics and you can look at options like beauty and fitness or business and industrial. You can even search by word, phrase, or URL.

How to Pick Winning Ad Creatives That Drive Clicks

Setting Up Your Ad Assets

Put your final URL (where you want people to go) and your business name. Then you can start choosing images from your website - Google will automatically choose from your website, or you can choose from your website or social media, upload custom images, or even use stock photos.

Select a few high-quality images that represent your brand well, then choose your logo.

Adding Your YouTube Videos for Maximum Impact

This is where it gets fun - you're going to add your YouTube videos to the display network and get super high quality leads because this is going to be your lowest cost visitors, viewers, and it's going to get you your YouTube subscribers.

For me, I teach and help a lot of people with:

GoHighLevel CRM setup
Lowering cost per click and leads
Follow-up systems to ensure proper lead nurturing
X and YouTube strategies for the lowest cost, highest quality leads

Choose all relevant videos and click on "search YouTube" to find your other YouTube videos if you don't see them all listed. Then hit save.

Why This Strategy Works So Well

This is where it gets really interesting because you're going to show up on display, you're also going to show up on Gmail and on YouTube. That's why I titled this strategy "display with YouTube" - because you're combining display and YouTube for maximum reach.

I love using this for retargeting anyone that comes to my website or sees competitors. I like to really show them images and videos over and over and over so they never forget my brand.

Creating High-Converting Headlines and Descriptions

Now you need to start really focusing on your headlines, descriptions, and more. What we use is software called TwinLytics, where we can ask it to research our company. It already has all the data from all the internet searches ever recorded.

I tell them who my business is and they know every time I log in who my ideal customers are, what their search terms are, and exactly what they're searching for.

The AI Prompt System for Perfect Ad Copy

What I did was we created this prompt that you can copy and paste (comment "system" below and somebody from my team will send it over to you). Once you have your ideal customer profile and know exactly what they're searching for online, plug that into ChatGPT.

Here's what it gives you:

ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) with three headlines
Your business goals
What they're searching for
Exact search keywords
Perfect headline examples for your videos

Google Ads Copy Requirements

When you head over to Google Ads, you'll see that you need:

Up to 5 headlines (30 characters long each)
Multiple descriptions (90 characters each)
You can create multiple versions of each

Pro Tip : If you're going to do different types of videos, set up different campaigns for different keywords. You want to set up different ad sets under one display campaign, which allows you to create different headlines for your different ads targeting specific audiences.

Integration with Your CRM and Tracking Setup

Campaign URL Options and UTM Tracking

If you want to add some UTMs to make sure you're tracking properly on your site, you can set up campaign URL options. What we do is connect this with GoHighLevel - all the leads we get from our YouTube campaigns we plug into GoHighLevel and it tracks it in the reporting and tracks it in our landing pages.

Whenever somebody clicks on our ad, it automatically tracks where the person came from and all the pages and information. If you have that set up, you usually don't have to set up the URLs in Google Ads since your CRM handles it automatically.

Exclusions and Final Settings

From the exclusion settings, we don't want to really exclude anything initially. You can exclude things if you want, but for me, it can just show to anyone because I'm going to dial that in with our targeting settings we configured earlier.

Final Tips to Maximize ROI with YouTube Display Ads

Launch and Optimization Timeline

Once your ad loads, it's going to start giving you weekly estimates in the top right corner. Click publish and wait a few weeks to see how it performs before making major changes.

What to Expect

When your video is published and your display campaign is published, you should see:

Lower cost per click compared to search ads
Higher quality leads due to video engagement
More YouTube subscribers as a bonus
Better brand recognition through repeated exposure

Scaling Your Success

If you want to learn more about this complete system, including the software that tracks everything and shows you exactly all the AI prompts we have, it's going to help you find your ideal customer profile. Most importantly, it's going to help you start generating marketing and ads that bring in that ideal customer, get them to sign up, and work with you for the long term.

For businesses needing professional help with setup and management, you can schedule a consultation where we help implement this entire system for you.

Take Your Action Today

YouTube display ads provide the perfect combination of reach, engagement, and cost-effectiveness for businesses looking to generate high-quality leads while building their YouTube presence. The key is proper setup, strategic targeting of website visitors and competitor audiences, and patient optimization based on real performance data.

Get more strategies and step-by-step tutorials: Subscribe here

How to Use Landing Pages to Get Leads: The 25% Conversion Rate Method Explained

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:17:53 GMT

The average website gets less than a 1% conversion rate - that's probably you. That means for every thousand website visitors, less than one person signs up. But what if I told you I've seen conversion rates jump to 25% by making just one strategic change?

I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links, and I've been doing this marketing stuff for over 10 years, working with over 2500 brands. These videos are no fluff - I'm going to show you how you can do it as well. In today's post, I'm going to break down exactly how I'm able to increase conversion rates with three secret landing pages that increase conversions.

Use a three-page landing page sequence with educational videos, surveys for filtering leads, and strategic upsell offers to achieve 25% conversion rates.

Time Required : 2-5 hours to set up the complete system

Best For : Business owners who want to automate their lead generation and increase sales without more sales calls

Why Your Website Isn't Converting Visitors Into Leads

Did you know the average website gets less than a 1% conversion rate? Here's some results from last week from one of my clients I implemented this system for. They're a growing brand that's been in business for about a year and a half. They were able to get 16,000 views from a few marketing efforts on Twitter, YouTube and Google, and what happened was we got over 4,000 signups in the last week with a 25% conversion rate.

Your marketing has to be on point. Your marketing has to be exactly for your ideal customer. You have to be helpful, you have to be educating them, and then when you finally get them to the landing page, the copywriting needs to be on point and needs to promise that you're going to help them solve their pain point.

How Do I Know My Landing Page Is Working?

If you take a look at the average page time, this is a super important factor. This means your landing page - what you're saying on your landing page - is resonating with the visitors. Super important. If this was only 13 seconds or just a minute on page, it means all the people that are coming from your marketing efforts see the landing page, they don't resonate, and they don't want to sign up.

The Three Landing Page System That Gets 25% Conversion Rates

Landing Page #1: The Educational Hook

Here's what I want you to do for page number one - there are a couple important factors here:

Include a Timer : We want to give them a timer so they know that there's only a certain amount of time to get this offer.

1-2 Minute Video : We want to have a 1 to 2 minute video explaining exactly what they're going to receive if they give you their name and email.

Focused Copywriting : Then we need to put the most effort and focus in the copywriting here at the top. This needs to say "I know exactly what your pain point is. This free piece of education, this free guide, this free webinar - whatever you're giving away for free - is going to help you solve that."

In my system, I help you solve how to automate your business with three simple steps. What is something you can help your customers with for free so they get super high value and want to schedule or pay you?

Break Down Every Step : From there, we want to break down every single step that they're going to receive as soon as they fill out the form. Don't hide it from them - just be super clear and break it down.

Simple Opt-in Process : As soon as they hit this button, we want to be able to just do a popup and ask for their name and email. Try not to ask for too much information.

Landing Page #2: The Educational Follow-Up

On the next page, this is where I like to have an educational video about 2 to 5 minutes long. We also want to tell them "hey, it's not done - don't close this page. A few more things we need you to do here."

Direct Them to Email : In this video, you're going to tell them to go check their email and get that offer that you promised them. It should be in their inbox so they can go grab it.

Additional Value Promise : You also want to tell them that you're going to help them with more things. If you watch this video, I'm going to break down how you can also use this guide to accomplish something else - that's what you want to say in the video.

Survey Introduction : From there, we want to tell them to fill out the survey so we can give them more value. If they fill out the survey, this is only going to allow you to give them more value on the next step, but it's also going to help you figure out if it's the right person for you.

How to Use Surveys to Filter Your Perfect Customers

Now, based on their answers in some of these surveys, we want to either filter them. If somebody says for me that they're an agency or a coach, maybe I want to send them to my schedule page. If they say that they're maybe software and content, I want to sell them - send them to my upsell page.

You want to think and use a survey like this to help filter your ideal customer versus somebody that maybe wouldn't be a good fit to work with you.

Survey Tools : These surveys are built in GoHighLevel , and they allow you to set up custom variables, scoring, and ways for you to filter based on the different answers here. So I highly encourage you to use an automation system like that.

Landing Page #3: The Strategic Upsell

If they say that they're the perfect fit and whatever they filled out in these two to six questions here, you can send them to your schedule page. But this is where the magic happens.

For Non-Scheduling Leads : If they're not somebody you want to schedule - it may be somebody that isn't ready to buy from you right away - we're going to give them a special offer.

30-60 Second Video : What we want to do is one more video. This can be about 30 to 60 seconds long, and we're going to tell them that they can get everything from you at a lower cost.

The Conversion Secret : This is what's going to increase those conversion rates, help you stay off a ton of sales calls, and get people to automatically sign up. What you're doing is you're promising something of high value, you're giving it to them and educating them here, and then what you're saying is "if you pay now, you get the best offer ever."

Benefits Breakdown : That's where you want to go through and tell them all the benefits if they do sign up. This is exactly what they're going to get - they're going to save money, they're not going to see this offer again unless they go through the sales funnel. Make it easy for them to become a client.

Why You Should Give Your Best Offer on Landing Pages

I do want to encourage you to give them your best offer because you don't have to spend any time on sales calls convincing them. So give them that page - best offer so they sign up and give them the most value as possible.

For more insights on creating effective marketing strategies, check out our customized marketing plan resources.

Tools You Need to Build This System

To implement this three-page system effectively, you'll need:

Landing Page Builder : I recommend using a system that allows you to create multiple connected pages
Video Hosting : For your 1-2 minute educational videos
Survey Tools : GoHighLeve l works perfectly for this with custom variables and scoring
Email Integration : To deliver the promised free content
Analytics : To track your page time and conversion metrics

You can learn more about the complete system setup in our social sales system guide.

Free Landing Page Templates

Just like I promised, I've got these three pages as templates in GoHighLevel. If you sign up with my GoHighLevel link , my team will transfer these pages over to you so you can customize them and design them for your brand.

If you want the full system breakdown to see how it works from the marketing to the landing page to even the email automation follow-up, we automate that in an automation pack that you can use. Just respond back to our email and we'll send over this template so you can use it yourself.

Take Action Today

The secret to achieving 25% conversion rates isn't just having a single landing page - it's creating a strategic three-page sequence that educates, filters, and converts. By combining educational content, smart surveys, and strategic offers, you can turn your website from a 1% converter into a lead generation machine.

Remember: your marketing has to be helpful and educational, your copywriting needs to address specific pain points, and your follow-up system should filter leads automatically. When you implement this correctly, you'll spend less time on sales calls while generating more qualified leads.

Get more strategies and subscribe to my channel: Subscribe here

How to Target Competitor Website Visitors Using YouTube Ads: The Step-by-Step Placement Method

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 17:15:51 GMT

Target competitor audiences on YouTube ads by creating video campaigns with strategic competitor website and video placements, using recommended video formats, and setting up proper retargeting systems to capture visitors at just $1,300 for 38 leads.

Time Required : 2-3 hours to set up initial campaign

Best For : Business owners wanting low-cost leads from competitors' audiences

YouTube ads represent the lowest cost place to generate quality leads for your business. In my experience helping businesses like law firms get 38 leads for just $1,300 spent, I've discovered that targeting your competitors and other YouTube channels with strategic ad placements is one of the most effective ways to get more visitors, leads, and customers from YouTube.

What makes this approach different from standard YouTube advertising is the focus on placement-based targeting rather than just demographics or interests. Instead of hoping your ads show up to the right people, you're strategically placing them exactly where your ideal customers are already watching - on your competitors' content.

Why YouTube Ads Are the Best Low-Cost Lead Source

YouTube ads consistently deliver the lowest cost per lead compared to other advertising platforms. I've seen this across multiple industries, with our law firm client achieving 38 quality leads for just $1,300 in ad spend. This cost efficiency comes from YouTube's massive reach combined with precise targeting capabilities.

The key advantage is that people are already engaged and watching video content, making them more receptive to your video ads when they appear as recommended content. Unlike disruptive pre-roll ads that people want to skip, the placement strategy I use shows your content where viewers naturally expect to find related videos.

How to Set Up a YouTube Ads Campaign in Google Ads

First, you need a Google Ads account - that's the number one step. You can check out other videos on my playlist showing how to set up a Google Ads account. They give you great credits if you want to get set up. Just go to ads.google.com, scroll down and you're going to see that they give you some ad credits.

Once you get your account set up, they're going to make you create a test campaign with the most simple settings. You have to go through them, deposit 50 bucks, but you can pause it as soon as you turn that on. Then you want to go to the advanced view.

How to Create a Google Ads Account for YouTube Ads

You're going to create a new campaign and depending on if you want sales, leads, website traffic, awareness, or just create campaign without guidance, you can choose any of these. If you're just new and starting out and you don't have any audiences yet, just do create a campaign without guidance.

What I would recommend is hiring an expert from a freelance site - I recommend using Fiverr for finding qualified freelancer s who can help set up tracking. It is good to retarget your website visitors, and if you're an e-commerce store, target anyone that viewed products so you can then target them on these different channels.

How to Choose the Right Campaign Objective

Today in particular we're going to be focused on video, really YouTube, as that's one of the best places where leads come in. You have some different options here - you can do video views, drive conversions, all of that. I recommend the option that gives you the most flexibility.

Let's click on continue and name your campaign something like "YouTube ad to competitor websites" - this helps you remember that it targets people who go to other websites and watch competitors' YouTube videos.

How to Avoid Skippable Ads and Use Recommended Placements

You're going to see different ad formats, but I don't like the skippable ones - they just make you seem kind of spammy and people can't wait to hit that skip button. Sometimes you even have people who upgrade their YouTube channel for $20 a month to not see any ads, but this will still work because you can show these ads on Google search, Google Display Network, Gmail and other Google Display sites. Maybe you won't show on the YouTube channel but you will show on other Google products, which helps you retarget people.

We're going to choose "any related videos" so you can choose two videos from your channel that you think are relatable. These will be recommended after your ad, so if somebody sees your ad they will also be recommended these next videos.

How to Use Welcome Videos in YouTube Ads

What I recommend is having a welcome video. If we go to my channel, I have "welcome to automation links" - I recommend doing this as it helps convert viewers. That's what we use here for our two recommended videos.

If you hired somebody or if you set it up on your own, you'll have other audiences that you can add. You can also target different demographics or do it based on interests and detailed demographics. Feel free to play around with that and fill all of that out.

How to Add Competitor URLs and Video Placements

From here, we want to choose content where you want your ads to show, and this is where we can actually add placements. We can search by word, phrase, URL or video ID. What I can do is go to Google and look at some other law firms as an example, and you can place that URL in there to target that person's website visitors.

From there you can scroll down and find other recommended websites that would be similar to that. You want to make sure these are all added. Sometimes you can look for a few more and then go through the recommended ones below. You can add one placement there and manually add others as well.

You can look for other channels that have something to do with your industry. What we want to look for is somebody that has good reach - like channels with 185,000 views - something we can target. This is something I want you to research and figure out for your specific niche.

It's saying that we still need more placements, so I usually recommend about 10. Go ahead and keep scrolling through, find some other videos that you think would be a good fit and make sure to place those in there. You can show your ad on the top right or in sponsored posts.

How to Upload and Launch Your YouTube Ad Video

From there, you've got a pretty good list hopefully, and this is where you're going to upload your YouTube video that we want to start advertising. What it's going to do is target any of these website visitors and any of these YouTube channel visitors and show up on mobile phones, computers, and display.

You can also see it on Google video partners. From there you can add more videos, even add vertical videos, and add a call to action where we have those two buttons that show up. You want to be really strategic on the headline and description.

You can choose your cost - put it right around $1 per day to start. Once you turn this on and it starts adjusting, it'll give you some warnings, but then click create campaign, turn that campaign on, and you'll start showing your video that you chose in front of the audience that you chose.

Key Point : Strategic placement targeting on competitor content

How It Works : Place ads where your ideal customers already watch content

Time to See Results : Start seeing data within 24-48 hours of campaign launch

Tools Needed : Google Ads account, YouTube channel with welcome video, list of competitor URLs/channels

For more advanced advertising strategies, see our comprehensive advertising guid e , and if you need help with conversion tracking, check out our website design and development services .

Final Tips for Getting More Leads from YouTube Ads

The key to success with this competitor targeting method is selecting the right placements and having high-quality video content that provides genuine value. Your welcome videos and follow-up content need to clearly communicate your unique value proposition.

For tracking and optimization, I recommend using AdKong for advanced tracking capabilities to better understand which placements are driving the highest quality leads. To manage your leads effectively, GoHighLevel CRM provides excellent automation and follow-up capabilities.

Start with a modest budget around $1 per day and scale up once you identify your best-performing placements. The goal is to capture visitors who are already interested in your type of service or product, making them much more likely to convert.

Take Action Today

YouTube competitor targeting through strategic placements offers the lowest cost per lead when executed properly. Focus on value-driven video content, precise placement selection, and systematic testing to achieve results like 38 leads for $1,300 in ad spend.

For businesses ready to implement this strategy but needing expert setup and optimization, my team at automationlinks.com would be more than happy to set this up for you with proper tracking and conversion optimization.

Get more strategies by subscribing to my YouTube channel for the latest advertising and marketing tactics.

How to Get Newsletter Subscribers Using X (Twitter) Ads - $0.35 Leads Case Study

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 12:44:40 GMT

Key Takeaway

The 4-Stage X Ads Framework That Grows Newsletters for Pennies:

Top of Funnel : Build trust with high-value content that positions you as the authority
Middle of Funnel : Use 20-30 second videos to build relationships and provide education
Bottom of Funnel (First) : Offer valuable lead magnets after they've seen you twice
Bottom of Funnel (Final) : Use relatable personal branding for the 5th-10th touchpoint

Result : One client grew to thousands of subscribers using this system
Cost : Lowest-cost leads available - then retarget on expensive platforms like Meta
Secret Weapon : Twinlytics for AI-powered customer profiling and pain point targeting

The Challenge: Why Most Newsletter Growth Campaigns Fail

One of the craziest things I see people do is running ads but not putting focus in on the ad creatives. I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks, and I've been doing this marketing stuff for 10 years, worked with over 2500 brands. In this case study, I'm going to break down how my client Will and I used X ads to get thousands of subscribers and leads for his business.

Quick Context : Most people run random ads without strategic creative sequencing
Method Used : 4-stage funnel system targeting different awareness levels
Time Required : Ongoing campaign with sequential touchpoints
Key Result : Thousands of newsletter subscribers at lowest cost per lead available

The coolest thing about this approach is that X is the lowest cost place to get new leads. You can retarget them elsewhere - Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, wherever - but bring them in on X first.

The 4-Stage X Ads System: How We Built Trust Before Selling

Stage 1: Top of Funnel - Building Authority

Top of funnel is a place where nobody's ever heard of you - they don't know you, they don't trust you, they just don't like you yet. So we need a post here that builds trust, builds authority, and gives something of super high value so they remember you, your business, as being the authority and the helper, the person that knows what they're talking about.

Case Study Insight : The goal isn't immediate conversion - it's brand recall and authority positioning
What Happened : We created high-value content that solved specific pain points
Tools/Methods Used : Case studies, prefilled templates, and pain point solutions

For this stage, we use a sample template where we're basically trying to solve their pain point with something of high value. You want to think about what your customer pain point is, you want to talk about a case study, and you want to prefill these in.

Stage 2: Middle of Funnel - Relationship Building Through Video

The next one is middle of funnel. This will be the next ad that we want them to see, and this is where we build a relationship with them, we educate them, we provide value. I like to use a video here because hey, you heard about me once, now here's a valuable tip and education piece so you never forget about me.

Case Study Insight : Video creates deeper connection after initial brand awareness
What Happened : 20-30 second videos provided education and built relationships
Time to Results : Second touchpoint in the sequence
Tools/Methods Used : Short-form educational videos with clear value propositions

This middle of funnel is going to be a video. I like to use videos to build relationships, so on the video I make it about 20 to 30 seconds long for an X ad. Yours can be maybe up to a minute or 2 minutes long, sometimes you can do a preview of maybe a YouTube video, but the goal here is to provide some sort of education.

Stage 3: Bottom of Funnel (First Ask) - Lead Magnet Offers

The next two are going to be bottom of funnel, and this is retargeting after they've already seen you twice. You saw my name, you saw my brand, you saw I'm an educator and that I helped you and provided value. Now you can go and get something of value on my website or my lead magnet.

Case Study Insight : Only ask for the lead after establishing authority and relationship
What Happened : Offered full system breakdown as lead magnet
Tools/Methods Used : Complete follow-up systems covering multiple platforms

This is where I send people to my system. Now if you want my full system breaking down how to follow up with every single lead so they never forget about you on every platform - on email, YouTube, Google, Meta, TikTok, wherever - that's the exact one that I would send you if you saw one of my retargeting ads. It's still a lead magnet, still something of free value.

Stage 4: Bottom of Funnel (Final Touch) - Personal Brand Recognition

The last one where you're going to see me maybe the fifth, 6th, 10th time, that's where we need something relatable. A picture - I like the personal brand's face to be here so they remember the face over and over. But what you can do is you want to keep a similar structure here so they never forget.

Case Study Insight : Personal branding becomes crucial for final conversion touchpoints
What Happened : Used consistent personal brand imagery for recognition
Tools/Methods Used : Relatable pictures with consistent brand structure

The Secret Weapon: AI-Powered Customer Profiling

Now we use a software called Twinlytics to help us target our ideal customer pain points. You can use other AI software like ChatGPT or Grok, but it doesn't know who your ideal customer is using all the data in the world. So what they do is they partner with data companies to say this is the ideal customer profile for you, here's their pain points, and here's how you can solve them.

Case Study Insight : AI tools with real customer data outperform generic AI for targeting
What Happened : Twin Litics generated data-driven ad copy using ideal customer profiles
Tools/Methods Used : Data company partnerships for customer profiling and pain point identification

I would take this exact post and I would then copy it and even ask it to create maybe five more versions. Since Twin Litics already knows who my ideal customer profile is, they're going to actually write this ad for me using the data, using the pain points, using the exact words that would catch my customer attention.

It generated 3,000 leads, it targeted my ideal customer profile, it brought in the keywords that would capture my ideal customer's attention, and then it gave me some other data points to put in there.

Campaign Structure: The Technical Setup

Case Study Insight : Different campaign objectives for different funnel stages maximize efficiency
What Happened : Strategic campaign type selection based on funnel position
Tools/Methods Used : Follower campaigns, engagement campaigns, and website click campaigns

Just as a reminder, if you watch any of my other content, top of funnel needs to just be a follower campaign - you're trying to get more followers. Middle of funnel needs to be an engagement campaign - we just want people to comment, like it, bookmark it, or engage. The bottom of funnel where they're going to start seeing you the third, fourth, or fifth time - this is where you're going to ask for that website click, you're going to ask them to sign up and schedule, and you're going to ask them to go take that action.

Why Personal Brands Win: The Newsletter Connection

That's what I want to show you - this review here that we just recently got. This is a personal brand and a newsletter, so it's always best to create that personal brand so you can build the relationship, get that in organically. And then what you can use is the low-cost price of X ads or even YouTube ads to bring in your ideal customers, and then what you want to use is Meta and other platforms where it's a little more expensive to retarget and remind them to come back and take an action.

The Follow-Up Sequence That Never Lets Leads Forget You

When somebody first sees you on X, you want to show an ad to build a relationship. When they see you a second time, you need to educate them. See you a third time, you need to give something of value. See you a fourth time - time to sign up and work with me.

Case Study Summary : This systematic approach transforms cold X traffic into warm newsletter subscribers by building trust first, then relationships, then offering value, and finally asking for the conversion. The key is using X's low costs to acquire leads, then retargeting on higher-cost platforms for maximum efficiency.

For setting up your customer profiling and targeting system, I recommend checking out our customer data solutions and our complete X advertising blueprint .

Next Steps: Start Your Newsletter Growth System Today

What are you waiting for? Go start thinking about your ideal customer profile, what type of post would really catch their attention, and then use these exact ads to follow up with your leads.

If you want to implement this complete system, I recommend starting with our X advertising blueprint and setting up proper tracking with our recommended tools .

For ongoing support and the complete follow-up system, schedule a consultation to discuss your specific newsletter growth goals.

Get more case studies like this: Subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly breakdowns of what's working in digital marketing right now.

How to Sell Website Services with Email Automation: Step-by-Step Guide

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 15:25:25 GMT

Key Takeaway

$27,000 in course sales last month using nothing but automated emails - no sales calls required. This case study breaks down the exact email automation system one of my clients used to sell courses, including:

Free lesson strategy that builds trust before asking for payment
3-day follow-up sequence with progressive value delivery
Coupon automation that converts hesitant prospects
Newsletter integration for long-term nurturing
Instagram-to-email funnel that captures organic leads

Time to implement : 2-3 weeks

Skills needed : Basic email automation

Investment : Minimal (just email software costs)

Quick Context : Course creator generating leads from Instagram organic content
Method Used : Automated email sequence with free lessons and strategic follow-up
Time Required : No ongoing sales calls - fully automated system
Key Result : $27K in monthly course revenue through email automation

Hey there, my name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years, working with 2,500+ brands. I'm not trying to sell you anything in this case study - I just want to show you exactly how this email sales system works in hopes that you take it and go try to use it for your business so you're successful as well.

I thought emails were dead until I saw these results. This case study will show you the exact system that proves email marketing is far from dead when executed properly.

The "Email is Dead" Myth - Why This Case Study Matters

Case Study Insight : Email automation can generate substantial course revenue without human intervention
What Happened : $27K in sales using only automated email sequences
Time to Results : System works 24/7 once implemented
Tools/Methods Used : Instagram organic lead generation + automated email follow-up

Most course creators believe they need to get on sales calls to close high-value sales. This case study proves otherwise. My client built a 10-step course that allows somebody to learn something each step of the system to accomplish the goal he promises them on his Instagram page.

The leads are coming from Instagram organic - nowhere in this system is he doing any ads. If you wanted to double, triple, or quadruple this business, I would recommend retargeting ads, but it's working so well right now he's just trying to build out the structure and continue setting up the systems.

For context on building effective social media systems, see Social Sales System .

How the Lead Capture System Works

Case Study Insight : Simple lead capture beats complex funnels
What Happened : High conversion from Instagram comment to email subscriber
Time to Results : Immediate lead capture through chatbot automation
Tools/Methods Used : Many chat for Instagram, short landing pages, progressive follow-up

Here's where most course creators go wrong - they create complicated landing pages that lose mobile traffic. Since people are browsing Instagram on their phones, lengthy pages cause them to leave before converting.

My client asks leads to leave a comment if they want the full guide, then uses a mini chatbot to collect information. If you're on Facebook or Instagram, you can use software called Many chat that will collect leads if they leave a comment.

The chatbot immediately provides the link to a super-short sales page. The form sits at the top, making it simple for mobile users, and only asks for their email address. If they don't provide their email immediately, the chatbot follows up the next day asking again.

Case Study Insight : Mobile-first approach crucial for Instagram traffic
What Happened : Higher conversion rates with simplified, mobile-optimized pages
Time to Results : Instant lead capture with progressive follow-up
Tools/Methods Used : Top-of-page forms, chatbot persistence, mobile optimization

The High-Value Content Strategy

Once they provide their email, the system sends them to the content page where the high value starts. He gives them a free lesson sneak peek - this is what the full course will be like, but here's a super valuable free lesson.

From there, he allows them to see the course and pay immediately. Most people won't pay right away, but he does get a few people that purchase right away. Just like in my system, as soon as somebody comes through my sales system, they'll immediately see my Go HighLevel CRM course that they can purchase, and it basically says if you buy this, you can see exactly how to set up your CRM to make more money, and I'll give them a free sneak peek so they can get that free lesson beforehand.

Case Study Insight : Immediate value delivery builds trust for future purchases
What Happened : Some instant purchases, most enter nurture sequence
Time to Results : Immediate value, purchases within days to weeks
Tools/Methods Used : Free lesson strategy, immediate course access, value-first approach

The Million-Dollar Follow-Up Sequence

Now the fun part - what happens after somebody doesn't purchase. We've got to follow up, and like I said, most people won't purchase initially.

Day 1: Access Confirmation

The next day we send: "Hey, just want to make sure you got access to that free lesson yesterday. Here's the link again to the exact content just in case you were busy."

One simple tip you can throw in there is "Hey, follow me on Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn." Now they're seeing you in more than one place.

Day 2: Second Free Lesson

If they don't purchase again, the next day we send them another free lesson. That's the key: "Hey, noticed you didn't purchase yesterday. Here's lesson two. Hopefully it's helpful. If it is, go ahead and purchase the rest of the course. If it's not, no problem - we'll send you more information to help you get to the next level."

Day 3: Coupon Strategy

If they still don't purchase, we send another lesson, but we don't give them the third lesson for free. Instead, we give them a coupon code: "Here's 10-20% off of the course. We noticed you weren't 100% interested yet, so here's a coupon to make sure you get signed up into the course."

Case Study Insight : Progressive value with strategic sales pressure
What Happened : Multiple touchpoints increase conversion rates significantly
Time to Results : 3-day sequence captures most ready-to-buy prospects
Tools/Methods Used : Value-first emails, social proof building, discount strategy

Of course, if somebody has already purchased, we remove them from this automation so they don't get that coupon code again.

Long-Term Newsletter Integration

If they still haven't purchased after the 3-day sequence, we add them to the newsletter. This is key because maybe someday they will buy, so we want to keep giving value every week in a newsletter.

I always like to put in the signature: "If you need any help with this or you have any questions, here's the course again." At the bottom, it says "PS our next accelerator starts next month. If you'd like more information you can schedule," and then you can also say "Here's the coupon code to the course" or maybe just ask them to respond back to the email if they have any questions.

Make it easy for them to buy - put it in a simple add-to-cart format. Make sure you have some abandoned cart sequences in place so if they do abandon cart, you can remind them to come back and buy.

For advanced email automation strategies, see Advanced E-commerce Email Automation Blueprint .

Case Study Insight : Long-term nurturing captures delayed buyers
What Happened : Newsletter subscribers convert over extended timeframes
Time to Results : Ongoing conversions from consistent value delivery
Tools/Methods Used : Weekly newsletters, signature links, abandoned cart recovery

Implementation Tools and Technology

The entire system runs on basic email automation software. For the Instagram lead capture, Many chat handles the comment-to-email conversion. The email sequences can be built in any major email platform.

For businesses looking to scale this approach, GoHighLevel provides an all-in-one solution that handles the entire funnel from lead capture through course delivery and payment processing.

Case Study Insight : Simple tools can generate substantial revenue
What Happened : No complex software required for $27K monthly results
Time to Results : System setup takes 2-3 weeks, results immediate after launch
Tools/Methods Used : Basic email automation, Instagram chatbots, simple landing pages

Why This System Works Without Sales Calls

The key insight here is relationship building through value delivery. When you consistently provide helpful information and education, people trust that if they purchase your course, they'll get tremendous value.

That's exactly what this client is doing. He's building relationships automatically, providing value continuously, and maintaining follow-up without requiring his personal time on sales calls.

This approach allows you to:

Scale without time constraints
Build better relationships with new leads
Automatically follow up with prospects
Upsell to higher-ticket offerings later

Even if people don't buy the course initially, you can upsell them on sales calls for your higher-ticket plans. That's something this client is putting in place right now - but the foundation is a high-value course that somebody can buy without you having to get on a sales call.

Scaling Opportunities and Next Steps

What are you waiting for? Set up some sort of course or accelerator program that allows people to automatically buy and learn from you without having to get on sales calls.

This will help you:

Build better relationships with your new leads
Automatically follow up with prospects
Generate revenue 24/7
Create foundation for higher-ticket upsells

The system works because it provides genuine value at every step. You're not just trying to sell - you're educating, helping, and building trust through consistent value delivery.

For businesses ready to implement similar systems, see S ocial Sales System Overview for step-by-step implementation guidance.

Ready to Build Your Own Course Sales System?

This automated email approach proves that sales calls aren't necessary for course sales success. The key is building trust through consistent value delivery and making it easy for people to purchase when they're ready.

Want to implement a similar system for your business? For more detailed guidance on email automation and course creation, schedule a consultation to discuss your specific situation.

Get more marketing case studies and automation strategies: Subscribe to my YouTube channel

How a Law Firm Generated $90,000+ Monthly Revenue from YouTube

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:21:32 GMT

Key Takeaway

Real Results from a Working Law Firm:

$90,000+ monthly revenue generated directly from YouTube
Complete marketing blueprint with landing pages, automated emails, and retargeting pixels
Series of 12 videos answering different trademark questions to dominate search results
YouTube flywheel system that builds relationships and shows up where customers are looking
Lower-cost packages under $1,000 to build trust before selling higher-tier offers
Multi-platform retargeting across YouTube, Google Search, Gmail, and Display Network

Quick Context: Law firm struggling to generate consistent leads in competitive trademark market
Method Used: YouTube flywheel system with educational content and automated follow-up sequences
Time Required: Series of 12 videos plus automated marketing system setup
Key Result: Over $90,000 monthly revenue with systematic lead generation and relationship building

I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks, and I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years working with over 2,500 brands. In today's case study, I'm going to break down exactly how this law firm has been able to generate over $90,000 a month from YouTube using this YouTube flywheel system.

This case study will show you the complete sales funnel we built, how we optimized videos to rank on both Google and YouTube, and the exact follow-up system that turns viewers into paying clients. If you want to learn the exact system on how to build this for your brand, the full blueprint is available at the end of this case study.

The Challenge: Standing Out in a Crowded Legal Market

This trademark attorney knew that his ideal customers were searching for legal help online, but he wasn't showing up where they were looking. The challenge wasn't just getting found on YouTube - it was creating a complete system that would build trust, demonstrate expertise, and convert viewers into high-value clients.

The traditional approach of relying on referrals and local advertising wasn't scaling fast enough. He needed a system that would work 24/7, build relationships automatically, and position him as the go-to expert in trademark law.

Case Study Insight : Most lawyers focus on getting found, but this case study shows the importance of the complete sales funnel
What Happened : We built a marketing blueprint showing exactly where new leads come from and what happens after they find you
Time to Results : System generates leads continuously once properly implemented
Tools/Methods Used : Landing pages, automated emails, retargeting pixels, and strategic follow-up sequences

The YouTube Flywheel Solution: Complete Marketing Blueprint

Here's the first step of the flywheel - what we want to look for is the complete sales funnel. This is what we build for our clients: a marketing blueprint so we can see exactly where your new leads come from, what happens to the leads after they hear about you, learn about you, find you, and that's going to be these landing pages, automated emails, retargeting pixels, and then how you are able to follow up with them.

I think follow-up is the most important part in any business because not everyone's going to buy and purchase from you day one. How it works for this law firm - and you really could use this for any type of business because it's all about the follow-up, building relationships, and showing up where your customers are looking for you.

He knows that his ideal customers are searching for him on YouTube - not him in particular, but they're on YouTube looking for an answer. He then shows them the video and gets them to a free guide that he's going to offer them if they leave a comment under the video or if they click on the link in the description.

Step 1: Strategic Video Creation and Search Optimization

When somebody's looking for you, where are they actually looking and what are they looking for? As an example, if I was a trademark attorney, I would be trying to rank my YouTube videos not only on YouTube but also on Google.

Here's a simple search: "how to get a trademark for a new business idea." You can see that there's three YouTube videos showing right at the top. First things are always going to show are the sponsored ads - we want to skip those, we'll do those later on - but for now, what we want to do is look at some of these videos and how they have the chapters, and what I want to do is really skip to a certain part of the chapter to help answer my question.

If I head over to YouTube, I'm looking for the exact same thing: "how to get a trademark for a business idea." You can see whether there's a first video at the top giving me the tips with those chapters, or I'm going to also see maybe some ads or I'll see other recommended videos, and then I'll end up clicking the one I like most.

Case Study Insight : Videos must rank on both Google and YouTube for maximum visibility
What Happened : We created a series of 12 videos answering different types of questions about trademarks
Time to Results : Videos begin ranking within weeks of optimization
Tools/Methods Used : Chapter optimization, thumbnail optimization, and strategic keyword targeting

For this specific law firm, they click on his video because we optimize the thumbnail to make somebody want to click and we also show up for those searches more than just one. What we want to do is create a series of 12 videos answering different types of questions about trademarks.

Step 2: Landing Page Optimization and Retargeting Setup

Once they get to your landing page, what we want to do is show them a YouTube video. What this does is it re-triggers the algorithm, it also re-triggers your retargeting pixel. After they hit the page - and I'll show you mine as an example - I give something of value, and when they hit the thank you page, they can click and watch a YouTube video.

What that does is it comes back and it triggers this pixel, and this pixel will allow me to show a YouTube ad to them next time they're on YouTube. It'll also allow me to show a Google ad on any other Google platform whether it's Google Search, Google PMX, Display Network, even Gmail and other people's websites.

Now they're starting to hear about you, they're starting to remember you, they're seeing that you're the one helping them. What we want to do is immediately give them what we promise, get them to watch another YouTube video to try to trigger the algorithm, and then try to get them to a thank you page with another video.

Case Study Insight : The thank you page video is crucial for algorithm and pixel activation
What Happened : Double video exposure triggers retargeting across all Google and YouTube properties
Time to Results : Immediate pixel activation upon page visit
Tools/Methods Used : YouTube videos embedded on landing and thank you pages, retargeting pixels

This next video is all going to go in a row, so they're going to hear about you, they're going to click on the page, they're going to go to the thank you page, they're going to watch another video, and this is your opportunity to build a relationship. This is who I am, this is why you can trust me, and this is the next step you should take.

Step 3: Trust-Building Through Educational Content

Now they don't know you or trust you yet, so the very first sales funnel that you want to push them down is educational. Send them maybe to a blog post, get them to a survey form so they fill out a longer survey to see if they're a good fit to work with you, get them to register maybe for a course or a lesson or maybe a webinar.

Then you can actually sell them on a lower-cost item. This client that we work with in particular - if they're brand new, he's going to sell them on a lower-cost package, something that's less than $1,000. You're going to get a very low percentage to actually sign up for that because they don't trust you yet, so we want to make sure we follow up with them again to pay for your higher tier offer.

Case Study Insight : Lower-cost offers under $1,000 serve as trust-building stepping stones
What Happened : Educational content builds authority before attempting any sales
Time to Results : Trust-building process varies by individual prospect
Tools/Methods Used : Blog posts, survey forms, courses, lessons, webinars, and lower-cost packages

For more details on creating effective educational content funnels, see high-converting landing pages guide .

Step 4: Multi-Platform Retargeting Strategy

After they see you on Google, after they find you on YouTube, what we want to do is click on this, and once you click, you're going to start seeing recommended ads over on the side here. What I don't like to do is do an ad before a video, so what we want to do is after they watch your video or someone else's video, we want to put a recommended ad right here on the side so they go to that next ad.

If we just do a simple search on YouTube, you can also show your ad up here at the top. If they watch one of your videos, hit that landing page, we're going to retarget them to where a sponsored post shows up here at the top. Additionally, that's where you can start showing up here in these recommended sponsored ads because you know they've already watched your video, they know they've already been to your landing page, and it's a lot easier to get them to come back to build that relationship.

For advanced retargeting strategies, see AI-powered retargeting guide .

Step 5: Automated Email Follow-Up Sequence

After they register and get the free information that you gave them, let's send them an automated email to build trust and build that relationship. I even like to ask them to connect with me more on LinkedIn in this first email. Then we want to wait a day, and that's when we want to start showing our retargeting ads.

Then they'll start seeing your organic YouTube videos since they've already watched one in the past. Now they're going to start seeing you everywhere - they're going to see you in their email, they're going to see you on YouTube organic, they're going to see you on the Google ads.

Then they're going to hopefully come back and learn even more, and that's where email 2 comes in the next day: "Hey, saw you were interested in something like a trademark yesterday, or whatever your law firm specializes in, or for you, anything your business specializes in. Now I want you to come back and watch this video if you haven't done so already. I want to make sure you come and register or fill out that survey so we can build a better relationship, and/or I want you to continue watching videos and learning from me."

Case Study Insight : Multi-touchpoint visibility creates the impression of authority and expertise
What Happened : Prospects see the attorney across email, YouTube organic, and paid ads simultaneously
Time to Results : Email sequence begins immediately after opt-in
Tools/Methods Used : Automated email sequences, LinkedIn connection requests, coordinated retargeting

For detailed email automation strategies, see email automation guide .

Step 6: Creating Content Authority Through Volume

That's why you want to not just make one YouTube video - you need to create that flywheel to where you're creating 8 to 12 videos around a topic so you can continue sending them valuable tips, valuable education, valuable videos. Then they're going to automatically think that you're the authority, that you're the expert, and that they're going to trust you before they come back and take this survey again.

Case Study Insight : 8-12 videos on a topic creates perceived authority and expertise
What Happened : Continuous valuable content positions the attorney as the go-to expert
Time to Results : Authority building occurs over multiple video interactions
Tools/Methods Used : Strategic video series, educational content, survey forms

The Results: High-Value Sales Calls with Pre-Qualified Prospects

By the time you get on this sales call, or they fill out the survey and they say they're interested, they respond back to your email, or they come here and they see your video again, they just want to click on it and buy something from you. That's when you're going to get on the call with them, and/or send them something for them to get signed up.

On that call, they're going to say something like this: "Hey, I've been watching your videos, I've got your guide, I've been reading about you, I checked out your law office or your business, and I'm ready to get started because you're the one that's going to be able to help me."

That's the most powerful sales call you'll ever be able to be on, and that's the most valuable thing you can do in your business - have them trust you, learn about you, and build authority before you even speak to them. Every time they log into Google or they log into YouTube, we want them to see you right at the top of the feed so they think of you as the authority in your space.

Case Study Insight : Pre-qualified prospects arrive already convinced and ready to buy
What Happened : Prospects complete their own research and education before the sales call
Time to Results : Higher conversion rates and faster sales cycles
Tools/Methods Used : Complete educational journey, authority building, strategic positioning

Implementation Strategy for Your Business

The beauty of this YouTube flywheel system is that you really could use this for any type of business because it's all about the follow-up, building relationships, and showing up where your customers are looking for you.

The key components you need to implement:

Video Content Series : Create 8-12 videos answering different questions in your niche
Landing Page System : Capture leads with valuable free resources
Retargeting Setup : Install pixels to follow prospects across platforms
Email Automation : Build trust through consistent valuable content
Multi-Platform Presence : Show up on YouTube, Google, and social media
Lower-Cost Entry Points : Offer accessible starting packages under $1,000
Survey and Qualification : Identify serious prospects for higher-tier services

For businesses looking to implement similar systems, see marketing automation guide .

Tools and Resources for Implementation

Essential Tools for This System:

Video Creation and Optimization : YouTube analytics and thumbnail tools
Landing Page Builder : Professional landing page solutions
Email Marketing : Automated email sequences
CRM Integration : Complete customer management
Analytics and Tracking : Advanced tracking software

Conclusion: Your YouTube Flywheel Implementation

This law firm's success generating over $90,000 monthly from YouTube isn't about having the perfect video or the biggest budget. It's about creating a complete system that builds relationships, establishes authority, and follows up consistently with prospects until they're ready to buy.

The YouTube flywheel system works because it shows up where your customers are already looking, provides genuine value through educational content, and nurtures prospects through a trusted journey from curious viewer to paying client.

Case Study Summary : Law firm generated $90,000+ monthly revenue using a YouTube flywheel system with educational video content, landing pages, email automation, and multi-platform retargeting to build trust and authority before prospects ever reach a sales conversation.

Your Next Steps:

Identify 8-12 common questions your prospects ask
Create your first educational video answering one key question
Set up basic landing page to capture leads with free resources
Implement email automation to nurture prospects
Install retargeting pixels for multi-platform follow-up

If you want to learn the exact system on how to build this YouTube flywheel for your brand, comment "system" and someone from my team will send it over. For businesses ready to implement immediately, schedule a strategy consultation to discuss your specific implementation plan.

Get more case studies and implementation strategies: Subscribe to my YouTube channe l for weekly insights on building systems that generate consistent leads and sales.

How to Use X Organic Posts to Increase Sales – SaaS Case Study

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 09:20:15 GMT

Key Takeaway

This one sales funnel system doubled a software as a service business in just one month using strategic X organic posts, retargeting automation, and systematic follow-up.

Method : X organic post retargeting combined with YouTube and email automation
Results : Business doubled in 30 days
Conversion Rate : From less than 5% to 15-20% (sometimes 30%)
Key Components : Strategic organic posts → chatbot DMs → high-value content → landing pages → retargeting ads
Tools Used : X organic posting, YouTube video embedding, automated emails, retargeting on X and YouTube

Quick Context : Software as a Service company struggling with low conversion rates
Method Used : Strategic X organic posting with automated retargeting funnel
Time Required : One month for full system implementation
Key Result : Doubled business revenue with systematic follow-up approach

Hey there, my name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . I've been doing this marketing for the last 10 years and worked with over 200 brands. I'm going to share exactly how we used X organic posts and created a complete sales funnel that doubled a software as a service business in just one month.

This case study breaks down the exact system we implemented, from the strategic organic posts that brought in ideal customers to the automated follow-up sequence that converted visitors into paying customers at rates of 15-20% (sometimes even 30%).

What Was the Challenge?

This software as a service company was struggling with typical SaaS conversion problems. They were getting traffic to their sales page, but only seeing conversion rates of less than 5%. Out of 180 people hitting their sales page, only 9 were actually making a purchase or signing up for a trial.

The business needed a systematic approach to:

Generate more qualified leads through organic content
Nurture prospects who didn't convert immediately
Create multiple touchpoints to build trust and familiarity
Automate the follow-up process to maximize conversions

How We Built the Complete Sales Funnel System

Phase 1: Strategic X Organic Posts

The foundation of this entire system started with really strategic posts organically . These weren't random posts - they were designed to bring in our ideal customer.

The Pin Tweet Strategy : We started with a pin tweet that became one of our best performers. This post introduced the brand, told their story, gave education, and provided value. When somebody first saw that organic tweet, they were more likely to follow, leave a comment, or engage.

Strategic Post Types : We developed specific post ideas designed to get people to:

Leave a comment
Send a DM
Trigger the chatbot to DM them automatically

For the full system implementation, we created example posts that could be customized using AI or copied directly. The key was making posts like "this has saved me and my team this much time and me personally saved this much money" filling in real, honest information that would get people to engage.

Phase 2: Automated DM and Chatbot System

Once we got people engaging with the organic posts, the next step was getting them into our chatbot system. We set up auto DMs that would automatically reach out to people who engaged with specific posts.

High-Value Content Delivery : For this software company, we provided something of high value through the chatbot:

Detailed videos and screen shares
Comprehensive guides
AI prompts that people could use
Content that showed interest in their software

This wasn't just basic lead magnets - we gave substantial value that demonstrated the software's capabilities and got people interested in learning more.

Phase 3: Landing Page with Embedded YouTube Video

Once someone showed interest through the chatbot, we directed them to a landing page that delivered what we promised them. But here's the crucial element: we embedded a YouTube video on the sales page.

This YouTube video served multiple purposes:

Provided the promised value
Built trust through video content
Created a retargeting audience for YouTube ads
Allowed us to track engagement for follow-up

The landing page also gave visitors options to sign up for a free trial or purchase the full plan, but we knew most people wouldn't convert immediately.

Phase 4: Email Follow-Up Sequence

Since only 9 out of 180 people initially converted, we implemented a systematic email follow-up sequence. We sent a couple of reminder emails to get people to come back to the sales page and reconsider their decision.

Case Study Insight : Email follow-up increased our conversion opportunities significantly
What Happened : Multiple touchpoints kept the software top-of-mind for prospects
Time to Results : Email sequences began converting within days
Tools/Methods Used : Automated email series triggered by landing page visits

Phase 5: Retargeting Ad Strategy

This is where the magic really happened. We set up both YouTube ads and X ads for retargeting people who had engaged with our content.

YouTube Retargeting : Since we embedded a YouTube video on the landing page, we could show organic YouTube videos and YouTube ads to people who watched our content. This created a continuous cycle of value and exposure.
X Retargeting : If people engaged or followed on X, we showed them retargeting ads on X to remind them to come back and see more posts. The key was taking some of the best-performing organic posts and turning them into retargeting ads, as long as they were relevant.
Critical Rule : We made sure the retargeting ads didn't look completely different from what people first saw in the organic posts or what we promised them. Everything had to resonate and be relatable so they remembered the brand.

Phase 6: Blog Content and Newsletter Integration

We continued the follow-up pattern by sending emails that directed people to blog pages. These blog pages allowed visitors to either join the newsletter or get redirected back to the sales page on email number three.

The blog content provided additional value while keeping the software solution top-of-mind, creating another touchpoint in our comprehensive follow-up system.

What Results Did We Achieve?

Case Study Insight : Systematic follow-up transformed conversion rates from under 5% to 15-20% (sometimes 30%)
What Happened : The complete funnel system doubled the business in one month
Time to Results : Full system showed results within 30 days
Tools/Methods Used : X organic posts, automated DMs, email sequences, YouTube and X retargeting

The transformation came from creating a system where people went from a less than 5% conversion rate to 15-20% (sometimes 30%) conversion rate once they liked, trusted, and knew the brand.

Key Performance Indicators :

Business revenue doubled in first month
Conversion rates increased 3-6x through systematic follow-up
Multiple touchpoints created familiarity and trust
Automated systems reduced manual follow-up effort
Retargeting ads maintained continuous brand exposure

The Strategic Framework That Made This Work

The success came from understanding that most people don't buy immediately. Instead of accepting the low initial conversion rate, we built a system that continued providing value and maintaining contact for months (and hopefully years).

The Complete Pattern :

Strategic organic posts provide value and education
Engagement triggers automated DM sequences
High-value content builds interest and trust
Landing pages with embedded videos create retargeting opportunities
Email follow-up maintains contact with prospects
Retargeting ads on X and YouTube reinforce the message
Blog content and newsletters provide ongoing value
Systematic follow-up converts prospects when they're ready

Critical Success Factor : Every piece of content focused on providing value, giving something away for free, and building relationships rather than immediate selling.

For more insights on building comprehensive X advertising strategies , this case study demonstrates the power of organic content combined with systematic follow-up.

The key to implementing a similar system is understanding that social media advertising works best when you b uild relationships through value first, then use automation to maintain those relationships consistently.

Case Study Summary and Next Steps

This case study proves that strategic X organic posting combined with systematic follow-up can dramatically transform business results. By moving from isolated social media posts to a comprehensive funnel system, this SaaS company doubled their business in one month and increased conversion rates by 3-6x.

Your Next Steps :

Start creating strategic organic posts that provide genuine value
Set up automated DM systems for engaged followers
Create high-value content that demonstrates your expertise
Build landing pages with embedded video content
Implement email follow-up sequences for non-converters
Launch retargeting campaigns on both X and YouTube
Continue the pattern consistently for months and years

Implementation Support : Click here to get the full system . You can also schedule a consultation call to discuss implementing this exact framework for your specific business.

For more case studies and advanced strategies: Subscribe to my YouTube channel here .

Remember, this isn't about quick wins - it's about building a systematic approach that provides ongoing value and converts prospects into customers when they're ready to buy.

How to Use Email Automation to Increase Sales – CPA Firm Made $99,617 [Case Study]

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 12:51:45 GMT

Key Takeaway

This CPA made $99,617 in one month using automated email follow-up sequences that contact leads 24+ times across multiple channels. The system uses AI-powered personalization, behavioral triggers, and lead scoring to convert prospects who would otherwise be forgotten.

Critical Stats:

$99,617 profit in ONE month (not just revenue - actual profit)
Over 20% conversion increase when following up 24+ times vs fewer touches
90% of visitors don't fill forms - but this system captures and converts them anyway
First 5-7 days are crucial for relationship building and response tracking

It's 2025 - your leads have already forgotten about you if you're not systematically following up. This case study shows the exact workflow that turns forgotten visitors into paying customers.

Quick Context: CPA firm needing to convert more leads from their website traffic
Method Used: 24+ touch automated follow-up system with AI personalization and behavioral triggers
Time Required: First month implementation, then automated ongoing
Key Result: $99,617 profit increase in one month

The Challenge: Why Most Businesses Lose Leads in 2025

My name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and have worked with over 2,500 brands. When this CPA firm came to me, they had a classic problem that's even worse in 2025.

Here's what was happening: They were bringing in leads from Meta, Google, and Instagram ads, getting people to their opt-in page, but less than 10% were actually filling out the form. Even worse, the people who did fill out forms weren't converting at the rates they needed.

The brutal truth? In 2025, if you're not following up with your leads at least 24 times, you're missing out on over 20% conversion rate. People are busy - they're probably at a red light when they see your ad, the light turns green, and they totally forget about you.

Case Study Insight : 90% of website visitors don't convert immediately
What Happened : Lost revenue from unconverted traffic
Time to Results : Immediate leak of potential customers
Tools/Methods Used : Basic lead capture without systematic follow-up

The Solution: Building the 24+ Touch Follow-Up System

This workflow we built for the CPA firm focuses on one thing: being profitable where you're not having to spend more money on ads - you're just focused on your follow-up.

Step 1: Capturing Every Website Visitor

When somebody hits your site, we want to tag them with pixels and retargeting pixels so we can follow up and remind them to come back. This is crucial because less than 10% actually fill out the form, but we can still capture that data and retarget them.

Step 2: AI-Powered First Response

When somebody fills out the form, we do a ChatGPT-powered response. It scans their website, scans their business, and automatically responds back with custom values and custom messaging that's focused on them.

We want to focus on our ICP (ideal customer profile) - show the marketing and emails specifically for what they want and what would help them the most.

Case Study Insight : AI personalization increases response rates significantly
What Happened : Custom messaging based on prospect's business
Time to Results : Immediate automated response
Tools/Methods Used : ChatGPT integration with Go High Level CRM

Step 3: The Critical First Week Email Sequence

Email number one needs to be a relationship builder with the ultimate goal for them to open that email and respond. That way you stay in the inbox.

Here's the first week breakdown:

Day 1: Relationship builder email (goal: get them to respond)
Day 2: Education + value (send to YouTube video, education guide, or blog)
Day 3: Follow-up email
Day 4: Another email
Day 5: Final email with call-to-action (schedule call or coupon)

The key is allowing them to either schedule a call with you or, if you're an e-commerce brand, giving them a coupon to go back to your site to buy.

How to Trigger Emails Based on Lead Behavior

After those first three emails, we want to separate based on conditions - whether they opened the email and clicked the link or if they didn't open the email.

If They Opened and Clicked:

This response means they're warm and you want to build a better relationship. They're more likely to buy or schedule with you, so you really need to focus on this next response to get them to schedule or get them to the right link to purchase.

If They Haven't Clicked:

This response needs to be totally different. It needs to ask them why they haven't clicked yet, making sure they even received your email, and seeing if they're still interested.

Case Study Insight : Behavioral triggers double conversion rates
What Happened : Different paths for engaged vs unengaged leads
Time to Results : Immediate sorting after first week
Tools/Methods Used : Go High Level conditional workflows

The Long-Term Nurture Strategy

After the first 5 to 7 days, we show them a new set of retargeting ads, but keep it similar to the first set so they remember you. People are being fed thousands of different pieces of content a day - they're going to easily forget. You want to keep it on brand: same face, same logo, same color, same look.

Then we send another series of emails where we:

Educate them
Provide case studies
Show them reviews
Ask questions
Get them to watch more videos

This is for people who didn't sign up and weren't 100% interested in those first 5 days. Let's educate them and show that we're the authority business they should reach out to when they're ready.

The Newsletter Strategy

If they still don't come back and sign up, add them to your newsletter and send a third round of retargeting ads. These retargeting ads are just to follow you or sign up for your newsletter - they're not asking them to buy.

The earlier set was asking them to schedule or buy. This set is for people who just aren't ready yet, so let's not break that relationship. Let's keep providing value, get them on the newsletter, and send them an email every seven days. When they're ready, they know where to look.

Using AI to Personalize Email Replies

With the help of AI, we can know exactly where leads are in the process. If they click the email and show interest, let's get them on a sales call or send them a different discount offer.

We also add them to lists where we ask for reviews once they get through the system. For those on the newsletter who still aren't interested, we update and modify their scores because we want to say: "These are our best leads - they have a 10 out of 10 score. These are our worst leads - 1 out of 10 score. We need to follow up with automations in a different manner."

Case Study Insight : Lead scoring optimizes follow-up intensity
What Happened : AI tracks engagement and adjusts communication
Time to Results : Ongoing optimization throughout the month
Tools/Methods Used : AI-powered lead scoring and segmentation

Why You Need 24+ Follow-Ups Across Channels

This system provides a compounding effect. Somebody that's never heard of you might sign up next week. Another person might sign up next month. A couple more people you're building relationships with might sign up in 3, 6, even 12 months down the line.

My favorite channels for the 24 touches:

Emails - building value and relationships
Social media - X, LinkedIn, Meta
Retargeting ads - so they never forget
Direct outreach - for high-value prospects

Case Study Insight : Multi-channel approach prevents lead loss
What Happened : Consistent touchpoints across all major platforms
Time to Results : Compounding results over multiple months
Tools/Methods Used : Integrated automation across email, social, and ads

The $99,617 Result Breakdown

All of this is done within the first month, but you want to build systems to keep following up with your prospects month after month. That's what creates the compounding effect that generated over $99K in profit for this CPA firm.

The system works because:

No leads are forgotten or lost
Every visitor gets multiple chances to convert
AI personalization increases relevance
Behavioral triggers optimize timing
Multi-channel approach maximizes reach

For more advanced lead follow-up strategies, see social sales system and explore our marketing automation guides .

The key tools mentioned in this case study include Go High Level CRM for workflow automation and email marketing platforms for consistent follow-up sequences.

Next Steps: Implementing Your Own $99K Follow-Up System

The CPA firm's success proves that systematic follow-up isn't optional in 2025 - it's essential for profitable growth. The key is building relationships through value while using AI and automation to scale personal touch.

Main takeaways from this case study:

Follow up at least 24 times across multiple channels
Use AI to personalize every interaction based on prospect behavior
Focus on relationship building, not just selling
Implement behavioral triggers to optimize timing
Never let leads fall through the cracks

If you want to implement this exact workflow for your business, comment "system" and someone from my team will send you this exact workflow so you can use it for your business.

Ready to build your own profit-generating follow-up system? Schedule a consultation to discuss your specific needs, or explore our automation services for done-for-you implementation.

Case Study Summary : CPA firm generated $99,617 in profit using a 24+ touch automated follow-up system with AI personalization, behavioral triggers, and multi-channel nurturing sequences. The system captured 90% of unconverted website visitors and systematically converted them over time through value-driven relationship building.

Get more case studies and follow-up strategies: Subscribe here

How to Get Leads Using YouTube Ads – Sales Funnel Case Study for Coaches

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 12:47:19 GMT

Key Takeaway

This coaching business achieved $152,000 in revenue last month using our exact salesunnel system that transforms YouTube ad views into paying customers. Here's what makes this case study unique:

Multi-platform retargeting strategy: YouTube + Google + Facebook + Instagram + Twitter
Strategic data collection: Using pixels and Data Shopper to capture visitor information
3-tier ad approach: Audience building → Subscriber growth → Landing page conversions
Transparent pricing system: Pre-qualifying leads before calls to eliminate time waste
Compounding effect: Automated follow-up creating multiple conversion windows

 Quick Context: Established coaching business wanting to expedite growth with paid ads
Method Used: The salesunnel - our proven funnel system for lowest cost per click
Time Required: Ongoing automated system with immediate results
Key Result: $152,000 generated in just one month

Hey there, my name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and have worked with over 2,500 brands. In my videos I share my screen and break down this sales funnel so you can copy and paste it and use it for your business.

The Challenge: Scaling Beyond Organic Growth

This particular coaching business had been in business for a few years now but they wanted to really expedite their growth with some paid ads. They had built a solid foundation organically, but were ready to scale systematically using paid advertising.

The challenge was creating a system that could:

Generate high-quality leads at the lowest cost per click
Build relationships with potential customers across multiple touchpoints
Pre-qualify prospects to avoid wasting time on unqualified calls
Create a compounding effect where prospects convert at different stages

Why We Started With YouTube Ads First

We decided to start focusing on YouTube first, and what's really cool about YouTube is when you set up YouTube ads you actually set them up on the Google ad network. This gives us incredible reach because a lot of people have YouTube Premium now so they don't see those ads before their video, especially the higher-end buyers that can afford it.

The Strategic Advantage : If prospects watch a YouTube video, we can then retarget them on the Google networks because our ads will still show there even if they have YouTube Premium.

The 3-Tier YouTube Ad Strategy That Generated Results

Here's exactly how we structured the ad campaigns:

Ad Number One: Audience Building with YouTube Search Ads

The first ad type actually just brings in the audience on a YouTube search ad. This targets people actively searching for solutions in the coaching space.

Ad Number Two: Subscriber Growth

The second ad specifically focuses on getting viewers to subscribe to the YouTube channel, building our owned audience.

Ad Number Three: Landing Page Conversions

The third ad drives traffic directly to our high-converting landing page where the real magic happens.

The Landing Page and Data Collection Strategy

With any ad I always recommend sending them to a landing page so you can build a better relationship. But here's the crucial part - once somebody hits the landing page we want to set up strategic data and pixels so we can retarget them.

Case Study Insight : Strategic pixel placement enables retargeting across all platforms
What Happened : We installed tracking on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms
Time to Results : Immediate data collection starts from first visitor
Tools/Methods Used : Landing page pixels, Data Shopper , retargeting setup

If we can retarget them we can show our ads on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, any other software out there so we can build a better relationship. Also, if they watch any of our YouTube videos and or hit the landing page, we also want to send them so we can retarget them on YouTube and Google as well.

How Our Retargeting Appears Across Platforms

On YouTube, this retargeting creates powerful visibility. Since I've watched other coaching videos, I'm going to see my videos here as well, so that way I'm showing up as a recommended organic video. But prospects also see the new ad types where you can just set up an ad that would be a display ad that would show on Google, Gmail, display network.

The Multi-Touch Approach : Prospects see other ads down below where there's actually buttons. You can set up an ad that says "watch" where you can watch the whole video or "visit" to get to that landing page. If prospects do go to one of these videos that are organic, they can also show up as a recommended video over on the side.

For more insights on advanced retargeting strategies , see our complete retargeting guide.

The Magic of the Thank You Page Strategy

From the landing page, we need to send a series of strategic emails to build a better relationship and get them back to the landing page to either schedule or purchase if you're e-commerce. But the magic happens after this opt-in page.

After they fill out the form, we want to send them to a strategic thank you page. On this page it's going to say check your email - that will help increase your open rates. But then what we want to do is add an organic YouTube video here to build a better relationship.

Case Study Insight : Thank you page video increases conversion rates significantly
What Happened : Added relationship-building video with timer showing length
Time to Results : Immediate engagement increase on thank you page
Tools/Methods Used : Unlisted YouTube videos, timer display, transparent pricing

You can save this video as public or you can even keep it as unlisted. One magic trick that I think increases conversions is showing a timer here making sure they know it's short and to the point. If it's long and something that they don't have time for, they won't watch.

Pre-Qualifying With Transparent Pricing

But then what we want to do is actually let them see the price so they don't waste any time. The page that shows them the price ensures you don't waste any time doing a call or getting them to a page and they actually can't afford it.

Now they're going to see the course pricing and they know it's a fit or not before they schedule. So that's what we want to do here is quickly get them to this page, show them the price, and then allow them to buy if we want. If they don't, we're going to have these strategic emails to get them to come back.

Strategic Benefit : This eliminates unqualified prospects early in the funnel while allowing qualified prospects to self-select for higher-value conversations.

Building Long-Term Relationships Through Email Strategy

After the initial interaction, we want to eventually send them to our newsletter page so they can subscribe to our newsletter so we can stay in touch. After they subscribe to the newsletter page we want to make sure we're following up with them weekly through some automated emails.

For detailed email automation strategies, check out our email marketing system guide .

Then we also want them to see these YouTube videos and the retargeting ads over and over. When they're ready, we're going to offer that link where they can actually find that in our retargeting ad or if they just are on the YouTube feed they're going to see it in the YouTube feed as well. You can see here they can just click watch or sign up and immediately go and just sign up for our offer.

The Compounding Effect: Multiple Conversion Windows

Here's where the real power of this system shows up. From there when they are ready this is going to be a compounding effect. Somebody that's never heard of you - they'll see the price, they'll either buy or they won't, and then they're going to see you again. They're going to see your emails, then they'll either schedule or they won't.

Case Study Insight : Multiple touchpoints create conversion opportunities over time
What Happened : Prospects convert at different stages - immediate, weekly, monthly
Time to Results : Some sign up immediately, others within weeks or months
Tools/Methods Used : Email sequences, retargeting ads, organic content, survey forms

At some point you're going to have a few people signing up right away, some people signing up next week, and a few people signing up next month. That's where we want to send them to a survey form to get more information from them. If they qualify, allow them to schedule and buy. They don't qualify, we can put them into this education funnel to hopefully they learn and they take those next steps to be able to improve their business before so they can come back and schedule when they ready and when they're qualified.

Results: $152K in 30 Days

This systematic approach generated $152,000 for the coaching business in just one month. The key was building a good system where you're bringing in a new audience from YouTube and YouTube ads, building a relationship with them, and retargeting them across multiple platforms.

The success came from:

Strategic multi-platform retargeting
Transparent pricing that pre-qualified prospects
Relationship-building content on thank you pages
Automated follow-up sequences
Multiple conversion windows creating compounding results

For businesses looking to implement a similar system, our Social Sales System provides the complete framework.

Next Steps: Implementing Your Own $152K System

This case study demonstrates the power of building a systematic approach to YouTube advertising that focuses on relationship building and strategic retargeting. The key is creating multiple touchpoints that allow prospects to convert when they're ready, not when you're pushing.

To implement a similar system for your business:

Set up your YouTube ad campaigns with the three-tier approach
Create strategic landing pages with proper pixel tracking
Develop relationship-building content for your thank you pages
Build automated email sequences for long-term nurturing
Implement transparent pricing to pre-qualify prospects

Want the complete system that takes a new visitor to a lead to a customer? The full blueprint that generated these results is available through our Social Sales System .

Get more case studies and implementation strategies: Subscribe here

Case Study Summary : This coaching business transformation shows how strategic YouTube advertising combined with multi-platform retargeting and transparent pricing can generate significant revenue growth. The $152,000 monthly result came from building systems that nurture prospects over time rather than relying on immediate conversions.

How to Get Leads Using X (Twitter) Ads – Sales Funnel Case Study for Marketing Agencies

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 15:35:53 GMT

Quick Answers: What People Are Asking

What are X Ads and why do they work? X Ads provide the lowest cost per click. That’s why we’re able to get this return on ad spend. They allow you to get low cost attention at the beginning of your sales funnel.
What tools did you use to capture leads? We use Datashopper . It collects their data, puts them into the email flow, and puts their data into the pixel. Then we can follow up and retarget them.
What CRM system do you recommend? We use GoHighLevel . It tracks all the UTMs, all the pixels, and automatically adds the data back into the ad accounts. It becomes a retargeting machine.
Who created this strategy? This was created by Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks . I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years. Worked with over 2,500 brands. This is original content, not AI generated.

Real Case Study Overview

In this video case study, I walk through how we helped a marketing agency scale using X Ads and GoHighLevel .

This wasn’t a theory or template, it’s an active campaign we’ve managed for almost 12 months. The strategy is simple, affordable, and built for small businesses or agencies that want results without high ad spend.

What’s covered:

Real ad performance from X Ads
CRM automation using GoHighLevel
Retargeting flows using email and YouTube
Action steps to launch it for yourself

The Funnel Blueprint (Simplified)

Here’s what the sales funnel looks like step-by-step:

User clicks X Ad
They land on a landing page
If they don’t opt in, we still collect data
If they do, they see the sales page and video
Then they see your pricing and can book or buy
We retarget them via email, ads, and video
They loop back until they convert or subscribe

That’s the structure we’ve been using with this client to generate consistent traffic and conversions.

Action Items:

Build a one-page landing page connected to a form
Record a short explainer video to show on the sales page
Add pricing to qualify leads early
Set up your retargeting ads from the start

Why X Ads Beat Meta and Google for Initial Clicks

If you’ve never run X Ads before, they’re the most affordable traffic source we’ve tested.

Why X Ads work:

Cost-per-click is significantly lower than Google or Facebook
Less competition from direct-response marketers
Easier to control your daily budget and scaling

We do a little Google and YouTube, but the bulk of our ad spend is now with X Ads.

Pro Tip: Don’t run Meta or Google ads cold. Use X Ads to warm up your funnel first, then retarget with more premium channels.

How We Collect Data From Every Visitor

Not everyone fills out a form. But that doesn’t mean you can’t follow up.

We use DataShopper , a tool that:

Captures partial user data
Adds them to your CRM or email list
Syncs them with your retargeting pixel

That means every person who visits your landing page becomes part of your ecosystem, even if they don’t submit a form.

What to set up:

Add Data Shopper to your landing pages
Connect it with your email tool and ad pixels
Build automations to trigger on “view” events, not just form fills

The Retargeting Engine

Once users are in your funnel, it’s all about follow-up.

Here’s what our retargeting system looks like:

Show a YouTube video after the landing page
Display pricing to filter serious buyers
If they don’t convert, send follow-up emails
Re-target them using low-cost X Ads and YouTube
Add educational content over time
Offer discounts or urgency to drive purchase

What’s important here is the timing: most of this happens in the first 14 days.

Then they enter a long-term nurture campaign (weekly or monthly newsletter) so you can bring them back to the site or blog.

Action Items:

Build a YouTube playlist with follow-up content
Set up email automation for day 1, day 3, day 7, and day 14
Use pixels to re-engage users with another X Ad or YouTube ad

Why You Should Use GoHighLevel CRM

We recommend GoHighLevel because it tracks and syncs everything:

All UTMs are logged automatically
Pixel and tracking data is pushed back into ad platforms
Opportunities are tracked in your pipeline
Emails and texts are automated and timed

We connect GoHighLevel directly to your funnel, so you’re not switching platforms or losing track of leads.

Action Items:

Use GoHighLevel for CRM, automation, and email
Track UTM parameters from your X Ads
Push leads into your pipelines for follow-up

Real Results and ROI

Here’s what happened for this client:

We’ve been managing their account for almost a year
Their average order value is about $2,500
Their profit margin is 50% across all campaigns
Their revenue keeps increasing every quarter
Ad spend has stayed flat because we’re retargeting, not scaling costs

Instead of throwing more money at ads, we focused on dialing in the system. Once the engine works, you just keep refining.

What you can do:

Start small with a simple funnel and $20/day ad spend
Focus on capturing every visitor (even non-converters)
Retarget, email, and follow up over 14+ days

Build Your Own Funnel Like This

Here’s how to build your own system today:

Launch a low-cost X Ad campaign
Build a landing page with a strong call to action
Use Data Shopper to capture user info
Set up a GoHighLevel CRM account
Record one YouTube video as a follow-up asset
Set up retargeting for X and YouTube
Automate follow-up emails for 14 days
Add an offer or urgency (coupon, bonus, deadline)
Retarget cold leads again in week 3

Once it’s working, don’t increase ad spend, improve the messaging, refine the targeting, and add more assets to your follow-up.

Work With Our Team

If this is overwhelming, my team does this for businesses every day.

We build:

Your funnel
Your CRM automations
Your retargeting engine

All you do is provide your product or offer, we handle the system.

If this guide helped, subscribe to my channel . If you need any help, click here to fill out our survey to see if you quality.

See you in the next one.

How to Get More Leads From Your Thank You Page (Funnel Hack 2025)?

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 18:02:13 GMT

If you're doing any type of marketing, relationships are the best way to build trust with your new leads. When you have a new lead that comes into your ecosystem, building trust and building relationships is number one. Number two is collecting their data so you can follow up.

I'm going to break down and share my screen and show you the thank you page that converts more leads into customers. By the time they get on that sales call or get to your e-commerce page to buy, they're already warmed up. They already like you. They're ready to go.

Quick Answer : Use your thank you page to embed YouTube videos, collect additional data through surveys, and create multiple touchpoints that build relationships while prospects are most engaged.

Time Required : 15-30 minutes to set up the complete system

Best For : Business owners running lead generation campaigns who want to maximize conversion rates from existing traffic

Hey there, my name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and worked with over 2500 brands. I'm going to show you this thank you page system and another huge influencer in the marketing space that uses surveys and upsells to get more customers.

Why Most Thank You Pages Waste Your Best Opportunity

Here's what most marketers get wrong: they treat the thank you page like an afterthought. But think about it - someone just gave you their contact information. They're at peak engagement. They want what you promised them. This is the perfect moment to deepen that relationship.

I like making landing pages super simple to hurry up and get them to the thank you page because that's how I'm going to build a better relationship. You sell them and give away the information you get them excited on social media and through your videos before they actually hit the landing page. That way when they hit the landing page, they're already pre-sold. They just want what you promised them.

The YouTube Video Strategy That Works Every Time

Now we get them to the thank you page and this is where the magic happens. I like to use a YouTube video because as soon as somebody clicks play on this YouTube video, the YouTube algorithm is going to pick that up. Then next time they log into YouTube, they're going to see my YouTube training giving them more information.

How It Works : When someone watches your embedded YouTube video on your thank you page, YouTube's algorithm starts showing them your other content. This creates a natural follow-up sequence without any additional work from you.

Tools Needed : YouTube channel and GoHighLevel for landing page creation

I also have a way for them to schedule a call with me to build a relationship even further or join the community to just get started if they want to join something.

Learning From Iman Gadzhi's Survey System

Another person that does this really well is Iman Gadzhi. He's been doing this for just as long as I have and he's focused on YouTube, these landing pages, and these lead flows. What he does is after you fill out his landing page, he says "Don't close this page, your registration is almost complete, but I need you to join this survey, fill out this survey."

What the survey does is ask them even more questions about them. It helps you pre-qualify them even more, but it also helps you follow up with the right systems and the right messaging after they complete this.

The Three-Step Conversion Process

So now we're not only getting them to:

Watch a video to see your face for you to educate and build trust and value
Collect more data and more information through surveys
Present a special offer - After they fill out the survey, he gives them a special offer where it says "Your registration is not complete yet. Here's the link to get my entire system for $75."

Now what you did was you gave somebody something. You had them watch a video to build a relationship. Now you've asked them to fill out a survey to give you even more info. Then you can sell them on something that will benefit them even more.

Setting Up Your Thank You Page System

I use a system called GoHighLevel to build out these landing pages and these follow-ups. What you should do is set up your landing page, make it simple, and then what you do is you go add that second page - the thank you page - and you go and embed that YouTube video just like this.

Essential Elements for Your Thank You Page

YouTube Video Embed : This is your relationship-building tool and your way to get into the YouTube algorithm for natural retargeting.

Email Check Request : I always like to recommend that they go check their email. This is going to help you stay in the inbox. If they go and check that email and then what we're saying is please just respond back to that to make sure you received it.

Multiple Action Options : I have my YouTube embedded there and then I just have those few options for them to take action from there.

The goal is to get them to go check the email and to watch the video. That way when they do schedule a call, they've already watched the video. They've read your email, they're more knowledgeable about what you're going to be talking about on that call.

The E-Commerce Application

If you're an e-commerce brand, they're more knowledgeable about the product because you want to put a video here that specifies your product and gives them more information. So when they go to actually buy the product on the checkout page, they're educated, they like the product, they're ready to go.

Key Point : The thank you page serves as your pre-qualification and education center, making your sales process exponentially easier.

How It Works : Prospects consume your content when they're most engaged, making them warmer leads for your sales team or more informed buyers for your products.

Time to See Results : Immediate improvement in call quality and conversion rates from the first implementation.

For more strategic insights on building effective sales funnels, see Social Sales System for comprehensive automation strategies.

Advanced Follow-Up Integration

The beauty of this system is how it integrates with your broader marketing automation. When someone engages with multiple touchpoints on your thank you page:

YouTube video views
Email opens and responses
Survey completions
Community joins

You have multiple data points to create highly personalized follow-up sequences. This level of engagement data allows you to segment your leads more effectively and deliver the right message at the right time.

For detailed email automation strategies that complement this approach, check out CRM & Emails for advanced follow-up systems.

Implementation Steps

Create your simple landing page - Focus on getting them to convert quickly
Build your thank you page with embedded YouTube video
Add email verification request to improve deliverability
Include survey for additional qualification (optional but highly recommended)
Present relevant next steps - calls, community, or special offers

Why This Works So Well

The thank you page catch people at their highest point of engagement. They just opted in - they want what you promised. Instead of just delivering the lead magnet and hoping for the best, you're using that moment to:

Build a real relationship through video
Collect additional qualifying information
Create multiple touchpoints for follow-up
Improve your email deliverability
Get into beneficial algorithms (YouTube)

Expected Outcomes : Higher call show-up rates, more qualified leads, improved sales conversion, and natural retargeting through platform algorithms.

Next Steps

What are you waiting for? Set up thank you pages, build better relationships, and I encourage you if you're not doing YouTube videos, make educational YouTube videos to put on those thank you pages. That's how you're going to build relationships. You're going to build trust. You're going to tell them what to do next whether it's check their email, fill out a survey, or just get them to your checkout page.

The key takeaway is this: your thank you page is prime real estate in your marketing funnel. Don't waste it with a simple "check your email" message. Use it to build relationships, collect data, and create multiple touchpoints that turn cold leads into warm prospects.

For a complete implementation of this system and ongoing support, consider booking a consultation to discuss how this strategy fits into your specific business model: Schedule with Brad Smith .

Get more strategies and subscribe to my channel for weekly marketing automation tips: Subscribe here

How to Script your Videos to Sound Natural on Camera: The 7-Step Structure That Eliminates Nervousness

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 17:58:50 GMT

I've been making videos since 2017 - that's 7 years and over 750 videos. In that time, I've developed an exact structure that helped me get over being nervous, being scared on camera, and actually being able to produce these videos much easier. My name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks, and I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years. These video strategies have helped me work with over 2,500 brands since I started.

Quick Answer: Use a structured approach with bullet points instead of full scripts, treat yourself as the educator rather than entertainer, and embrace imperfections while maintaining eye contact with the camera.
Time Required: 30-60 seconds for intro, then natural flow with bullet point guidance
Best For: Business owners, entrepreneurs, and content creators who want to sound natural while staying on message

Why Most People Struggle with Video Scripts

The biggest mistake I see people make is trying to read from a teleprompter or memorize every single word. In fact, I don't read from a teleprompter - I can mess up right now and be fine, just start over, hit my pain points... See I messed up right there, hit my bullet points and get to the point, share my screen and help others.

If you think of yourself as the helper, the educator, the one providing value, these videos don't have to be perfect because you really have two choices online: you can be the entertainer or the educator.

The Natural Video Structure That Actually Works

Here's my exact system that I use for every single video. If you want this full system, comment "system" down below and someone from my team will send you over my complete prompt and script structure.

Step 1: Topic + Pain Point + Intro (30-60 Seconds)

The first step is coming up with the topic, hitting the pain point, and then doing your intro. This is usually pretty much off the cuff for me. What I want to do is find something that's super valuable and that's helpful for people, and then what I want to do is say that I'm going to talk about that at the beginning.

Just like at the beginning of this video, I talked about "in this video I'm going to help you get comfortable on camera." That's what you want to do - you want to answer that thing, make sure the video is relevant for what the person searched for.

Next thing you want to hit is the pain point: "Are you struggling with this? Are you having trouble with this? Then I'm going to help you."

Then the intro: this is who I am, this is how I help, and this is where we're going to get.

Key Point : Your intro should directly address what people searched for within the first 30-60 seconds to maximize viewer retention.

Step 2: Maximize Watch Time and Viewer Retention

What we want to do is make sure we maximize watch time and the viewer retention. That's how we want to structure these. We want to think about "what's going to get somebody to get to at least 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds?" That's really going to be key.

If you start off your video and you start talking about something that has nothing to do with your title or your thumbnail, people are just going to keep scrolling and exit right away. You want to keep your intro as short and engaging as possible to get to the point.

People want the concise content. Have you ever read comments under videos where they say "It took you 10 minutes to get to the point?" You want to get to the point within the first 30 to 60 seconds.

Step 3: Ask for Engagement Early

After you do the intro, you want to ask somebody to comment. If you can get somebody to comment, it really helps you engage and start building that community in the comment section to help people and connect with them more. This will help you build that engagement and also YouTube wants to see that.

You're going to see that here we have the topic, the pain point, you want to hit the intro keeping it short, and then asking for the engagement and comment. After you saw I did that in this video, I said "If you want this full prompt and system then you can go ahead and comment system and I'll send it over."

Step 4: The Education Piece (The Heart of Your Content)

The next thing that really helped me out was the education piece. Your intro can be 30 to 60 seconds, then you want to get into the education and start helping.

What I do is I keep bullet points so then I know that I can pause, stop, read my bullet points on my Google doc here, and then I can just talk off the cuff after that. That's going to be really key - come up with three to five bullet points, make sure the content matches what you're teaching and what's providing value and educating your audience.

From there, you want to be able to touch on that so you need to be the expert, the professional, so you make sure that you know what you're talking about - either whether you're talking about experience from yourself or experience working with your clients.

How It Works : Create 3-5 bullet points that cover your main teaching points, then speak naturally around each point rather than reading word-for-word.

Step 5: Second Engagement Request + Subscribe Ask

From there, we want to ask them to subscribe. After you do the education, you provide the tips, you help them, you give value, then you're going to remind them to leave that comment again: "If you want everything I talked about today, comment something and I'll send it over."

But then we want to say "if this video brought you any value and it helped you, please subscribe." That's where you want to just ask - if it helped you and you want to watch more videos like this, it would be awesome if you subscribe.

Step 6: Direct to Playlist for Continued Viewing

From there, I highly recommend having a playlist so they can have another video to watch. Now I'm actually going to recommend you watch this playlist right here - this playlist is going to help you set up your YouTube channel, create the proper playlist, and get people to watch video after video. YouTube wants people to stay engaged and stay on the platform.

For more strategies on building your YouTube presence, see how to use playlists to grow your YouTube channel .

Step 7: Thank and Close

Last but not least, you want to thank them for watching. That's all you have to do is say "Thank you so much for watching this video, I hope to see you on the next one." And that's where I'm going to end it right there.

How to Handle Mistakes Like a Pro

I want to encourage you - camera issues, audio issues, people knocking on the door, a dog barking, your screen share stopping, you're running out of memory - it doesn't matter. You just want to be personal, helpful, and provide value in these videos and educate.

If somebody wants to learn from you, they're going to subscribe if they like your style because you got to the point. They're going to come back and watch more, and then if they realize that they just don't have the time or don't want to learn to do it on their own, they'll call you and hire you.

Time to See Results : Within the first few videos using this structure, you'll notice increased comfort and better audience retention.

Tools Needed :

Google Doc for bullet points
Camera or smartphone
Basic video editing software (optional)

The Psychology Behind Natural Video Delivery

The key insight here is understanding that you have two choices online: you can be the entertainer or the educator. When you position yourself as the educator providing value, the pressure to be perfect disappears. Your audience is there to learn, not to judge every stumble or imperfection.

This mindset shift is crucial. I'm actually in the middle of opening an office and they just started sawing and cutting right there while I'm making these videos. You can actually either keep the mess-ups, keep the mistakes, or you can edit them out - as long as you keep eye contact with the camera.

Advanced Tips for Video Scripting Success

Use the Bullet Point Method

Instead of writing out every word, create bullet points that cover:

Your main teaching points
Key statistics or examples
Transition phrases
Call-to-action reminders

Maintain Authentic Authority

You need to be the expert, the professional, so make sure you know what you're talking about - whether you're talking about experience from yourself or experience working with your clients. This authenticity comes through when you're not trying to remember exact words but speaking from genuine knowledge.

Embrace the Imperfect

The goal isn't perfection - it's connection and value delivery. When you embrace imperfections, your personality shines through, making your content more relatable and trustworthy.

For additional video marketing strategies, check out how to make your first YouTube video for your brand .

Tools That Can Help Your Video Creation Process

While the structure is the foundation, having the right tools can streamline your process:

Content Planning : HypeFury for scheduling and automating your video promotion across social media
Analytics Tracking : AdKong to understand which videos are driving the best results
Follow-up System : GoHighLevel to automatically follow up with people who comment "system" or engage with your videos

Building Long-term Video Success

The real power of this structure isn't just in making individual videos easier - it's in building a sustainable system for consistent content creation. When you have a reliable framework, you can focus on delivering value rather than worrying about what to say next.

Remember, if this video brought you any value and it helped you, please subscribe. If you want more strategies like this, I highly recommend watching related content about building business relationships online .

Take Action Today

The secret to natural-sounding videos isn't perfection - it's having a solid structure that lets your authentic expertise shine through. Use bullet points, position yourself as an educator, and remember that your audience wants value, not polish.

Next Steps : Start implementing this 7-step structure in your next video. Comment "system" below to get my complete prompt and script template, and if this helped you create better videos, I'd appreciate it if you subscribed for more content creation strategies.

Get more strategies: Subscribe here .

How to Design High-Performing X Twitter Ads Creatives: Step-By-Step Guide

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 31 May 2025 17:56:34 GMT

How to Design High-Performing X Twitter Ads Creatives?

Quick Answer: High-performing X ads focus on education and relationship-building rather than direct selling. Use relatable images, provide genuine value, and keep videos under 30 seconds. I've helped over 50 clients grow with X ads using creatives that work organically and in paid campaigns.
Time Required: 10-30 seconds per video creative for maximum engagement
Best For: Business owners looking to grow their brand on X through both organic posts and paid advertising

Why X Ads Work Differently Than Other Platforms

Whether you're just trying to grow your X channel or you're actually making Twitter ads to try to grow your brand, X ad behavior is completely different than if you're doing Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. You're not dancing, you're not trying to get a sale - you're trying to educate and provide value.

My name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks, and I've been working with over 50 different clients helping them grow with X ads over the last two years. I'm going to teach you exactly how to set this up, do your X ads, and make sure you do the right creatives.

Your ideal customer on X is either talking about the news, politics, scrolling, learning, or trying to be educated. They're not there trying to click on a link and buy something. This fundamental difference shapes everything about how we create effective X ad creatives.

How the Best Creatives Work Organically AND in Ads

These creatives work well organically to help grow your profile and get more followers. They also work well in ads. The key is understanding that you can turn any organic post into an ad if it performs well.

When you're thinking about posting organically, you want to make sure your images and your posts are not only relatable and relational, but also helping and providing value. If you scroll through successful X content, you'll notice that images always relate to the post, and the post is always helpful.

Real Ad Examples and Structure Breakdown

Let me show you some creatives that are doing really well. One example is where I'm showing a review, some stats and analytics, and then talking about what changed. This structure works because it follows the proven formula: hook + story + education + review.

Here's what I'm doing in successful creatives:

Hook : Grab attention with a relatable opening
Story : Share a relevant experience or case study
Education : Provide actual value and tips
Review : Show results or social proof

Another high-performing creative shows something that automates posting, displays the results, and explains how you can get it as well. The pattern remains consistent: provide value first, build relationships second, sell never (directly).

Building Relationships with Your Audience

You want to start figuring out ways to build relationships. One approach is relationship-based content - talking about becoming a leader, showing a relatable image that has to do with the post, and breaking it down while providing help.

If you go and say "My product is awesome, click this link and buy it," you're not going to get any results. You got to build relationships, you got to build value, you have to educate.

Key Point : You don't want to share AI photos, you don't want to share AI videos, and you don't want to just talk about all the things you've done. You want to make it about them, make it relatable, and make it valuable.

The Anatomy of a Perfect X Post

When you go through each creative - whether it's a video, picture, or carousel - you want to break it down with:

The Hook : A relatable opening that stops the scroll
The Story : Before and after scenarios work exceptionally well
Education : Talk about mistakes and provide genuine learning
Value : Give actionable tips they can implement
Relatable Image or Video : Visual content that directly connects to your message

For example, I have a hook where I'm going to talk about the before and after, discuss the mistakes, educate, provide value, and then include a relatable video that goes with it.

The 4 Best-Performing Ad Types

Based on my experience with over 50 clients, these four ad types consistently deliver the best results:

1. Story Ads

Start with a relatable hook and build from there. Share genuine experiences that your audience can connect with.

2. Free Cheat Sheet Ads

These work really well because they provide immediate value. Offer something helpful without asking for a purchase.

3. Short Educational Video Ads

Keep them between 10-30 seconds. Anything over 30 seconds and you're not going to get somebody to stop, sit, and watch very long on X.

4. Carousel Ads

These work as long as you're being super blunt and to the point. Use clear, direct messaging that gets straight to the value.

Power of Short-Form Video on X

Short 10 to 30-second videos work really well - giving value, educating, making it relatable. Anything over 30 seconds, you're not going to get somebody to stop, sit, and watch very long on X.

One video that did really well was a short 20-second video. The key was making it about personal, relationship-style content - talking about my day in the life, what I'm going through, and showing my garage gym. This approach works because it's authentic and relatable.

Value vs. Selling in Your Posts

When you're looking through your posts, ask yourself: are you selling or are you providing value?

Successful X content talks about multiple things in one post:

Making it relatable to your brand
Providing genuine value
Creating helpful content
Building authentic connections

Then you can turn this organic content into an ad. These work best if you're talking about personal, relationship-style content rather than constantly promoting products or services.

For more advanced X advertising strategies, check out our X advertising blueprint .

Implementation Strategy

What are you waiting for? It's time for you to start making some relatable X posts. If you do and you have one that does well organically, come back to the ad platform and run ads to it.

Important : Don't try to get website clicks initially. Try to get followers, and then they'll eventually DM you, click on the link in the bio, or ask for more information in the comments.

This approach builds relationships first, which leads to better long-term results than trying to force immediate sales. To streamline your X posting process, consider using automated posting tools that can help maintain consistency while you focus on creating quality content.

Tracking Your X Ad Performance

To properly measure your X ad success, you'll need robust tracking in place. I recommend using advanced tracking software to monitor which creatives are driving the best results and ROI.

For comprehensive campaign management and lead follow-up, implementing a complete CRM system will help you nurture the relationships you're building through these X ads.

Take Action Today

Success with X ads comes from understanding that the platform rewards relationship-building and education over direct selling. Create authentic, valuable content that helps your audience, and the sales will follow naturally through the relationships you build.

Ready to implement these strategies? Here is the full X ad system . For more strategies, subscribe to our YouTube channel for regular X advertising training.

How to Integrate Website Forms with CRM Tracking (Step-by-Step Guide)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 27 May 2025 16:50:34 GMT

How Can Business Owners Track Where Their Leads Come From Using Form Integration?

Business owners can track their leads by properly integrating website forms with their CRM system to capture detailed attribution data. By embedding forms correctly and setting up UTM parameters, you can see exactly where each lead originated from, whether it's social media, organic search, or paid advertising. This tracking capability allows you to make informed decisions about your marketing budget and focus your efforts on channels that actually deliver customers, ultimately preventing lost revenue and missed opportunities.

Questions People Ask

What tools do I need to track my website form leads?
A good CRM like GoHighLevel is essential for form tracking and lead management. You'll also need access to your website's editor to embed forms, and Google's URL Builder to create UTM tracking parameters. These three components work together to create a complete tracking system that captures all lead source information.

How does UTM tracking work with form submissions?
UTM parameters are special tags added to your URLs that identify traffic sources. When someone clicks a link with UTMs and then submits your form, the tracking data is automatically captured and stored with their contact information in your CRM, allowing you to see exactly which campaign, source, and content brought each lead to your site.

What's the difference between first-touch and last-touch attribution?
First-touch attribution shows you where a prospect initially discovered your business (like a direct website visit or referral), while last-touch attribution shows what finally converted them into a lead (such as a YouTube ad). Both are valuable—first-touch helps you understand discovery channels, while last-touch reveals what ultimately persuades people to take action.

Do I need a developer to set up form tracking?
No, most modern CRM systems and website builders make it simple to implement form tracking without coding knowledge. The process typically involves copying an embed code from your CRM and pasting it into an HTML widget on your website, which anyone can do by following the step-by-step instructions in this guide.

How quickly can I start seeing lead source data after setting this up?
You'll begin seeing lead source data immediately after the implementation is complete. As soon as someone fills out your form, their attribution information will be captured and displayed in your CRM, giving you instant visibility into which marketing channels are performing best.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Eliminates guesswork from marketing decisions by showing exactly which channels deliver leads and customers, allowing you to allocate budgets more effectively
Increases conversion rates through better understanding of customer journeys, helping you optimize the path from visitor to lead to customer
Saves thousands in wasted advertising spend by identifying underperforming channels so you can reallocate resources to what works
Provides competitive advantage through data-driven insights that competitors without proper tracking systems simply cannot access

Understanding the Importance of Form Integration and Lead Tracking

If you're a business owner running ads and marketing campaigns but don't know where your leads are coming from, you're likely wasting both money and time. As Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks with over 10 years of experience working with more than 2,500 brands explains, proper form integration with tracking capabilities is essential for business growth.

In digital marketing, understanding your lead sources isn't just helpful, it's critical. When you can track exactly where each lead originated, you can make informed decisions about which marketing channels deserve more investment and which ones aren't delivering results.

The Real Cost of Poor Lead Tracking

Without proper tracking, businesses often:

Waste advertising budgets on ineffective channels
Miss opportunities to scale what actually works
Make decisions based on hunches rather than data
Struggle to understand their true customer acquisition cost

Let's look at how proper form integration solves these challenges and provides the visibility you need to grow your business.

Step-by-Step Guide to Form Integration with Your Website

Step 1: Create Your Form in Your CRM

The first step is to build your form in your customer relationship management system. While I recommend GoHighLevel as the most cost-effective and easy-to-use CRM, you can use other tools like TypeForm, JotForm, or even your website builder's native forms.

What matters most is ensuring that your form is set up to capture tracking information properly. After creating your form:

Navigate to the form integration settings
Select the inline form option
Copy the embed code that appears

This embed code contains all the necessary tracking components that will allow you to see where your leads originate from.

Step 2: Embed the Form on Your Website

Once you have your embed code, you'll need to add it to your website:

Log in to your website editor
Navigate to the page where you want the form to appear
Add an HTML widget to that section (most website builders have this option)
Paste your CRM form embed code into the HTML widget

What makes this method powerful is that the embedded form maintains a connection with your CRM, automatically passing all tracking data when someone submits the form. Learn more about high-converting landing pages that can maximize the effectiveness of your forms.

Step 3: Set Up UTM Parameters for Enhanced Tracking

To get the most detailed tracking information, you should use UTM parameters in your marketing links. These are special tags added to your URLs that identify traffic sources.

I recommend using Google's free Analytics Campaign URL Builder:

Go to Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder
Enter your destination URL
Fill in the campaign source (e.g., youtube, facebook)
Add the medium (e.g., cpc, email, social)
Include campaign name, term, and content fields
Copy the generated URL for use in your marketing

When someone clicks a link with these parameters and then fills out your form, all of this tracking information is automatically captured in your CRM. This provides comprehensive attribution data about each lead's origin. For more on tracking effectiveness, check out how to track X Twitter ads with UTMs .

Understanding First and Last Touch Attribution

One of the powerful aspects of proper form integration is the ability to track both first-touch and last-touch attribution:

First-touch attribution : Shows where a prospect initially discovered your business
Last-touch attribution : Shows what finally converted them from a visitor to a lead

This dual tracking is invaluable because customer journeys are rarely linear. For example, someone might first discover you through a referral (first touch), but only convert after seeing your YouTube ad (last touch).

Without both data points, you might incorrectly attribute the success entirely to YouTube ads, when in reality, your referral program deserves credit for the initial discovery.

Example of Attribution in Action

In the video, I show a real example where a lead initially came as a direct visitor (possibly from a referral), but then converted after seeing a YouTube ad. This insight allows you to understand both discovery and conversion channels, helping you invest in the complete customer journey rather than just the final conversion point.

For businesses looking to maximize their marketing ROI, having this level of attribution detail is invaluable. Want to learn more about sophisticated follow-up strategies? Check out the follow-up system that generates more sales .

Common Implementation Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Other Software Integration Limitations

If you're not using a comprehensive system like GoHighLevel , you may need to create separate form fields for each tracking parameter (campaign, source, medium, content, term). Then you'll need to:

Add these fields to your form
Hide them from view using CSS
Set up JavaScript to automatically populate these hidden fields with UTM data

This approach is more technically complex but achieves similar results. If you're handling extensive data tracking needs, you might also consider tracking software like AdKong for enhanced analytics.

Challenge: Maintaining Tracking Across Multiple Pages

If your lead generation process spans multiple pages, you'll need to ensure tracking data persists throughout the journey. Solutions include:

Storing UTM data in cookies or local storage
Using a session-based approach where parameters are maintained in the URL
Implementing a server-side solution that maintains visitor context

Challenge: Integrating with Existing Marketing Tools

For businesses with established marketing stacks, you'll want to ensure your form tracking data flows to all your systems. This might require:

API integrations between platforms
Webhook setups to pass data
Custom integration work for specialized systems

For more information on comprehensive marketing automation, explore how to automate your marketing in 2025 .

Maximizing the Value of Lead Tracking Data

Once you have tracking properly implemented, you can use this data to make strategic business decisions:

Budget Allocation : Direct more resources to channels that consistently deliver quality leads
Content Optimization : Create more content similar to what attracts your best prospects
Conversion Rate Improvement : Identify and fix drop-off points in your conversion funnel
Customer Journey Mapping : Understand the typical path from discovery to conversion
ROI Calculation : Accurately determine the true return on investment for each marketing channel

By leveraging this data effectively, businesses can often increase their conversion rates while simultaneously reducing their marketing spend—the ideal combination for sustainable growth. For more comprehensive marketing automation, you might want to check out the social sales system that converts more leads .

Take Action Today

Tracking where your leads come from isn't just a nice-to-have, it's essential for any business serious about growth. By implementing proper form integration with your website, you'll gain visibility into exactly which marketing channels are delivering results, allowing you to make data-driven decisions rather than relying on guesswork.

The step-by-step process outlined in this guide can be implemented in as little as 30 minutes, yet it provides insights that can transform your marketing effectiveness. Whether you're running paid ads, content marketing, or social media campaigns, knowing which efforts are actually generating leads and customers is the key to optimizing your budget and maximizing results.

Don't continue investing in marketing without knowing what's working. Implement proper form tracking today, and start making decisions based on real data rather than assumptions.

Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how we can help you implement advanced tracking for your specific business needs. Book Now!

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How to Write High-Converting YouTube Titles (That Get Clicked in 2025)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 24 May 2025 16:43:36 GMT

How can I create YouTube titles that actually get clicked and rank on Google?

Creating high-converting YouTube titles requires a strategic approach focused on search intent. The most effective titles combine what your audience is actively searching for while differentiating from competitors. Rather than targeting only YouTube views, the most successful strategy targets Google search results, where your videos can appear as educational answers to specific queries. By researching keywords, analyzing competition, and crafting unique variations of popular search terms, you can create titles that drive traffic from both platforms.

Questions People Ask

What's more important - YouTube or Google traffic for my videos?
Google traffic is often more valuable than YouTube views for business channels. While entertainers need millions of YouTube views, educators (like business owners) can generate quality leads with fewer views by positioning videos as answers to specific Google searches. This strategy brings in more targeted visitors looking for solutions your business provides.

How do I research keywords for my YouTube titles?
Start with your own transcription from recording tools like Loom, then use AI tools like ChatGPT to analyze potential titles. Test these by searching on Google to see what people are actually typing, and check YouTube to identify what competitors are using. Look for keyword gaps where you can create a slightly different variation that still captures search intent.

Should my YouTube title be exactly what people search for?
Your title should target what people search for but with a slight variation to stand out. If everyone uses the exact same keyword phrase, modify yours by adding or changing one word while keeping the core search term intact. This helps you compete for the same traffic while establishing a unique position in search results.

How can I maximize my video's SEO beyond just the title?
Include alternative keyword variations in your video description to capture different search queries. Also embed your YouTube videos in related blog posts to help Google index them properly. This two-pronged approach helps your content rank for multiple related search terms while building your authority on both platforms.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Captures targeted intent-based traffic rather than relying on platform algorithms, bringing visitors who are actively searching for solutions you provide
Reduces competition by creating strategic title variations that differentiate your content while still targeting popular keywords
Creates a dual-platform strategy that leverages both YouTube's video platform and Google's dominant search position
Generates higher-quality leads since viewers arrive with specific questions your content directly answers

Creating YouTube Titles That Convert and Rank

Why Your YouTube Title Matters

When it comes to growing your YouTube channel, the title might be the most crucial element you control. As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience and work with 2,500+ brands explains, the right title doesn't just get views on YouTube—it captures traffic from Google searches as well.

"The goal of SEO-based video titles is what's actually grown my channel. I get most of my views, visitors, and leads from Google, not necessarily YouTube."

This distinction is critical because it affects your entire content strategy. You need to decide if you're creating content as an entertainer or an educator:

Entertainers focus on platforms like Instagram shorts, TikTok, and need millions of views
Educators provide how-to videos and specific help, requiring fewer views but generating higher-quality leads and sales opportunities

For businesses, the educator approach almost always delivers better results with substantially less effort.

Google vs YouTube: Where Your Viewers Actually Come From

Let's look at a real example I demonstrate in my video. My recent content, " How to use playlists to grow your YouTube channel step by step ," quickly rose to the top of Google. This is significant because Google remains the primary way people search for information.

"I want people typing 'how to' in Google and finding my videos."

People search on Google for solutions
They find your YouTube video ranking in search results
You create a corresponding blog post on your website
You embed your YouTube video in that post
Google indexes both, strengthening your position in search

This multi-platform approach maximizes your content's visibility and effectiveness. Learn more about boosting your Google SEO using this strategy in this detailed blog.

How To Create The Perfect YouTube Title

My system for creating high-converting titles combines AI tools with strategic research. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Generate Your Initial Title Ideas

Start by recording your video using a platform like Loom , which automatically transcribes your content. Copy this transcription and use ChatGPT to analyze it with a prompt like "take my transcription and turn it into a blog post."

The AI will suggest title options based on your content. But don't stop there—ask it to generate multiple variations to give you more options to test.

Step 2: Check What People Actually Search For

Once you have potential titles, test them against real search behavior:

Take your proposed title (e.g., "How to create YouTube playlist")
Paste it into Google
Review the autocomplete suggestions and related searches
Note variations like "how to make YouTube playlist private" or "how to make playlist loop"

This step reveals what your potential audience is actually typing into search engines. Focus on titles that match these search patterns while considering what your specific customers are looking for.

Step 3: Analyze Competition and Find Gaps

Before finalizing your title, check both Google and YouTube to see what's already ranking:

Search for your proposed title on both platforms
Examine the exact wording competitors are using
Look for slightly different angles or phrasing you can use

"Try to make your title slightly different, You still want to show up for what your customers look for, but make yours slightly different with maybe one different keyword."

For example, instead of using the exact same "How to create a YouTube playlist" that everyone else uses, I crafted "How to use playlists to grow your YouTube channel", targeting the same search intent but with a unique angle.

Maximizing Your Title's Impact

For even better results, adding multiple keyword variations in your descriptionis recommended. This helps your video appear in searches for similar but slightly different queries.

" If you can find ways to create different titles, try to get them in your description just in case somebody searches for that." This technique increases your video's discoverability without changing your primary title.

You can also learn about creating effective YouTube descriptions using AI tools to enhance your video's performance.

Advanced Title Optimization for Business Growth

The best YouTube titles for business owners solve specific problems. Unlike entertainment content that thrives on curiosity and emotional triggers, educational content performs best when the title clearly indicates the exact solution viewers will receive.

Consider these factors when crafting your titles:

Specificity : Include exactly what viewers will learn
Promise : Indicate clear outcomes or benefits
Differentiation : Use distinctive phrasing that stands out from competitors
Search alignment : Match the language your target audience uses in searches

Business channels that follow this title strategy can leverage YouTube to become a consistent lead generation source. When combined with the right high-converting YouTube strategy , this approach can transform your video content into a powerful business development tool.

Integrating Your YouTube Content with Your Overall Marketing

For maximum impact, your YouTube titles should align with your broader marketing strategy. Consider how your videos fit into your overall content strategy and customer journey.

Many businesses miss opportunities by treating their YouTube channel as separate from their other marketing efforts. Instead, approach YouTube titles as integral parts of your marketing automation ecosystem, where each piece of content serves specific business goals.

Take Action Today

Creating high-converting YouTube titles isn't just about getting clicks, it's about attracting the right audience that needs your expertise and solutions. By following my strategic approach to researching and crafting titles, you can position your videos to capture valuable traffic from both YouTube and Google..

The most successful business channels don't chase viral trends or clickbait. Instead, they consistently create titles that answer specific questions potential customers are actively searching for. Start implementing these title optimization techniques today, and you'll see improved visibility and better-qualified leads coming from your video content.

Ready to elevate your entire YouTube marketing strategy? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how these approaches can be customized for your specific business. Book Now!

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How Much Do X (Twitter) Ads Cost in 2025?

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 22 May 2025 16:30:05 GMT

How Can I Determine If X (Twitter) Ads Are Worth the Investment for My Business?

X (formerly Twitter) ads offer one of the most cost-effective digital advertising platforms in 2025, with costs ranging from just $0.05 to $0.30 per engagement depending on your campaign objectives. Based on real campaign data, a $4,000 investment can generate over 9 million impressions and potentially deliver a 4x return on ad spend (ROAS). The platform requires a short 2-week trust-building period where costs start higher, but once established, businesses across all industries can achieve remarkable reach at a fraction of other platforms' costs.

Questions People Ask

What's the average cost per click for X ads in 2025?
Based on real campaign data, the average cost per click ranges from $0.27 for bottom-of-funnel website clicks to as low as $0.03 for top-of-funnel engagement campaigns. Direct response ads targeting immediate purchases typically cost more than educational content designed to build relationships and provide value.

How much should I budget for my first X ads campaign?
Start with a modest budget of $300-500 for your first two weeks while the platform builds trust with your account. During this initial period, costs will be higher as X evaluates your account credibility. After the trust-building phase, you can start increasing your budget as performance improves and costs decrease.

What kind of ROI can I expect from X ads?
The case study in this article shows a business generating over $17,000 in revenue from a $4,000 ad spend, representing a 4.25x return on investment. Generally, a 3x return on ad spend is considered good and signals when you can start scaling your campaigns more aggressively.

Do I need to optimize my X profile before running ads?
Yes, absolutely. X requires a verified account with organic posts, a complete profile with banner image, and a bio link that signals legitimacy. The platform algorithms will charge more for ads from accounts that appear new or potentially suspicious, so establishing a legitimate presence first is crucial.

What metrics should I measure to determine if my X ads are successful?
Beyond basic metrics like impressions and clicks, focus on landing page visits (not just clicks), conversion events like leads or purchases, and ultimately your return on ad spend (ROAS). Setting up proper tracking through the X pixel and Google Tag Manager is essential for accurate measurement.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Unmatched Cost Efficiency : At $0.27 per click and $0.30 per thousand impressions, X offers the lowest costs among major ad platforms, allowing businesses with limited budgets to reach massive audiences.
Powerful Two-Phase Funnel Approach : The top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel campaign structure creates awareness first, then converts interested prospects efficiently, maximizing every ad dollar.
Precision Targeting Capabilities : X's platform allows targeting by interests, behaviors, conversations, and more, ensuring your ads reach exactly the right audience regardless of industry.
Measurable ROI Tracking : With proper pixel setup and event tracking, you can see exactly how many website visits, leads, and sales resulted directly from your ad spend.

Understanding X Ad Costs in 2025

If you've been wondering whether X (formerly Twitter) ads are worth exploring for your business, the data shows they absolutely deserve your attention. As Brad Smith, founder of Automationlinks with over a decade of marketing experience and 2,500+ brand partnerships explains, X ads offer some of the most cost-effective advertising opportunities available today.

Real Ad Cost Breakdown

Let's analyze a real $4,000 ad campaign that delivered extraordinary results. For this investment, the campaign generated:

Over 9 million impressions (people seeing the ads)
77,600 clicks to the website
$17,000+ in revenue (over 4x return)

The cost metrics tell an even more compelling story:

$0.30 per thousand impressions (CPM)
$0.27 per link click
$0.05-$0.10 per engagement (likes, comments, profile visits)

These numbers represent significant value compared to other platforms where costs can be 2-5x higher for similar actions. For businesses looking to maximize their advertising budget, X advertising offers exceptional efficiency .

Top-of-Funnel vs. Bottom-of-Funnel Strategy

My approach to X advertising involves a strategic two-phase funnel:

Top-of-Funnel Campaigns : These initial campaigns focus on building awareness and growing your audience rather than driving immediate website visits. At just $0.10 per engagement, these campaigns allow you to introduce your brand to potential customers.
Bottom-of-Funnel Campaigns : Once you've built awareness, retargeting campaigns invite engaged users to visit your website, with costs around $0.27 per click.

This approach is particularly effective because it mimics natural customer behavior rather than pushing for immediate conversion. You can learn more about this funnel strategy in our guide to X advertising .

Understanding Engagement Metrics

For the sample campaign, $4,000 generated:

3,000+ profile visits
31 direct replies
Multiple retweets and quote tweets

These engagement metrics matter because they represent people actively connecting with your brand, not just passively viewing content. This engagement creates the foundation for more effective bottom-of-funnel conversions later in the customer journey.

Setting Up For Success With X Ads

The Critical First Two Weeks

One crucial insight is about the platform's trust algorithm. X ads cost significantly more during your first two weeks of advertising while the platform evaluates your account's credibility.

To minimize these higher initial costs:

Ensure your account is verified
Post organic content regularly before starting ads
Complete your profile with professional banner and bio
Include a legitimate website link

"They don't trust you yet, so you're going to be spending more and the costs are going to be much higher for those first two weeks." After this evaluation period, costs typically drop dramatically as your account builds credibility.

Proper Tracking Setup

To measure true ROI from your X advertising, proper tracking setup is essential:

Use X's event manager to sync with your website
Implement the X pixel through Google Tag Manager
Set up conversion tracking for leads, subscriptions, or purchases

This tracking infrastructure allows you to see not just clicks, but actual landing page visits and conversions. If you're new to tracking implementation, our X advertising blueprint walks through the complete setup process.

Budget Strategy for Maximum ROI

Based on the cost structure and trust-building period, here's an ideal budget strategy for X ads:

Weeks 1-2: Start with minimal budget ($300-500) while building platform trust
Week 3: Increase budget as costs begin decreasing
Month 2+: Scale based on performance with emphasis on ROAS

Typically, achieving a 3x return on ad spend indicates a campaign ready for scaling. The example campaign achieved over 4x ROAS ($17,000 revenue from $4,000 spend), demonstrating the potential when properly executed.

Maximizing Your X Ad Performance

To get the most from your X advertising investment, focus on these key optimization areas:

Cost-Efficient Campaign Types

Different campaign objectives deliver significantly different costs:

Awareness/engagement campaigns: $0.05-$0.10 per engagement
Website visits: $0.27-$0.60 per click
Direct response/conversion: Typically higher CPCs

For most businesses, starting with awareness campaigns to build your audience, then retargeting with website visit campaigns produces the most cost-effective funnel. This approach is fully covered in our X advertising strategy guide .

Audience Targeting Optimization

X offers sophisticated targeting capabilities that directly impact your advertising costs and performance:

Interest targeting
Keyword targeting
Follower look-alikes
Engagement retargeting

The right targeting combination can significantly reduce your cost per engagement while improving quality. For detailed targeting strategies, check out our guide on how to target your audience effectively on X ads .

Content Strategy Impact on Costs

Your content approach directly affects ad costs: "If you're doing direct response ads it's going to cost you more. If you're doing relationship, giving away education and value, it's going to cost less."

This is crucial for budget optimization - value-based content that educates and builds relationships typically achieves lower costs per engagement than hard-sell messages. Consider using customer relationship management tools to nurture these relationships after initial engagement.

Final Thoughts: Is X Advertising Worth It?

Based on the cost analysis and performance metrics, X advertising offers exceptional value for businesses in 2025. With proper strategy, you can reach millions of potential customers, build engaged audiences, and drive measurable results at a fraction of the cost of other platforms.

The key takeaways for success include: starting with sufficient trust-building steps, implementing proper tracking, using a two-phase funnel approach, and focusing on value-based content before direct response.

Remember that the first two weeks will have higher costs as you establish account credibility, but patience during this period pays off with significantly reduced costs afterward. For businesses looking to maximize marketing ROI in 2025, X advertising represents one of the most efficient opportunities available.

Ready to implement this strategy for your business? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how we can help you leverage X advertising for your specific goals. Book Now!

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How to Find and Target Your Ideal Customer: A Step-by-Step Marketing Guide

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 20 May 2025 17:56:38 GMT

How Can You Identify and Speak Directly to Your Ideal Customer to Drive More Conversions?

If you're not speaking directly to your ideal customer profile (ICP), you're losing out on visitors, leads, and most importantly, conversions. The key to effective marketing is understanding exactly who your customers are, what pain points they experience, and how your solutions can solve those problems. By identifying your ICP and crafting messaging that resonates with their specific needs, you can dramatically increase engagement and conversion rates across all your marketing channels – from your website and landing pages to your emails, social media, and advertising.

Questions People Ask

What exactly is an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and why is it important?
An Ideal Customer Profile is a detailed description of the perfect customer for your business, including their demographics, pain points, and needs. It's crucial because it allows you to tailor your marketing messages to speak directly to the people most likely to buy from you, rather than creating generic content that doesn't resonate with anyone specifically.

H ow do I identify my customers' pain points accurately?
The most effective way is to use specialized software like Twinlytics that analyzes real data about your potential customers. This approach is significantly more reliable than guessing or making assumptions. The software researches the web and provides insights about what your ideal customers are struggling with and how they describe those problems.

Where should I apply my ICP insights in my marketing?
Apply these insights everywhere - your website, landing pages, service pages, email sequences, blog posts, video content, social media posts, ads, and lead magnets. Every piece of content should directly address your ICP's pain points and demonstrate how you can solve them. This comprehensive approach ensures consistent messaging that resonates with potential customers across all touchpoints.

How can I turn one piece of content into a complete marketing strategy?
Start by creating one high-quality "pillar" piece of content, like a detailed video addressing a major pain point of your ICP. Then, use AI tools to transform that single piece into blog posts, social media posts, email sequences, and even ad copy. This ensures consistency in your messaging while maximizing efficiency in your content creation process.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Eliminates wasted marketing spend by focusing resources on prospects most likely to convert, leading to higher ROI on all marketing activities
Increases conversion rates significantly by speaking directly to customer pain points and demonstrating clear solutions rather than talking about your company features
Creates multi-channel consistency with pain-point focused messaging that reinforces your value proposition across all customer touchpoints
Builds deeper customer relationships by demonstrating that you truly understand their challenges, positioning you as the obvious solution to their problems

Understanding the Power of Customer-Focused Marketing

When it comes to effective marketing, speaking to your ideal customer profile (ICP) is non-negotiable. Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over a decade of marketing experience and more than 2,500 brands served, emphasizes that customer-centric marketing isn't just a nice-to-have – it's essential for generating conversions.

"If you're not speaking to your ideal customer, you're losing out on visitors, leads, and most importantly, conversions". The difference between mediocre and exceptional marketing often comes down to one simple question: Are you talking about yourself, or are you addressing your customer's pain points?

The Problem with Self-Centered Marketing

Most businesses make a critical mistake on their websites and marketing materials – they make it all about themselves. They talk about their company history, their team, their processes, and their achievements. While this information isn't inherently bad, it doesn't address what matters most to potential customers: their problems and how you can solve them.

"A lot of times when we make our websites, we make it about us, not them." This fundamental misalignment is why many businesses struggle with conversion rates despite having decent traffic.

Identifying Your Customer's Pain Points with AI

The first step in creating customer-centric marketing is identifying exactly what problems your ideal customers are facing. This is where modern tools make a tremendous difference.

Leveraging AI for Customer Research

I recommend using specialized software like Twinlytics to uncover your customers' pain points. Unlike generic AI tools that work with limited data, Twinlytics researches the web to gather specific information about your ideal customers.

"What I like about using this software is they have all this data of my customers to use for those pain points". "If you use just something like ChatGPT or other software, they're not actually researching the internet, they're not researching all the data of the pain points of your ideal customer profile."

For example, I discovered that my customers struggle with:

Not following up with leads consistently
Having disorganized CRM systems or no CRM at all
Dealing with no-show appointments
Feeling overwhelmed by technology
Losing leads due to poor processes
Lacking time to implement marketing strategies

This specific knowledge allows him to craft messages that speak directly to these frustrations. Learn more about customer relationship management in this blog.

Turning Pain Points into Marketing

Once you understand your customer's pain points, it's time to create marketing materials that directly address these issues and offer solutions.

Creating Customer-Focused Website Copy

Rather than a homepage that talks about company history, the AI generates headlines like:

"Automate Your Systems for Success"
"Streamline Lead Generation"
"Increase Follow-Up Processes"
"Save Time with Automation"

These headlines directly address the problems identified through research, immediately showing visitors that I understand their challenges and have solutions.

The difference is stark: traditional websites say "We've been in business for 10 years" or "Our team is experienced," while customer-focused websites say "Struggling with manual processes? Our automation solutions save you 5 hours per week."

Applying This Approach to Every Marketing Channel

The beauty of this strategy is that it can be applied to every marketing channel:

Website & Landing Pages: Structure all pages around customer pain points and solutions
Service Pages: Explain services in terms of problems solved rather than features
Emails & Newsletters: Focus content on addressing specific pain points
Blogs & Articles: Create content that helps solve customer challenges
Video Topics: Develop videos that address common pain points
Ads: Craft ad copy that speaks directly to prospect frustrations
Social Media: Share content that resonates with audience challenges
Lead Magnets: Create downloadable resources that solve specific problems

For each channel, you can use AI tools to generate content that maintains consistent messaging around your ICP's pain points. This ensures that no matter where potential customers encounter your brand, they'll receive the same powerful message: "We understand your problems and we have solutions."

Creating Pillar Content That Drives Your Entire Strategy

One of my most powerful recommendations is creating "pillar content"—a cornerstone piece (usually a video) that addresses a major customer pain point. This single piece can then be transformed into content for all other channels.

Leveraging One Video Across Multiple Channels

Using the AI-driven approach I demonstrate, you can:

Identify customer pain points
Create a video addressing a primary pain point
Use AI to transform that video into blog posts, social media content, emails, and ads

What I call that is my pillar piece? "One piece of content to solve the customer pain point and then that creates everything else from there."

This strategy is particularly effective because it:

Ensures message consistency across all channels
Saves significant time in content creation
Focuses all marketing on the same customer pain points
Creates a cohesive customer experience

Using tools like Hypefury for social media automation can help you distribute this content efficiently across platforms.

Practical Example: Video Topics That Convert

When asking AI to generate video topics based on customer pain points, I received suggestions like:

"Stop Losing Leads: Automate Your Follow-Up Strategy Today"
"Tech Overwhelm: Simplify Your Systems Without Sacrificing Results"
"Automated Nurturing: Build Relationships Without Adding to Your Workload"

Each topic directly addresses a specific pain point while positioning my solutions as the answer. These videos can then become the foundation for blog posts, social media campaigns, and more.

You can learn more about effective video marketing strategies in this comprehensive guide.

Making It All About Them, Not You

The most important takeaway from my approach is the fundamental shift in perspective: successful marketing makes it about the customer, not about you.

The Critical Question Customers Ask

When potential customers are considering services, they ask one fundamental question: "Who will solve my problem?" They're not primarily interested in your company history, your team size, or your office location. They want to know if you understand their challenges and have proven solutions.

Who are they going to hire? "Are they going to hire someone that talks about themselves? Or are they going to hire someone that resonates, tells a story, and relates with those pain points?"

The answer is clear: customers choose businesses that demonstrate understanding of their problems and confidence in solving them.

Implementing This Strategy Today

To start implementing this approach:

Use customer research tools to identify your ICP's pain points
Review your current website and marketing materials – are they about you or your customers?
Create one pillar piece of content addressing a major customer pain point
Use AI tools to transform that content for use across all marketing channels
Measure engagement and conversion improvements

The businesses that thrive are those that make every interaction about the customer's needs, not their own accomplishments. "Start implementing these systems to be the business, be the brand that's solving these pain points for your ideal customers."

Take Action Today

Understanding and speaking directly to your ideal customer profile isn't just a marketing strategy – it's the foundation of business growth . By focusing on customer pain points rather than self-promotion, you can transform your marketing effectiveness and dramatically increase conversions.

Remember that the most successful businesses aren't those that talk about themselves, but those that demonstrate a deep understanding of their customers' challenges and present clear, compelling solutions.

Use the AI-powered research tools I recommend to identify your ICP's pain points, then craft all your marketing to address these specific needs.

Ready to transform your marketing strategy to focus on your ideal customer? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how we can help you implement these powerful approaches in your business. Book Now!

If you found this guide valuable, subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that can help you grow your business.

How to A/B Test YouTube Thumbnails (Step-by-Step)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 17 May 2025 13:19:29 GMT

How can I test different YouTube thumbnails to improve my click-through rate?

YouTube's Test and Compare feature allows you to experiment with three different thumbnail variations to see which one your audience prefers. Instead of guessing what works, you can let real viewer data make the decision for you. The thumbnail that receives the highest click-through rate automatically becomes your primary thumbnail, potentially increasing views by 30-40% without changing a single word in your video. This data-driven approach takes the guesswork out of YouTube optimization and helps you understand what visual elements and hooks actually resonate with your target audience.

Questions People Ask

What is YouTube's thumbnail testing feature and where do I find it?
YouTube's "Test & Compare" feature allows creators to upload three different thumbnail variations to see which one performs best with actual viewers. To access it, scroll down to the thumbnail section when uploading a video and click on the "Test and Compare" option from the dropdown menu. YouTube will rotate these thumbnails to viewers and eventually select the highest-performing one.

Why are thumbnails so important for YouTube success?
Thumbnails are the first impression viewers have of your video while scrolling through YouTube. A compelling thumbnail can increase your click-through rate by 3-6%, dramatically impacting your video's overall performance and visibility. YouTube is becoming more like Netflix, regularly changing thumbnails to optimize viewer interest, making thumbnail optimization crucial for channel growth.

Should I focus more on the design or the text in my thumbnail?
Focus primarily on the text hook in your thumbnail. Most viewers are quickly scanning YouTube, so a compelling hook (text that makes people stop scrolling) is more important than fancy design elements. The text should address what would make someone want to click and watch your content. Create three variations of text hooks that address different viewer pain points or curiosities.

How long does thumbnail testing take and how do I know which one won?
YouTube collects data on which thumbnail receives the highest click-through rate, with testing typically running for several days depending on your channel's traffic volume. You can monitor the performance in YouTube Studio, where you'll see percentage metrics for each thumbnail variation. In my example, my second thumbnail won with a 38% click-through rate compared to 31% and 30% for the other options.

Should I design my own thumbnails or hire someone to create them?
It depends on your skills and resources. You can use Canva to create your own thumbnail variations by swapping out the hook text and making minor design changes. Alternatively, you can hire a freelancer on platforms like Fiverr for approximately $20-25 per set of three thumbnails. The most important aspect is testing different hook variations, regardless of who designs them.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Eliminates guesswork in your content strategy by using actual viewer behavior to make data-driven decisions about what attracts clicks
Increases click-through rates by 30-40% without changing your video content, maximizing the return on your video production investment
Provides valuable audience insights about what messaging resonates most with your target viewers, informing future content creation
Works for channels of all sizes, from new business channels to established brands, making it accessible regardless of your current YouTube presence

Understanding the Power of Thumbnail Testing

The YouTube has become an essential platform for business growth. As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience explains, what attracts viewers to your content isn't always what you think will work.

"As you're building out your YouTube channel, you're going to see that what you care about isn't really what your customers care about,". This key insight is why YouTube's thumbnail testing feature is so valuable for businesses.

Thumbnails function as the "book cover" of your video content - they're the first impression that determines whether someone will click or scroll past. With YouTube becoming more like Netflix in its approach to content presentation, the platform now allows creators to test multiple thumbnail variations to see which one performs best with real viewers.

The YouTube Test & Compare Feature

YouTube's thumbnail testing tool is surprisingly straightforward to use but incredibly powerful. When uploading a video, you can submit three different thumbnail designs for automatic testing. YouTube will rotate these thumbnails to your audience and collect data on which one receives the highest click-through rate.

In the video, I share results from a recent test where:

Thumbnail #2 won with 38% of clicks
Thumbnail #1 received 31% of clicks
Thumbnail #3 received just 30% of clicks

This data-driven approach eliminates guesswork from your YouTube strategy. Rather than assuming what will work best, you can let your actual audience behavior determine the winning design.

Learn more about optimizing your YouTube channel layout in this comprehensive guide.

Creating Effective Test-Worthy Thumbnails

When developing thumbnails for testing, it's important to understand what actually drives clicks. Many creators focus too heavily on design elements when the text hook is often more decisive for viewers.

Focus on Your Hook Text

"It's not just about the crazy designs of your thumbnail, it's also the hook," I emphasize.The hook is the text that makes people stop scrolling - it addresses a pain point, creates curiosity, or promises a specific solution.

For effective thumbnails, you should create three distinct hook variations. These might include:

A problem-based hook
A solution-based hook
A curiosity-based hook

Using AI to Generate Compelling Hooks

I recommend using ChatGPT to generate different hook variations based on your video's transcription. This helps ensure each hook is tailored to your content while testing different psychological approaches.

"If you end up grabbing my system here , you're going to be able to copy and paste the prompt, than go over to ChatGPT, and paste it in," . The AI will then generate three different hooks you can use for your thumbnail variations.

For example, hooks like "Ads don't work anymore," "You're posting too much," and "This crushed my sales" each take different approaches to the same content but might resonate differently with various viewer segments.

If you're new to creating videos for your business, check out our guide on making your first YouTube video to get started.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your Thumbnail Test

Here's a detailed walkthrough of how to implement YouTube's thumbnail testing feature:

1. Prepare Your Three Thumbnail Variations

First, create three different thumbnails with varying hooks. You can:

Design them yourself using Canva
Hire a freelancer on platforms like Fiverr ($20-25 per set)

Keep the background image relatively consistent but vary the hook text to see which message resonates most with your audience.

2. Upload Your Video and Access Test & Compare

When uploading your YouTube video:

Scroll down to the thumbnail section
Click on the dropdown menu
Select "Test and compare"
You'll see options to upload three different thumbnails

3. Upload Your Thumbnail Variations

Upload your thumbnails variations in there to see what can work best.

4. Let YouTube Test and Report Results

Once your thumbnails are uploaded, YouTube will begin testing them with your audience. The platform rotates which thumbnail viewers see and tracks which one receives the highest click-through rate.

"We're telling YouTube, 'All right, test my three thumbnails and let me know which one my visitors actually want to click on.' And that's the one they'll start showing on a consistent basis as people are scrolling," I explain.

For more advanced YouTube strategies, explore our guide to YouTube advertising on a budget .

Design Options: DIY vs. Hiring a Professional

When it comes to creating your test thumbnails, you have two main options:

Option 1: Design Your Own in Canva

If you're comfortable with basic design tools, Canva provides an accessible platform for creating YouTube thumbnails. I suggest using the same background image and simply changing the hook text for each variation.

"In Canva, I have got these three images – pretty much the same image – and I'm just going to change my text right here. This is my hook, this is what people are going to stop and read as they're scrolling through YouTube,".

Option 2: Hire a Thumbnail Designer

For those who prefer professional assistance, I recommend finding a freelancer on Fiverr :

"If you want to steal my freelancer, he does a great job creating three of these. Just click on the link in the description below. I use this cool freelance software I've been using it for like 6 years now called Fiverr. You can get him to do this for $20-25 per thumbnail."

Using a professional designer might be worthwhile if you're unsure about your design skills or want to ensure high-quality results for your testing.

Looking for more ways to automate your marketing? Discover how to automate your social media content creation in just one hour a week.

Enhancing Your Overall YouTube Strategy

While thumbnail testing is powerful, it works best as part of a comprehensive YouTube strategy. I encourage viewers to continue improving multiple aspects of their YouTube presence:

"I don't know where you're at in your YouTube journey, but I want to encourage you to keep going, keep making these videos, keep trying to improve them. Try using hooks, improve your descriptions, improve your titles, and that's what I really want to help you with."

Other YouTube elements to optimize include:

Video titles
Descriptions
Tags
End screens
Playlists organization

For more advanced YouTube optimization, learn about using playlists to grow your channel in our detailed guide.

Consider integrating your YouTube strategy with a comprehensive CRM system to track viewer engagement and nurture leads generated from your content.

Final Thoughts

A/B testing your YouTube thumbnails is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to improve your channel's performance. By letting your actual viewers determine which thumbnail works best, you can increase click-through rates significantly without changing your video content at all.

Remember that the most effective thumbnails focus on compelling hook text rather than just flashy designs. Create variations that address different audience needs, pain points, or curiosities to discover what truly resonates with your viewers.

Whether you design thumbnails yourself or hire help, the key is to consistently test and optimize based on real data. This iterative approach will help you build a YouTube channel that genuinely connects with your target audience and drives business results.

Ready to take your marketing automation to the next level? Schedule a quick call with us. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies.

How to Use Twitter Analytics to Measure Ad Performance (A Step-by-Step Breakdown)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 15 May 2025 13:23:59 GMT

How Can I Effectively Track and Analyze My X (Twitter) Ad Performance?

X (formerly Twitter) analytics provides a powerful dashboard for measuring your ad performance, helping you optimize campaigns and maximize ROI. By accessing custom metrics, tracking followers, conversions, and engagement data, you can make data-driven decisions about your advertising strategy. The platform offers surprisingly affordable advertising with excellent targeting capabilities, making it essential to master these analytics tools if you're investing in X ads.

Questions People Ask

What makes X ads worth investing in compared to other platforms?
X ads offer remarkably low cost per click, the ability to gain new followers organically through ad engagement, and access to a high-quality audience of decision-makers. As I mention, "the cost per click is super low, you get new followers, and my favorite customers are hanging out on X."

How do I access the X analytics dashboard?
For premium account holders, simply click on "Premium" in your navigation menu, then select "Analytics." From there, you'll see various sections including overview, audience, content, video, and live spaces. You can filter data by different timeframes like 28 days or 3 months to get the most relevant insights.

What key metrics should I track for X ads?
Focus on link clicks, cost per link click, impressions, spend, results, cost per result, followers gained, cost per follower, and conversion metrics like leads and purchases. For e-commerce businesses, track purchase conversions and ROAS (return on ad spend) by ensuring your pixel is properly installed.

How do I set up custom metric presets for easier analysis?
Navigate to ads.x.com, select your campaign, click on "Metrics," and then "Custom metrics." From there, you can select all the relevant metrics you want to track, arrange them in order of importance, name your preset, and save it for future use. This creates a personalized dashboard showing only the metrics that matter to your business.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Delivers cost-effective lead generation with typically lower CPCs than other platforms, stretching your advertising budget further
Builds brand following organically through ads that simultaneously generate leads and followers, creating long-term audience growth
Provides actionable insights for optimization through customizable metrics that reveal exactly what's working and what needs adjustment
Enables precise targeting of decision-makers who are actively engaged on the platform, reaching professionals and business owners

Understanding the Value of Twitter Analytics for Advertisers

As a business owner, knowing exactly how your advertising budget is performing is crucial to maximizing your return on investment. Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience across 2,500+ brands, emphasizes that X (formerly Twitter) offers exceptional value for advertisers seeking quality leads.

"If you're not running X ads yet, you should because the cost per click is super low, you get new followers, and my favorite customers are hanging out on X." This unique combination of benefits makes X analytics particularly valuable for measuring performance.

Why X Advertising Deserves Your Attention

X has developed into a powerful platform for B2B marketing and professional networking. Unlike some social platforms, X offers reasonable advertising costs while providing access to high-value audiences. Learn more about how to target your audience effectively on X ads in this blog.

Before diving into analytics, it's important to understand that setting up proper tracking is essential. The X Pixel Helper Chrome extension is recommended to verify your tracking is working correctly.

Navigating the X Analytics Dashboard: Step-by-Step

Accessing Your General Analytics

For premium account holders, X provides a comprehensive analytics dashboard that offers insights into your overall performance. Here's how to access it:

Click on "Premium" in your navigation menu
Select "Analytics" from the dropdown
You'll see tabs for Overview, Audience, Content, Video, Live, and Spaces

As I recommend filtering your data by either 4 weeks or 3 months to get the most useful perspective on your performance trends. This view will show all your organic stats, which provides context for understanding your paid performance.

Using Audience Insights to Improve Targeting

One of the most valuable sections of the analytics dashboard is the Audience tab. By understanding who your current followers are, you can better target similar audiences with your advertising.

When analyzing your audience data, pay attention to:

Age group demographics
Active times (when your audience is most engaged)
Geographic location of your followers

"This is going to help me start learning who my ideal customers are, who my ideal followers are, and this will help me trigger in my ad account who I should be targeting with my ads," I explain.

If you're looking to expand your reach on the platform, check out how to get more verified followers on X using Grok for additional growth strategies.

Mastering the X Ads Manager for Performance Tracking

The real power for advertisers comes from the dedicated ads management platform. To access detailed ad performance:

Go to ads.x.com
Scroll down and click on one of your ads
Filter by campaigns or ad groups as needed
Click on "Metrics" to see performance data

Setting Up Custom Metrics for Better Analysis

The default metrics view provides basic information, but creating a custom metrics preset allows you to see exactly what matters most to your business. Here's how to create yours:

Click on "Metrics" then "Custom metrics"
Review the full list of available metrics
Check off the metrics most relevant to your goals
Arrange them in order of importance for easy viewing

Some essential metrics to include in your custom preset:

Link clicks and cost per link click
Impressions and spend
Results and cost per result
Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)
Follows and cost per follower
Website conversions (leads, add-to-carts, purchases)

For businesses serious about X advertising analytics , proper tracking setup is critical.

Tracking Conversion Actions With The X Pixel

To fully leverage X analytics, you need to ensure your pixel is correctly installed. I remind users: "The only thing you need to make sure of is that you head up to tools and you click on events manager and you make sure you have that pixel installed."

Using the X Pixel helper from the Chrome store allows you to verify your pixel is working correctly on your website. This Chrome extension shows you exactly what events are being tracked when someone takes an action on your site.

For ecommerce businesses using platforms like Shopify , pixel integration is particularly important for tracking purchase conversions and calculating ROAS.

Advanced Filtering and Analysis Techniques

Once your custom metrics are set up, you can use X's filtering tools to gain deeper insights:

Filtering by Date Range

Set meaningful time periods to analyze your data:

28 days shows recent performance
3 months reveals longer-term trends
Custom date ranges let you evaluate specific campaigns

Searching for Specific Metrics

Use the search function to quickly find metrics related to specific goals:

Type "cost per" to see all cost-efficiency metrics
Search "conversion" to focus on bottom-of-funnel results
Use "follow" to track audience building metrics

Organizing Your Dashboard View

Arrange metrics in order of importance by dragging and dropping them in your custom view. This ensures your most critical KPIs are always visible at a glance.

You can easily go here and move them around so you can see the most important to the least important in a quick view. I don't need to see campaign start or campaign end there, I already know that.

Taking Action Based on X Analytics Data

The true value of analytics comes from the actions you take based on your findings. Here's how to use X analytics to improve your advertising:

Optimizing for Cost Efficiency

If your cost per click or cost per result is higher than desired:

Test different creative approaches
Refine your audience targeting
Adjust bidding strategies

For more advanced strategies, explore how to lower your cost per click with proven techniques.

Maximizing Follower Acquisition

If building your audience is a priority:

Track follows and cost per follower
Optimize content that drives both engagement and follows
Consider follower-focused campaign objectives

You can use optimization tools like Hypefury to automate and enhance your X posting strategy alongside your advertising.

Measuring True ROI

For business owners focused on bottom-line results:

Use the pixel to track leads, sales, and revenue
Calculate customer acquisition costs
Determine lifetime value of customers from X

Advanced tracking systems like AdKong can provide additional insights beyond the native X analytics.

Final Thoughts

Setting up proper X analytics is a fundamental step toward advertising success on the platform. As I demonstrate, the process isn't complicated, but it does require attention to detail and a clear understanding of which metrics matter most to your business.

The combination of affordable advertising costs, quality audience targeting, and comprehensive analytics makes X an excellent channel for businesses of all sizes. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you'll have all the data you need to optimize your campaigns and maximize your return on ad spend.

Take action today by setting up your custom metrics dashboard and ensuring your pixel is correctly installed. If you need personalized guidance on your X advertising strategy, Book a free 15-minute consultation session with our team. For more marketing automation strategies and X advertising tips, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for regular updates and expert insights.

How To Automate ALL Your Social Media Content in 1 Hour a Week (Step-by-Step Guide 2025)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 13 May 2025 12:08:03 GMT

How can busy business owners automate their social media content effectively?

If you're running a business, managing teams, and serving clients, finding time for consistent social media posting can be challenging. Fortunately, there's a streamlined solution that requires just one hour of your week. By creating authentic video or audio content, leveraging AI tools for transcription and formatting, and using scheduling software, you can maintain an active social media presence with minimal time investment. This system harnesses your actual expertise while automating the distribution process, ensuring your content remains genuine and engaging.

Questions People Ask

What makes this social media automation system different from just using AI?
This system is built around your authentic voice and expertise rather than purely AI-generated content. You spend your one hour creating real video or audio content that AI then helps repurpose into multiple posts. Pure AI-generated social media content typically performs poorly because it lacks authenticity and relatability.

Do I need expensive software to implement this system?
No, you can start with free or low-cost tools. For recording, you can use your phone camera or microphone. For transcription, services like Loom automatically provide this, or you can use CapCut's free browser version. For scheduling, while GoHighLevel is recommended, there are other budget-friendly options to begin with.

How much content can I create with just one hour per week?
One hour of recording can generate enough content for an entire month of daily posts. The system breaks down your recording into smaller, focused posts that can be scheduled across multiple platforms, giving you 20+ unique pieces of content from a single recording session.

Will this system work for any type of business?
Yes, this approach works for virtually any business because it focuses on sharing your expertise and solving problems for your audience. Whether you're a consultant, service provider, retailer, or any other type of business owner, teaching and providing value through content is universally effective for building relationships with potential customers.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Leverages authenticity - Uses your actual voice and expertise rather than generic AI content, leading to higher engagement and trust
Maximizes time efficiency - Transforms a single hour of content creation into weeks of scheduled posts, perfect for busy business owners
Creates content that actually engages - Focuses on education and value, which naturally attracts and retains audience interest
Scales seamlessly - As your business grows, the system remains effective; you simply maintain your weekly content creation habit

The One-Hour Social Media Content System

Why Most Business Owners Struggle with Social Media

If you're anything like me, you've got a business to run. You're busy managing your team, building business operations, and working with clients. Finding time to consistently post on social media often falls to the bottom of the priority list.

That's exactly why I developed a system that requires just one hour per week to create and distribute content across all your social media platforms. In this guide, I'll break down exactly how I spend that hour creating content and then use AI and specialized software to handle the distribution.

Who Am I and Why Listen to Me?

Hey there! I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks. I've been in the marketing space for the last 10 years and have worked with over 2,500 clients. My approach is straightforward – I'll share my screen and walk you through the exact steps to automate your social media using AI and practical tools.

Want the complete system I use? Just comment "system" below and someone from my team will send it right over.

Step 1: Setting Up Your AI Prompts

The first step in my process involves using AI prompts specifically designed for social media content. These prompts are part of the bonus section I provide when you request my system.

Here's how to start:

Navigate to my social media prompts
Click on the Google Doc that contains my simple social media automation template
Fill out the business information section (highlighted in blue) with details about your business, who you help, and your ideal customer profile
Copy the entire document

From there, you'll head over to ChatGPT and paste the prompt. But don't start generating content just yet – there's a crucial step that comes before.

Learn more about using AI for social media content creation in this blog.

Step 2: Recording Your Core Content

This is where your one hour of weekly time investment happens. Before using AI, you need to create some original content. I recommend recording a video (like this one) that provides education and value to your audience.

Video content is powerful because:

It showcases your personality and builds trust
It can be repurposed in multiple ways
It provides authentic material for AI to work with

If you're not comfortable on camera, you can simply record audio using your phone or laptop. The key is to teach something valuable – share your expertise on a topic that would help your ideal clients.

Step 3: Transcribing Your Content

After recording your content, you need to transcribe it. I use Loom , which automatically provides transcriptions of my videos. All you need to do is:

Record your video on Loom
Access the transcription
Copy the text

If you're not using Loom, you can upload your video to CapCut (the free browser version) to get captions and transcriptions at no cost.

Step 4: Creating AI-Enhanced Social Posts

Now it's time to combine your transcription with AI:

Add your transcription to the ChatGPT prompt you prepared earlier
Hit Enter to generate social media posts
Ask ChatGPT to create 30 versions of your social media post to cover a full month

The AI will transform your authentic content into structured social posts complete with hooks, relatable problems, solutions, and calls to action – all based on your actual words and expertise.

Learn more about effective social media post structure in this blog.

Step 5: Scheduling Your Content with GoHighLevel

The final step is to schedule your posts using a social media management tool. I recommend GoHighLevel , which is a comprehensive CRM that includes social media scheduling capabilities.

Here's how to use it:

Click on "New Post" in GoHighLevel
Select your social media channels
Copy a post from ChatGPT and paste it into GoHighLevel
Add an image from your video (this makes your content more relatable)
Include your website link
Schedule the post for your desired time

You can schedule posts for the entire month in one sitting. GoHighLevel even offers options for recurring posts and approval workflows if you have a team.

If you're looking for a comprehensive system to manage not just your social media but all your customer relationships, learn more about how GoHighLevel works for businesses in this blog.

Why This Approach Outperforms Pure AI Content

It's important to understand that using AI alone for social media content typically fails. When I make posts that are purely generated by AI, they perform poorly – few likes, minimal comments, and no meaningful engagement.

The key difference with this system is that it starts with your authentic words. You're using AI to format and distribute content that actually comes from you – your expertise, your voice, your teaching. This authenticity makes your content relatable and engaging.

By spending just one hour recording helpful videos or audio, you create the foundation for content that resonates with your audience. The AI and automation tools simply help you distribute and format that authentic content more efficiently.

For more insights on building engagement, check out 21 social media posts that get more engagement in this blog.

Take Action Today

If you've been inconsistent with social media because of time constraints, this one-hour system can transform your approach. By focusing your limited time on creating valuable content and then leveraging AI and automation tools for distribution, you can maintain an active social media presence without it consuming your schedule.

Remember that authenticity is key – use technology to amplify your real expertise, not replace it. Social media has been one of the biggest drivers for my business, and it can be for yours too when approached strategically.

How to Use Playlists to Grow Your YouTube Channel (STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 10 May 2025 19:11:41 GMT

How Can YouTube Playlists Help Grow Your Channel?

YouTube playlists are powerful tools that can significantly boost your channel growth by increasing watch time and improving viewer retention. Just like viewers binge-watch their favorite Netflix series, playlists encourage the same behavior on YouTube by automatically playing a sequence of related content.

YouTube's algorithm actively promotes playlist content in search results and recommendations, rewarding channels that keep viewers engaged for longer periods. By organizing your videos into strategic, topic-focused playlists, you can guide your audience through a comprehensive learning journey while simultaneously improving your channel's key performance metrics.

Questions People Ask

What exactly is a YouTube playlist and why does it matter?
A YouTube playlist is a curated collection of videos that play sequentially, automatically moving viewers from one video to the next. Playlists matter because they increase watch time (a critical ranking factor), help YouTube understand your content themes, and provide a better, more organized viewing experience that keeps people on your channel longer.

How many videos should I include in a YouTube playlist?
The ideal number is 8-12 videos per playlist, creating enough content for a comprehensive series without overwhelming viewers. Start with what you have and gradually build up, focusing on creating a logical progression that takes viewers from introductory to advanced topics within a specific theme.

Do playlists affect YouTube SEO?
Yes, playlists significantly impact your SEO performance. YouTube's algorithm prioritizes playlists in search results because they tend to keep viewers on the platform longer. The description field in your playlist also provides additional opportunities to include relevant keywords that can improve discoverability.

How should I promote my playlists to viewers?
The most effective way to promote your playlists is mentioning them at the end of each video, directing viewers to watch the next video in the series. Also, set up your end screens to display the playlist, make the first video in each playlist compelling, and occasionally share your playlists on social media for wider exposure.

Can I use AI to help optimize my YouTube playlists?
Absolutely. AI tools like TwinLitics can analyze market data to identify what topics your audience is actually searching for, helping you plan playlist content that aligns with real demand. Using AI prompts to generate optimized playlist descriptions can also improve your playlist's SEO performance.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Increases watch time and session duration , which directly improves your channel's ranking in YouTube's algorithm and drives more organic discovery
Creates a structured learning path for your audience, showcasing your expertise on specific topics while providing comprehensive value that builds trust and authority
Maximizes content efficiency by getting more views from existing videos rather than constantly creating new content, allowing you to leverage your production efforts
Generates passive viewer engagement as YouTube automatically suggests the next video in your series, reducing drop-off and increasing the likelihood of channel subscription

Understanding the Power of YouTube Playlists

In today's digital landscape, creating content isn't enough - organizing it strategically is equally crucial. As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience working with more than 200 brands, explains, YouTube playlists function similarly to how we consume content on streaming platforms like Netflix.

This Netflix-style binge-watching behavior is exactly what YouTube wants to encourage, as it keeps users on the platform longer. When properly implemented, playlists can transform casual viewers into dedicated subscribers who consume multiple pieces of your content in a single session.

Setting Up Strategic Playlists for Maximum Impact

Looking at my channel organization reveals his strategic approach with three core playlists: X (Twitter) playlist, YouTube playlist, and marketing follow-up playlist. Each playlist serves as a comprehensive educational resource on a specific topic.

The key to effective playlists is creating a logical progression of content. "If you want to learn how to set up your YouTube channel, that's video one. If you want to learn how to optimize the description, that's the next video," I explain. This structured approach guides viewers through a natural learning journey.

For your own channel, consider what comprehensive topics you can cover in a series format. Think about your audience's journey - what do they need to know first, second, and third to master a particular skill or solve a problem? Learn more about content strategy planning in this blog.

Optimizing Playlist Descriptions for SEO

Before adding videos to your playlist, you need two critical elements: an SEO-optimized description and a strategic list of topics. The description should clearly communicate what viewers will learn from watching the entire series.

I recommend using AI prompts to help craft these descriptions: "I'm going to create two different prompts: one to help me create the description for the prompt - what's that topic about, what's something that your clients, your followers, or your customers want to learn about. Then the second one, which I think is the most important, let's come up with those 8, 10, or 12 topics."

When writing your playlist description, include relevant keywords related to your topic. This helps YouTube understand what your playlist is about and improves its chances of appearing in search results. If you're focusing on YouTube marketing strategies, include terms like "YouTube growth," "YouTube marketing," or "YouTube ads" in your description.

Planning Your Playlist Content Strategy

The most successful playlists address a comprehensive learning journey. As I advised, "We want to start all the way from the beginning - how to start, how to optimize, how to grow, how to get results. That way, they want to start from your first video, watch video two, three, four, or wait and come back next week."

When planning your playlist content, avoid creating videos about topics nobody is searching for. This is where data-driven decisions become crucial. I recommend using TwinLitics – an AI platform that analyzes market data to determine what your ideal customers actually want to learn.

"What TwinLitics does is it goes and looks for your ideal customer profile, pulls all the data, and they've done all the research, I explain. This approach ensures that your playlist topics align with genuine audience interest rather than assumptions.

Adding Videos to Your Playlist and Organizing Content

Once you've planned your content strategy, it's time to create your playlist in YouTube Studio. Here's how to set it up:

Go to your YouTube channel
Click on "Playlists" in your channel navigation
Click "New Playlist"
Enter your SEO-optimized title
Add your strategic description with relevant keywords
Set visibility (usually public)
Click "Create"

After creating the playlist structure, you'll need to add your videos. You can add existing videos or create new content specifically for the playlist. The key is maintaining a logical progression that guides viewers through a complete learning journey.

For optimal organization, I suggest "What I want to encourage you to do is organize that or keep it organized so all you have to do is come and click it and now you've connected there."

Connecting Videos to Your Playlist

For each new video you create that belongs in a playlist, make sure to associate it during the upload process:

In the YouTube Studio video editor
Scroll down to the "Playlist" section
Select the appropriate playlist from the dropdown
Save your changes

This ensures that every new video automatically becomes part of your playlist ecosystem, creating a cohesive viewing experience for your audience.

Setting Up End Screens to Promote Your Playlist

End screens are crucial for directing viewers to your playlist. As I demonstrated, "When you choose your end screen, you can see here that I asked you to subscribe at the end. I'm going to go ahead and do that."

To add a playlist to your end screen:

In the video editor, click on "End screen"
Click "Element"
Choose "Playlist" from the options
Select your specific playlist
Position it prominently on your end screen
Save your changes

There is also an emphasis the importance of verbal cues: "What I want to encourage you to do at the end of the video is let them know to subscribe and watch the next video on that playlist, and it'll automatically pop up there."

Driving Viewer Engagement with Your Playlists

The power of playlists comes from their ability to create a continuous viewing experience. To maximize this benefit, employ these strategies:

Mention the playlist verbally in your videos : "Check out my complete YouTube growth playlist for more tips"
Create strong hooks at the beginning of each video : Tease what's coming in the next video
Use cards throughout your videos : Link to other relevant videos in the playlist
Share the entire playlist on social media : Promote it as a comprehensive resource
Update playlists regularly : Add new content to keep them fresh and relevant

Learn more about increasing viewer engagement with these proven strategies.

Leveraging Playlists for Lead Generation

Beyond growing your channel, playlists can be powerful lead generation tools. I want to explain how his YouTube marketing playlist includes strategic content that guides viewers toward becoming customers: "If you want to learn more about YouTube marketing and YouTube ads, check out the playlist."

By creating playlists that address your audience's core challenges, you position yourself as an authority while naturally leading them toward your products or services. This approach works especially well for businesses using YouTube as a lead generation channel .

For optimal results, consider creating specific playlists for different segments of your audience or different stages of your sales funnel. For example, you might have:

A beginner playlist for new prospects
An advanced strategies playlist for engaged subscribers
A case study playlist showcasing client results
A product tutorial playlist for existing customers

This segmented approach ensures you're providing relevant content for every stage of the customer journey, maximizing both retention and conversion opportunities with your video marketing strategy .

Final Thoughts: Implement Your YouTube Playlist Strategy Today

YouTube playlists represent one of the most underutilized growth opportunities for business channels. By implementing the strategic playlist approach I just have outlined, you can transform your content library from disconnected videos into cohesive learning journeys that keep viewers engaged and coming back for more.

Remember that effective playlists require both strategic planning (choosing the right topics your audience actually wants) and technical implementation (proper setup, descriptions, and end screen integration). Take time to analyze your existing content, identify logical groupings, and create playlists that guide viewers through a comprehensive learning experience.

Ready to take your YouTube marketing to the next level? Follow the steps in this guide to implement your playlist strategy, and watch your channel metrics improve as viewers spend more time consuming your valuable content. For personalized guidance on optimizing your entire digital marketing approach, Schedule a quick call with us. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies to grow your business efficiently.

Why Your X (Twitter) Ads Aren’t Running: 4 Common Mistakes (And How to Fix Them Fast)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 08 May 2025 10:19:46 GMT

How can I fix my X (Twitter) ads that aren't getting approved or showing to anyone?

If your X ads aren't running or getting approved, there are four critical issues you need to address. First, ensure your landing page links are direct (no redirects) and include privacy policies. Second, verify your account with a premium subscription and maintain regular organic posting activity. Third, avoid policy violations like medical claims or excessive urgency. Finally, set up proper audience targeting with an adequate budget. Fixing these four issues will get your ads running and start generating leads and customers through the platform.

Questions People Ask

Why are my X ads not getting approved at all?
The most common reasons for X ad rejection are policy violations and improper landing page setup. Make sure your destination page has privacy policy and terms links in the footer, avoid using redirect links (like bit.ly), and ensure your account is verified with a premium subscription. Posting organic content regularly also helps establish account credibility with X's approval system.

Do I need to upgrade to a premium X account to run ads?
While it's not technically required, upgrading to a premium X account ($3, $8, or $40/month) significantly increases your approval odds. The blue checkmark verification signals legitimacy to the ad review team, and premium accounts typically experience faster approvals and fewer restrictions. It's a small investment that helps ensure your advertising dollars actually get spent.

What targeting settings work best for new X advertisers?
For new advertisers, start with optimized targeting enabled and a minimum budget of $5/day. This allows X's algorithm to find relevant users while you build campaign data. As you gain experience, experiment with follower lookalikes, keywords, and interests for more precise targeting. Setting your start date to today (not future dates) is critical for ads to begin running immediately.

How can I fix my X ads if they were initially approved but stopped running?
If your ads stopped running after initial approval, check for budget depletion, account suspension issues, or policy violations from recent changes. Ensure your payment method is current, review any notification emails from X, and confirm your targeting hasn't become too narrow. Sometimes simply creating a fresh campaign with similar settings can resolve mysterious delivery issues.

What's the appropriate X ads budget for a small business?
Start with at least $5-10 daily to collect meaningful data while controlling costs. X's ad platform performs best with consistent budget allocation rather than sporadic spending. Test for 7-14 days before making major adjustments, and gradually increase spending on campaigns showing positive results. Many small businesses find X advertising more cost-effective than other platforms, with competitive CPCs in the $0.50-$3.00 range.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Reduces wasted ad spend by ensuring your campaigns actually run instead of getting rejected or limited, maximizing your marketing ROI from day one
Accelerates platform learning by properly configuring targeting and budget parameters, letting X algorithms efficiently find your ideal customers
Builds a foundation for scalable customer acquisition through both organic and paid strategies working together
Creates a compliant advertising approach that works across regulated industries where other platforms might be more restrictive

Understanding Why Your X Ads Aren't Running

When you invest in X (formerly Twitter) advertising, nothing's more frustrating than seeing your ad account showing zero impressions or getting multiple rejections. As the platform continues to evolve under its new ownership, the advertising approval process has become increasingly sophisticated—but also more particular about what's allowed.

In this guide, I'll share the most common reasons your X ads aren't running, based on my experience working with over 2,500 brands through my company, Automationlinks. More importantly, I'll provide the exact fixes you need to implement to get your campaigns live and generating results.

The Four Critical Mistakes Preventing Your X Ads From Running

There are four primary reasons X ads typically fail to run:

Landing page and link issues
Account verification and activity problems
Content policy violations
Targeting and budget configuration errors

Let's examine each one and the specific solutions you need to implement.

Fix #1: Ensure Proper Landing Page Setup and Link Policy Compliance

One of the most common reasons X rejects ads is improper landing page configuration. Unlike some other platforms, X has strict requirements for where your ads can send traffic.

The Direct Link Requirement

First and foremost, the link in your ad must be the exact destination where users will land. This means:

No URL shorteners (like bit.ly or Tiny URL)
No redirect links or link forwarding
No mismatched domains between ad and landing page

If your ad says users will go to example.com but the link actually forwards them elsewhere, your ad will be rejected. X's system checks for this automatically.

Privacy Policy and Terms Requirements

Every landing page for X ads must include:

A clearly visible privacy policy link
Terms and conditions or terms of service
These links typically appear in the footer of your website

If I'm running an X ad and sending users to my website, I need to ensure both these pages exist and are linked from the landing page. This is non-negotiable for X's approval process.

Fix #2: Verify Your Account and Maintain Organic Activity

Many advertisers don't realize that account credibility plays a major role in X's ad approval process.

Premium Account Verification

I strongly recommend upgrading to one of X's premium plans:

Basic ($3/month)
Premium ($8/month)
Premium+ ($16/month) or Business ($40/month)

The blue checkmark verification signals legitimacy to X's ad review team. While technically not required, X gives preferential treatment to verified accounts when reviewing ads.

Regular Organic Posting

Brand new accounts with no posting history face significant hurdles getting ads approved. X looks for accounts that:

Have been posting regular organic content
Include a proper profile description
Have correct links in their bio
Demonstrate normal account activity

Before attempting to run ads, establish a pattern of posting organic content to your X profile, just as shown in the examples in the video. This builds account credibility that makes approvals much more likely.

For businesses looking to scale their social presence, consider integrating an X marketing strategy with your comprehensive automation system to maintain consistent activity.

Fix #3: Avoid Common Ad Policy Violations

X has specific content policies that, when violated, will prevent your ads from running.

Prohibited Content Types

The most common policy violations include:

Before and after images
Medical or health claims
Financial promises or guaranteed returns
Controversial or politically charged messaging
Excessive urgency language ("Act Now!" repeated multiple times)
Spam-like content or formatting

For businesses in regulated industries (health, finance, etc.), you can get verified for specialized advertising but need to start with standard, compliant ads first.

Solution: Start With Conservative, Professional Content

To ensure approval:

Create normal, professional posts
Focus on following, connection, and engagement calls-to-action
Send users to legitimate website content
Avoid exaggerated claims or high-pressure language

If you need help connecting with an X representative to discuss special approvals, reach out to me on X at @Brad_Smith_Coach and I can help connect you with the right team.

Using an AI-powered marketing approach can help ensure your ad content stays within platform guidelines while still being effective.

Fix #4: Properly Configure Targeting, Budget and Start Date

Even if your account and content are perfect, incorrect campaign settings can prevent your ads from delivering.

Start Date Configuration

A surprisingly common mistake is setting a future start date. If your campaign is configured to start tomorrow or next week, it obviously won't be running today. Always double-check that:

Your start date is set to today (current date)
Your end date (if set) hasn't already passed

Adequate Budget Allocation

X has minimum budget thresholds for effective ad delivery:

Set a daily budget of at least $5 per day
Avoid micro-budgets that prevent the algorithm from working
Ensure your payment method is valid and has sufficient funds

X's algorithm needs sufficient budget to find the right audience and optimize delivery. Too small a budget will result in minimal or no delivery.

Audience Targeting Settings

Ensure your audience targeting is properly configured:

Use follower lookalikes, keywords, or interests
Consider enabling optimized targeting for new accounts
Avoid targeting that's too narrow (which limits reach)
Test additional retargeting options when available

For new accounts, optimized targeting typically performs best until you gather more data on what specific targeting parameters work for your business. Retargeting can be particularly effective when integrated with your overall marketing automation strategy .

X advertising can deliver exceptional results with proper tools for tracking conversions. Many businesses benefit from using specialized tracking software like AdKong to maximize their ROI.

Creating an Effective X Advertising Campaign

Once you've fixed these common issues, you're ready to build effective campaigns. Here's a quick framework for success:

Start with engagement objectives - Focus on building awareness and engagement before direct conversion campaigns
Test multiple ad formats - Image ads, text-only, and video formats often perform differently
Create retargeting segments - Target website visitors and engagement audiences
Implement proper conversion tracking - Ensure your X pixel is correctly installed
Optimize based on data - Let campaigns run for at least 7 days before making major changes

The beauty of X advertising is that it typically has lower competition and costs compared to other major platforms, making it an excellent opportunity for businesses willing to learn the system.

Final Thoughts: Get Your X Ads Running Today

Getting your X ads approved and running effectively doesn't have to be complicated. By addressing these four common mistakes—landing page issues, account verification, policy violations, and targeting configuration—you can quickly move from frustration to successful campaigns.

Remember that unlike some other platforms, X often requires a bit more account history and credibility before smoothly approving ads. The investment in a premium subscription and regular organic posting pays dividends in easier ad approvals and better overall platform performance.

If you're struggling with specific X advertising challenges or want to scale your results, I'm here to help. Schedule a quick call with us. Book Now!

And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies and practical marketing tips.

Simple Email Automation That Generates More Sales

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 06 May 2025 13:08:11 GMT

How Can You Automate Email Marketing to Increase Both Leads and Sales?

Email automation is a powerful tool for turning prospects into buyers through a strategic sequence of messages. By implementing a six-email automation sequence that delivers immediate value, builds relationships, educates prospects, and includes consistent calls-to-action, businesses can significantly increase conversion rates with minimal ongoing effort. This strategic approach works for both B2B and e-commerce businesses by keeping your brand top-of-mind while guiding prospects through a carefully designed sales journey.

Common Email Automation Questions

What makes an effective first email in an automation sequence?
The first email should deliver immediate value with whatever you promised (guide, coupon, offer) while keeping it short and simple. Research shows that emails under 250 characters get the best results, so focus on clarity and delivering what was promised rather than overwhelming prospects with information.

How can I improve email open rates in my automation sequence?
Create a mechanism that requires prospects to respond to receive their promised value. For example, have them reply "YES" to get their download or coupon code. This engagement signals to email providers that your emails are wanted, dramatically improving deliverability for all subsequent messages in your sequence.

Should I include CTAs in every automated email?
Yes, include a consistent call-to-action in every email, preferably in the same location (like the PS section) so prospects know exactly where to look when they're ready to take action. For B2B, this should be your scheduling link; for e-commerce, your coupon code or product link.

How many emails should be in my automation sequence?
A six-email sequence provides the optimal balance between staying top-of-mind without overwhelming prospects. This gives you enough touchpoints to build value, show expertise, and present your offer multiple times while maintaining engagement through the entire sequence.

What should I do after the automation sequence ends?
After completing your six-email automation, automatically add leads to your regular newsletter list. This ensures they continue hearing from you consistently (weekly or monthly) until they're ready to purchase. Include your standard CTA in every newsletter to maintain conversion opportunities.

Why This Email Strategy Works For Every Business

Increased Deliverability: Using the response mechanism in early emails trains email providers to prioritize your messages, ensuring more prospects actually see your content.
Perfect Timing: The six-email sequence provides multiple opportunities to convert at different stages of the buyer's journey, catching prospects when they're most ready to purchase.
Builds Authority Naturally: By structuring emails to educate and provide value before making strong offers, you establish expertise without appearing pushy or salesy.
Requires Minimal Maintenance: Once set up, this automation runs in the background, qualifying and converting leads 24/7 without requiring additional time or resources.

Understanding the Power of Email Automation

Modern marketing success lies in your ability to engage leads and seal deals—without lifting a finger. As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience and work with more than 2,500 brands explains, a strategic email automation sequence can dramatically improve your conversion rates with minimal ongoing effort.

The goal is simple: create a series of emails that build relationships, educate prospects, and guide them toward making a purchase decision. This approach works equally well for service-based businesses looking to schedule consultations or e-commerce brands trying to drive product sales.

The Six-Email Automation Framework

Email #1: Deliver Immediate Value

The first email is critical for setting the tone of your relationship. It should deliver whatever value you promised when they signed up (guide, coupon code, offer). Keep this email short and to the point – research shows emails under 250 characters get the best results.

The key strategy here is to increase open rates by having prospects confirm they want your content. Ask them to reply "YES" to receive the promised material. This simple engagement tactic can increase open rates dramatically – approximately 95% of people who fill out a form will respond to get high-value content.

This engagement also signals to email providers that your messages are wanted and valued, improving deliverability for all subsequent emails. Additionally, include a social media connection request to increase touchpoints – ask them to connect wherever you're most active (Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube).

Email #2: Follow-Up With Clear Direction

When sending the second email, provide what you promised with a simple link, but don't stop there. This is where you begin presenting your core offer:

For B2B businesses: Include your scheduling link to book a call
For E-commerce: Highlight your coupon code or product recommendation

A powerful technique is placing this call-to-action in the PS section, where it stands out rather than getting buried in paragraphs of content. Keep this CTA consistent throughout your sequence, always in the same location, making it easy for prospects to take action when they're ready.

Learn more about high-converting landing pages that can work with your email automation for even better results.

Email #3: Maintain Social Connection

The third email reinforces the social media connection you requested in email #1. This multi-channel approach is crucial because prospects who see your brand in multiple places (email + social media) develop stronger trust and familiarity.

Social proof is incredibly powerful in the buying process. When prospects see your activity, client interactions, and content on social channels, it builds credibility that's difficult to establish through email alone.

As with every email in the sequence, maintain that consistent CTA (scheduling link or coupon code) in the PS section. Using the GoHighLevel CRM makes setting up these systematic emails straightforward and effective.

Email #4: Share Client Results

The fourth email focuses on demonstrating real results through case studies or client reviews. This provides social proof while helping prospects envision how your product or service might benefit them specifically.

Keep the focus on how your business has helped someone accomplish something meaningful – this makes the benefits tangible rather than theoretical. Include a question that encourages responses, keeping the communication two-way rather than just broadcasting information.

This approach builds trust by showing you have a proven track record while also encouraging engagement that further improves email deliverability. And as always, include your standard CTA in the PS section.

Email #5: Educate With Valuable Tips

By the fifth email, you've established connection, delivered value, and demonstrated results. Now it's time to position yourself as an expert by sharing educational content. A simple "5-step tip" format works well to provide actionable advice that showcases your expertise.

This educational content should give prospects genuinely useful information they can implement immediately, even if they don't become customers. This generosity builds goodwill while simultaneously demonstrating that you know what you're talking about.

Learn more about effective content marketing strategies to enhance your overall approach.

Email #6: Present Your Best Offer

The final email in your automation sequence is where you make your strongest offer. Create a sense of urgency or scarcity (if authentic) by mentioning limited spots, time constraints, or special pricing that won't last.

This email should clearly articulate your best offer while emphasizing the value proposition. For services, focus on transformation and results; for products, highlight benefits and special deals.

Make it extremely clear what action you want them to take, focusing all elements of the email on driving that specific conversion – whether scheduling a call or making a purchase.

The Newsletter Transition Strategy

After completing your six-email automation sequence, it's crucial to keep prospects engaged for the long term. Automatically add them to your regular newsletter list so they continue receiving value and offers on a consistent schedule.

Not everyone will be ready to buy during the initial automation sequence, but by maintaining contact through regular newsletters, you'll stay top-of-mind for when they are ready to make a decision. Keep including that consistent CTA in the same place (PS section) in all your newsletter communications.

Learn more about crafting email newsletters that drive sales for ongoing success.

Implementation Tips for Maximum Impact

When creating your email automation sequence, remember these critical points:

Keep emails concise – Research indicates that shorter emails (under 250 characters) get better engagement.
Be consistent with your CTA placement – Put it in the same spot in every email so prospects know exactly where to look when they're ready.
Focus on value first, sales second – Build trust by providing genuine value before making strong offers.
Use personalization where possible – Address specific pain points your audience faces.
Include social proof throughout – Case studies, testimonials, and reviews build credibility.

If you want to implement this more efficiently, tools like DataShopper can help you gather valuable customer information to personalize your approach. For crafting the actual emails, you can streamline the process with AI tools – simply use the provided template prompts and customize the output for your specific business.

Want to generate even more leads from your website? Learn about advanced lead generation strategies that work alongside email automation.

Final Thoughts: Take Action Today

Email automation represents one of the highest-ROI marketing activities you can implement in your business. By setting up this six-email sequence, you create a 24/7 sales machine that continues working whether you're actively managing it or not.

The beauty of this approach is its simplicity – you don't need complex technology or marketing expertise to make it work. Focus on delivering value, building relationships, and maintaining consistent CTAs throughout your sequence.

Remember that this email automation is just one component of a comprehensive marketing system. For best results, ensure your website, social media presence, and content strategy all work together cohesively.

Ready to implement this email automation strategy in your business? Schedule a quick call with us to discuss your specific needs and how we can help. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that will help you grow your business more efficiently.

How to Set Up Your YouTube Home Page for More Views (2025 Layout Tutorial)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 03 May 2025 19:07:49 GMT

How Can You Optimize Your YouTube Channel Home Page for Maximum Views and Engagement?

Setting up your YouTube channel home page strategically is essential for attracting and retaining viewers. By customizing your channel layout with a targeted welcome video for first-time visitors and a featured video for returning subscribers, you create an optimized viewer experience that encourages deeper channel exploration. This intentional structure, combined with organized playlists and the strategic use of YouTube's "For You" section, significantly increases watch time and helps convert casual viewers into loyal subscribers.

Questions People Ask

What are the two most important videos to feature on your YouTube channel home page?
The two most critical videos for your channel home page are your channel trailer (for people who haven't subscribed) and your featured video (for returning subscribers). The channel trailer should introduce yourself, provide value, and explain why viewers should watch more content, while the featured video should be your best sales funnel or educational video that converts viewers into potential customers.

How should I organize my YouTube playlists for maximum effectiveness?
Organize your playlists by topic or content schedule. For example, Brad Smith structures his with marketing automation content on Tuesdays, X/Twitter content on Thursdays, and YouTube strategy on Saturdays. This clear organization helps viewers navigate to content that interests them most and increases the chances they'll watch multiple videos in sequence.

What is the "For You" section and why is it important?
The "For You" section leverages YouTube's algorithm to suggest relevant videos based on viewers' past behavior and interests. Placing this section high on your channel page allows the algorithm to present content most likely to appeal to each specific visitor, increasing the probability of engagement with your channel beyond the initial video they watched.

How does YouTube's algorithm determine what appears in the "For You" section?
YouTube's algorithm analyzes viewers' past search history, watch patterns, and engagement preferences to determine which videos from your channel are most likely to interest them. By including this section prominently on your home page, you're letting YouTube's sophisticated recommendation system help connect viewers with the content they're most likely to enjoy from your library.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Boosts viewer retention by creating clear pathways through your content, encouraging viewers to watch multiple videos instead of just one
Automates personalization by leveraging YouTube's sophisticated algorithm to recommend relevant videos to each unique visitor
Establishes expertise quickly through a strategic welcome video that introduces your value proposition and credentials in seconds
Increases conversion opportunities by featuring your best sales-oriented content for returning viewers who have already shown interest

Setting Up Your YouTube Home Page for Success

I'm Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks. With over 10 years in the marketing industry, I've helped more than 2,500 brands grow their businesses through effective automation strategies. Today, I'm going to walk you through setting up your YouTube channel home page to attract more views and build a stronger audience connection.

Having the right YouTube channel layout is increasingly important as YouTube continues to evolve its platform toward more of a Netflix-style experience, encouraging viewers to watch multiple videos in sequence. This strategy helps both your channel growth and serves YouTube's goal of keeping users on the platform longer.

Understanding the YouTube Home Page Layout Structure

When someone visits your YouTube channel, they'll see a welcome video at the very top followed by a "For You" section showing recommended videos based on their interests. The layout can also include playlists and other organized content sections.

To customize this experience, start by navigating to YouTube Studio. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner and select "YouTube Studio" from the dropdown menu. Once inside the dashboard, click on "Customization" in the left sidebar, then select the "Home" tab.

Creating an Effective Channel Trailer

Your channel trailer is the first impression viewers get when they discover your channel. This video appears at the top of your page for people who haven't subscribed yet. When creating your channel trailer, focus on these key elements:

Share your story briefly
Explain the value you provide to viewers
Build a relationship by speaking directly to the viewer
Clearly state why they should subscribe and watch more videos

Keep your trailer concise and engaging, with a clear call-to-action at the end. The goal is to convert first-time visitors into subscribers. Learn more about creating an engaging welcome video for your website in this blog.

Featured Video Strategy for Returning Subscribers

For people who have already subscribed to your channel, you'll want to display a different video – what I call a "Video Sales Letter" (VSL). This featured video should:

Be more in-depth and educational
Showcase your expertise and services
Provide comprehensive value
Include a clear pathway to learn more about working with you

This video can be longer than your welcome trailer since these viewers have already shown interest in your content. Make it educational, helpful, and valuable while directing viewers toward taking the next step with your business. Consider using techniques from high-converting YouTube strategy to maximize results.

Leveraging the "For You" Section

The "For You" section is a powerful tool that uses YouTube's algorithm to recommend videos based on viewers' past behavior. Place this section right below your welcome video or featured video to take advantage of YouTube's sophisticated recommendation system.

This section works extremely well because YouTube analyzes what people have searched for and watched before, then suggests relevant content from your channel. By including this section prominently, you allow the algorithm to connect viewers with content that matches their specific interests.

Having a well-organized channel with clear sections makes your YouTube marketing funnel strategy more effective by guiding viewers toward conversion.

Organizing Strategic Playlists

Below your "For You" section, add organized playlists that group your content by topic or posting schedule. For example, I structure my channel with three main playlists:

Marketing Automation (Tuesday videos)
X/Twitter Organic and Ads (Thursday videos)
YouTube Channel and Ads Setup (Saturday videos)

This organization helps viewers quickly find content relevant to their interests. Structure your playlists based on your content themes and ensure they have clear, descriptive titles. Using a CRM like GoHighLevel can help you manage your content schedule and automations for maximum efficiency.

Adding Custom Sections to Your Layout

Beyond the core structure, you can add various section types to your channel layout from the dropdown menu in YouTube Studio:

Popular videos (algorithmic)
Short videos
Live streams
Uploads
Custom playlists

For best results, focus on creating a logical flow that guides viewers through your content. Start with your introduction videos at the top, followed by algorithm-recommended content, then organized playlists by topic.

Proper use of descriptions and metadata will help both with YouTube SEO and making your videos discoverable in the "For You" section.

Embracing YouTube's Evolution

YouTube continues to evolve toward a more Netflix-like experience, encouraging viewers to watch multiple videos in sequence. This is why playlists and channel organization have become increasingly important.

When viewers watch multiple videos in sequence, it signals to YouTube that your content is valuable, which can boost your overall channel performance in the algorithm. This is one of the most beneficial aspects of having a well-organized channel layout.

Using tools like HypeFury can help you promote your YouTube content across other platforms, driving more traffic to your optimized channel page.

Take Action Today

A well-structured YouTube channel home page is essential for converting first-time viewers into subscribers and guiding existing subscribers toward more of your content. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide – creating a compelling channel trailer, featuring a valuable VSL for returning viewers, leveraging the "For You" section, and organizing strategic playlists – you'll significantly improve your channel's ability to retain viewers and grow your audience.

Remember that YouTube rewards channels that keep viewers watching longer, so organize your content in a way that encourages multiple video views. Start implementing these changes today, and you'll see improvements in your channel's performance over time.

Ready to take your YouTube strategy to the next level? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how we can help optimize your YouTube channel for maximum growth. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies and weekly content on marketing, X/Twitter, and YouTube growth.

I Studied 100 X Ads — Here's How You Really Grow on X (Twitter)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 01 May 2025 18:52:54 GMT

How Can You Actually Grow Your Business on X (Twitter) Through Effective Advertising?

After studying over 100 X (Twitter) ads over the past two years, I've uncovered what truly works versus what doesn't. While many people suggest simply posting more content or sharing theoretical advice, the real key to X growth lies in building genuine relationships with your audience. Successful X advertising requires starting with strong organic posts that provide value, then amplifying them with targeted ads that foster engagement rather than just driving website clicks. The approach that delivers real results focuses on education, helpful content, and relationship-building rather than self-promotion.

Questions People Ask

What's the biggest mistake people make with X (Twitter) ads?
Most people run X ads like Facebook ads, focusing solely on driving clicks to their website. This approach fails because users are on X to build relationships, not just to click links. Instead, focus on providing educational content and helpful resources that foster relationships with potential customers.

How much budget do I need for effective X advertising?
You don't need thousands of dollars to succeed with X ads. Starting with just $5-$15 per day is ideal. Run ads at this lower budget for about two weeks to allow X's algorithm to learn your audience and optimize your costs, then gradually increase your budget as performance improves.

Should I create special content for my X ads?
No, your best strategy is to use organic posts that have already performed well. Test your best-performing organic content as ads first, then create variations based on what resonates. Posts that ask questions, provide value through threads, or offer free downloads typically perform best.

What's the difference between small and big accounts on X?
Smaller accounts often see better results because they focus on building genuine relationships rather than accumulating followers. A small account with high engagement is more valuable than a large account with purchased followers and low engagement. Quality relationships with engaged followers lead to actual leads and sales.

How should I structure my X advertising funnel?
Use a two-stage approach: First, create top-of-funnel ads that promote your best organic content to build awareness. Then set up retargeting ads that show to people who engaged with your first ad, inviting them to either DM you or click a link for more value. This builds a relationship before asking for action.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Builds genuine relationships that convert to loyal customers instead of just collecting superficial followers or engagement
Leverages content you've already created , eliminating the need to constantly produce new material specifically for ads
Reduces advertising costs as X's algorithm learns your audience and optimizes delivery over time
Creates a natural sales progression from awareness to consideration without aggressive selling tactics
Works for businesses of all sizes , with small accounts often seeing better conversion rates than larger ones

Understanding What Really Works on X (Twitter)

Over the past two years, I've dedicated significant time to studying more than 100 different X ads to determine what actually drives growth on the platform. I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks, and I've been in the marketing industry for over 10 years, helping more than 2,500 brands improve their marketing strategies.

Since Elon Musk effectively told advertisers to "go fu** themselves," many businesses have backed away from X advertising. However, I recognized this as an opportunity rather than a deterrent. What I discovered was that most businesses were approaching X advertising completely wrong.

Why Most X Ad Strategies Fail

The fundamental mistake most advertisers make is treating X like Facebook. They create ads focused solely on driving clicks to their websites, completely missing how people actually use X. Unlike other platforms, X users are primarily there to build relationships, engage in conversations, and connect with others who share their interests or expertise.

When you try to immediately drive users off-platform with clickbait or sales pitches, you're working against the natural user behavior on X. This approach typically results in high costs and poor conversion rates.

Learn more about building effective X advertising campaigns in this comprehensive guide.

Small Accounts vs. Big Accounts: What Really Matters

One surprising discovery from my research is that smaller accounts often see better results than larger ones. Looking at the data, a small account with a few thousand genuine followers who regularly engage with content will outperform accounts that have purchased followers to appear larger.

When examining these accounts:

Small accounts with authentic followers build real relationships
They post helpful, educational content consistently
They focus on creating loyal fans rather than impressive metrics
They prioritize providing genuine value over self-promotion

In contrast, accounts with purchased followers may look impressive at first glance but suffer from low engagement rates. They have many followers but generate few leads, customers, or sales from their X presence.

Your X advertising strategy should always begin with strong organic content. Testing posts organically before putting ad spend behind them allows you to identify what resonates with your audience before investing your marketing budget.

What to Post Before You Advertise

Before launching any X ads, you need to understand what content types perform well on the platform. Through my research, I've identified several high-performing content formats:

Threads - Multi-post explorations of a topic that provide comprehensive value
Value posts - Educational content that solves specific problems
Free downloads - Offering genuinely helpful resources without excessive requirements
Engagement posts - Questions, polls, and requests for comments that spark conversation

These formats work because they focus on building relationships rather than direct selling. When creating your content, include helpful images or videos to increase engagement and make your posts more memorable.

When deciding which posts to promote through advertising, look for ones that already demonstrate strong organic engagement. This indicates they resonate with your audience and will likely perform well with ad spend behind them.

Learn more about creating effective X posts that drive sales through our detailed strategy guide.

Building Relationships with Helpful Content

The core strategy that works on X is building genuine relationships by providing valuable, educational content. Your posts should:

Ask people to leave comments to foster conversation
Encourage engagement through questions and polls
Offer something of high value that solves a real problem
Educate your audience on topics relevant to your expertise

This relationship-building approach creates a foundation of trust. When you consistently provide value, your audience begins to see you as a trusted authority in your space. When they eventually realize they can't implement everything themselves or don't have time to do so, they naturally turn to you—the person who's been helping them all along.

The best X marketing strategies focus on this relationship-first approach rather than immediate conversion.

Running Ads on High-Value Posts

Once you've identified your best-performing organic content, it's time to amplify it with advertising. Here's how to approach your ad strategy:

Budget Strategy: Start with $5–$15/Day

You don't need a massive budget to see results with X advertising. In fact, starting small is the optimal approach. Begin with just $5-$15 per day for your initial campaigns.

When you first launch your ad account, costs will typically be higher as the algorithm learns about your content and audience. By running ads at a lower daily budget for approximately two weeks, you give the system time to optimize. After this learning period, your costs will generally decrease as the algorithm better understands who to show your ads to.

Only after costs stabilize should you consider increasing your budget. This patient approach prevents wasting money during the initial learning phase.

For tracking your advertising performance, consider using specialized tools like AdKong to measure your ROAS more effectively.

Testing and Scaling What Works

In the early stages of your X advertising, you should be in testing mode. Take several of your best-performing organic posts and run them as ads simultaneously to see which generates the best response.

This testing phase helps you identify:

Which topics resonate most with your audience
What content formats drive the highest engagement
Which calls-to-action generate the best response
The ideal content length and style for your audience

Once you identify your top-performing content, you can begin to scale by:

Increasing the budget on winning ads
Creating variations of successful content
Expanding your targeting gradually to reach similar audiences

The key is to let data guide your decisions rather than assumptions about what should work.

Retargeting: Build on Engagement

After establishing your top-of-funnel advertising with promoted organic posts, the next crucial step is setting up retargeting campaigns. This is where the real magic happens in your X advertising strategy.

Create a second campaign specifically targeting users who have already engaged with your initial ads. When setting up this campaign, configure it to target:

Anyone who engaged with your promoted posts
Users who liked your content
People who followed your account after seeing your ads

This retargeting audience is significantly more valuable than cold traffic because they've already shown interest in your content. Your retargeting ads should:

Ask users to DM you for personalized help
Provide a link to additional valuable resources
Offer the next step in their education journey
Present a specific call-to-action that builds on their previous engagement

Carousel images often perform particularly well in retargeting campaigns, allowing you to show multiple pieces of value or steps in a process.

Learn more about retargeting X followers effectively through our step-by-step guide.

Final Thoughts: Combining Organic Strategy with Paid Amplification

The most effective X growth strategy combines strong organic content with strategic paid amplification. X ads alone won't scale your presence exponentially—they work best as part of a comprehensive approach that prioritizes relationship building and value delivery.

Remember that your organic strategy forms the foundation of your X success. Your ads simply amplify what's already working. Focus first on creating helpful, educational content that genuinely serves your audience, then use advertising to extend your reach.

By following this relationship-first approach, testing consistently, and patiently optimizing your campaigns, you'll build a sustainable X presence that generates real business results—not just vanity metrics.

Take action today by auditing your current X content to identify your highest-performing posts, then experiment with a small ad budget to amplify them. The platform offers tremendous opportunity for businesses willing to approach it correctly.

Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how this X strategy could work specifically for your business. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies and detailed tutorials on implementing these approaches.

What to Expect in GoHighLevel Before You Sign-up (SNEAK PEEK)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 11:06:28 GMT

How Can Business Owners Benefit From GoHighLevel CRM?

GoHighLevel offers business owners a comprehensive all-in-one CRM solution that combines contact management, marketing automation, opportunity pipelines, and communication tools in one platform. By switching from expensive solutions like HubSpot (which costs $800+ monthly) to GoHighLevel, businesses can save significantly while gaining more features including website building, forms, calendars, conversations, and reputation management. This powerful platform helps automate follow-ups, track leads, and close more deals with less manual effort, making it an ideal solution for any online business looking to streamline their operations.

Questions People Ask

What features does GoHighLevel include that make it better than other CRMs?
GoHighLevel combines features from multiple tools into one platform including contact management, email marketing, SMS, social media management, website building, appointment scheduling, and marketing automation. It also includes unique features like opportunity pipelines, reputation management, and a marketplace of integrations, eliminating the need for multiple subscriptions and keeping all customer data in one place.

How much does GoHighLevel cost compared to other CRMs?
GoHighLevel offers two main pricing plans: $97/month for unlimited contacts, unlimited users, and all core features, and $297/month for agencies who need to manage multiple accounts. This is significantly lower than competitors like HubSpot, which can cost $800+ per month, while still providing more comprehensive features and unlimited contacts regardless of how your database grows.

Can GoHighLevel replace my current marketing tools?
Yes, GoHighLevel can replace multiple tools including your CRM, email marketing platform, SMS system, social media scheduler, appointment booking software, landing page builder, membership site, and even your website builder. The platform is designed as an all-in-one solution that integrates these functions seamlessly, allowing you to consolidate your marketing tech stack and save on multiple subscriptions.

How easy is it to set up and use GoHighLevel?
GoHighLevel has a user-friendly interface designed for business owners, not just tech experts. After signing up, you'll see a comprehensive dashboard with intuitive navigation. While there is a learning curve with any powerful software, you can speed up your implementation by using templates (like those offered by Automation Links) to jumpstart your automation setup. Most users find they can become proficient within a few days of regular use.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Significant cost savings by replacing 5-10 different marketing tools with one comprehensive platform for just $97/month
Improved lead conversion rates through automated follow-up sequences that ensure no potential customer falls through the cracks
Enhanced customer insights with detailed tracking of every interaction, website visit, and communication in one unified timeline
Streamlined workflows that eliminate data silos between marketing, sales and customer service teams
Complete marketing control with built-in tools for websites, forms, emails, SMS, and social media that work together seamlessly

Inside the GoHighLevel Dashboard

When you first sign up for GoHighLevel , you'll be greeted by a comprehensive dashboard that gives you a quick overview of your business performance. The dashboard displays key metrics like contacts, deals, and various sections that help you manage your business efficiently.

As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience, I find this dashboard to be incredibly powerful for business owners. It gives you at-a-glance information about how your business is performing without needing to dive deep into reports.

Let's explore the key sections of GoHighLevel that make it such a valuable tool for business automation.

Managing Contacts: The Heart of Your CRM

The contacts section is usually the first place I go when logging into my CRM. This is where all your leads and customers are stored with comprehensive details about each one.

When you click on a contact, you'll see everything about them - from their source (whether they came from Facebook, Google, SEO, or a custom UTM), all the pages they visited on your website, and your entire communication history with them including emails and text messages.

GoHighLevel stores detailed information about each contact, including:

Form submissions and data they've provided
Appointment bookings
Automation workflows they're in
Tags you've applied to them
Their position in your sales pipeline

You can easily search and filter contacts using numerous criteria such as lead source, website pages visited, and custom fields. This powerful filtering allows you to create targeted lists for specific marketing actions like sending emails, adding tags, updating opportunities, or adding contacts to automated sequences.

Learn more about email automation strategies in this blog that shows you how to set up powerful follow-up sequences.

Building Sales Pipelines with Opportunities

The opportunities section is where new leads enter your system and move through your sales process. This visual pipeline makes it easy to track deals as they progress.

You can create unlimited pipelines with custom columns that reflect your specific sales process. For example, you might have columns for "New Lead," "Contacted," "Meeting Scheduled," "Proposal Sent," and "Closed Won/Lost."

What I love about the opportunity pipeline is how it visually represents your sales funnel. You can easily drag and drop deals between stages and set up automations that move leads automatically based on their actions. Many business owners miss out on this powerful feature that helps ensure no lead falls through the cracks.

When implementing a sales funnel in your digital marketing , the opportunity pipeline becomes an essential tool for tracking and closing more deals.

Unified Communications: Email, SMS and Social Media

The conversations section in GoHighLevel pulls all communications into one unified inbox. It syncs with your Gmail or Outlook email, providing a two-way connection that keeps all client communications in one place.

Beyond email, it also includes:

SMS text messaging
Phone calls
Facebook and Instagram direct messages

This means if someone sends you a DM on social media, it appears in your GoHighLevel inbox where you can respond without switching platforms. This saves tremendous time and ensures you never miss important messages across different communication channels.

The social media scheduler allows you to plan and schedule posts across multiple platforms, track performance, and manage your entire social media strategy in one place.

Marketing Campaigns and Email Templates

GoHighLevel provides powerful email campaign capabilities that let you create unlimited campaigns and templates. After sending newsletters or promotional emails, you can track performance metrics like opens, clicks, and actions taken.

The template system is particularly valuable as it saves you time creating new emails. You can choose from pre-built marketing templates or create your own custom designs. The email editor is intuitive, making it easy to customize templates with your branding, images, and text.

Other marketing features include:

Snippets for reusable content blocks
Countdown timers for creating urgency
Trigger links that activate automations
Affiliate management tools
Brand boards for consistent design
Ad manager integration with Facebook

If you're looking to improve your email marketing conversion rates , these powerful tools can help you create more effective campaigns.

Advanced Automation: The Real Power of GoHighLevel

The automation capabilities are where GoHighLevel truly shines - and what sets it apart from many other CRMs. This is what we at Automation Links will import into your account if you sign up with our affiliate link.

With the advanced automations, you can set up workflows that:

Send automated follow-up emails
Create appointment reminders
Generate tasks for your team
Update opportunity stages
Add or remove tags
Send SMS messages
And much more

For example, when a new lead fills out a form on your website, you can automatically create a system note, update their opportunity status, and trigger a series of follow-up emails reminding them to book a call or return to your website.

Another powerful automation is for appointment scheduling - ensuring clients receive reminders before meetings to reduce no-shows and automating follow-ups after the appointment.

These automations save countless hours of manual work and ensure consistent customer communication. Converting more leads into customers with a proven follow-up system is one of the most valuable benefits of implementing GoHighLevel.

Seamless Calendar and Appointment Booking

A common problem for many businesses is the disconnection between calendar apps like Calendly and their CRM. GoHighLevel solves this by providing a built-in calendar system similar to Calendly, but fully integrated with your contacts and automation.

You can create custom booking links with your branding, set your availability preferences, and ensure you don't double-book. The system automatically syncs with Google and Outlook calendars.

The appointment scheduler includes:

Automated reminder notifications
Easy cancellation and rescheduling options
Full visibility of your schedule
Custom fields for gathering information
Integration with your automation workflows

This creates a seamless experience where appointment bookings can trigger automations, update opportunities, and keep all client information organized in one place.

Websites, Funnels and Lead Generation

GoHighLevel allows you to build entire websites, landing pages, and sales funnels directly within the platform. This means your lead generation tools are directly connected to your CRM without any integration challenges.

You can:

Create full websites with unlimited pages
Build sales funnels similar to ClickFunnels
Set up e-commerce stores
Host webinars
Track analytics
Add blog sections

If your website is already on WordPress, GoHighLevel offers a plugin to sync data between platforms. You can even create membership sites and client portals for premium content access.

The high-converting landing page capabilities within GoHighLevel can significantly improve your lead generation efforts.

Forms, Surveys and Interactive Content

The forms feature in GoHighLevel is particularly powerful for lead generation. You can create custom forms that embed directly on your website or landing pages.

These forms automatically push all submissions into your GoHighLevel contacts database, triggering your automated follow-up sequences. You can also create surveys and quizzes that help pre-qualify leads based on their answers.

Many business owners I work with use quizzes as an engaging way to capture leads while providing immediate value. Based on quiz responses, you can route prospects to different automations or opportunity pipelines.

Additional Powerful Features

GoHighLevel includes several other powerful tools that enhance your business automation:

Live Chat: Set up AI-powered or manual live chat on your website that connects directly to the GoHighLevel mobile app.
QR Codes: Generate custom QR codes that trigger specific actions when scanned.
Membership Suite: Host online courses and content with a full membership system.
Reputation Management: Connect with Google and other review platforms to automatically request, collect and publish customer reviews.
Reporting: Track performance across Google Ads, Facebook Ads, attribution, calls, and appointments.
Payments: Process invoices, estimates, contracts, orders, and subscriptions with integration to payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Square.
App Marketplace: Extend functionality with additional apps and integrations including Zapier and custom API connections.

Learning more about marketing automation in 2025 can help you get the most from these powerful features.

GoHighLevel Pricing Plans

GoHighLevel offers two main pricing plans:

Standard Plan - $97/month:

Unlimited contacts
Unlimited users
All core features mentioned above
Perfect for most small to medium businesses

Agency Unlimited Plan - $297/month:

Everything in the standard plan
Ability to create and manage unlimited accounts
Ideal for agencies or businesses managing multiple brands

Compared to other CRM systems like HubSpot which can cost $800+ per month, GoHighLevel offers tremendous value. Most importantly, GoHighLevel doesn't charge more as your contact database grows - a common pricing strategy with many other email marketing platforms.

Final Thoughts: Is GoHighLevel Right For You?

If you're running a business online and either don't have a CRM or are paying too much for your current solution, GoHighLevel is worth serious consideration. The comprehensive all-in-one nature of the platform can replace 5-10 different tools you might be using, saving both money and the headaches of managing multiple platforms.

What sets GoHighLevel apart is how it ties everything together - from lead generation to follow-up to closing deals - in one unified system. The automation capabilities are particularly powerful, allowing you to create consistent customer experiences while saving countless hours of manual work.

Ready to get started? Use our affiliate link below, and our team at Automation Links will import our complete automation template into your account to give you a head start. We'll help you automate follow-ups, appointment bookings, and lead nurturing right from day one.

Take control of your business automation today and see how much time and money you can save while growing your business more effectively. Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss if GoHighLevel is right for your specific business needs.

Don't forget to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that can help you scale your business

How to Start a Business YouTube Channel (Step-By-Step)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 19:58:44 GMT

How can I set up a professional YouTube channel for my business that attracts leads and visitors?

Setting up a YouTube channel for your business is one of the most effective ways to attract visitors and generate leads through video content. The process involves creating a personal, branded channel with a professional profile picture, custom banner, and strategic description that tells viewers exactly how you can help them. By following a structured approach to channel setup—from naming your channel to creating a welcome video that differentiates between new and returning visitors—you'll establish a professional presence that converts viewers into subscribers and eventually customers.

Questions People Ask

What should I name my YouTube channel for business purposes?
Make your channel name personal rather than generic. People relate to and remember individuals, not faceless brands. Use your own name or combine it with your business name to create a connection that viewers can remember and relate to, similar to how you'd remember a professor's face and stories from college.

How important is the YouTube channel banner and what should it include?
The banner is extremely important as it's one of the first visual elements visitors see. It should include your brand colors, a professional image of yourself, and clear text indicating what viewers will learn from your channel. You can design this in Canva using their YouTube banner template or hire a professional on Fiverr to create one that aligns perfectly with your brand.

What should I include in my YouTube channel description?
Your description should include three key elements: a brief introduction about who you are and what you do, your consistent posting schedule (e.g., "new videos every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday"), and relevant links to your website, newsletter, or other important destinations for viewers. This establishes credibility and sets expectations.

How do I set up different videos for new vs. returning visitors?
YouTube allows you to create a welcome video that only appears to non-subscribers. This is crucial for introducing yourself to first-time visitors and encouraging them to subscribe. Once someone subscribes, you can set different featured videos to appear, allowing you to guide returning visitors deeper into your content via strategic recommendations.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Builds trust through personal connection - Using your face and name humanizes your brand, making viewers more likely to remember and engage with your content.
Creates a consistent, professional presence - A well-designed channel with regular posting schedules demonstrates reliability and expertise to potential customers.
Differentiates content for different audience stages - The ability to show different videos to new vs. returning visitors enables strategic nurturing of viewers through your content funnel.
Leverages YouTube's massive search potential - A properly optimized channel increases visibility in both YouTube and Google searches, driving organic traffic to your business.

Getting Started with Your YouTube Channel

Starting a YouTube channel for your business is one of the smartest marketing moves you can make in today's digital landscape. I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks, and I've been helping businesses leverage video marketing for over a decade, working with more than 2,500 brands to optimize their digital presence.

If you're wondering why you should invest time in creating a YouTube channel, the answer is simple: YouTube is not just a video platform—it's the second largest search engine in the world. Videos help people connect with your brand, learn from you, and eventually become leads and customers.

How YouTube Brings Visitors and Leads

When setting up your YouTube channel, focus on creating a professional, branded presence that reflects your business values. Your channel serves as your video home base, complete with a custom banner, profile picture, and description that tells viewers exactly what to expect from your content.

The key elements of a successful YouTube channel include:

Professional banner image
Recognizable profile picture
Clear channel name
Compelling description
Consistent channel theme

If you want a comprehensive guide on optimizing every aspect of your YouTube channel setup, leave a comment below with "system" and someone from my team will send you the complete guide.

How to Set Up Your Channel (Name, Picture, Handle)

To begin creating your channel, head to youtube.com and click on your profile. Sign in with either your business email or Gmail account. Once logged in, click on "create a channel."

When prompted to name your channel, I strongly recommend making it personal. Why? People relate to and remember individuals, not faceless brands. Think about your own learning experiences—you probably remember your favorite professors' faces and stories, not just the information they shared.

This personal connection is crucial for building relationships with viewers. When naming your channel, consider using your own name or combining it with your business name for recognition.

Next, you'll need to create a handle—this is the URL you'll share on your website and social media. Be strategic with this choice, as it needs to be something people can easily remember and associate with you or your business. Avoid using random phrases that have nothing to do with your name or brand.

Walkthrough: Creating Your New Channel

Once you've decided on your channel name, you'll upload a profile picture. This should be a professional image of yourself rather than a logo. Remember, YouTube is about personal connections.

After setting up your name, handle, and profile picture, click "create channel" and wait for your profile to be created. The profile picture may take a little time to appear, but you can proceed to customize your channel by clicking on the "customize channel" option.

You'll be taken to the YouTube Studio where you can start adding critical information about yourself and your channel. This is where you'll create your banner image, finalize your channel name, and add a description, preferred language, and links to your website.

Why Personal Branding Matters on YouTube

For your banner image, I recommend using Canva's YouTube channel banner template. This ensures your banner will be perfectly sized for YouTube's requirements. Simply search for "YouTube channel banner" in Canva to find numerous templates.

Choose a template that aligns with your brand and customize it with your colors, images, and text. If design isn't your strong suit, consider hiring a professional on Fiverr to create a compelling banner for you.

The personal approach to your YouTube channel is vital because it helps viewers feel like they're building a relationship with you as they watch your content. This connection increases the likelihood that they'll remember you, subscribe to your channel, and eventually become customers.

Choosing a Memorable YouTube Handle

Your YouTube handle should be easy to remember and directly related to your name or business. For example, my main channel handle is simply "@brad-smith" because it's straightforward and aligns with my personal brand.

When someone wants to find or share your channel, a clear, relevant handle makes it much easier for them to do so. Avoid complex or unrelated handles that might confuse potential subscribers.

Uploading Your Profile Picture and Saving Setup

After selecting your handle, upload your profile picture by clicking "from computer" and selecting an appropriate image. Once your profile picture is uploaded, click "create channel" to finalize the initial setup.

Remember that it may take a few moments for your profile picture to appear, but you can continue with the customization process in the meantime. Click on "customize channel" to proceed to the next steps of your setup.

Designing and Uploading Your YouTube Banner

Your banner image is a critical component of your channel's visual identity. Using the dimensions provided by YouTube, create a banner in Canva or another design platform that represents your brand effectively.

If you're using Canva, search for "YouTube channel banner" to find templates specifically designed for this purpose. These templates are already sized correctly for YouTube, saving you the hassle of dealing with image dimensions.

Once you've designed your banner, download it and upload it to your YouTube channel. You can adjust its positioning if needed, but using the correct template size should ensure it displays properly across all devices.

Learn more about creating effective visual content for your marketing in this blog.

How to Write a Channel Description

Your channel description should accomplish three main goals:

Introduce yourself and explain what you do
Set expectations for your content and posting schedule
Provide links to your website and other important resources

A well-crafted description might read something like: "I'm [Your Name], a [Your Profession] helping [Your Target Audience] to [Value Proposition]. New videos every Tuesday and Friday focusing on [Your Content Themes]. Subscribe to learn more about [Your Expertise]."

Adding your posting schedule is particularly important as it sets clear expectations for your audience. When viewers know when to expect new content, they're more likely to return regularly.

Setting a Consistent Posting Schedule

Consistency is key to building an audience on YouTube. I recommend establishing a regular posting schedule that you can maintain over time. For example, my channel features new content every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, each focusing on different themes and playlists.

This predictability helps viewers know when to check back for new content. Whether you post weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, what matters most is maintaining the schedule you set.

For businesses using a CRM system (Go High Level), you can even automate content scheduling to ensure you never miss a posting date.

Adding Website Links and Contact Info

YouTube allows you to add links to your website, newsletter, social media, or other important destinations in your channel description. This is a valuable opportunity to direct viewers to your business assets.

To add links, simply enter the name you want to display (like "Website" or "Newsletter") and the corresponding URL. These links will appear in your channel description, making it easy for interested viewers to connect with you beyond YouTube.

You can add multiple links, so include any resources that might be valuable to your audience, such as your main website, landing pages for specific offers, or newsletter signup forms.

Creating and Adding a Video Watermark

A video watermark is a small icon that appears in the corner of your videos, typically prompting viewers to subscribe. This can be created in Canva by searching for "YouTube watermark."

Design a simple but eye-catching watermark, such as a thumbs-up icon or a subscribe button, that will encourage viewers to take action while watching your videos.

After downloading your watermark design, upload it to your YouTube channel and select when you want it to appear. I recommend setting it to appear at the end of your videos, right when you're verbally asking viewers to subscribe.

Publishing and Saving Your Channel Setup

Once you've completed all the customization steps, click "publish" to save your changes. Your channel is now set up with a professional appearance that will help attract and retain viewers.

Remember that YouTube allows you to make adjustments to your channel at any time, though there are some limitations on how frequently you can change certain elements like your channel name.

Advanced YouTube Channel Features

After setting up the basics of your channel, there are several advanced features you should consider implementing to maximize your YouTube marketing strategy.

Setting Up a Welcome Video for New Visitors

One of the most powerful features of YouTube is the ability to display different videos to new visitors versus returning subscribers. This allows you to create a tailored experience for each audience segment.

For new visitors, set up a welcome video that introduces yourself, explains what your channel offers, and encourages them to subscribe. This video should be concise but compelling, giving first-time viewers a clear reason to join your audience.

To set this up, create a dedicated welcome video, then designate it as the video that appears for non-subscribers. This ensures that every new visitor gets a proper introduction to you and your content.

Why New vs Returning Visitor Videos Matter

The distinction between new and returning visitors is crucial for effective audience nurturing. When someone subscribes to your channel and returns, you don't need to introduce yourself again—instead, you can guide them toward your best or most recent content.

By unsubscribing from your own channel and refreshing the page, you can see exactly what new visitors will experience when they land on your channel for the first time. This perspective helps you optimize the new visitor experience.

Conversely, when someone has already subscribed, you can feature different content that moves them deeper into your content ecosystem or promotes your latest videos. This strategic approach helps convert casual viewers into engaged followers and eventually customers.

For businesses looking to automate their marketing efforts, this segmentation approach on YouTube aligns perfectly with email automation strategies that deliver different content to prospects at different stages.

Final Thoughts: Your YouTube Journey Begins

Setting up a professional YouTube channel for your business is just the beginning of your video marketing journey. With your channel properly configured with a personal approach, consistent branding, and strategic customizations, you're now ready to start creating and uploading content that will attract and engage your target audience.

Remember that the most successful YouTube channels combine professional presentation with authentic, valuable content. Focus on sharing your expertise in a way that genuinely helps your viewers, and you'll build a loyal audience over time.

In my future videos, I'll be covering additional YouTube optimization strategies, including how to set up playlists, analyze your channel performance, and strategically feature videos on your channel homepage. Be sure to subscribe to stay updated on these upcoming tutorials.

Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how video marketing can fit into your overall business strategy. Book Now!

And don't forget to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies and marketing insights delivered weekly.

X (Twitter) AI Prompt: How to Maximize Reach and Brand Awareness

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 17:20:02 GMT

How Can I Create Engaging X (Twitter) Posts Using AI That Actually Generate Engagement?

You can maximize your X (Twitter) engagement by using AI to transform your video transcripts into authentic, non-robotic social posts. Brad Smith's method involves copying YouTube video transcriptions into a customized AI prompt, which structures your content with a hook, story, educational content, and clear call-to-action. This approach preserves your authentic voice while saving time and generating better engagement than generic AI-produced content.

Questions People Ask

What's the biggest mistake people make when using AI for social media posts?
The biggest mistake is creating content that sounds robotic. As Brad explains, using generic AI prompts often produces posts with excessive emojis that blend in with everyone else's content, making it harder to stand out and get engagement.

How do I get started if I don't like making videos?
You can start by recording just audio on your phone and uploading it to get a transcription. Brad recommends using free software like CapCut on your computer to transcribe your spoken words, then using those transcriptions with his AI prompt system.

Why is using my own words better than letting AI generate content from scratch?
Using your own words preserves your authentic voice and expertise, making your posts sound genuinely human rather than AI-generated. This authenticity helps you stand out from the flood of generic AI content on the platform and builds stronger connections with your audience.

What elements should every effective X post include?
Every effective X post should include a strong hook to capture attention, a brief story element, educational content that provides value, and a clear call-to-action. Including relevant images or videos that relate to your content is also crucial for increasing engagement.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Maintains authenticity while leveraging AI, preserving your unique voice and building genuine connections with your audience
Dramatically reduces content creation time by transforming existing content (videos or audio) into engaging social posts in minutes
Increases engagement rates by standing out from the generic AI-generated content that floods social platforms
Creates a consistent posting strategy that can be easily maintained even with limited time and resources

Transforming Video Content into Engaging X (Twitter) Posts

Introduction to the Engagement Problem

If you're posting on X (Twitter) and barely getting likes, comments, or engagement, you're not alone. This is a common struggle for business owners first starting out on the platform. I am Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks, experienced the same challenges when I began My X journey.

"You're posting on X Twitter and you're just not getting the likes, the comments, or really hardly any engagement," I always acknowledge, identifying a pain point many businesses face when trying to build their presence on the platform.

The good news is there's a solution that combines AI efficiency with human authenticity.

Why Most AI-Generated Social Posts Fail

When using artificial intelligence for social media content, many businesses make a critical mistake: their content ends up sounding robotic. "You don't want to sound like a robot or else you're going to blend in and sound like everyone else."

If you've tried using AI for your business on social media, you've likely seen posts with excessive emojis that blend in with the crowd rather than standing out. The key problem is that generic AI prompts create generic content that fails to capture your authentic voice.

Learn more about creating effective X (Twitter) posts that drive sales in this blog.

AI Prompt Solution for Social Media

My approach is different. Instead of letting AI generate content from scratch, I use a specialized prompt that transforms his own spoken words from video transcripts into engaging social posts.

This method preserves your authentic voice while saving tremendous time in your content creation process.

Step-by-Step Process to Create Authentic Social Posts with AI

Here's how My process works:

Create a video or audio recording with your content (I use YouTube videos, but you can use any audio recording)
Get a transcript of your spoken content (YouTube provides this automatically for uploaded videos, or use CapCut for audio files)
Copy the transcript text
Paste it into My custom GPT with My specialized prompt
Review and post the AI-structured content to X (Twitter)

The result is a well-structured post that uses your exact words but organized strategically for maximum engagement.

For those who aren't comfortable making videos yet, there is a simple workaround: "You can always just record your audio on your phone and upload download that transcription. I recommend using a free software like CapCut you can just use right on your computer."

The Perfect Social Post Structure

These AI prompt creates posts with a specific structure proven to drive engagement:

Hook : A compelling opening line that grabs attention
Story : A brief narrative element that creates connection
Education : Value-adding information or tips
Call to Action : Clear guidance on what to do next

"If you scroll down you're going to see that it lays it out for me. First it shows the hook, then it gives the story, and then it does context, and then it talks about why the educational piece, and then it has a call to action".

This structure takes your authentic words and organizes them in a way that maximizes engagement potential without losing your voice.

Learn more about how to automate your social media posts in this comprehensive guide.

Adding Visual Elements to Boost Engagement

Beyond just text, the importance of including relevant visuals: "I just head over to Canva create this image real quick. I like to include images or videos with my tweets that are relatable to what I'm teaching in my post."

I am against text-only tweets: "If you're just going to do a text tweet that you're just going to blend in like everyone else. What you want to do is be the expert, you want to share your expertise, a tip, education and provide helpful content with a great image or video that is relatable."

This combination of structured text and relevant visuals creates posts that stand out in crowded feeds.

Why This Approach Builds Long-Term Engagement

The strategy outlines more than just generate likes and comments. By using your authentic voice and providing real value, you position yourself as an expert in your field. This approach builds trust with your audience over time, leading to stronger relationships and better business outcomes.

For businesses looking to automate their X (Twitter) marketing strategy , this method provides a way to maintain authenticity while saving significant time in the content creation process.

By focusing on providing value and education rather than just promotion, you'll naturally attract followers who are genuinely interested in your expertise and offerings.

Take Action Today

Creating engaging X (Twitter) posts doesn't have to be a time-consuming struggle. With these AI prompt system, you can transform your spoken words into structured, engaging social media content in minutes. Start by recording your thoughts – either as video or just audio – and use this system to turn them into posts that generate real engagement.

Remember that authenticity is the key differentiator on social media today. By using your own words and expertise rather than generic AI content, you'll stand out from competitors and build a stronger connection with your audience.

Ready to take your social media strategy to the next level? Schedule a quick call with us to discuss how we can help you implement this and other automation strategies. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that will save you time and generate better results for your business.

AI-Powered Marketing Strategy for 2025 (QUICK GUIDE)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 12:08:23 GMT

How Can AI Save You Time and Generate More Leads in Your Marketing?

AI-powered marketing automation can transform your content creation workflow and lead generation process. By using AI tools to create your social media posts, newsletters, videos, and email follow-up sequences, you can save countless hours while maintaining your authentic voice and brand messaging. As Brad Smith demonstrates in this guide, the key is using AI to amplify your own ideas and content, then implementing automated systems to distribute this content consistently while tracking performance in your CRM.

Questions People Ask

How do I use AI to create content without losing my authentic voice?
The secret is to start with your own original content or ideas as the foundation. Record videos or audio of yourself speaking naturally about your expertise, then use AI to transform that raw material into polished posts, emails, and guides. This ensures everything remains in your unique voice while saving you hours of writing and editing.

What's the most efficient way to turn one piece of content into multiple assets?
Start by creating a video or audio recording, then use AI tools to transcribe and repurpose it into social media posts, newsletters, blogs, and email sequences. This ""spoke and wheel"" approach ensures consistency across platforms while maximizing your content's reach without additional creation time.

How can I automate my content distribution without it feeling robotic?
Use your CRM system to schedule AI-generated content at strategic intervals. The key is personalizing your prompts with context about your business and audience, then allowing AI to maintain your natural tone across platforms. Send the finished content to a virtual assistant for scheduling or handle it yourself through automated publishing tools.

How do I create an effective follow-up system that converts leads?
Implement a 26+ email sequence generated by AI based on your core content. These emails should provide value, establish authority, and gently guide leads toward conversion. Loop this system into your CRM to automatically trigger based on user actions, then track opens, clicks, and conversions to refine your approach.

What do I need to get started with AI-powered marketing automation?
At minimum, you need AI prompt templates for content creation (like the ones Brad offers), a CRM system for distribution and tracking, and your own original ideas or expertise. Start by creating one video or audio recording, then use the AI system to transform it into multiple content pieces. As you grow, consider hiring a virtual assistant to manage the workflow.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Saves 5-10 hours weekly on content creation while maintaining your authentic voice and expertise
Builds trust automatically by consistently sharing valuable information across multiple channels
Creates an always-on marketing system that works even when you're focused elsewhere in your business
Leverages one core idea into dozens of assets - videos, posts, emails, guides - with minimal additional effort
Scales effortlessly by delegating the implementation to virtual assistants while you focus on strategy

The Complete AI-Powered Marketing Strategy for 2025

Understanding the Four-Step AI Marketing Framework

I'm Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks with over 10 years of marketing experience, I have developed a four-step AI-powered marketing strategy that can save you time while generating more leads. This system leverages artificial intelligence to create content, build authority, follow up with leads, and optimize your entire marketing funnel.

The framework consists of four critical stages:

Awareness : Social media posting and video education
Value & Authority : Guides and educational resources
Follow-up & Reminders : Automated emails and retargeting ads
Systems : Booking systems, CRM pipelines, and AI reporting for optimization

Let's break down how each component works and how you can implement this system in your business.

Step 1: Create Content with AI While Maintaining Your Voice

The first stage of My AI marketing system focuses on creating awareness through social media content and educational videos. But there's a crucial difference between My approach and typical AI content generation.

"I'm going to show you how I use AI to get out content like my social media posts, my newsletters, my videos, and then send it all to a VA, a freelancer, to automate it for me".

The key insight: Instead of asking AI to generate random content, I uses AI to transform My own words and ideas into polished marketing assets. This ensures everything remains authentic and valuable.

Here's how to implement this approach:

Record yourself speaking about your expertise (through video, audio, or written notes)
Transcribe this content (many AI tools can do this automatically)
Feed the transcription into AI with specific formatting guidelines
Review and approve the AI-generated social posts, newsletters, or video scripts
Schedule content or send to a virtual assistant for distribution

This method allows you to maintain your unique voice while dramatically reducing the time spent creating content. Learn more about creating engaging social media content in this blog.

Step 2: Build Value and Authority Through Educational Content

The second stage focuses on establishing your expertise by creating high-value educational content that positions you as an authority. Again, AI transforms your existing knowledge into valuable resources.

"From there, you want to create landing pages, guides, and educational pieces. And I'm going to show you how I do that by grabbing it from this video and putting it into AI, and then it'll generate all my blogs, my content, and my education pieces".

This approach allows you to create lead magnets and valuable resources without spending days writing comprehensive guides. The process works similarly to the social media approach:

Use your video or audio content as source material
Input the transcription into AI with specific prompts for creating guides or educational materials
Refine the output to ensure it maintains your expertise and perspective
Format the content as downloadable resources, blog posts, or landing pages
Use these assets to collect email addresses and build your audience

By offering high-value content in exchange for contact information, you're building a permission-based audience you can nurture over time. For implementation tips, check out how to create lead magnets using AI in this detailed guide.

Step 3: Automate Your Follow-Up Sequence

The third stage is where most businesses fall short - consistent follow-up. This system solves it by creating an automated email sequence that nurtures leads without requiring daily attention.

"From there, you need to automate your follow-up. How do you follow up with automated emails, with newsletters, with retargeting marketing? With this prompt, you can generate 26 or more automated emails to plug into your CRM to automatically follow up with your leads."

This automated follow-up sequence ensures no lead falls through the cracks:

Use My email prompt template to generate a sequence of follow-up emails
Customize these emails to match your brand voice and offer progression
Load these emails into your CRM system for automatic deployment
Set up triggers based on user behavior (downloads, opens, clicks)
Implement retargeting ads to reinforce your message across platforms

The power of this approach is in its consistency and personalization. Even when you're busy with other aspects of your business, your follow-up system continues nurturing leads and moving them closer to conversion.

To maximize your email marketing effectiveness, explore these proven email automation strategies that generate results.

Step 4: Implement Systems and Track Performance

The final stage ties everything together with systematic tracking and optimization. This is where your CRM becomes invaluable.

"And that's where this last automation comes in. It's going to create all the blog posts for you. It's going to tie it all together, publish everything and make it easy for you to get going."

Your systems should include:

A booking system for consultations or sales calls
CRM pipelines that track leads through your funnel
AI reporting to identify optimization opportunities
Consistent content publishing schedules
Performance analytics to refine your approach

When setting up your CRM, focus on tracking key metrics like email opens, clicks, and conversion rates. This data will help you refine your marketing messages and improve performance over time.

"So what you're going to do is copy and paste each one of these... and then what I recommend is sending it to a freelancer to automate this for you. You can find my favorite freelancers in my affiliate links down below".

For businesses looking to implement a comprehensive CRM system, consider exploring GoHighLevel , which offers robust automation features tailored to small businesses. For outsourcing implementation, Fiverr freelancers can help set up your automation system cost-effectively.

Customizing AI Prompts for Your Business

The effectiveness of AI-generated content depends greatly on how well you customize your prompts. I always emphasizes personalizing the context section of each prompt:

"Now, once you grab one of these prompts, here's my social media one as an example, you're going to go ahead and customize this first section. And then from there, you want to make it all about yourself or your business. So AI knows who you are and they can make this perfect for you."

When customizing your prompts, include:

Your business name, industry, and primary offerings
Your target audience and their main pain points
Your brand voice (conversational, professional, educational)
Any specific phrases or terminology unique to your business
Examples of content you've created that represent your ideal tone

This context allows AI to generate content that feels authentic to your brand rather than generic marketing material. The more specific your context, the better the AI output will match your unique voice.

Scaling Your AI Marketing System with Virtual Assistants

Once you've established your AI marketing workflow, the next step is scaling through delegation. This is where virtual assistants become invaluable:

"I recommend sending it to a virtual assistant to automate this for you. You can find my favorite freelancers in my affiliate links down below. Or you can just go find your own. And if you're new, you're just starting out, go ahead and do this on your own so you can create the proper format and the proper guides."

A virtual assistant can handle routine tasks such as:

Inputting your transcriptions into AI tools
Reviewing and formatting AI-generated content
Scheduling posts across social platforms
Loading email sequences into your CRM
Monitoring performance metrics and reporting back

This delegation allows you to focus on strategy and creating the initial content while your marketing system continues running efficiently.

For those just starting, it's valuable to perform these processes yourself initially to understand the workflow before outsourcing. This ensures you can properly train and evaluate your virtual assistant's work.

Measuring Success: Tracking Analytics and Optimization

The final component of This AI marketing system is tracking performance metrics to ensure continuous improvement. Your CRM should serve as the central hub for this data:

"So that virtual assistant or yourself will throw that into your CRM. You want to automate everything, automate the social media posts, the newsletters, the automated emails, and the whole followup system. And then you're going to have everything in one place to track the analytics, the opens, the clicks, and the leads."

Key metrics to track include:

Email open and click-through rates
Social media engagement and reach
Lead conversion rates at each funnel stage
Customer acquisition costs
Return on investment for paid campaigns

Regularly reviewing these metrics allows you to identify which content resonates most with your audience and which parts of your funnel need optimization. This data-driven approach ensures your marketing becomes more effective over time.

For advanced tracking capabilities, tools like AdKong can provide deeper insights into advertising performance across platforms.

Take Action Today: Implement Your AI Marketing System

Implementing an AI-powered marketing system doesn't happen overnight, but the framework I outlines provides a clear path forward. Start by implementing one component at a time:

Begin with AI-assisted social media content generation
Add educational resources and lead magnets
Implement automated email follow-up sequences
Tie everything together with a comprehensive CRM system

The key is consistency and authenticity - using AI to amplify your voice rather than replace it. By starting with your own knowledge and experience, then using AI to transform it into various content formats, you maintain the human connection that drives real business relationships.

Ready to implement this system in your business? Here is the AI prompt package , or schedule a consultation to get personalized guidance on implementing this strategy in your specific business.

Remember, the most powerful marketing automation still requires your unique expertise and perspective as the foundation. By combining your knowledge with AI-powered tools and systematic follow-up, you'll create a marketing engine that generates leads consistently without demanding your constant attention.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that save time and generate results.

How to Re-Engage Unengaged Subscribers (Without Hurting Your Deliverability)

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 10:29:46 GMT

Inside every email list are quiet lurkers — people who subscribed, stopped opening, and haven’t purchased. It’s tempting to write them off. But if handled correctly, re-engaging these subscribers can bring back revenue and restore healthy list engagement — without risking your sender reputation.

In this post, we’re walking you through a simple, tested two-email strategy to re-engage cold subscribers using Klaviyo — one we use often for clients scaling past the $1M mark.

If your current email agency isn’t helping you address segments like this — or you’re exploring partners who can — here’s our list of the Top Email Marketing Agencies to keep an eye on.

Let’s get into it.

Step 1 – Build Your Re-Engagement Segment in Klaviyo

Before sending anything, start by identifying who you're trying to re-engage . We recommend defining your unengaged segment like this:

Opened 0 emails in the last 90 days
Received at least 3 emails total (you can increase this number for more accuracy)
Optional: Add "Placed Order = 0" if your offer is limited to first-time customers — otherwise, keep it broad to include past buyers who’ve gone quiet.

If your goal is to re-engage anyone who’s gone quiet — not just new leads — keep your criteria broad and include past customers too. Anyone who hasn’t opened in 90 days and has received several emails should qualify.

How to set this up in Klaviyo:

Go to Lists & Segments
Click Create Segment
Use filters like:
"Opened email 0 times in the last 90 days"
"Received email at least 3 times overall"
(Optional) "Placed order 0 times overall"
Name it something like Re-Engagement Segment

This ensures you're targeting people who’ve had the chance to engage — and just haven’t. Yet.

Step 2 – Send Campaign #1 (Plain Text, Personal, and with a Clear Offer)

Once your segment is built, it’s time to send a plain text email — no images, no frills. These emails often land better in the inbox, feel more human, and perform surprisingly well when re-engaging cold subscribers.

Here’s what to include:

A personal intro , ideally from a real person (e.g. “Gavin from In-box”)
A simple offer , like “Here’s 20% off — no strings attached”
A direct link with an auto-applied discount (if using Shopify, search “Shopify auto apply discount” to learn how)
A time limit — we recommend 72 hours for urgency

Send this email from an individual, not your brand name. “Gavin from In-box” will almost always outperform “In-box Team.” Keep it personal, keep it simple — and let the message do the heavy lifting.

Step 3 – Follow Up with Campaign #2 (Sent 48 Hours Later)

Two days after the first campaign, send a second plain text email to the same segment — minus anyone who engaged with the first one.

That’s key. By checking the "Determine recipients at send time" box in Klaviyo, the platform will automatically remove anyone who opened the first email. You’re not spamming people twice — you’re reaching only those who still haven’t responded.

Just duplicate the first email, tweak the copy slightly (you can use the same discount), and schedule it for 48 hours later .

This final nudge often catches the stragglers and helps clean your list in the process.

That’s okay. Anyone who remains unengaged at this point has had multiple chances to reconnect.

At this point, you can choose to:

Suppress them from future campaigns
Try one last win-back flow
Or leave them alone and focus on your engaged segment

The goal here isn’t perfection — it’s movement. If your segment shrinks from 1,800 to 1,200 after these two sends, that probably means you’ve re-engaged some readers, removed dead weight, and taken a healthy step toward improving list quality.

Automations are what make this kind of re-engagement scalable — they let you handle more subscribers, more behaviour, and more timing triggers, all without creating new campaigns every week. We build flows that speak to every stage of the customer journey — including unengaged subscribers — as part of our Email Automation Services .

What If They Still Don’t Engage?

Final Thoughts

Re-engaging your list shouldn’t be a guessing game. With the right filters, timing, and a personal touch, you can bring back cold subscribers and improve your list’s health at the same time.

Here’s the strategy in a nutshell:

Build your segment carefully — make sure people had a real chance to engage.
Use plain text for better deliverability and a human touch.
Personalise your sender name and keep your offer simple.
Follow up once — and let Klaviyo handle the logic.

Whether you’re reactivating a few subscribers or a few thousand, this approach gives you a clear path forward.

This post was written by our friends at In-box who are email and sms marketing specialist. If you need any help implementing this strategy we suggest reaching out to them here for help building a full system that performs.

Case Study Video Strategy (Step-by-Step for Businesses)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:25:05 GMT

How Can Businesses Create Effective Case Study Videos to Showcase Their Results?

Creating compelling case study videos is one of the most powerful ways to showcase your business results and convince potential clients to work with you. A well-crafted case study video follows a simple four-part framework: a strong hook that captures attention, identifying the clear pain point, explaining your unique strategy, and showcasing real, measurable results. This approach makes it easy for any business to create persuasive video testimonials that convert leads into customers and build credibility with your audience.

Questions People Ask

What elements should be included in an effective case study video?
A powerful case study video needs four key components: an attention-grabbing hook that highlights transformation, a clear explanation of the client's pain point, your unique strategy or solution, and concrete results with measurable metrics. This structure ensures potential customers can see exactly how you solve problems similar to theirs.

Why do many businesses avoid creating case studies?
Many businesses skip creating case studies despite having great results because they overthink the process, don't have a clear framework to follow, or worry about production quality. The truth is that case studies can be simple to produce when following a structured approach, and they don't need to be complex or perfectly polished to be effective.

How can I create case studies if I'm new to business or have limited client examples?
If you're new to business, you can create case studies about your own transformation and results. Even with just one client success story, you can develop a compelling case study that demonstrates your expertise. The key is focusing on the problem solved and measurable outcomes rather than having numerous examples.

Can case study videos work for e-commerce businesses?
Absolutely. E-commerce businesses can place case study videos directly on product pages to significantly increase conversion rates. These videos demonstrate real customer experiences and results, building trust and reducing purchase hesitation. They're especially effective for products that solve specific problems or deliver measurable improvements.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Builds immediate credibility by showcasing real results rather than making empty promises, establishing trust from the first interaction with potential clients
Shortens sales cycles by addressing common objections and demonstrating proven solutions before you even get on a sales call
Increases conversion rates for both service businesses and e-commerce stores by providing social proof and reducing customer hesitation
Creates versatile content that can be used across multiple platforms including websites, social media, sales presentations, and email campaigns

The Power of Video Case Studies

Most businesses understand the value of case studies but surprisingly few actually create them. As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience and 2,500 brand collaborations, explains, case studies are one of the most powerful tools for growing your business. They serve as concrete evidence of your capabilities and make it significantly easier to convert leads into customers.

Why Most Businesses Skip Case Studies

Despite their effectiveness, many businesses avoid creating case studies, often due to not having a clear framework or overthinking the process. But the truth is that even with just one client success story - or even your own transformation - you can create compelling case studies that drive results.

The beauty of case studies is their versatility. For service-based businesses, they help potential clients see themselves in your success stories, making sales calls more productive. For e-commerce brands, placing these videos on product pages can dramatically increase conversion rates by providing social proof.

The 4-Part Case Study Video Framework

Creating effective case study videos doesn't need to be complicated. Brad Smith shares a simple, four-part framework that any business can follow to showcase their results.

Step 1: Hook with a Transformation

The first crucial element is a strong hook that immediately captures viewer attention. Rather than jumping straight into the case study details, focus on the transformation:

"Here's how we helped a client who was struggling to get leads..."
"Check out how I helped this person go from struggling to successful..."
"This one tweak helped our client cut ad costs by 40%..."

Keep your hook relatively broad so it resonates with a wide segment of your potential customers. The goal is to highlight a transformation that makes viewers think, "I want that too."

You can use ChatGPT to help create strong hooks by providing your business details and examples of client success stories. Learn more about leveraging AI for content creation in this blog. Click here!

Step 2: Hit the Pain Point

Within the first 15 seconds, clearly identify the pain point your client was experiencing. This is crucial because if viewers are facing similar challenges, they'll immediately connect with your content.

"This person was struggling with getting quality leads..."
"They were spending too much on advertising with minimal results..."
"They couldn't convert website visitors into customers..."

Being specific about the pain point helps potential clients see themselves in the story and understand that you comprehend their challenges. This establishes you as someone who understands their specific problems.

Step 3: Share Your Unique Strategy

Next, explain your special method or solution that sets you apart from competitors. This is where you showcase your unique approach:

"We drew out a marketing blueprint for this business..."
"Our three-step retargeting system identified the missing pieces..."
"We implemented our proprietary follow-up sequence..."

This section demonstrates your expertise and methodology, showing not just what you did but how your approach is different from standard solutions. Using a consistent system or named methodology helps brand your services and makes your process memorable.

Using a comprehensive CRM GoHighLevel can help you implement and track these strategies effectively for your clients.

Step 4: Show Real Results

The final and most powerful component is showcasing concrete results. This is where you provide evidence of your effectiveness:

"Within 30 days, they saw a 40% increase in qualified leads..."
"Their cost per acquisition dropped from $50 to $15..."
"Revenue increased by 35% while ad spend decreased by 20%..."

Whenever possible, include specific metrics and numbers that demonstrate clear success. You don't always need to mention the client's name (you can refer to them by industry if needed), but you do need to show measurable outcomes within a specific timeframe.

For tracking these results accurately, consider using specialized tracking software AdKong to demonstrate clear ROI.

How to Film and Edit Your Case Study Videos

Creating these videos doesn't require professional equipment or complex editing. Here are some practical tips:

Use the four-point framework as your guide rather than memorizing a full script
Look at the bullet points before each section, then speak naturally to the camera
Maintain eye contact with the camera as much as possible
Don't worry about small mistakes - you can edit out pauses or stumbles
Keep the video concise - 2-3 minutes is often ideal for maintaining viewer attention

If you need assistance with editing, you can find affordable freelance editors who can polish your videos professionally.

Using AI to Enhance Your Case Study Creation

You can streamline your case study creation process by leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT. Simply provide:

Your business name
Your name
A brief description of the client and their problem
The solution you implemented
The results achieved

ChatGPT can help draft the four-part framework, giving you a solid starting point that you can then personalize and record. This makes the entire process much more efficient while maintaining authenticity.

Final Thoughts: Start Creating Case Studies Today

Now that you have this simple framework, there's no reason to delay creating case studies for your business. Even with just one success story, you can craft a compelling case study video that will help convert more leads into customers.

Remember that the power of case studies lies in their authenticity and specificity. Focus on real problems and measurable results, and you'll create content that resonates with potential clients and demonstrates your expertise.

If you'd like the complete case study blueprint mentioned in this article, simply comment "system" on the original video, and Brad's team will send it to you directly. For more insights on video marketing and other automation strategies, subscribe to our YouTube Channel for regular updates and tips. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Ready to implement a comprehensive marketing strategy with case studies as a cornerstone? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss your specific needs. Book Now!

How To Create X (Twitter) Ads For Beginners (COMPLETE BLUEPRINT)

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 21:29:01 GMT

How Can I Create Effective X (Twitter) Ads As A Beginner?

Creating effective X (Twitter) ads doesn't need to be complicated, even for beginners. The key is focusing on the right campaign type—specifically, a Reach campaign that targets follower lookalikes of accounts with your ideal audience. Unlike other platforms, X advertising success comes from building relationships first through your pinned tweet, consistent posting, and strategic retargeting, rather than pushing for immediate sales. With costs per click under 50 cents and the ability to get millions of impressions for just a few hundred dollars, X ads can deliver exceptional results when you follow this complete blueprint.

Questions People Ask

Do I need to be verified or pay for X Premium to run ads?
No, you don't need to pay for X Premium to run ads, though upgrading to the $8/month premium subscription may slightly improve results. You only need to be a verified user with a complete profile including a good profile picture, bio, and working links. Personal accounts typically perform better than business accounts since people prefer connecting with people.

What type of X ad campaign should I set up first?
Set up a Reach campaign first as your top-of-funnel strategy. While X may prompt you to use their new dashboard or sales campaigns, these typically don't work well for new advertisers. The Reach objective allows you to show your ads to the most relevant people at the lowest cost, creating awareness before trying to drive engagement or sales.

How much should I spend on X ads and how long until I see results?
Start with the minimum budget possible for the first few weeks to optimize your account. Initially, costs will be higher, but as your account builds trust with X and engagement increases, costs will decrease significantly. Most businesses see relationship-building results within 2-3 weeks, though actual sales may take longer—sometimes weeks or even months after people follow you.

Why do most X ads fail?
Most X ads fail because advertisers try to sell immediately rather than building relationships first. Using sales campaigns or website conversion campaigns before establishing trust doesn't work well on X. Successful advertisers create a two-step process: first introducing themselves through a pinned tweet that builds authority, then retargeting those who engage with educational content before making any sales pitch.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Lower cost acquisition : With costs per click under 50 cents and impressions in the millions for just a few hundred dollars, X ads deliver better value than Meta or Google ads
Builds trust before asking for sales : The relationship-first approach creates genuine connections that lead to higher-quality leads and customers who actually know your brand
Leverages organic content for conversions : Instead of paying for every conversion touchpoint, this system uses paid ads for discovery and organic content for nurturing
Creates a sustainable audience : By focusing on follower growth, you build an audience you can market to repeatedly without paying for each impression

Why Most X Ads Fail

If you're tired of Meta ads, Google ads, or simply need a new advertising platform, X (formerly Twitter) ads might be your answer. I've been running X ads for the last 18 months with exceptional results—so impressive that we've pivoted our entire agency model to focus on them. The advantages are clear: lower cost per click, higher quality traffic, and better engagement.

However, most advertisers are approaching X ads incorrectly. We've tested all campaign types—reach campaigns, engagement campaigns, sales campaigns—and discovered that only one specific approach consistently works across our 50+ client accounts.

Why We Switched Our Agency Model

As the owner of Automationlinks, I've worked with over 2,500 business owners during the past decade, and X advertising has proven to be one of our most effective channels. The platform delivers tremendous value with clicks typically under 50 cents and the ability to generate millions of impressions for just a few hundred dollars.

What makes X unique as an advertising platform is that your ideal audience is likely already there having meaningful conversations. If you believe your potential customers use the platform, it's worth testing as part of your marketing strategy. However, there are critical elements you need to understand to make your campaigns successful.

Do You Need Verification to Run Ads?

A common question I receive is whether verification or a paid X account is required to run ads. According to my research (including a quick check with Grock, X's AI assistant), you only need to be a verified user—not necessarily a premium subscriber.

That said, I do recommend upgrading to the Premium subscription ($8/month) as I've noticed slightly better ad performance with premium accounts. However, this isn't mandatory. What's more important is:

Having a complete profile with a professional profile picture
Creating a compelling bio that clearly communicates your value
Ensuring all your links work properly
Having a strong pinned tweet (more on this shortly)

Personal Brand vs. Business Page

An important distinction when running X ads is the type of account you should use. We consistently see better results when ads come from personal brands rather than business pages. People prefer connecting with people, not faceless companies.

I recommend creating a personal account for your advertising, even if you're promoting a business. You can always link back to your business page in your profile or posts, but the initial connection should feel personal. This approach builds better relationships over time and ultimately delivers superior results.

Top-of-Funnel Setup: Reach Campaign

The foundation of successful X advertising begins with a properly configured Reach campaign. This campaign type is designed to:

Introduce your profile to new potential followers
Target lookalike audiences similar to the followers of accounts in your industry
Maximize impressions at the lowest possible cost

When researching accounts to target, be cautious with older accounts that have hundreds of thousands of followers. Many of these followers may be purchased, inactive, or bots. Instead, focus on accounts with active engagement and recent comments—these indicate genuine, active audiences.

Building Authority with Pinned Tweets

Your pinned tweet functions as your digital storefront on X. It needs to be carefully crafted to:

Introduce yourself and your brand
Build immediate credibility
Generate engagement
Be memorable

Once your Reach campaign introduces new people to your profile, you need to establish a consistent posting schedule. This consistency, combined with your authority-building pinned tweet, encourages people to follow you.

The most important insight: your best sales and leads will come organically after people discover you through the ads. This requires patience and a strategic approach to content.

Common Ad Questions & Ad Account Setup

When setting up your X ad account, you'll likely encounter their new dashboard interface. While X will prompt you to use this new system, I strongly recommend avoiding it for now as our testing shows it simply doesn't deliver good results yet.

After creating your campaign, be aware that it often doesn't go live immediately and sometimes doesn't spend the full allocated budget. This is where having an X representative can be invaluable. Check your emails from X/Twitter as they may have already reached out to you. If not, connect with me on X (@Brad_Smith_Coach), and I can help connect you with my representative who can assist with account approval.

Don't Use Sales Campaigns First

When creating your first X ad campaign, the platform will likely steer you toward a sales campaign. Resist this temptation! The sales-focused approach doesn't work well for new advertisers on X.

Instead, edit the campaign objective and select "Reach" from the available options. We've tested every campaign type thoroughly, and the logic is simple: you can't force people to engage, visit your website, or make purchases. The most effective strategy is showing your ads to the maximum number of relevant people and letting them decide how to interact.

Do You Need Tracking to Start?

While tracking is important for any advertising platform, it's not essential for your initial top-of-funnel campaign on X. Since the goal is simply to get people to follow you and engage with your organic content, complex tracking setup can wait.

For your first campaign, focus on:

Setting up the correct campaign type (Reach)
Targeting the right audience
Creating a compelling pinned tweet

You can always add UTM parameters to the link in your bio to track traffic from X to your landing page. More advanced tracking setup, including pixel implementation and audience building, can be implemented later for your retargeting campaigns.

When to Add Pixels & UTMs

As your X advertising strategy matures, you'll want to implement proper tracking. This includes:

Setting up the X pixel on your website
Building custom audiences based on site visitors
Creating conversion events to track specific actions
Adding UTM parameters to all links to identify X traffic in your analytics

Learn more about advanced X ad tracking in this blog about tracking sales sources with proper attribution .

Why You Should Choose Reach

The reason we always recommend starting with a Reach campaign is simple: it delivers the widest exposure at the lowest cost. Other campaign objectives like engagement or website clicks won't magically make people engage or click—they just optimize toward people who already tend to take those actions (often at a higher cost).

When naming your campaign, I recommend using a format like "Top of Funnel - Reach - [Date]" to help you organize and track performance as you scale your advertising efforts.

Targeting Ideal Audience on X

To maximize your targeting effectiveness, I recommend using a Chrome extension called X-Pro Targeting. This tool helps you build larger, more relevant audiences by identifying follower lookalikes and keyword-based targeting groups.

The ideal audience size for most X ad campaigns is between 1-5 million people. This provides enough scale while maintaining relevance. To build this audience:

Identify accounts whose followers match your ideal customer profile
Use the "recommendations" feature to discover similar accounts
Add enough accounts to reach the 1-5 million audience size
Focus on accounts with recent, high-engagement activity

Remember to target accounts with active followers rather than those with large but potentially inactive follower counts. This ensures your ads reach people who regularly use X and are more likely to engage with your content.

How to Start With a Low Budget

When launching your first X ad campaign, start with the minimum possible budget. This approach allows you to:

Test and optimize your targeting
Build trust with the X algorithm
Improve your ad relevance score
Gradually lower your costs

Initially, your costs will be higher as X learns about your account and ads. As your campaign runs and generates engagement, costs typically decrease significantly. Only increase your budget after 2-3 weeks of optimization when you're seeing good engagement metrics.

Max Reach & Demographic Settings

In the campaign settings, always select "Max reach recommended" and pay by impression rather than engagement. This ensures maximum visibility for your budget.

For demographic targeting, I recommend:

Setting age ranges (typically 21-54 works well for most businesses)
Specifying language (usually your native language)
Selecting up to five countries where your ideal customers are located

Restricting these parameters prevents your ads from showing to irrelevant users or potential bots with incomplete profiles.

Building Lookalikes with X-Program Chrome Extension

The X Pro Targeting Chrome extension is invaluable for building effective lookalike audiences. After adding your initial target accounts, click on "recommendations" to see similar accounts suggested by the tool.

Continue adding accounts until you reach the recommended 1-5 million audience size. Remember to prioritize accounts with:

Recent posting activity
High engagement rates (comments, likes, shares)
Authentic followers (not purchased or inactive accounts)

This ensures your ads are shown to real, active users who are most likely to engage with your content and eventually become followers or customers.

Middle-of-Funnel Retargeting Strategy

After your top-of-funnel Reach campaign has run for a while, set up a second campaign to retarget:

Anyone who saw your initial ad
Users who engaged with your content
People who visited your profile
New followers gained through the first campaign

This middle-of-funnel campaign should feature educational content that encourages comments or direct messages. The goal is to deepen the relationship with people who have already shown initial interest in your brand.

By asking for comments or DMs, you create opportunities for direct engagement that builds trust and familiarity. This approach works for both B2B and e-commerce businesses, though the specific offers will differ (lead magnets for B2B, coupon codes for e-commerce).

Example Pinned Tweet Breakdown

My own pinned tweet showcases the effectiveness of this approach. It introduces me personally, builds a relationship through my face and story, and has generated over 400,000 views with significant engagement (50+ comments, 270+ likes).

When someone new discovers my profile through an ad, this pinned tweet immediately establishes my authority and creates a memorable first impression. This is far more effective than a direct sales message or generic business announcement.

The key elements of an effective pinned tweet include:

Your face (builds recognition and trust)
A brief introduction of yourself and your business
A compelling value proposition
A conversation starter that encourages engagement

Authority Building & Trust through Engagement

The sequential nature of this advertising strategy is crucial. You're building a relationship through multiple touchpoints:

Initial ad exposure introduces your profile
Pinned tweet establishes authority and memorability
Consistent posting keeps you visible in their feed
Retargeting ads deepen the relationship through education
Organic engagement converts interest into action

This approach takes patience—sometimes people will hire you or buy from you weeks or even months after initially following you. But the quality of these relationships leads to better customers and clients in the long run.

Why You Should Use Organic Posts as Ads

When creating your ads, use existing organic posts rather than creating dedicated ad content. This approach:

Leverages social proof from existing engagement
Appears more authentic in feeds
Builds authority through visible likes and comments
Performs better in the algorithm

Don't use the "boost post" feature or create new ad-specific content—these approaches typically underperform. Instead, select an organic post that's already performing well and promote it through your campaign.

Keep your promoted posts relatively recent—ideally within the last 3 months. If a post is still generating good engagement, you can continue using it beyond this timeframe, but generally, fresher content performs better.

Ad Format Tips & Posting Strategy

When using organic posts as ads, you bypass many of the restrictions that come with creating dedicated ad content, such as:

280 character limits
Square image requirements
Video formatting specifications

This flexibility allows you to create more natural, engaging content that doesn't feel like traditional advertising.

After someone follows you from your ad, your consistent organic posting becomes crucial. Share valuable, educational content regularly to stay top-of-mind and build trust over time. Remember that the sales process on X is longer but often leads to higher-quality customers who feel a genuine connection to your brand.

Follow-Up Strategy with Content & Automation

The complete X advertising system works as a relationship funnel:

Reach campaign : Introduces your profile to potential followers using follower lookalike targeting
Pinned tweet : Establishes authority and builds recognition
Consistent posting : Maintains visibility and delivers value
Middle-of-funnel retargeting : Educates those who engaged and encourages deeper interaction
Value delivery : Provides something valuable in exchange for comments or DMs
Conversion : Eventually leads to sales after trust is established

This works equally well for service businesses and e-commerce. Instead of lead magnets, e-commerce brands can use abandoned cart recovery and coupon codes in their follow-up strategy.

Learn more about creating an effective follow-up system in this blog about email automations that convert leads to customers .

Final Thoughts: Patience Yields Results

The X advertising blueprint I've shared is fundamentally different from traditional advertising approaches. It prioritizes building relationships before asking for sales, which requires patience but delivers superior long-term results.

If you're looking for a platform with lower costs and higher quality engagement than Meta or Google, X advertising deserves your consideration. The approach works consistently across industries and business types when implemented correctly.

Remember that success with X ads isn't measured by immediate conversions but by the gradual building of an engaged audience that trusts you and eventually converts organically through your content. This strategy has transformed our agency model because it delivers sustainable, long-term results rather than quick but fleeting wins.

Here is the blueprint to implement for your business Comment. Alternatively, book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how this approach might work for your specific business. Book Now!

Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for more automation strategies.

Build a Sales Pipeline with AI Powered Retargeting

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:18:27 GMT

How Can I Stop Losing Potential Customers Who Visit My Website?

If you're struggling with website visitors who view your page but never return, you're experiencing one of the most common challenges in business today. A staggering 99.9% of website visitors leave and never come back, leaving potential sales on the table. The solution lies in implementing a strategic follow-up system that combines automation, AI-powered retargeting, and proper lead tracking. By setting up a comprehensive follow-up pipeline that targets leads through multiple channels, you can increase your conversion rates by 30% and transform those disappearing leads into loyal customers.

Questions People Ask

What's causing my website visitors to disappear without converting?
Most website visitors leave because they're distracted or not ready to buy immediately. They may be checking your site at a red light, picking up their kids from school, or simply researching options. Without proper follow-up systems in place, these potential customers forget about you and never return.

How many follow-up attempts should I make with a potential lead?
You should follow up 5-15 times with each lead. Most businesses give up too quickly, but leads often convert days, weeks, or even months after their first interaction with your business. Consistent follow-up through various channels is key to capturing these delayed conversions.

What tools do I need to implement an effective follow-up system?
The core tool you need is a CRM that tracks your leads through your sales pipeline. Go High Level is recommended for its comprehensive automation capabilities. You'll also need retargeting pixels for your website, an email automation system, and potentially text messaging capabilities for a multi-channel approach.

How can I keep track of leads as they move through my sales funnel?
Use a visual CRM pipeline that automatically moves leads through different stages based on their actions. Your pipeline should include stages like "new lead," "scheduled appointment," "follow-up call," "nurturing," and "contract signed." Automation should handle the movement between these stages whenever possible.

How do I set up retargeting for leads who visit my site?
Install tracking pixels on your landing pages to target visitors with ads that remind them to come back. These pixels allow you to show customized ads to people who have already shown interest in your business, significantly increasing the chance they'll return and take action.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Captures lost opportunities by following up with the 99.9% of visitors who would otherwise leave forever, dramatically expanding your potential customer base
Creates multiple touchpoints through emails, retargeting ads, and other channels, increasing brand recognition and trust before the purchase decision
Automates the nurturing process so you can maintain relationships with hundreds or thousands of leads simultaneously with minimal manual effort
Provides valuable analytics and tracking to show exactly where leads are in your pipeline, helping you identify bottlenecks and optimize your sales process

The Hidden Problem with Website Visitors

Do you ever feel like you're missing out on leads? They come to your website and they just disappear like a ghost. A shocking 99.9% of website visitors leave and never come back. If you're a business owner, you understand this pain. You think somebody's interested—they've maybe filled out a form, followed you on social media, sent you a message, maybe they even scheduled a call or abandoned a cart—but they leave and you never hear from them again.

The reason is simple: you're not following up the right way.

I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links, and over the last 10 years, I've worked with over 2,500 brands helping them with their follow-up systems. Today, I'm going to break down and share the exact follow-up system that we use and all of our clients use to follow up and increase conversion rates by 30%.

Understanding the Follow-Up Flow

The key to capturing those disappearing leads is implementing a comprehensive follow-up system. This system consists of a flow that tracks leads from the moment they interact with your business through various stages of engagement.

Here's what this system looks like:

Traffic Sources : Drive traffic from Google, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and other platforms
Landing Page : Send visitors to a focused landing page offering high value
Thank You Page : Provide immediate value and clear next steps
Multiple Follow-Up Channels : Implement email sequences, retargeting ads, and text messages
Sales Pipeline Tracking : Visualize and track progress through your CRM

Building a Simple Landing Page

The first critical component is creating a simple, focused landing page. This page should be clean, to-the-point, and clearly communicate what visitors will get. The goal is to collect their name and email address by providing something of high value.

After they submit their information, direct them to a thank you page that:

Delivers what you promised
Asks them to check their email
Provides options to schedule a call or join your program
Encourages them to watch a video to learn more

This structure creates multiple opportunities for engagement right from the start, rather than letting leads slip away.

The Retargeting Funnel Explained

As soon as someone hits your landing page, you want to tag them with a pixel to enable retargeting. The reality is that most people visiting your website are busy—perhaps at a red light that suddenly turns green, or picking their kids up from school. They don't have time to take action immediately.

With retargeting pixels implemented:

You can show ads to remind them to return to your site
Your brand appears wherever they go online, creating familiarity
Multiple opportunities exist to re-engage them

You should also provide immediate options to buy or schedule if they're ready to take action right away. A small percentage will do this, but most will need nurturing through your funnel.

Email, Text, and Pixel Automation

For those who don't immediately convert, it's crucial to build relationships through automated follow-up:

Send reminder emails that provide value while encouraging action
Implement text message follow-up when possible
Show retargeting ads across platforms to keep your brand visible

This multi-channel approach ensures leads see your message repeatedly, increasing the likelihood they'll eventually convert when the timing is right for them.

"ou want to be able to follow up 5, 10, 15, 25 times with these leads because not everyone's ready to sign up today. You might have somebody sign up tomorrow, in a week from now, in a month from now, even 3, 6, 12 months from now if you follow up with these systems.

Learn more about creating effective email sequences in this blog. Click here!

Visual CRM Pipeline Tracking

One of the most powerful aspects of this system is the ability to visually track leads through your sales pipeline. Using a CRM like Go High Level, you can set up a pipeline that shows exactly where each lead stands in your process.

The pipeline typically follows these stages:

New Lead : Initial contact or form submission
Scheduled : Lead has booked an appointment
Follow-Up Call : After initial appointment
Nurture : Building relationship over time
Contract : Ready to sign and become a customer

The beauty of this system is in its automation. When someone takes a specific action, they automatically move to the next stage in your pipeline. This gives you a bird's-eye view of your entire sales process, showing you exactly where leads are and what needs attention.

For e-commerce businesses, simply replace the "schedule" stage with "abandoned cart" to adapt this system to your needs.

Advanced Automations in GoHighLevel

The power of this system comes from the automations that move leads through your pipeline without manual intervention. Here's how a simple automation might work:

When someone fills out your landing page form, they're tagged as a lead
An automated email is sent immediately
The system waits a day, then checks if they've scheduled
If they schedule, they're moved to the next stage automatically
If they don't schedule, nurturing emails continue

This automation continues throughout the entire pipeline, sending appropriate messages at each stage and updating their position based on their actions.

When you log into your dashboard, you can instantly see valuable metrics like:

Number of new opportunities
Value of deals in your pipeline
Conversion rates at each stage
Total closed revenue

Using customer tracking software in conjunction with your CRM can provide even deeper insights into customer behavior and conversion patterns.

Building Better Relationships to Increase Sales

The ultimate goal of this system isn't just to track leads—it's to build better relationships that lead to sales. Like, What we want to do is take somebody that's never heard of you, build a relationship, keep track of it, follow up with them, and increase your sales.

This approach works because:

It acknowledges that not everyone is ready to buy immediately
It keeps your brand top-of-mind when they are ready
It builds trust through consistent, valuable communication
It automates the process so no lead falls through the cracks

For businesses with sales teams, this system also provides accountability and structure for follow-up efforts. Rather than hoping salespeople remember to reach out, the automation ensures consistent communication while still allowing for personal touches.

You can further enhance your follow-up strategy by learning how to effectively use social media for lead nurturing. Learn more about X (Twitter) follow-up strategies in this blog. Click here!

Take Action Today

If you feel like you're losing potential customers who visit your website once and never return, this follow-up system is your solution. By implementing landing pages, thank you pages, email sequences, retargeting ads, and a visual CRM pipeline, you can dramatically increase your conversion rates.

Remember that most people aren't ready to buy immediately, but with consistent follow-up, they may convert days, weeks, or even months later. The key is having systems in place to nurture those relationships automatically.

Take the first step by setting up your landing page and implementing a CRM to track your leads. From there, build out the rest of the system one component at a time. The results—increased conversions, better customer relationships, and higher revenue—will be worth the effort.

Ready to implement this system in your business? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how we can help you set up your own automated follow-up pipeline. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that can help grow your business.

Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Business YouTube Videos

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 17:16:22 GMT

How Can You Create Effective YouTube Videos That Engage Your Audience From the First Second?

Creating effective YouTube videos starts with a strong, confident opening that addresses your viewer's pain points immediately. The key is having a structured approach that includes starting with a relatable problem, briefly introducing yourself, previewing what you'll teach, encouraging engagement, and then delivering high-quality educational content. With this formula, you can overcome the initial awkwardness of creating videos and develop content that attracts leads and establishes your expertise.

Questions People Ask

Why is the first 10 seconds of a YouTube video so important?
The first 10 seconds determines whether viewers will stay or leave. YouTube's algorithm tracks audience retention, so grabbing attention immediately with a relatable pain point or clear value proposition significantly increases your video's performance and reach.
How do I create a video script that keeps people watching?
Create a bullet-point script focusing on: 1) a pain point your audience experiences, 2) what solution you're offering in this video, 3) a brief introduction, 4) what to expect, and 5) an early engagement prompt. This structure creates a roadmap that keeps both you and your viewers focused.
Should I ask viewers to subscribe at the beginning of my video?
No, avoid asking for subscriptions before providing value. Instead, start with a quick engagement request like "Comment below for my free video script" that builds relationship. Save subscription requests for the end after you've delivered valuable content that proves your expertise.
How detailed should my YouTube script be?
Your script should include main bullet points rather than word-for-word text. Include 3-6 key educational points you'll cover, and keep them visible behind the camera or on notes to maintain focus and prevent rambling while still appearing natural.
How can I overcome camera anxiety when making business videos?
Overcome camera anxiety by following a clear structure, starting with addressing a pain point rather than introducing yourself. Having a defined video formula reduces uncertainty about what to say, which significantly decreases nervousness and helps you appear more confident.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Immediately addresses customer pain points , connecting with viewers on their actual needs rather than wasting time on unnecessary introductions
Creates a repeatable system that eliminates guesswork and makes creating consistent video content much faster and less stressful
Prioritizes audience engagement and relationship-building , turning passive viewers into active participants and potential customers
Optimizes for YouTube's algorithm by encouraging early engagement and higher retention rates, improving your video's visibility
Transforms educational content into a lead generation tool that establishes your expertise while building your email list or community

Breaking Down the Perfect YouTube Video Formula

Starting a YouTube video can feel incredibly awkward. If you're like most business owners, you've probably thought: "How do I even begin? What should I say first? And how do I keep myself on track while keeping viewers engaged?" This struggle keeps many businesses from leveraging YouTube's massive potential for lead generation and establishing authority.

I've been there myself. As Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links, I spent 6 months trying to create my first video because I didn't have a clear structure to follow. After 10 years working with over 2,500 brands, I've developed a proven system for creating business videos that engage and convert.

The #1 Mistake Most Businesses Make With YouTube

The biggest mistake I see businesses make is starting their videos with "Hi, welcome to my channel" or "I'm [name] from [company]." This approach immediately loses viewer interest because it doesn't address why they clicked in the first place.

Instead, your video opening should follow a specific sequence designed to hook viewers and keep them watching:

1. Start With a Pain Point

Begin by immediately addressing a challenge your target audience is facing. For example, rather than introducing myself, I started this video with: "If you're anything like me, it's always so awkward starting videos."

This approach works because:

It immediately resonates with viewers experiencing the same problem
It positions your video as the solution to that problem
It creates a "pattern interrupt" that grabs attention

For your business, identify the specific pain points your ideal customers experience. Are they struggling to generate leads? Having trouble with their marketing automation? Unsure how to scale their business?

The Proven 5-Point Video Opening Structure

After working with thousands of brands and growing my own YouTube channel, I've developed a 5-step opening formula that works for any business video:

1. Call Out a Pain Point

Start by addressing something your ideal customer is experiencing. For example:

"If you're struggling to get leads from your website..."
"If you're tired of wasting money on ads that don't convert..."
"If you're unsure how to set up email automation that actually works..."

This immediately helps viewers identify that they're in the right place and that you understand their challenges.

2. Preview the Solution

Next, tell viewers exactly what they'll learn in this video:

"In today's video, I'm going to show you the diet that helped me lose weight."
"Today I'll walk you through the exact system I use to increase leads by 37%."
"I'm about to show you how to set up email automation that generates sales while you sleep."

This gives them a compelling reason to stay and watch.

3. Brief Introduction

Keep your introduction extremely brief. I always recommend creating a separate welcome video on your channel that you can direct people to rather than wasting valuable seconds on introductions in every video.

For example: "My name is Brad Smith from Automation Links. If you've watched my other videos, you know who I am. If you're new, check out my welcome video for more about my background."

4. Preview What's Coming Next

Tell viewers exactly how you'll present the information:

"I'm going to share my screen and walk you through this step-by-step."
"I'll demonstrate this technique using a real client example."
"I'm going to break this down into three easy parts you can implement today."

This creates clear expectations and helps viewers mentally prepare for the content format.

5. Engagement Request

Before diving into the main content, ask for a simple engagement action—but not a subscription yet!

For example: "Comment 'system' below if you want my full YouTube playbook sent to your inbox" or "Type 'new' in the comments if you're creating your first video and need my script template."

These engagement requests:

Boost your video's performance in the algorithm
Create a direct connection with viewers
Give you an opportunity to follow up personally
Help build your community

One of my most successful videos used this approach by asking viewers to comment "new" to receive my video script, resulting in hundreds of comments and many new client relationships.

Moving Into Your Educational Content

Only after completing these five opening elements should you transition to your main educational content. The formula works because it prioritizes the viewer's needs first, establishes clear expectations, and creates an engagement opportunity before delivering your expertise.

For your educational content, I recommend having 3-6 bullet points either behind your camera or on a notepad that you'll cover in sequence. This keeps you focused and ensures you deliver complete value without rambling.

Tools to Make Your YouTube Process Easier

Creating consistent YouTube content becomes much easier with the right tools. Here are some resources I recommend:

For script optimization: Use ChatGPT to help you refine your bullet points and create a video framework based on your expertise.
For tracking viewers: Consider using a CRM like GoHighLevel to manage relationships with viewers who engage with your videos.
For content planning: Use CreatorBuddy to help schedule and organize your YouTube content calendar.
For analytics: Track your video performance with specialized tools like AdKong to understand which topics resonate most with your audience.

Creating Your YouTube End Screen

While we've focused on how to start your videos, ending them properly is equally important. After delivering your educational content, include:

A value acknowledgment: "If this video brought you any value..."
Subscription request: Now is the time to ask viewers to subscribe
Related content pointer: "Check out this playlist here for more videos on YouTube marketing"
Call-to-action: Direct viewers to your next step, whether that's downloading a resource, booking a call, or visiting your website

This end screen formula completes the value exchange and gives viewers clear direction on their next steps.

Learn more about maximizing your YouTube marketing strategy in our comprehensive guide. Click here!

Final Thoughts: Start Creating Videos Today

The formula I've shared eliminates the guesswork from creating YouTube videos. By starting with a pain point, previewing your solution, briefly introducing yourself, explaining what's coming, and requesting engagement, you create a framework that makes video creation significantly easier.

What's been holding you back from creating videos is likely the same thing that held me back for 6 months—not having a clear system to follow. With this framework, you now have a repeatable process that works for any business topic.

Ready to implement this strategy and start growing your business with YouTube? Book a free 15-minute consultation session where we can review your video strategy and help you get started with confidence. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that will help you grow your business while working less.

Retargeting with AI-powered dynamic ads - Business Guide

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 15:59:00 GMT

How Can Businesses Use AI to Create Better Retargeting Ads?

Answer Businesses can use AI to generate highly personalized and recognizable retargeting ads by resizing branded content, optimizing it with tools like Canva and ChatGPT, and leveraging AI overlays through Meta and Google. Consistency and familiarity in ad visuals help audiences remember your brand and complete actions like booking or purchasing.

Questions People Ask:

What makes a retargeting ad memorable? A clear image with a face or product, used consistently across formats, helps your audience recognize and recall your brand. Familiarity builds trust and increases conversions.
How do I use Canva to resize ad creatives? Start with a square image, then use Canva’s “resize” feature to convert it into Instagram Reels, YouTube thumbnails, and other ad formats. This allows you to use one branded image across multiple platforms.
Can I use the same image for all my ads? Yes, especially for retargeting. Repeating a familiar image reinforces brand recognition. Swapping images too often can confuse your audience and reduce effectiveness.
How can Meta’s AI improve my ads? Meta’s AI can add overlays, adjust text, insert music, and auto-optimize your ad for different placements like Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger—without manual editing.
What size formats do I need for Google and X (Twitter) Ads? For Google, provide square, vertical, and horizontal images to fit YouTube, Gmail, and Search placements. For X, a single square image is typically sufficient.

How to Use AI-Powered Dynamic Ads for Retargeting That Converts

Hey there, I’m Brad Smith, founder of AutomationLinks. I’ve worked with over 2,500 brands over the last 10 years, and in this video, I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re using AI to launch highly engaging retargeting ads across multiple platforms.

If you’ve been wondering how to make your ads more personal, more effective, and more scalable without wasting time or money — this is your step-by-step playbook.

What You’ll Learn in This Video:

How to create memorable, brand-focused ad creatives that convert
Why showing the same image across platforms increases conversions
The secret to resizing ads for every platform in seconds using Canva
How to use Meta’s AI tools to enhance your ad creatives automatically
When to reuse organic content as your highest-performing ad
How to create avatar-style images using ChatGPT + AI image tools
Why consistent visuals outperform random ad swaps in retargeting
How to optimize ad creatives for Google, YouTube, Meta, and X
Where to upload each ad format to maximize visibility
How to leverage retargeting for top-of-mind brand awareness

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business:

AI-powered retargeting ads help you reconnect with warm leads across all platforms — Google, Meta, X, and YouTube — using a single, memorable visual.

By showing consistent, recognizable images, you increase click-through rates, lower cost-per-click (CPC), and build long-term familiarity that leads to purchases. This strategy works for personal brands, SaaS companies, eCommerce, service providers, and everything in between.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

Step 1: Start with a Signature Image: Use a square image of yourself, your product, or a recognizable element of your brand. This is the image people will begin to associate with your company.
Step 2: Repurpose Creatives with Canva: Resize your image into square, horizontal, and vertical formats using Canva’s “Resize” and “Copy” tools. This ensures your ad looks great across platforms like YouTube, Gmail, Google Display, X, and Meta.
Step 3: Use Meta’s AI to Customize Ads: Upload all three images into Meta Ads Manager. Let their AI add text overlays, music, or extra visuals automatically to increase engagement and relevance without extra effort.
Step 4: Create a Brand Avatar (Optional): If you don’t have a personal brand image, use AI prompts in ChatGPT to generate a branded avatar that reflects your tone, vibe, and niche.

Final Action Items:

Consistency wins. You don’t need to change your ad every week — you need to be remembered. Use AI, keep your visuals familiar, and build a presence people trust.

How I Use DMs to Get Clients on X (Twitter 2025)

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 17:16:01 GMT

How Can You Effectively Use Direct Messages on X to Acquire Clients?

You can effectively use direct messages on X (formerly Twitter) by focusing on supporting potential clients before selling to them. The key is to begin by engaging with their content—liking posts and leaving meaningful comments—before sending personalized messages that compliment their work instead of promoting your services. This relationship-first approach builds trust organically, making them more likely to reach out when they need your services. Remember, successful DMs make it about them, not you.

Questions People Ask

How long should I wait before sending a DM after engaging with someone's content?
After engaging with 4-5 posts and leaving a thoughtful comment, wait at least 1-2 days before sending your first DM. This gives them time to notice your activity and shows you're genuinely interested in their content rather than immediately pushing for a sales conversation.
Should I use AI to write my DMs on X?
Yes, AI tools like Grok can help craft personalized messages by analyzing a prospect's profile and suggesting meaningful compliments. However, always review and personalize the AI suggestions to ensure they sound authentic and specific to the individual you're reaching out to.
How many potential clients should I be engaging with at once?
Aim to consistently engage with 15-20 potential clients at any given time. Since not everyone will respond, this creates a pipeline where 1-2 new prospects may eventually reach out to you each month. Quality engagement with multiple prospects increases your chances of success.
What's the biggest mistake people make when sending cold DMs?
The biggest mistake is making the message about yourself and your services rather than about the recipient. Cold DMs that immediately pitch services or ask for something typically fail because they don't establish trust first. Instead, make your initial messages purely supportive and complimentary.
How consistently should I engage with potential clients on X?
For the best results, engage with each potential client every 1-2 days by liking posts and commenting thoughtfully. This consistent support should continue for at least several weeks before expecting any business discussions. Patience and persistence are essential to this relationship-building approach.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Builds authentic relationships rather than transactional connections, creating stronger client bonds and longer retention
Leverages the power of reciprocity - when you consistently support others without asking for anything, they naturally want to return the favor
Creates a sustainable pipeline of interested prospects who reach out when they're actually ready to buy
Differentiates you from competitors who use aggressive, self-centered outreach tactics

The Right Way to Use DMs on X (Twitter)

Why Most Cold DMs Fail

If you've been sending cold DMs or emails without getting responses, you're likely making a fundamental mistake that's costing you clients. As Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links with over 10 years of marketing experience serving 2,500+ brands explains, most people focus their messages on themselves rather than the recipient.

"The traditional approach to cold outreach is backward,"

"When you immediately pitch your services or talk about your accomplishments, you're essentially asking for something before providing any value."

This self-centered approach is why most cold DMs get ignored or, worse, create a negative impression. The solution isn't to abandon direct messaging but to completely reverse your approach.

The Relationship-First Framework

The most effective way to use DMs isn't to start with them at all. Instead, I recommends following this proven process:

Support Before Selling : Begin by liking 4-5 posts from your target prospect
Add Meaningful Engagement : Leave thoughtful comments that actually contribute to their content
Build Recognition : Allow them to notice your profile picture appearing repeatedly in their notifications
Only Then Message : Send a personalized DM that compliments them specifically on their work

This approach creates a fundamental shift in the dynamics of your outreach. Your prospect sees you as someone who has already provided value before asking for anything in return.

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

Let's break down exactly how to execute this strategy in practical terms:

Step 1: Identify Your Ideal Prospects

Begin by creating a list of 15-20 ideal clients who are active on X. These should be decision-makers in companies that would benefit from your services. The key is finding people who regularly post content you can genuinely engage with.

Step 2: Create a Systematic Engagement Plan

Open your calendar and schedule regular engagement sessions. For each prospect:

Like 4-5 of their recent posts
Leave at least one meaningful comment that adds value
Set a reminder to return in 2 days to repeat this process

"What you're doing is helping the algorithm push their content while simultaneously getting your profile picture in front of them. This creates familiarity before you've ever directly reached out.

Step 3: Craft a Personalized First Message

After a week of consistent engagement, it's time to send your first direct message. This is where most people get it wrong, but I suggests using AI to help craft something truly personalized.

Using Grok or similar AI tools, prompt the system with: Scan this profile and give me one cool thing they do that I can compliment them on.

The key is making this message 100% about them and 0% about you or your services. For example:

"I've been following your content about sustainable manufacturing processes, and your approach to reducing waste in the supply chain is genuinely innovative. The case study you shared last week was eye-opening."

Notice there's no pitch, no call-to-action, and no mention of your business. This is critical to the success of this approach.

Using Technology to Scale Your Efforts

While this approach requires genuine engagement, you can use tools to help manage your workflow. My recommendations are:

Creator Buddy : Helps organize and prioritize your engagement
High-Level CRM : Track your outreach and follow-up sequences

Investing in the right tools can help you maintain consistent engagement with multiple prospects without missing opportunities.

Note: "But remember, these are tools to enhance genuine interaction, not replace it."

The Follow-Up Strategy That Makes All the Difference

After your initial message, don't immediately shift to selling mode. Instead, continue your support and engagement strategy:

Return to their profile every 2 days
Continue liking and commenting on new content
Occasionally send another complimentary message about their recent content
Be patient and consistent for at least 3-4 weeks

Most people give up far too soon. The magic of this approach is in the consistency. You're demonstrating that you're genuinely interested in their success, not just making a quick sale.

This patience pays off because when they eventually do need your services, you'll be the first person they think of. They'll likely reach out to you directly, completely reversing the traditional sales dynamic.

Real Results from the Relationship-First Approach

This strategy has allowed me to sign over 100 clients through cold outreach that doesn't feel cold to the recipient. The key metrics that make this approach successful:

Engagement rate : 15-20× higher than traditional cold outreach
Response rate : 5-7× higher than sales-focused messages
Conversion timeline : Longer but with significantly higher close rates
Client retention : Substantially higher as relationships are built on genuine connection

Expanding Beyond X: This Works Everywhere

While we've focused on X (Twitter) in this guide, this relationship-first approach works across all platforms:

LinkedIn : Follow the same engagement strategy before connecting
Instagram : Comment meaningfully on stories and posts before DMing
Email : Reference specific content they've created before pitching
YouTube : Engage with comments before reaching out directly

The platform changes, but the psychology doesn't. People want to work with those who genuinely care about their success, regardless of where the interaction happens.

Learn more about our comprehensive relationship marketing approach in our Social Sales System. Click here!

Final Thoughts: Patience Leads to Profits

The relationship-first approach to DMs requires patience and genuine interest in your prospects, but the results speak for themselves. By focusing first on providing value and support, you establish yourself as someone who cares about the client's success—not just your own profit.

This strategy won't get you clients overnight, but it will build a sustainable pipeline of prospects who come to you pre-sold on your value. You'll spend less time convincing and more time collaborating with clients who already trust you.

Ready to transform your approach to client acquisition? Book a free 15-minute consultation to discuss how we can help implement this strategy for your specific business. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies that help you grow your business with less effort.

How I Use AI to Create Your YouTube Descriptions and Timestamps

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:03:18 GMT

How Can I Use AI to Create Better YouTube Descriptions and Timestamps?

AI can transform your YouTube content strategy by helping you create optimized descriptions and timestamps without spending hours doing it manually. By using AI tools alongside your video transcripts, you can generate search-friendly descriptions that use your exact words, format perfect timestamps that increase viewer retention, and set your videos up for better indexing on both YouTube and Google. This approach ensures your content is discovered by more viewers while providing a better user experience.

Questions People Ask

What should I include in my YouTube video descriptions?
Your YouTube descriptions should include an introduction about yourself, what viewers will learn, properly formatted timestamps for key sections, step-by-step instructions, and any relevant affiliate links. The best descriptions provide educational value while helping viewers navigate to exactly what they need in your video.

Should I let AI write my entire YouTube description?
No, you shouldn't use AI to create your entire description from scratch. Instead, use AI to organize and format the actual words you said in your video. This ensures the description accurately represents your content, which is better for viewers and for search algorithms.

How do timestamps help my YouTube videos perform better?
Timestamps break your video into navigable chapters that appear beneath the video progress bar, making it easier for viewers to find exactly what they need. This improves watch time and retention rates as viewers can jump to sections they're interested in rather than abandoning your video when they can't find specific information.

What's the secret setting that boosts video visibility?
Changing your video category from "Generic" to "Education" or "How-To" can significantly improve visibility. This categorization helps YouTube better understand your content's purpose and can lead to better indexing on YouTube, Google, and even in AI search results like ChatGPT.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Increases search visibility by using your exact words in descriptions, helping YouTube and Google better understand and rank your content
Improves viewer retention through well-structured timestamps that allow viewers to navigate directly to sections they're interested in
Saves hours of time by automating the process of creating professional descriptions and timestamps
Boosts indexing across platforms by properly categorizing and formatting your content for YouTube, Google, and AI search engines

Making the Most of Your YouTube Descriptions with AI

Introduction to YouTube Description Optimization

When it comes to YouTube marketing, most creators focus on the video content itself but neglect the power of a well-crafted description. As Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links with over 10 years of marketing experience and work with more than 2,500 brands, I've discovered that the description is a crucial yet underutilized element for discovery and engagement.

In this blog, I'll share my exact process for creating YouTube descriptions and timestamps that not only help viewers navigate your content but also improve your video's searchability across multiple platforms.

Why YouTube Descriptions Matter for Lead Generation

Your YouTube description isn't just a place to drop a few keywords and links. It serves multiple crucial purposes:

It helps YouTube understand what your video is about
It improves your chances of ranking in both YouTube and Google searches
It provides viewers with a roadmap to navigate your content
It allows you to include educational content and affiliate links

A powerful description uses the exact words from your video, structured in a way that maximizes searchability while providing value to the viewer. This approach ensures alignment between what you say and how search engines categorize your content.

Step-by-Step Process for Using AI and Transcripts

The key to creating effective YouTube descriptions is to use AI to organize the actual words you've said in your video, rather than generating completely new content. Here's my process:

1. Get Your Video Transcript

First, you need to get a transcript of your video. You can do this in several ways:

Download transcriptions from software like Adobe or CapCut
Extract them from your YouTube video after uploading
Use a transcription service

The transcript should contain the exact words you used in the video along with timestamps. This ensures your description accurately represents your content.

2. Use an AI Prompt for Formatting

Next, I use a specific AI prompt to transform this transcript into a well-structured description. My prompt instructs the AI to:

Help come up with SEO-friendly titles
Use only the words from the audio for the description
Format it for searchability and educational value
Create proper timestamps that will function as chapters

You can use this prompt with ChatGPT or any other AI tool you prefer. The key is to give clear instructions about the format you want for your description.

Learn more about AI prompts for marketing in this blog. Click here!

3. Format Your Description Properly

After the AI has generated your description, you'll need to do some manual formatting:

Add bullet points where needed
Ensure timestamps are formatted correctly (HH:MM:SS format)
Add your affiliate links at the bottom
Create proper section headings

This manual step ensures everything looks professional and functions correctly on YouTube.

Adding Educational Value to Descriptions

What separates great YouTube descriptions from average ones is their educational value. Your description should:

Introduce you and your credentials
Explain what viewers will learn
Provide a breakdown of key points with timestamps
Include step-by-step instructions
Add relevant affiliate links and resources

This approach not only helps viewers understand what they'll get from your video but also improves your SEO by including relevant keywords in a natural, value-adding context.

Formatting Timestamps for Better Viewer Retention

Properly formatted timestamps are crucial for improving viewer retention. When done correctly, timestamps appear as clickable chapters below the video progress bar, allowing viewers to jump directly to sections they're interested in.

For timestamps to work correctly:

Format them as HH:MM:SS (e.g., 0:45 or 12:15)
Include a space after the timestamp
Add a descriptive label
Start with 0:00 for the introduction

For example:
0:00 Introduction
2:15 Step 1: Getting Your Transcript
4:30 Step 2: Using the AI Prompt

This formatting creates a visual chapter breakdown that improves the viewing experience dramatically.

YouTube's algorithm notices when viewers use these timestamps to navigate your content, which can positively impact your retention metrics and overall video performance.

The Secret Setting That Boosts Your Visibility

Here's a little-known trick that can significantly boost your video's visibility: changing your video category from "Generic"" to "Education" and selecting "How-to" as the subcategory.

This simple change helps YouTube better understand the purpose of your video and can improve how it's indexed not just on YouTube but also on Google and even in AI search tools like ChatGPT.

To implement this setting:

Go to your video settings in YouTube Studio
Change the category to Education
Select How-to as the subcategory
Save your changes

This optimization signals to search algorithms that your content is educational and instructional, which can lead to better placement in relevant searches.

How to Break Descriptions into Search-Friendly Chapters

Breaking your description into search-friendly chapters involves more than just adding timestamps. It's about creating a logical flow that helps both viewers and search algorithms understand your content structure.

Here's how to do it effectively:

Start with an introduction section that summarizes the video
Create a ""What You'll Learn"" section that outlines key takeaways
Structure your timestamps to match the natural progression of topics
Add educational context between timestamp sections
Include relevant keywords in your chapter titles

This approach creates a mini-outline of your content that's valuable for both human readers and search algorithms.

Using a CRM like GoHighLeve l can help you track how visitors from YouTube interact with your website, giving you insights into which timestamps and description sections drive the most engagement.

Take Action Today

YouTube descriptions are a powerful yet underutilized tool for improving your video's discoverability and viewer engagement. By using AI to format your video transcriptions into search-friendly descriptions with proper timestamps, you can save time while significantly improving your video's performance.

Remember to use the exact words from your video, format your timestamps correctly, add educational value throughout, and change your video category to Education/How-to for maximum visibility. This strategy ensures your content is discoverable not just on YouTube but also on Google and AI search tools.

Ready to transform your YouTube marketing strategy? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how we can help you optimize your video content for maximum reach and engagement. Book Now!

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more automation strategies.

The Secret X (Twitter) Posting System Using Just Your Own Voice + AI

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:58:30 GMT

How Can I Create Engaging Social Media Content Without Spending Hours on It?

Creating effective social media content doesn't have to consume your entire day. With the right combination of voice recordings, AI tools, and a strategic process, you can generate authentic social posts that truly resonate with your audience and drive engagement. By leveraging your own spoken words and enhancing them with AI assistance, you can maintain authenticity while saving significant time—allowing you to post consistently without the usual content creation burnout.

Questions People Ask

What tools do I need to create social media content using my voice?
You'll need a way to record yourself speaking (like Loom, Zoom recordings, or even YouTube videos you've created), access to an AI tool like ChatGPT for content formatting, and optionally a content analysis tool like CreatorBuddy to optimize your posts.

Why is using my own voice better than purely AI-generated content?
Using your actual spoken words ensures the content remains authentically yours rather than generic AI text. This approach prevents you from accidentally plagiarizing others and creates more genuine engagement since the content reflects your actual thoughts and expertise.

How long does this process take compared to traditional social media creation?
This voice-to-post method typically takes 5-10 minutes per post compared to the 30+ minutes many people spend crafting social content from scratch. The time savings comes from speaking naturally rather than obsessing over written word choices.

Will my posts sound like AI wrote them?
Not if you follow the process correctly. The AI only reformats your spoken words into a more readable social post format and removes filler words. Since you're using your own language and thoughts, the posts maintain your authentic voice and perspective.

How often should I create posts using this method?
For optimal results, create 2-3 posts per week using this method. Consistency matters more than volume, and this approach makes it sustainable to maintain a regular posting schedule without burnout.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Eliminates writer's block by using your natural speaking ability instead of staring at a blank page
Creates authenticity at scale by maintaining your voice while enabling consistent posting
Increases engagement rates through more relatable, human content that doesn't read like generic AI copy
Saves hours of content creation time weekly while potentially improving the quality of your social media presence

Transform Your Voice Into Engaging Social Media Content

Why You're Spending Too Much Time on Social Media

Creating social media content shouldn't consume your entire day. Yet business owners often find themselves spending hours trying to craft the perfect posts, only to see minimal engagement. The solution is simpler than you might think.

As Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links with over 10 years of marketing experience working with 2,500+ brands explains, the secret lies in using your own voice combined with AI to create authentic, engaging content quickly.

The Voice-to-Post System Explained

This innovative approach turns your spoken words into perfect social media posts. The process is straightforward:

Record yourself speaking about a topic you know well (using Loom, Zoom recordings, or similar tools)
Extract the transcription from that recording
Use a specialized AI prompt to transform those words into a properly formatted social post
Optimize the post with analysis tools (optional)
Add a relevant image from your recording

The best part? You're using your own words, not stealing content or letting AI manufacture thoughts that aren't yours.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Voice-Based Social Posts

1. Prepare Your AI Prompt

Start with a specific prompt that tells AI exactly how to structure your social post. This prompt should include instructions for creating:

A compelling hook
A story element
Educational content
Relatable formatting
Engagement encouragement

These elements ensure your post follows best practices for social media engagement. Learn more about creating effective social content in this blog on how to create effective X (Twitter) posts that drive sales .

2. Record Your Thoughts

Use Loom, a Zoom recording, or even a YouTube video you've created to capture your thoughts on a topic. The key is speaking naturally about something you understand well.

This approach ensures you're creating original content based on your actual thoughts and expertise.

3. Extract the Transcription

Copy the transcription from your recording tool. This raw text contains your authentic thoughts and language patterns, which will form the foundation of your post.

If you're regularly creating content, you might benefit from a more comprehensive content strategy. Read about how to create a content strategy for your brand to maximize your efforts.

4. Feed Both Elements to AI

Paste your prompt and transcription into ChatGPT or similar AI tool. The AI will transform your spoken words into a properly formatted social media post that maintains your voice while optimizing for engagement.

What makes this approach powerful is that the content comes from your words, not artificially generated text. This ensures authenticity while saving time.

5. Analyze and Optimize (Optional)

For those who want to take their posts to the next level, tools like CreatorBuddy can analyze your post and suggest improvements for tone, engagement, and potential virality.

"It's going to analyze my post and give me tips to see how I can improve this even more before posting." While this step is optional, it can help refine your content for maximum impact.

Avoiding Common AI Mistakes

When using AI to format your posts, watch out for these common issues:

Overuse of emojis : Replace AI-inserted emojis with simpler formatting like dashes for a more natural look
Generic tone : Ensure your post still sounds like you by maintaining your unique expressions
Missing visuals : Add a relevant image from your recording to enhance engagement and context

"A lot of people out there are just posting text based post and they're not getting as much engagement anymore,". Adding a visual element that relates to your content can significantly improve performance.

Why This Method Beats Traditional Social Media Creation

Traditional social media creation often involves one of two problematic approaches:

Spending hours crafting "perfect" posts that few people engage with
Using generic AI-generated content that lacks authenticity and personal connection

The voice-to-post method provides a better alternative by:

Maintaining your authentic voice
Saving significant time
Creating content that genuinely reflects your expertise
Avoiding potential plagiarism concerns
Building better relationships with your audience

With this approach, you're not trying to sell directly in your posts. Instead, you're focusing on providing value and building relationships, which ultimately leads to better business outcomes.

If you're looking to expand beyond social media, consider implementing a complete social sales system that converts more leads with zero extra effort .

Take Action Today

Social media doesn't have to be a time sink. By implementing this voice-to-post system, you can create authentic, engaging content in minutes rather than hours. The key benefits—saving time, maintaining your authentic voice, and building better audience relationships—make this approach valuable for any business owner.

Start by recording a short video on a topic you know well, extract the transcription, and use the AI prompt technique to transform it into an engaging post. Add a relevant image, and you'll be on your way to more efficient, effective social media marketing.

Ready to implement this in your business? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how this and other marketing automation strategies can save you time while growing your business. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies just like this one.

The Easiest Way To Get Started With GoHighLevel (Explained In 20 Minutes)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:35:09 GMT

How Can You Consolidate All Your Marketing Software Into One Affordable CRM?

GoHighLevel offers a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to streamline their marketing operations. This all-in-one CRM allows you to replace multiple tools including email marketing platforms, scheduling software, landing page builders, and website tools while significantly reducing your monthly software costs. As Brad Smith demonstrates in this walkthrough, switching from HubSpot to GoHighLevel not only cuts costs but provides better tracking, automation capabilities, and a unified view of customer interactions - making it the perfect starting point for businesses ready to organize their marketing systems.

Questions People Ask

What makes GoHighLevel different from other CRM platforms?
GoHighLevel stands out because it offers unlimited contacts at a fixed price while providing integrated scheduling, forms, tracking, and automation features. Unlike platforms like HubSpot or MailChimp that charge based on contact numbers, GoHighLevel includes everything in one predictable fee and provides real-time insights into customer interactions, page visits, and campaign effectiveness.

How much money can switching to GoHighLevel save my business?
Businesses can save hundreds of dollars monthly by consolidating multiple software subscriptions. Brad Smith's team saved approximately $800 monthly by switching from HubSpot to GoHighLevel. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate payments for email marketing, scheduling, landing pages, and document signing services.

Is GoHighLevel difficult to learn for someone new to CRMs?
GoHighLevel is designed with user-friendliness in mind, featuring a customizable dashboard and intuitive navigation. New users can quickly get started with Brad's team offering to implement templates at no cost to accelerate your learning curve. The platform includes helpful tooltips and guides to make the transition smooth for CRM beginners.

Can GoHighLevel integrate with my existing tools and website?
Yes, GoHighLevel offers extensive integration capabilities through its marketplace and direct connection with Zapier. It can easily embed calendars, forms, and other elements into your existing website. The platform also connects with Google Analytics, Facebook ads, email services like SendGrid, and phone services through Twilio.

How does GoHighLevel help with tracking customer interactions?
GoHighLevel provides comprehensive tracking of every customer touchpoint including website visits, email opens, appointment bookings, and form submissions. This "activity timeline" shows where leads originate from, which pages they visit, and their engagement with your content—giving you actionable insights to improve conversion rates and tailor your follow-up approach.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Eliminates software bloat by consolidating 5-10 different marketing tools into one platform, reducing your tech stack and monthly expenses
Enhances lead visibility with real-time tracking of customer activity, source attribution, and engagement metrics that shows exactly where your most valuable leads come from
Automates follow-up sequences based on customer behavior, ensuring no lead falls through the cracks while freeing up your time for higher-value tasks
Improves conversion rates by providing a seamless customer experience from first contact through booking, purchasing, and beyond without platform switching
Scales effortlessly with unlimited contacts and users at one fixed price, allowing your business to grow without worrying about increasing software costs

Inside GoHighLevel: The All-In-One Marketing Solution

Introduction to GoHighLevel

As a business owner, you're likely juggling multiple software platforms to manage your marketing and customer relationships. For 10 years, I've helped over 2,500 brands streamline their marketing, and one tool stands above the rest for consolidation and efficiency.

Last year, my team at Automation Links switched from paying $800 monthly for HubSpot to GoHighLevel , dramatically cutting costs while gaining functionality. If your business feels like a "hot mess" of disconnected software—email marketing here, calendars there, websites elsewhere—this walkthrough will show you how to bring everything together in one place.

Dashboard Overview: Your Marketing Command Center

When you first log into GoHighLevel, you're greeted with a customizable dashboard that gives you a bird's-eye view of your business. Unlike other software platforms, GoHighLevel lets you build a dashboard tailored to your specific needs.

You can adjust date ranges, track opportunity status, monitor conversion rates, visualize your sales funnel, and even sync with Google Analytics and Facebook ads. This dashboard serves as your daily motivation center, showing your leads and sales in one consolidated view.

Contact Management: Building Better Customer Relationships

The Contacts section is the heart of any CRM, and GoHighLevel excels here with detailed tracking of customer interactions. For each contact, you can see:

Their original lead source (YouTube, Facebook, organic search, etc.)
Pages they've visited on your website with dates and times
Scheduled appointments and meeting history
Email open rates and engagement
Custom form and quiz responses
Tags, automation workflows, and pipeline status

This comprehensive view helps you understand each lead's journey and interests before you even speak with them. You can also manage tasks, take notes, view appointments, handle documents, and process payments—all from the contact record.

One significant advantage over competitors like MailChimp or Mailer Lite is unlimited contacts. With GoHighLevel, you pay one price regardless of how many contacts you have, eliminating the scaling costs that plague many growing businesses.

Learn more about maximizing your email marketing in our guide to creating automated email sequences that convert. Click here!

Integrated Scheduling: Replace Calendly for Good

If you're currently using Calendly or another scheduling tool, GoHighLevel allows you to eliminate that expense by building scheduling right into your CRM. The calendar functions mirror what you'd expect from dedicated scheduling tools:

Connection with Google or Outlook calendars
Multiple calendar types (one-on-one, round robin, class booking)
Custom availability settings by day and time
Buffer times between meetings
Minimum and maximum scheduling windows
Automated email reminders and follow-ups

What makes this particularly powerful is the ability to create custom forms that collect information during the booking process. These responses automatically populate in the contact record, giving you valuable information before your meeting.

Many businesses embed these calendars directly on their website, keeping prospects on their site rather than sending them to a third-party scheduling page. This not only creates a more cohesive brand experience but can improve SEO by keeping visitors on your site longer.

Sales Pipeline Management with Drag-and-Drop Simplicity

The Opportunities section transforms how you manage your sales pipeline with visual, drag-and-drop functionality. When someone fills out a form on your website or schedules an appointment, they can be automatically added to your pipeline with an assigned lead value.

GoHighLevel allows you to:

Create multiple pipelines for different products or services
Customize the stages in each pipeline
Assign monetary values to opportunities
Track progress with visual analytics
Assign leads to different team members
Automate stage progression based on actions

This visual approach ensures no lead gets forgotten. As you speak with potential clients and move them through your sales process, you can simply drag their card to the appropriate stage. The system provides valuable analytics on conversion rates and pipeline health.

If you want to improve your lead management process even further, check out our detailed guide on following up with new leads. Click here!

Unified Messaging: Email, SMS, and Social Media

GoHighLevel brings all your customer communications into one place. You can sync your email, Facebook messages, Instagram DMs, and text messages into a unified inbox. This allows you to:

See all conversations regardless of platform
Respond from one interface without platform switching
Track all communications in the contact record
Set up automated responses and follow-ups

This centralization ensures you never miss an important message and gives you the complete context of your relationship with each contact.

Streamlined Document and Payment Processing

For businesses that need document signing and payment processing, GoHighLevel can replace tools like DocuSign while providing integrated payment solutions. The platform supports:

Digital document creation and signing
Invoice generation
Abandoned cart recovery
Subscription management
Payment links and forms
Product catalogs and coupon codes
Integration with Stripe, PayPal, and Square

While our team doesn't utilize this feature extensively, many businesses find that it eliminates yet another monthly subscription while keeping everything connected to the customer record.

Marketing Campaign Management

GoHighLevel includes robust marketing features that many businesses pay for separately. The platform allows you to:

Schedule social media posts across multiple platforms
Leverage AI for content creation and image generation
Create and send email newsletters and campaigns
Design email templates with drag-and-drop simplicity
Track campaign performance

The email marketing functionality is particularly strong, with the ability to target specific segments of your audience and track open rates, click-throughs, and conversions.

Powerful Automation Workflows

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of GoHighLevel is its automation capabilities. The platform allows you to create complex, behavior-based workflows that trigger based on customer actions.

For example, you can set up automations that:

Send personalized emails when someone fills out a form
Create follow-up sequences based on whether emails are opened
Move contacts through your pipeline when they take specific actions
Send text message reminders before appointments
Create conditional paths based on customer responses

These automations run in the background, ensuring consistent follow-up and freeing you to focus on more important aspects of your business. GoHighLevel's workflow editor uses a visual interface that makes it easy to understand the customer journey you're creating.

Website and Landing Page Builder

While not the primary focus for many users, GoHighLevel includes a capable website and landing page builder. This allows you to:

Create sales funnels and landing pages
Build entire websites with templates
Design forms and quizzes that feed directly into your CRM
Embed calendars, payment forms, and other elements
Track visitor behavior and form abandonment

The builder uses a drag-and-drop interface similar to other website builders, making it accessible even to those without technical expertise.

Advanced Tracking and Attribution

For data-driven marketers, GoHighLevel provides exceptional tracking capabilities. The platform allows you to:

Sync with Google My Business for review management
Connect Facebook and Google ads accounts
Track which marketing channels produce the most leads
See which pages visitors view before converting
Monitor which forms and landing pages perform best

This attribution data helps you understand which marketing efforts are paying off and which need improvement. You can even set up lead scoring based on various activities, allowing you to focus on your most engaged prospects.

For businesses focused on digital advertising, check out our comprehensive guide to X (Twitter) advertising. Click here!

Take Action Today: Implement GoHighLevel in Your Business

After reviewing all the features of GoHighLevel, it's clear why thousands of businesses have made the switch from more expensive, fragmented solutions. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools that not only save money but improve your marketing effectiveness through integration and automation.

If you're currently juggling multiple marketing tools and feeling the pain of disconnected systems, GoHighLevel provides an affordable solution that grows with your business. The unlimited contacts pricing model alone can save many businesses hundreds of dollars monthly.

To get started quickly, comment "system" below this post, and someone from my team will send you our full AI automation system template that can be implemented directly into your GoHighLevel account. This template includes proven email sequences, opportunity pipelines, and automation workflows that you can customize for your business.

Ready to take the next step? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to see if GoHighLevel is right for your business. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies: https://www.youtube.com/@brad-smith/

High-Converting YouTube Strategy to Generate More Leads in 2025

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 17:00:28 GMT

How Can YouTube Generate More Leads for Your Business in 2025?

YouTube has emerged as one of the most powerful lead generation platforms available today. By creating educational content where viewers see your face, hear your voice, and learn from your expertise, you build stronger relationships than possible with text alone. YouTube's algorithm continues showing your content to interested viewers, creating multiple touchpoints with potential customers. When combined with strategic retargeting and a proper sales funnel, YouTube consistently delivers high-quality leads who already feel connected to your brand before their first purchase or call.

Questions People Ask

How much does YouTube advertising cost for small businesses?
YouTube advertising can be started with as little as $5 per day. The platform allows precise audience targeting and budget control, making it accessible even for small businesses. Cost effectiveness improves when you create organic content first and then use ads to amplify your best-performing videos.

How do I set up a YouTube sales funnel?
Start with creating educational organic content on YouTube, then create a landing page where viewers can download a free resource or join your email list. Add retargeting pixels to your landing page, develop a strategic email follow-up sequence, and use YouTube ads to continue showing your content to interested viewers. Finally, make a direct offer after they've seen you multiple times.

How do I convert YouTube viewers into leads?
Ask viewers to take a specific action in your videos, like commenting for a free resource or subscribing to your newsletter. Drive traffic to a dedicated landing page with an opt-in form. Follow up with educational emails and strategic retargeting ads. Remember to keep content educational rather than salesy to maintain trust.

What makes YouTube more effective than other platforms for lead generation?
YouTube combines visual and audio elements that help viewers build stronger relationships with you. The platform has a sophisticated algorithm that continues showing your content to interested viewers. YouTube videos can rank on Google and ChatGPT search results, increasing your visibility. Educational videos create trust before a purchase decision, leading to better qualified leads.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Creates multiple touchpoints with potential customers through organic videos, retargeting ads, emails, and algorithmic recommendations without requiring additional work
Builds authentic relationships before the sale by allowing viewers to see your face, hear your voice, and learn from your expertise
Increases visibility across multiple platforms with videos that can rank on YouTube, Google, and ChatGPT searches
Delivers higher conversion rates on calls and sales because leads already feel like they know, like and trust you before making contact

The Power of YouTube as a Lead Generation Machine

In today's digital landscape, the most valuable asset for any business is high-quality leads. As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience, explains, "More visitors, more leads, and more customers - that's exactly what YouTube is doing for my business and for all of my clients' businesses."

YouTube stands out as a premier lead source because it creates a unique relationship-building opportunity. When someone watches your videos, they're not just consuming information - they're seeing your face, hearing your voice, and beginning to feel like they know you. This creates a foundation of trust that's difficult to achieve through text-based content alone.

Building Trust Through Video Content

The magic of YouTube isn't just in the content itself but in how the platform continues to nurture relationships with your audience. When someone watches one of your videos, YouTube's algorithm is likely to recommend more of your content, creating multiple touchpoints without additional work on your part.

This automated relationship-building makes YouTube videos incredibly valuable for lead generation.

"The algorithm will just continue showing them your videos, and you can always throw ads on to help them see more videos, learn more from you, and want to work with you."

The Complete YouTube Sales Funnel Blueprint

Brad Smith's YouTube sales funnel starts from the moment someone discovers your content and guides them all the way through to becoming a paying customer. Let's break down each component:

Step 1: Create Educational Organic Content

The foundation of this strategy is creating valuable, educational YouTube videos that address your target audience's questions and pain points. These videos should demonstrate your expertise while remaining helpful rather than salesy.

Start with 4-8 organic videos before considering paid promotion. This gives you time to refine your message and identify which content resonates best with your audience.

Step 2: Repurpose Videos into Blog Content

To maximize the reach of your content, transform each YouTube video into a blog post. This allows people to find you through both YouTube and Google searches.

"I've got this blog post on my site with the same title I would use for my YouTube video" Brad explains.

"I have a quick question and answer that they can read through and learn exactly what they're searching for, and then we add my YouTube video to the top."

This strategy increases your visibility and improves user experience by giving visitors the choice to consume your content in their preferred format. Learn more about content repurposing in this blog. Click here!

Step 3: Direct Traffic to a Landing Page

Every video and blog post should direct viewers to a specific landing page where they can download a resource or opt in to your email list. This landing page serves two critical purposes:

Capturing lead information for follow-up
Installing tracking pixels for retargeting

"The landing page is where you can set up retargeting. You can also set up the retargeting pixels on your YouTube channel if you decide to use YouTube ads."

Step 4: Implement Strategic Follow-up

Once someone visits your landing page, your follow-up strategy kicks in:

For those who opt in:

Send educational emails that provide additional value
Ask questions to encourage responses and keep your messages in their primary inbox
Invite them to schedule a call or make a purchase

For those who don't opt in:

Implement retargeting ads across multiple platforms
Stay visible through Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter)
Continue providing educational content to build trust

The Three-Part YouTube Ad Sequence

After someone has visited your landing page, Brad recommends implementing a strategic three-part YouTube ad sequence:

Introduction Ad: "Hey, you were on our website, this is a little bit more about us."
Educational Ad: "Here's something that you can learn, here's some free education."
Call-to-Action Ad: "I saw you're on my website, you've been watching my videos, feel free to schedule a call" or "Here's a 20% coupon code."

This sequence gradually builds trust before asking for a commitment. By the time viewers see your call-to-action, they've already had multiple positive interactions with your brand.

"What we're doing here is building better relationships through these videos, and then we're using the pixels and your other videos and your emails to continue reminding them to come back and work with you," Brad explains.

Your CRM system plays a vital role in managing these relationships and ensuring no leads fall through the cracks.

Why This Approach Creates Higher-Quality Leads

The conversion rates from this strategy are exceptional because by the time someone schedules a call or makes a purchase, they already feel like they know you and trust you. This applies to both B2B and e-commerce businesses:

For e-commerce:

Increases conversion rates
Boosts average order values
Generates more referrals

For B2B:

Results in more scheduled calls
Increases contact page submissions
Makes sales calls more effective

"When you get on the call with them finally, it's much easier for you to have that relationship already. All of their questions should hopefully be already answered, and you're just getting them signed up."

Making Your Videos Personal and Educational

The most important thing to remember with this strategy is that all your videos, ads, and emails should be personal and educational rather than salesy.

This approach has allowed Brad to generate about 50 leads per week from his YouTube channel with minimal ad spend. The key is creating videos that are relatable and authentic while providing genuine value to the viewer.

Using a reliable website builder to create effective landing pages that integrate with your YouTube strategy can significantly enhance your results.

Take Action Today

YouTube represents an incredible opportunity for businesses looking to generate more leads in 2025. The platform allows you to build genuine relationships at scale while the algorithm helps amplify your message to interested viewers. By implementing Brad's complete YouTube sales funnel, you can create a lead generation system that works around the clock.

Remember that the key to success with this strategy is consistency and focusing on education rather than selling. Create valuable content, repurpose it across platforms, implement strategic follow-up, and always prioritize building relationships over making quick sales.

Ready to implement this YouTube strategy in your business? Schedule a quick call with us. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

How to Get Clients on X (Twitter) by Being a Reply Guy (Proven Strategy)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:20:24 GMT

How Can I Generate Leads on X (Twitter) When No One Engages With My Posts?

The key to generating leads on X (Twitter) isn't just posting your content - it's building genuine relationships through engagement with others first. Instead of focusing solely on your own posts, spend time supporting other users by leaving thoughtful comments on their posts. This strategy creates reciprocity where they'll return the favor while also helping boost your visibility in the algorithm. When you prioritize making connections and adding value to others before asking for anything in return, you'll start seeing increased engagement, more DMs, and most importantly, qualified leads.

Questions People Ask

What's wrong with just posting content on X without engaging with others?
When you only post without engaging, you're missing the relationship-building aspect that makes social media effective. The X algorithm also prioritizes accounts that create engagement and conversation. Without commenting on others' posts, your content will likely be seen by fewer people, resulting in minimal engagement and lead generation.

How many people should I engage with before expecting results?
Start by engaging consistently with 20-30 accounts daily that align with your ideal customer profile. Leave thoughtful comments that add value rather than generic responses. After 2-3 weeks of consistent engagement, you should start seeing reciprocal engagement on your posts and potentially direct messages from interested prospects.

Is there a way to scale engagement without resorting to spam?
Yes, tools like Creator Buddy's Reply Guy feature help you efficiently engage with multiple accounts while keeping your comments authentic. It saves time by organizing posts from accounts you want to engage with but still requires you to craft personalized responses. Avoid automation tools that leave generic comments, as they'll damage your reputation and trigger algorithm penalties.

What should I say when commenting on others' posts?
Focus on adding value, asking thoughtful questions, or acknowledging something specific about their content. Avoid generic comments like "Great post!" Instead, reference something specific from their post, share a related insight, or ask a meaningful question. Your goal is to start conversations, not just leave a digital footprint.

How long does this strategy take to generate actual leads?
With consistent daily engagement (20-40 quality comments per day), most businesses start seeing increased engagement within 1-2 weeks. Actual leads typically begin appearing after 3-4 weeks of consistent effort. The quality of your engagement and the relevance of the accounts you're targeting will significantly impact your timeline to results.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Builds genuine relationships that convert to sales by prioritizing others first, establishing trust before any sales conversation begins
Increases algorithm visibility without gaming the system, leading to more organic exposure for your content without additional ad spend
Creates reciprocity naturally when people notice your support and feel inclined to return the favor by engaging with your content
Differentiates your brand from competitors who only broadcast content without engaging, making you memorable in a crowded space

Why Posting Alone on X Doesn't Work

Have you ever crafted what you thought were brilliant posts on X, scheduled them perfectly, hit send... and then crickets? No likes, no comments, no engagement, and definitely no leads? You're not alone, and there's a simple reason why.

The problem isn't your content - it's your strategy. You're making it all about yourself instead of others.

Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of experience working with more than 2,500 brands, explains that success on X comes down to relationships. "Put the effort into them and then they'll come back and support you," he advises.

The Reply Guy Strategy: Building Relationships First

If you're just posting and leaving X, you'll never scale your presence because you're not building real relationships. The key is to engage with others before expecting engagement on your own content.

Before Brad would even post his own content when starting on X, he would first leave 20-30 comments on other people's posts. This strategy demonstrated that he cared about others first, provided value to them first, and helped boost their content in the algorithm first.

The result? When those people saw Brad's posts later, they thought, "Brad already liked mine, so I'm going to leave a comment on his." This reciprocity is the foundation of relationship building on social media.

Using AI to Scale Genuine Engagement

While manual engagement works, it can be time-consuming. Brad recommends tools like Creator Buddy's Reply Guy feature to streamline the process without losing authenticity.

This tool allows you to:

Plug in usernames of accounts you want to engage with
See all their recent posts in one place
Craft personalized responses
Post genuine comments efficiently

Learn more about social media automation tools in this blog. Click here!

Why Fake Comments Destroy Your X Strategy

A critical warning: many software options will leave generic, automated replies on your behalf. This approach will damage your reputation and trigger algorithm penalties.

"There's a lot of software out there that will go and leave fake replies for you."

"You never want to do that because the algorithm will see it and they'll stop your account and no one will care because it's just a bunch of clickbait."

The algorithm is designed to detect authentic engagement versus spam. When you use bot-generated generic comments, you're signaling to both the algorithm and potential clients that you're not genuinely interested in connections.

Building Your Reply Guy Strategy

To implement this approach effectively:

Create a list of target accounts : Identify accounts run by your ideal customers, potential partners, and industry influencers.
Set aside daily engagement time : Schedule 15-30 minutes daily specifically for engaging with others' content.
Craft thoughtful comments : Show that you've actually read/watched their content by referencing specific points. Ask questions or add insights that demonstrate your expertise.
Be consistent : Engage daily rather than sporadically to build recognition and relationships over time.
Use tools wisely : Consider tools like Creator Buddy to help organize your engagement efforts without resorting to fake comments.

For businesses looking to build more comprehensive social media marketing strategies, explore our complete relationship marketing guide. Click here!

Real Examples of Effective Engagement

Brad demonstrates how he engages with others' content with examples like:

"This is super helpful Andrew" - A simple acknowledgment that shows genuine appreciation
"Your biggest enemy isn't competition - love this post, this is really good" - Quoting the content shows you actually read it
"Hey by the way I'm recording my YouTube video about you right now" - Creating mutual promotion opportunities

These comments build relationships rather than just trying to boost the algorithm.

Take Action Today

The Reply Guy strategy is simple but powerful: put others first, and they'll naturally reciprocate. By consistently engaging with your target audience's content before expecting engagement on your own, you'll build genuine relationships that lead to more engagement, followers, and ultimately, clients.

Start by identifying 20-30 accounts in your industry and commit to leaving thoughtful comments on their posts each day. Use tools like Creator Buddy to stay organized, but always ensure your comments are genuine and personalized.

Remember that social media success isn't about broadcasting - it's about conversation. When you make others feel valued, they'll naturally want to support you in return.

Ready to transform your X strategy with a complete system for generating and nurturing leads? Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how we can help you implement this approach for your specific business. Book Now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Advanced e-Commerce Email Automation Blueprint - 2025 Guide

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:42:15 GMT

How Can E-Commerce Brands Scale Past Revenue Plateaus Using Email Automation?

The key to scaling an e-commerce business beyond revenue plateaus lies in implementing a comprehensive follow-up funnel. Most first-time customers won't buy immediately, requiring strategic follow-up through email sequences, retargeting pixels, and personalized offers. By focusing on relationship-building rather than increasing ad spend, businesses can increase monthly revenue dramatically while actually reducing advertising costs. This blueprint emphasizes capturing visitor information, implementing automated email sequences, and strategically retargeting potential customers to recover otherwise lost sales opportunities.

Questions People Ask

What causes e-commerce businesses to hit revenue plateaus?
Most e-commerce businesses hit revenue plateaus because they focus solely on generating new traffic through increased ad spending rather than maximizing conversions from existing visitors. When over 99% of first-time visitors leave without purchasing and businesses lack proper follow-up systems, revenue naturally stagnates despite higher marketing costs.

How does an effective e-commerce follow-up system work?
An effective follow-up system captures visitor information through landing pages offering incentives like coupon codes, then deploys strategic email sequences that educate about products and build relationships. Simultaneously, it implements retargeting pixels to show strategic ads to visitors who didn't convert, all while maintaining consistent brand messaging across touchpoints.

Why is retargeting more cost-effective than acquiring new visitors?
Retargeting ads shown to people who've already visited your site typically cost 50-75% less than ads targeting completely new audiences. Since these visitors already have familiarity with your brand, conversion rates are significantly higher, making retargeting a highly efficient use of marketing budget that can generate more sales with reduced ad spend.

What should be included in an e-commerce welcome email series?
An effective welcome series should include 5-6 emails spread over 2-4 weeks including: an initial coupon code offer, a founder story email building brand connection, product education highlighting unique benefits, customer reviews and testimonials establishing social proof, and a final "best offer" email with an enhanced discount to convert hesitant buyers.

How can businesses measure the success of their follow-up system?
Success metrics should include conversion rate of abandoning visitors who later return through retargeting, email open and click-through rates, revenue generated from follow-up sequences versus ad spend, and overall monthly revenue growth while monitoring advertising costs. The ideal outcome is increased revenue with steady or decreasing ad spend.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

Maximizes existing traffic value by capturing and converting visitors who would otherwise be lost, turning wasted ad spend into profitable customer relationships
Reduces customer acquisition costs dramatically through strategic retargeting and email nurturing that costs 50-75% less than acquiring new visitors
Creates predictable, automated revenue streams through systematic follow-up that continues working 24/7 without requiring additional team effort
Builds valuable long-term customer relationships through educational content and consistent follow-up that increases lifetime value beyond the initial purchase

The $20K to $210K Monthly Revenue Blueprint

Introduction: Breaking Through Revenue Plateaus

I recently worked with an e-commerce client who was stuck at $20,000 a month in revenue. Despite increasing ad spend and social media activity, she couldn't break through this revenue ceiling. The missing element? A comprehensive e-commerce follow-up funnel. In this blog, I'll break down the exact blueprint that helped scale her business from $20,000 to $210,000 monthly revenue while actually reducing her advertising costs.

As Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks with over 10 years of marketing experience and 25,200 brands served, I've consistently seen that follow-up systems are the most overlooked aspect of e-commerce growth. Most businesses focus exclusively on driving new traffic rather than maximizing conversions from existing visitors.

Why Most First-Time Visitors Don't Convert

The fundamental challenge for e-commerce businesses is that most people, especially first-time customers, will not buy the first time they see your products. They might intend to purchase tomorrow, next week, or next month—but what if they forget about you entirely?

Consider this scenario: A potential customer is browsing your site while waiting to pick up their child from school. They're interested in your product and considering a purchase when the school bell rings. They quickly close their browser as children come running out, completely forgetting about their intended purchase. Without a proper follow-up system, this sale is permanently lost.

Our blueprint prevents these losses by ensuring potential customers don't forget about you and making it easy for them to complete their purchase when they're ready.

The Complete Funnel Breakdown

The funnel we implemented has several critical components working together:

1. Targeted Traffic Sources

First, we identified where ideal customers were actively searching for or interested in products like ours. Instead of generic homepage traffic (which has the worst conversion rates), we directed this traffic to specialized landing pages.

2. Landing Page Strategy

The landing page was designed specifically to capture visitor information—name, email, and tracking pixel data. We offered valuable incentives (usually discount codes) in exchange for contact information, allowing us to follow up even if they didn't purchase immediately.

Learn more about creating high-converting landing pages in this blog. Click here!

3. Consistent Brand Style

One key element was establishing a consistent, recognizable email template. The e-commerce brand in our case study used the same visual layout for every communication—whether it was an abandoned cart notification, automation email, or regular newsletter.

Their template featured a consistent headline structure, predictable text formatting, and standardized button styling. This consistency built familiarity and trust, as customers always knew what to expect from the brand's communications.

4. The Welcome Series Email Sequence

When someone provided their email, we immediately deployed a welcome series designed to build relationship, provide value, and educate them about products:

Initial coupon code email - Delivered immediately after signup
Founder story email - Building personal connection with the brand
Product education email - Highlighting what makes the products special
Reviews and case studies email - Showcasing social proof from satisfied customers
Best offer email - Providing an enhanced discount if they still hadn't purchased

This sequence ran automatically over 2-4 weeks, nurturing leads without requiring any manual effort.

5. Pixel-Based Retargeting Strategy

For visitors who didn't provide contact information (the vast majority), we implemented pixel tracking across all major platforms: Google, Meta, TikTok, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn.

This allowed us to show strategic retargeting ads reminding them about products they viewed. Importantly, these retargeting ads typically cost 50-75% less than ads targeting new audiences—$2-4 per lead versus $10+ for new leads.

Learn more about effective retargeting strategies in this blog. Click here!

6. Post-Conversion Relationship Building

After someone purchased, we continued nurturing the relationship with:

Thank you messages and building social media connection
Requests for product reviews
Referral requests to share with friends
Affiliate program invitations

This post-purchase sequence transformed one-time buyers into brand advocates and recurring customers.

Applying This Blueprint to Your E-Commerce Store

Let's walk through implementing this blueprint step by step:

Optimize your traffic sources by identifying where ideal customers are looking for products like yours
Create landing pages with email capture incentivized by discount codes or other valuable offers
Develop a consistent brand template for all email communications
Set up your welcome series automation with the 5-part sequence outlined above
Install pixel tracking on all pages for retargeting across advertising platforms
Configure retargeting campaigns specifically targeting site visitors who didn't purchase
Create post-purchase sequences to build loyalty and generate referrals

The beauty of this system is that once established, it runs automatically 24/7, continually recovering otherwise lost sales and building customer relationships.

The Right Shopping Experience for Modern Consumers

Modern shoppers rarely make immediate purchase decisions on first visit. They browse multiple sites, compare options, and often get distracted before completing purchases. Our blueprint works because it aligns with actual consumer behavior instead of hoping for instant conversions.

By using the CRM system to manage these automations, you can create personalized follow-up experiences that make customers feel understood and valued. The platform allows you to organize all your customer data in one place, making follow-up easier and more effective.

For tracking the effectiveness of your campaigns, consider using specialized tracking software that shows exactly which campaigns are generating the most revenue.

When building your e-commerce website, choosing the right platform is crucial. Many successful online stores use Shopify for its robust e-commerce features and integration capabilities with email marketing systems.

Case Study Results: Less Ad Spend, More Revenue

The results of implementing this blueprint for our case study client were remarkable:

Initial state: $20,000 monthly revenue with high ad spend
After implementation: $210,000 monthly revenue with reduced ad spend
Key factor: Strategic follow-up rather than increasing top-of-funnel traffic

The most surprising aspect was that we actually decreased ad spending while increasing revenue by focusing budget on high-converting retargeting campaigns rather than expensive new visitor acquisition.

Take Action Today: Implement Your Follow-Up System

The e-commerce follow-up blueprint I've shared doesn't require more ad spending or creating more social media content. Instead, it focuses on maximizing the value of visitors you're already paying to acquire.

By implementing a strategic follow-up system with landing pages, email sequences, and retargeting campaigns, you can dramatically increase your conversion rates and monthly revenue while potentially reducing advertising costs.

If you're currently experiencing a revenue plateau in your e-commerce business, the solution likely isn't more traffic—it's better follow-up. Start by auditing your current system: Do you capture visitor information? Do you have automated email sequences? Are you retargeting effectively?

Ready to implement this blueprint but need expert help? Book a free 15-minute consultation session with our team to discuss how we can customize this approach for your specific e-commerce store. Book Now!

For more automation strategies that can help scale your e-commerce business, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for weekly content on marketing automation and business growth.

BREAKING NEWS: X Ads New Dashboard + AI Shows EXACTLY How Many Sales

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 13:34:12 GMT

Main Question: How Can the X Ads Dashboard Help Improve Your Marketing Strategy?

The X Ads Dashboard integrates AI to optimize your marketing efforts.
It provides real-time ROI calculations and advanced audience targeting.
Helps businesses make data-driven decisions and track sales performance.
Simplifies the ad creation process, improving targeting accuracy and maximizing ad spend.

More Questions People Ask:

What are the benefits of using the X Ads Dashboard?

AI-powered ROI calculations help track ad performance and sales.
Advanced targeting options allow businesses to reach the right audience.
Easy-to-use interface for managing and optimizing campaigns.
Real-time feedback to refine and improve ads on the go.

How does AI improve ad targeting on X Ads?

AI segments audiences based on behaviors, interests, and demographics.
Enables highly personalized and relevant ads, boosting engagement.
Helps avoid wasting ad spend by reaching only the most relevant users.

How can AI optimize ad performance on X Ads?

Analyzes engagement data to suggest the best ad copy, headlines, and creatives.
Auto-generates creative elements to save time and ensure ad effectiveness.
Continuously monitors performance, offering optimization suggestions.

What’s the difference between tracking leads and sales on the X Ads Dashboard?

Tracking "leads" focuses on potential customers, giving insight into initial engagement.
Tracking "sales" shows actual conversions, helping assess campaign success.
The system calculates expected ROI based on the selected tracking metric.

How do you set up a sales campaign on X Ads?

Create an account and select the "Sales" campaign type.
Define your target audience by location, age, and other demographics.
Set your budget and monitor real-time performance for adjustments.
The AI will estimate ROI and help optimize ad spending for maximum results.

Looking for the full picture? Continue reading for a comprehensive guide on mastering the new X Ads Dashboard. You'll find detailed instructions, expert tips, and actionable strategies to help you fine-tune your ad campaigns and drive higher sales!

W hy This Strategy Works for Any Business:

1. AI calculates your target cost per lead and purchase

2. Real-time ROI estimates to protect your ad spend

3. Builds followers, generates leads, and increases conversions

4. Easy for any business owner to replicate and automate

AI and Smart Marketing

AI has a massive influence on the advertising and marketing industry. It can analyze audience preferences, behaviors, and demographics to make advertising more precise and effective. Beyond just predicting trends or automating tasks, AI helps teams see new possibilities and develop better solutions.

Data Management

With increasing privacy regulations, businesses are relying more on first-party data, the information they collect directly from customers to drive advertising campaigns.

This data is often scattered across multiple platforms, making it difficult to use effectively. AI can help by matching and cleaning up this fragmented data. It uses advanced algorithms to identify and merge similar but slightly different data points, ensuring accuracy. It also standardizes information from different systems, making it easier for advertisers and publishers to build well-defined audiences and create more personalized ads.

Personalized Ads

Consumers expect ads that are relevant to them, but manually identifying and grouping similar audiences can be time-consuming and limited. AI solves this problem by smartly segmenting audiences—analyzing massive amounts of customer data to find meaningful patterns. It goes beyond broad categories like age or location and finds specific interests that advertisers might otherwise miss.

For example, imagine a publisher targeting sci-fi fans. Without AI, they might create a general “Sci-Fi Lovers” ad segment. But with AI, they can discover a niche group that prefers robot-driven stories over human-centered ones. This allows advertisers to run hyper-targeted campaigns—like promoting a futuristic electric vehicle to fans of robot-themed sci-fi.

AI can also analyze past engagement data to suggest the best headlines, messaging, and trending topics, ensuring that ads resonate with the right audience.

The digital ecosystem has just witnessed a massive shift with the launch of the all-new X Ads Dashboard. This is the latest innovation from X, and it promises to take your marketing strategy to the next level. Whether you're a small business owner or a large-scale enterprise, this tool has been designed to automate ad creation.

By integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the dashboard, X allows you to track not just the performance of your ads but the direct impact on your sales. This new dashboard provides a level of insight that was once unimaginable, offering you the exact Return on Investment (ROI) calculations based on your campaigns. So, if you’ve ever wondered whether your ads are delivering real value, X Ads, along with smart algorithms, now shows you the exact number of sales your campaigns are generating. In this blog, we’ll outline how the New X Ads Dashboard can help you reach your marketing objectives with better ad targeting.

Additional read: How to Track X (Twitter) Ads with UTMs for eCommerce Sales

X Ads Dashboard Overview: Key Features

The X Ads dashboard is a game-changer for businesses looking to maximize the impact of their ad spend. This new dashboard has all the tools you need to launch highly targeted campaigns and achieve AI-driven performance optimization.

AI-Powered ROI Calculation
The standout feature of the new X Ads dashboard is the AI-powered ROI calculation. Unlike traditional methods of measuring ad performance, which might require manual analysis or third-party tools, X's AI calculates how many leads, sales, and conversions your ad spend is bringing in. This takes the guesswork out of your campaigns and allows you to make data-driven decisions.
Easy-to-Use Interface
The new dashboard has a clean and user-friendly interface, making it simple to navigate even for beginners. Whether you're creating a new campaign or optimizing an existing one, the platform makes it easy to track key metrics and adjust your strategy as needed.
Advanced Audience Targeting
The platform gives you powerful targeting options, allowing you to drill down into the specifics of who sees your ads. From selecting your location to fine-tuning age, gender, and interests, X Ads ensures that you’re reaching the right people with the right message.
Instant Performance Feedback
After launching your campaign, you don’t have to wait weeks to get feedback. With the new AI-driven dashboard, you can monitor your performance in real-time and make immediate changes to optimize your results.

We've prepared a video guide to show you how to refine your X (Twitter) Ads strategy for better results. Watch it here!

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Set Up Sales Campaigns with the New X Ads Dashboard

Setting up your first sales campaign on the new X Ads dashboard is quick and easy. Follow these simple steps to start driving results:

1. Setting Up Your Account

Before anything else, make sure your X Ads account is verified. Without a verified account, your campaigns won’t get approved. Once that’s out of the way, ensure you have a payment method on file, and you’re good to go!

2. Creating Your Campaign

Once you’re logged in, click on “Create New Campaign.” You’ll be prompted to select your campaign type—choose “Sales” if you want to directly track conversions. Here’s where the magic happens: X Ads will allow you to track exactly how many sales your campaign is generating, as well as provide an AI-powered estimate of your ROI.

3. Audience Targeting & Budget Setup

Now it’s time to define your target audience. You can select the geographic location, age, and gender of the people you want to reach. The more specific you are here, the better the AI will perform when optimizing your campaign.

Next, set your budget. This is a critical step because the dashboard will show you an estimate of how many leads and sales your ad spend will generate based on your target Cost Per Action (CPA). For instance, if you set a $20 daily budget and a $5 target CPA, the system will tell you how many content views and actions to expect.

4. Tracking Sales vs. Leads

One of the key distinctions in the new dashboard is the ability to track sales specifically. You can toggle between “leads” and “sales” to get a better idea of the exact returns you can expect. The system will use AI to calculate how much you can expect to spend per purchase, showing you potential ROI estimates based on your target CPA.

5. Using Grok AI for Optimization

Once you’ve set up your campaign, you can supercharge it with Grok, X's AI assistant. Grok will generate suggestions on how to improve your campaign, and even auto-fill your ad creatives. This means you don’t need to be an expert in copywriting or graphic design, Grok does the heavy lifting for you, ensuring your ads are optimized for success.

You can learn more using Grok AI to target premium followers in this blog. Click here!

Audience Targeting and Budget Tips and Best Practices: How to Maximize Your ROI

Understanding how to fine-tune your audience and budget is essential to getting the best results from your ad campaigns. Here are a few tips to ensure you're getting the most out of your investment:

Start Broad, Then Narrow Down
While it's tempting to get super specific with your targeting right away, I recommend starting broad with your audience and narrowing down through retargeting once you have enough data. This way, you don’t limit your reach at the beginning and can build a larger, more engaged audience over time.
Use AI Suggestions to Optimize Your Campaigns
The AI-powered suggestions from Grok aren’t just about creating ads—they’re also designed to help you manage your budget and fine-tune your targeting. Don’t ignore these tips! They’re based on data from millions of ads and can help you get the most out of your campaigns.
Test Different Creative Formats
X Ads allows you to create different types of ad formats, including single images, videos, and carousels. I recommend testing all formats to see which performs best for your audience. What works on Instagram or YouTube might not be as effective on X, so experimentation is key.

How AI Calculates ROI and Helps You Make Data-Driven Decisions

Gone are the days of guessing how your ads are performing. X Ads now provides an AI-driven analysis that shows you exactly how many sales you're getting per ad dollar. This is a huge leap forward because it allows you to make data-backed decisions rather than relying on guesswork.

For example, if you have a product that costs $50 and you set your target cost per action at $5, the system will show you an estimate of how many purchases you can expect for your ad spend. From there, you can adjust your budget and target CPA to meet your sales goals.

Building Ads, Adding Creatives & Headlines

Once your campaign structure is set, it's time to create your ad. This is where you get to be creative. Choose your headlines, images, and videos that resonate with your target audience. Whether you’re using content from your Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, be sure to use high-quality visuals and compelling copy that speak directly to your audience’s pain points and desires.

With Grok AI, you can generate the perfect ad copy and creative assets for your campaign. Once your ads are live, Grok will continue to monitor performance and offer optimization suggestions, ensuring your campaigns are constantly improving.

A Stepped Approach: Get Results from X (Twitter) Advertising

The new X Ads Dashboard is revolutionizing the way businesses run their marketing campaigns. With AI-driven tools that help you track exact sales, audience targeting that brings the right customers to your brand, and optimization features that make ad creation a breeze, X Ads is the platform of the future. If you’re not using it yet, now is the time to dive in and multiply your reach.

Don’t forget, if you need assistance, our team is always here to help you set everything up and get the most out of your X Ads campaigns. You can schedule a quick call here: Book Now!

If you’re looking to learn more about marketing automation for your business, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for expert tips and step-by-step tutorials.

Lead Follow-Up Made Easy: Funnels, Automation & Retargeting

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 09:02:15 GMT

Main Question: How Can I Improve My Lead Follow-Up and Boost Sales with Funnels and Automation?

Answer: Lead follow-up can be optimized by using a well-structured sales funnel that nurtures leads through automated follow-ups and targeted retargeting ads. By segmenting leads, personalizing communication, and automating engagement, businesses can increase conversions, reduce wasted marketing spend, and turn cold leads into loyal customers.

What is a lead funnel, and why is it important?

A lead funnel guides prospects from initial interest to conversion, helping businesses:

Attract the right audience
Build trust
Close more deals
Provide relevant content and offers at each stage of the buying process

How do I segment my leads effectively?

Segment leads based on:

Interests
Behavior
Demographic details (e.g., revenue, business type, challenges)

Use automation tools like quizzes or forms to quickly categorize leads for more targeted follow-ups

What are the benefits of automating email follow-ups?

Automated email sequences help:

Ensure consistent lead nurturing
Save time and resources
Send the right message at the right time
Increase engagement and conversion rates

How can retargeting ads improve my lead follow-up strategy?

Retargeting ads allow you to:

Re-engage leads who’ve shown interest but haven’t converted
Display tailored content to remind prospects of their offer
Bring them back into the sales funnel

What metrics should I track to measure the success of my lead funnel?

Key metrics to track:

Conversion rates
Email open and click-through rates
Ad click-through rates
Customer lifetime value

Monitoring these helps refine your approach and improve funnel performance over time.

Interested to learn more? Keep reading to explore expert insights on building a high-performing lead funnel with automation, retargeting, and actionable strategies for maximum conversions!

W hy This Strategy Works for Any Business:

1. Increase Conversions – Follow-ups that send the right message at the right time

2. Automate Your Lead Nurturing – Let AI & funnels handle engagement for you

3. Turn Cold Leads into Warm Clients – Build trust before the sale

4. Stop Wasting Marketing Dollars – Focus only on high-quality, engaged prospects

The Concept of a Lead Funnel: Why Do Lead Funnels Matter?

A lead funnel works just like a sales funnel. It’s the journey a lead takes from first showing interest to becoming a paying customer. Think of it as a step-by-step process that guides potential buyers through different stages, from curiosity to commitment. It starts by attracting leads through content like blog posts, ads, or social media. Then, you build trust by providing valuable information that meets their needs.

Through follow-ups like emails or webinars, you keep them engaged and guide them toward a decision using offers, testimonials, and social proof. Finally, you convert leads into paying customers by making the buying process smooth and enticing with special deals or bonuses. A well-structured lead funnel helps you attract, engage, and convert leads efficiently, making it easier to grow your business.

Manageable Metrics for Improvement

You can’t fix what you don’t measure. A well-structured lead funnel helps you see where deals are won or lost, so you can spot problems and make smart changes to boost sales.

A More Efficient Sales Process

A clear process means your team doesn’t have to start from scratch with every new lead. It keeps things running smoothly, reduces mistakes, and makes training new team members easier.

Predictable Growth You Can Count On

A strong lead funnel helps you plan for the future. When you track your numbers, you can better predict sales, understand your conversion rates, and create steady, reliable revenue.

Visualizing this funnel makes it easier to understand where leads are in their journey and how to move them forward. If you want a strong ROI, building a solid lead funnel is a must. It’s important to understand each stage and how they work together to create a funnel that works for your business. Every stage of the funnel needs a different strategy, but if done right, it can help your business grow and succeed over time.

How to Build a High-Performing Lead Funnel

Sales funnels are important because they help you attract the right people, not just random visitors, by focusing on those genuinely interested in your offer. They also help you build strong relationships by providing valuable content that nurtures trust, turning leads into loyal customers. A well-structured funnel guides potential buyers through the process, delivering the right message at the right time, making it easier for them to say “yes” to your offer. Plus, with automation, you can streamline follow-ups and spend more time growing your business instead of manually chasing leads.

When you under stand each stage of the funnel, you can connect with your audience better and turn more leads into loyal customers with less effort. We will take you through each stage one at a time so that you have a thorough understanding of how a lead funnel works.

Step 1: Segment Your Leads with a Quiz or Form

Not all leads are the same, and treating them that way can cost you opportunities. Leads come from different places, have different levels of interest, and need personalized approaches. Using the same strategy for everyone can make potential customers lose interest and walk away.

To personalize follow-ups and maximize conversions, start by segmenting your leads. Segmenting your leads makes managing them easier and helps you send the right message to the right people. You can group leads based on where they are in the sales funnel, what tools they use, where they work, or what content they’ve engaged with.

While this approach works well, doing it manually takes a lot of time. That’s where marketing automation comes in. It sorts through massive contact lists for you, filtering leads based on things like their interests, company details, and the technology they use.

By automating segmentation, you can create high-quality lists, send personalized offers, and boost your lead generation efforts without all the extra work. The best way to do this is by using a quiz or form that asks targeted questions about their business stage and needs.

What to Include in Your Quiz or Form:

Location & Business Type: Helps you understand the industry and geographic market.
Revenue Level: Segments leads into early-stage entrepreneurs vs. established business owners.
Challenges & Goals: Identifies their pain points and what solutions they seek.
Budget & Readiness: Filters out leads who are not yet ready to invest in your services.

Choosing the right way to contact your leads is key to building a connection. That’s why it's important to give them options for how they’d like to be reached. If you're using an online form, include checkboxes so leads can choose their preferred contact method (like phone or email). Alternatively, in your first message, ask how they’d like to be contacted in the future.

If you don’t have that information right away, try different follow-up methods to see what works best. If an email doesn’t get a response, try a phone call. If direct mail goes unanswered, send a quick text.

How Segmentation Works:

New Entrepreneurs (Lower Revenue): Direct them to a low-cost community or free resources.
Established Businesses (Higher Revenue): Offer them the opportunity to book a strategy call with you.

By ensuring that each lead is funneled to the right destination, you save time and increase the chances of conversion.

Step 2: Automate Email Follow-Ups & Retargeting Ads

Once your leads are segmented, the next step is to nurture them using automation. This involves email follow-ups and strategic retargeting ads that reinforce your messaging.

If you’re wondering which lead to follow up with first, take a moment to evaluate the account you’re selling to.

Do they look like your current buyers?
Are they showing signs that they have the right budget?
Have they been engaging with you—replying to messages or having meaningful conversations?
What signals are they giving that suggest they’re ready to buy?

Automated Email Sequences:

For New Entrepreneurs:
Send educational content about your industry.
Offer a low-cost community membership ($50/month, for example).
Provide actionable steps they can take on their own.

For Established Businesses:
Send pre-call emails explaining your services.
Share case studies and testimonials.
Provide insights into what working with you looks like.

Retargeting Ads:

If you don’t get a response after your first follow-up, don’t assume the lead isn’t interested.

It often takes multiple follow-ups using different approaches to keep them engaged without being too pushy.

Be smart about retargeting—focus on people who are more likely to buy instead of showing ads to everyone who visited your site.

For example, target visitors who looked at important pages like your product, pricing, or contact page. You can also retarget those who took action, like using your chatbot or downloading a resource.

This helps you spend your ad budget wisely and bring back high-quality leads who are already interested in what you offer.

For Community Leads: Show case studies, testimonials, and educational content.
For High-Value Leads: Display advanced client success stories, revenue growth stats, and in-depth educational videos.

These automated touchpoints ensure that no lead is forgotten and that each one receives the right messaging based on their stage in the lead journey.

Step 3: Track & Optimize for Maximum Conversions

A funnel isn’t a one-time setup. You need to continuously test, refine, and optimize it to improve conversions.

Use Retargeting Ads to Streamline Lead Qualification and Nurturing:

Google & YouTube Retargeting: Keep leads engaged with valuable content even after they leave your site.
Facebook & Instagram Ads: Show personalized ads that drive them back to your landing page.

Monitor & Adjust Email Sequences:

Consumer habits are always evolving, so what works now might not work later. Regular testing helps you stay ahead by identifying what connects with your audience and fine-tuning your lead funnel for better results.

Track open and click-through rates.
Adjust messaging based on engagement.
Remove unresponsive leads or re-engage them with different content.

Tracking what potential customers do is super important for automating your sales funnel. By paying attention to their actions, like which pages they visit or which emails they open, you can understand their interests and where they are in the buying process. This helps you send them the right information at the right time, making it easier to turn them into customers without extra effort.

Marketing automation tools make this simple. They show you which emails get opened, what links people click on, and how long they stay on your site. This way, you don’t have to track everything yourself, and you can focus on leads that are most likely to buy.

Learn more about building an effective email system for lead generation in this blog. Access it here!

Funnel Optimization and Automation

A/B test your quiz questions and form fields.
Improve landing page copy and design.
Adjust pricing and offers based on conversion data.

Your landing page should be simple, engaging, and focused on one goal. Use a clear call-to-action (CTA) to guide visitors on what to do next. Speak directly to your audience’s needs and wants. A strong headline and benefits-focused content can grab attention and drive action.

Show Proof It Works. People trust what others say. Add testimonials, reviews, and case studies to build credibility and boost conversions. To improve your funnel, you need to test different elements and see what works best for your audience. A/B testing helps you make data-driven decisions to boost conversions. Try experimenting with different headlines, call-to-action buttons, and page layouts to see what grabs attention and drives action. Small tweaks in your sales copy, pricing, or visuals can make a big difference in engagement.

Don't forget to refine your email sequences by testing subject lines, content, and timing. Keep analyzing the results and adjusting your approach to make your funnel as effective as possible. The key is to keep testing, learning, and improving!

Key Metrics to Track and Improve Performance:

Monitoring your sales funnel helps you spot problem areas and make better decisions to improve results.

You should focus on some metrics described below:

Lead Conversion Rate: Percentage of leads that move to the next stage.
Email Open & Click Rates: Determines engagement level.
Ad Click-Through Rate (CTR): Measures effectiveness of retargeting ads.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Helps assess the long-term impact of lead nurturing efforts.

Interested in learning more about Lead Follow Up, How To Do It & Boost Sales? Just go here.

We also suggest using DataShopper to automate your lead funnels and gain real-time insights.

Actionable Strategies for Lead Conversions

1. Personalize the Experience

If you want your follow-ups to work, make them personal. People don’t want to feel like just another name on a list. When you show that you’ve done your homework, your message stands out and makes a real connection.

An informed lead is more likely to convert. Use what you know about your prospects—their industry, role, and interests—to send them personalized content that guides them toward a decision. Address leads by name, mention their specific challenges, and reference past interactions to create a seamless experience.

For example, a technical lead might need in-depth product details, while a C-level executive would be more interested in ROI and business impact. Even small personal touches, like customizing email copy or recommending content based on what pages they’ve visited, can make a big difference.

You can also set up a lead scoring system: as prospects engage with your content, their score increases. Once they reach a certain level, it triggers a sales follow-up, so your team focuses on leads that are truly ready. The key is to consistently provide valuable content, like videos, whitepapers, or comparison guides, tailored to their needs. By the time they speak with sales, they should already trust your expertise and feel confident in your solution.

2. Leverage SMS & Chatbots

Automated text messages and chatbots can quickly answer questions, send reminders, and keep prospects engaged. SMS reminders for scheduled calls can drastically reduce no-show rates. Following up with leads takes time, but automation can handle the busy work for you. By automating routine tasks, you and your sales team can spend less time on admin work and more time actually connecting with potential customers.

You can use chatbots to help qualify leads, schedule follow-up calls, and organize prospects into the right categories. By setting up a conversation with pre-determined questions, chatbots can guide prospects based on their answers. This helps you quickly determine if a lead is a good fit and collect their details for future follow-ups.

Chatbots can also sort new leads into specific lists based on their responses, interests, or where they are in the sales funnel. This saves you time by automatically organizing your leads, so you can start your outreach without extra work. Chatbots can even let prospects schedule a callback with your sales team. They simply pick a time from the available slots, and the chatbot adds the appointment to the right salesperson’s calendar—automating the whole process.

3. Offer Exclusive Bonuses

Provide time-sensitive discounts, early-bird offers, or free resources to encourage leads to take action sooner rather than later. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a strong motivator that can push potential customers to take action. One way to use this in marketing is by offering something extra—like a bonus or special deal—so customers feel like they’re getting more value. If the offer is only available for a limited time, it creates urgency and makes people more likely to buy right away.

Just giving a bonus won’t automatically boost sales—you need to be thoughtful about it. Your bonus should help convince customers to buy by giving them something useful. It should solve a problem, fulfill a need, or add extra value. The goal is to make the offer feel like a real benefit, not just a random freebie.

The best bonuses solve a problem, make the main product even better, and feel like a no-brainer for your customers. Pair that with a strong landing page and a clear call to action, and you’ve got a recipe for higher conversions. At the end of the day, people love getting extra value. When your bonus feels like a real win for them, it’s a win for your business too.

4. Follow Up at the Right Time

When someone shows interest, like filling out a form or sending an email, respond as quickly as possible. If you’re faster than your competitors, you have a much better chance of closing the deal. Set up a system that alerts your sales team right away when a high-priority lead comes in, and aim to reach out within minutes or hours, not days.

After the first contact, keep following up in a friendly and helpful way. Many prospects are busy and need multiple touchpoints before they respond. A CRM or automated system can help ensure no lead is left waiting too long. Just by responding faster and more consistently, you can dramatically increase your chances of winning new business. Leads are most likely to convert when followed up with within 24-48 hours. Implement automated triggers that ensure leads receive timely responses, whether via email, SMS, or retargeting ads.

Finding the right balance is key. You want to stay on your prospect’s radar without overwhelming your leads. A good rule of thumb is to follow up within a few days after the first contact, then check in at regular, well-spaced intervals. Pay attention to their schedule and adjust your timing to keep the conversation natural and effective.

Dive deeper: X (Twitter) Ads That Work: Step-by-Step for Business Owners

5. Use Video Content for Better Engagement

Video has become one of the most powerful tools for generating leads. With fewer face-to-face meetings and more remote decision-makers, video helps make outreach feel personal and engaging. Videos build trust faster than text. Consider sending video introductions, testimonials, or walkthroughs of your service to nurture leads.

Marketers are using video for everything—from product demos and testimonials to personalized messages for prospects. In B2B lead generation, video emails and messages can significantly boost response rates. Webinars and virtual events are also highly effective, as they attract engaged prospects who are willing to share their information. Businesses looking to stay ahead in 2025 should make video a key part of their strategy, whether through social media clips, live streams, or one-on-one video outreach.

Learn how YouTube ads can help you find quality leads that convert. Click here!

Putting It All Together

Sales leads keep your business running by bringing in the revenue you need to grow. But knowing when and how to follow up is important. A good follow-up system helps you understand a lead’s interest, reach out at the right time, and take the right steps to close the deal.

Want to convert more leads without spending extra on ads? Begin by assessing your current lead generation efforts to pinpoint any obstacles and areas that need improvement. Review your lead sources, track conversion rates, and evaluate how efficiently your sales process is running.

A good automated system such as DataShopper can help you track campaign performance effectively, so you’ll segment, nurture, and engage leads the right way, turning more prospects into long-term clients.

Using tools to schedule and track follow-ups makes staying on top of leads simple. That’s why investing in a CRM like Go High Level can help. Just enter a lead’s details, set reminders, and track their progress in your sales pipeline. Some tools even automate follow-ups or send notifications, so you never miss an opportunity to reconnect. That way, no lead slips through the cracks.

This video tutorial will guide you through the appropriate steps for designing high-converting funnels. Watch it now!

Take action today:

Join our community to learn more about automation and marketing.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more automation strategies.
Set up your funnel, respond to new leads and increase your conversion rate.

The faster you implement these strategies, the quicker you’ll see results. Whether you’re setting up lead capture pages or automated follow-ups, we can help you create and optimize your entire funnel.
Book a free 15-minute consultation session.

How to Retarget X (Twitter) Followers & Keep Them Engaged – Step-by-Step Guide

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:10:00 GMT

Key Takeaways from This Blog

1. Why Most People Lose Engagement on X – The #1 mistake that kills your growth

2. How to Set Up X Retargeting Ads – The exact campaign structure I use

3. Who to Target for Maximum Results – Retargeting the right followers & engagers

4. How to Choose the Best Ads – Creating the perfect relationship-building post

5. Why Retargeting Leads to More Sales – The psychology behind consistent engagement

W hy This Strategy Works for Any Business:

1. Stay Top of Mind on X – Ensure your audience never forgets you

2. Build Relationships Without Selling – Engage followers instead of pushing offers

3. Increase Trust & Authority – Show up consistently in your followers’ feeds

4. Turn Followers into Customers – Keep people engaged until they’re ready to buy

How can Businesses Benefit from using X (Twitter) Ads?

Want to grow your brand on X (Twitter)? Organic posts work well, but they can only take you so far. To reach more people and expand faster, X ads can make a big difference. Twitter’s adv ertising tools have improved a lot, making it easier for businesses to reach the right audience. With over 436 million active users, including 237.8 million daily users, the platform gives brands a huge opportunity to connect with pote ntial customers.

One bi g advantage of X ads is that you only pay for results that match your goals. Whether you want more website visits, engagement, or followers, Twitter ensures your budget is spent wisely. Plus, you can target your audience based on factors like location, age, gender, language, and device type. You can also refine your reach by focusing on users based on their interests, conversations, keywords, and even engagement with your past tweets. The Custom Audiences feature lets you create specific audience groups to target or exclude, making your ads even more effective.

X combines text, visuals, and a conversational style, making it a great platform to share your message, connect with followers, and grow a loyal c ommunity. But with millions of posts every day, how do you make your content stand out and attract more people?

X’s fast-paced nature and diverse audience give brands a unique chance to ignite real conversations and share their message with the world. It’s a dynamic platform that helps businesses connect directly with their followers, provide timely updates, and stay on top of industry trends. By combining organic interactions with powerful ad targeting, X is an effective tool for building brand awareness and creating an engaged community.

The Hidden Potential of X Retargeting Ads

Love it or hate it, ensuring that your followers on X (Twitter) remain engaged and connected with your brand is crucial for sustained growth and conversion. One effective strategy to achieve this is by implementing retargeting ads that keep your audience engaged and your brand top-of-mind.

The real power lies in using ads to accelerate your brand’s growth on X (Twitter) and then retargeting to strengthen connections with your audience.

You don’t have to feel overwhelmed when using X for marketing. By taking it one step at a time, you can build a strategy that grabs attention, boosts engagement, and delivers great results. This guide will walk you through setting up cost-effective retargeting campaigns on X, ensuring your followers remember and engage with your brand.

Step 1: Setting Up X Retargeting Ads

Create an X Ad Account : If you haven't already, start by setting up an ad account on X. This will grant you access to X's advertising tools, allowing you to manage and monitor your campaigns effectively.
Choose a 'Reach' Campaign : When creating a new campaign, select the 'Reach' objective. This option is designed to maximize the number of users who see your ad, ensuring broad visibility among your target audience.
Name Your Campaign 'Middle of Funnel (MOF)' : Labeling your campaign as 'Middle of Funnel' helps categorize it within your overall marketing strategy. MOF campaigns target users who are already aware of your brand but need further engagement before converting.
Set a Small Daily Budget : With X (Twitter) ads, you have full control over your budget, just like any other digital marketing campaign. Allocate a modest daily budget, such as $5-$10. This amount is typically sufficient to reach your desired audience without overspending, especially when focusing on retargeting.

You can adjust your spending to align with your marketing goals without stretching your resources too thin. To get the most out of your budget, focus on keeping your cost-per-click (CPC) low. Reaching more users for the same budget helps maximize your return on investment (ROI) and improve your overall results on the platform.

This guide discusses how to turn X into a key component of your digital marketing strategy: Read it here

Step 2: Targeting the Right Followers

Retarget People Who Have Engaged with Your Tweets : Focus on users who have interacted with your content through likes, comments, or shares. These individuals have already shown interest in your brand and are more likely to engage further. Keep in mind—retargeting works best when it's precise and highly targeted to drive conversions.
Retarget People Who Follow You : Ensure your ads are displayed to your current followers. Continuous engagement with your existing audience reinforces brand loyalty and encourages repeat interactions.
Optimize for Maximum Reach : Keep targeting parameters broad by avoiding unnecessary filters like age and gender, unless they are critical to your campaign. This approach allows X's algorithm to optimize ad delivery for maximum exposure.
Turn Off 'Optimized Targeting' : Disable the 'Optimized Targeting' feature to prevent your ads from being shown to irrelevant users or bots, ensuring that your budget is spent reaching genuine potential customers.

This YouTube video explores key strategies to strengthen your presence on X and create a lasting impact. Watch it here!

Step 3: Choosing the Best Ads for Retargeting

Use Existing Organic Posts : Select tweets that have already performed well organically. These posts have proven their effectiveness and can serve as compelling ads to re-engage your audience. Consider investing in your best content. Instead of promoting every tweet, focus on amplifying your top-performing content. Check your X (Twitter) analytics—which posts get the most likes, retweets, and replies? These are your hidden gems. They’ve already shown they connect with your audience.
Focus on Relationship-Building Content : Create ads that tell your brand's story, share valuable insights, or provide educational content. Avoid aggressive sales pitches; instead, aim to build a genuine connection with your audience. People appreciate ads that align with their interests—it makes them feel like the ad was designed just for them. The key is to create advertisements that are as relevant as possible to each user. The more closely an ad matches their needs, the higher the chances of engagement and conversion.
Pin Your Best Post : Pinning a high-performing tweet to your profile ensures that both new and returning visitors see your most impactful content first, reinforcing key messages and values.
Test Multiple Ads : Develop at least three different ad variations to determine which resonates best with your audience. Continuous testing and optimization are key to refining your retargeting strategy. Even if you have a good idea of what ads work for your audience, X (Twitter) makes it easy to test and refine your strategy. Instead of guessing, you can run multiple ad variations in each campaign—and you should take advantage of this feature.

X allows you to show different ads to different people within the same audience group. This helps you see which ad performs best, so you’re not wasting money on campaigns that don’t deliver results.

By testing different ads, you can figure out what gets the most engagement. Try a video ad versus an image ad, or experiment with different messaging styles. This way, you can fine-tune your approach and create ads that truly connect with your audience.

Want to improve your X advertising results? Learn how to capture your most valuable leads in this guide: Click here!

Keep Your Followers Engaged & Convert More Leads

Retarget Your X Audience: By consistently appearing in your followers' feeds after they engage with you, you maintain brand visibility and encourage deeper connections.
Use Relationship-Building Posts : Prioritize content that offers value, educates, or entertains, fostering trust and loyalty among your audience.
Test Multiple Ads : Regularly experiment with different ad creatives and messages to identify what resonates most, allowing you to fine-tune your approach for better results.
Scale Your X Advertising Strategy : As you gather data and insights from your campaigns, gradually increase your investment and explore advanced features to expand your reach and impact.

Retargeting is a great way to turn missed opportunities into sales. Plus, it’s one of the most cost-effective advertising strategies out there. Implementing a thoughtful and strategic retargeting approach on X ensures that your followers remain engaged, your brand stays top-of-mind, and your marketing efforts lead to meaningful conversions.

Additional read: How to Set Up Your First X (Twitter) Ad for Your Business – Step-by-Step Guide

If you're unsure whether X is the right fit for your business or want to get started but don’t know how, we've got you covered. Schedule a quick call with us and stop losing your valuable leads. Book Now!

Capture more leads, retarget your visitors, and stop wasting valuable opportunities with DataShopper. You can track, categorize, and retarget visitors who leave your site without converting. This results in fewer missed opportunities, improved ROI on your marketing efforts, and deeper connections with your customers.

Get A Demo!

Want to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to your social media marketing strategy. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to learn more about automation strategies that can significantly boost the performance of your campaigns.

How to Capture & Retarget Website Visitors Without Forms – Step-by-Step Guide

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:15:34 GMT

Key Takeaways from This Blog

1. How to Track Website Visitors Without Forms – The secret tool that reveals visitor info

2. How to Retarget Lost Website Visitors – Increase conversions by following up automatically

3. How to Integrate Visitor Data with Your CRM – Automate email follow-ups and direct mail

4. How to Run Retargeting Ads with Visitor Data – Upload visitor emails for better ad performance

5. Privacy & Compliance Tips – How to stay within guidelines and avoid issues

W hy This Strategy Works for Any Business:

1. Capture More Leads Without Forms – Don’t let website visitors leave without a trace

2. Follow Up Automatically – Email, direct mail, and social connections without manual work

3. Retarget Your Warmest Leads – Increase ROI by showing ads to high-intent visitors

4. Improve Match Rates for Ads – Reach users even if their social media email is outdated

What Makes Retargeting So Effective?

As a business owner or digital marketer, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about your website’s conversion rates. You might be driving thousands of visitors to your site, but when you check your analytics, only a handful of those visitors are actually filling out forms or engaging in meaningful ways. It’s frustrating, right?

What if you could capture and retarget these visitors without them ever filling out a form? What if you could gather valuable insights about your site’s visitors, follow up with them, and convert them into leads or customers—without relying on forms?

With a solid strategy and the right tools, those "lost" visitors don’t have to remain lost. Psychologists refer to this as the mere-exposure effect: the more we see something, the more we begin to trust it. This repeated exposure creates familiarity and lessens hesitation, particularly for cautious buyers who prefer to consider their options.

Here’s where the real magic happens: with each impression, doubts begin to fade. Objections feel smaller, your product starts to seem like a guaranteed choice, and soon enough, that prospect returns to your website—this time, ready to take action.

Of course, there’s a balance to strike. Overdoing it or showing the same ad too frequently can annoy your audience rather than engage them.

But when executed correctly, retargeting works like a virtual sales assistant, following up courteously and always at just the right moment.

This guide will walk you through the process and show you how to leverage an underused strategy to increase conversions and grow your business.

Why Retargeting is a Must-Have in Your Marketing Strategy

Retargeting website visitors is a smart, highly targeted marketing strategy with several benefits, including increasing conversions, boosting brand awareness, and lowering customer acquisition costs. By showing ads to people who have already shown interest in your products or services, retargeting helps remind them to take action, making it more likely they’ll convert. It also keeps your brand in front of them, which increases brand. These aren’t cold leads — they’re warm prospects. By sending them well-timed ads, you’re targeting people who are much more likely to convert than first-time visitors.

Not all ads are created equal. Retargeting ads typically provide a better ROI because you’re not wasting money on a broad, disinterested audience.

Instead, you’re focusing on individuals who are already close to converting, making each dollar go further.

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in modern marketing. Retargeting lets you craft personalized ads based on where your audience is in their journey. Whether it’s reminding them of an abandoned cart or offering a special discount, tailored messaging can make a big difference.

Let’s face it — the digital marketplace is crowded. Retargeting ensures you stay in front of your audience, making it less likely that they’ll be swayed by a competitor’s ad. It’s a subtle but effective way to maintain their attention and loyalty.

Retargeting is usually more affordable than other advertising methods because it focuses on people who are already familiar with your brand, so they’re more likely to buy. Plus, it provides valuable data on how people interact with your website, which can help improve future marketing campaigns. Thus, retargeting is a great way to increase conversions, build brand awareness, and save money on advertising.

Learn how to get the most from your Email Marketing. Click here!

How to Retarget Website Visitors Who Went Away?

Every business puts time, effort, and budget into driving traffic to its website. However, the reality is that most of that traffic doesn’t result in conversions. When you think about website visitors, your first instinct may be to rely on forms to gather information. However, not all visitors are going to fill out your form. In fact, most won't. So, how do you capture their information and retarget them?

The answer lies in tracking pixels—a simple tool that can help you track your website visitors without the need for forms. Let’s get into and experience the power of retargeting visitors done right.

Step 1: Tracking Website Visitors Without Forms

The first step to this strategy is installing a tracking pixel on y our website. A tracking pixel is a small piece of code that collects data about visitors as they navigate through your site. This includes:

Visitor behavior : What pages they visit and how long they stay on each page.
Demographics : Information about the visitor's location, age, gender, and income level.
Source of Traffic : Where they came from, such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

Once the pixel is installed, you'll have a detailed report on your website visitors. You’ll be able to see things like their names, emails, phone numbers, and even their address (depending on what’s available). This gives you the ability to capture leads and retarget them, all without them ever filling out a form.

Step 2: Integrating Visitor Data into Your CRM

Now that you have this valuable visitor data, it’s time to put it to use. By integrating this data into your CRM system or email automation platform, you can automate your follow-up strategy.

How to Sync Visitor Data with Your CRM

Export visitor data : Once you have access to the visitor information, export it from the tracking tool into a file format that your CRM can accept (like a CSV or Excel file).
Sync the data : Import this data into your CRM or email marketing system. From here, you can segment and organize your leads based on their activity.
Trigger automated emails : Create an email automation workflow that will automatically send follow-up emails to these visitors. For example, you could send them a thank-you note or offer them more information about your business.

This guide explains why a CRM is a must-have in your digital marketing strategy. Read it here!

Step 3: Send Direct Mail Postcards

For an extra personal touch, you can even go a step further and send visitors a direct mail postcard. Imagine how impactful it would be to receive a postcard from a company you recently visited online. A postcard that says, “Thanks for visiting our website! If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to us.”

Direct mail may seem old-fashioned, but it’s a powerful way to remind visitors of your brand, and it’s a strategy that’s often overlooked in the digital world.

Step 3: Running Retargeting Ads with Website Visitor Data

Another great way to leverage the data you’ve gathered is by using i t for retargeting ads. Re targeting is an effective way to follow up with high-intent visitors who have already shown an interest in your products or services.

How to Retarget Website Visitors

Export Visitor Data to Ad Networks : The data you’ve captured (like email addresses) can be uploaded into platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or LinkedIn to create custom audiences for retargeting.
Improve Ad Match Rates : Many people us e outdated email addresses for their social media accounts (think AOL or Yahoo). By uploading a list of verified emails fro m your site visitors, you’ll significantly improve your match rates and ensure your ads are seen by the right people.
Create Lookalike Audiences : Once you’ve uploaded your visitor data, you can cr eate lookalike audiences. These audiences will be similar to the visitors on your website, increasing your chan ces of finding new leads who are likely to convert.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to boost your existing efforts, you’ll find fresh insights to convert 3X more leads in this YouTube video guide.

Step 4: Privacy & Compliance – How to Stay Within Guidelines

As with any data-driven marketing strategy, privacy and compliance are critical. It's important to make sure you're respecting your visitors' privacy and adhering to regulations.

How to Stay Compliant

Privacy & Cookies Policies : Ensure your website has up-to-date privacy and cookie policies. This lets your visitors know that you're tracking their activity and how their data will be used.
Visitor Consent : Make sure that visitors have the option to accept or decline cookies on your site. This keeps you within legal guidelines and builds trust with your audience.
Respect User Privacy : Always be transparent with your visitors about how their data will be used. Don’t bombard them with irrelevant marketing materials. Instead, build relationships and offer them valuable content.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

This strategy can work for any business—whether you're a small e-commerce store, a service provider, or a B2B company. Here's why it’s so effective:

Capture More Leads Without Forms : You can capture visitor data without relying on form submissions, meaning no lead is left behind.
Follow Up Automatically : By integrating visitor data into your CRM, you can set up automated emails, direct mail campaigns, and social connections without doing manual work.
Retarget Your Warmest Leads : Since these visitors have already interacted with your site, they’re more likely to convert than cold prospects. Retargeting ads help you stay top-of-mind with these high-intent visitors.
Improve Match Rates for Ads : Instead of using outdated emails, you’re working with fresh, accurate data that increases your ad performance.

Final Thoughts: Expand Your Retargeting Efforts, Now’s your chance!

You’re probably missing out on 99% of the people who visit your website. Most visitors don’t fill out forms or take action while they’re on your site, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still engage with them. By implementing this strategy, you can capture, track, and retarget these visitors—automatically and effectively.

Here’s what you’ll gain:

More leads without relying on forms
Increased ROI on your advertising spend
Personalized follow-up that builds relationships
A more targeted marketing approach that maximizes your efforts

Don’t let your website traffic go to waste!

Get A Demo!

Schedule a quick call with us and stop losing your valuable leads. Book Now!

If you found this blog helpful, be sure to check out the full video guide on YouTube to see the exact steps in action.

Want to e xpand your retargeting efforts and capture more B2B leads ? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to learn more about powerful marketing and automation strategies.

How to Make Your First YouTube Video for Your Brand

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:13:51 GMT

What You’ll Learn in This Blog

1. How to Craft a Compelling Hook – Learn the secret to grabbing your audience’s attention right away.

2. How to Build a Personal Connection – Discover techniques to establish trust and authority on camera.

3. How to Create an Effective Video Script – Follow my bullet point system to structure your content clearly.

4. Tools & Tips to Overcome Camera Nerves – Simple, cost-effective tools that helped me produce over 700 videos.

5. How to Consistently Produce Videos for Lead Generation – A proven system to create three educational videos per week.

W hy This Strategy Works for Any Brand:

1. Engage Your Audience from the Start – A strong hook and clear message set you apart.

2. Build Trust and Authority – Authentic, educational videos make viewers more likely to become customers.

3. Simplify Video Production – Use a repeatable script and system to take the guesswork out of content creation.

4. Generate Consistent Leads – Consistent, high-quality video content builds a loyal audience and drives results.

Why is YouTube Channel Important?

As the world’s second-biggest search engine, YouTube helps businesses reach a wide, global audience and makes them easier to find on Google. By regularly posting content and using keywords, your video’s thumbnail can show up in relevant searches. Unlike other social media platforms, YouTube videos don't get buried under newer posts. They stay visible for a long time and can be shared across different platforms for various purposes.

If you're thinking about starting a YouTube channel for your brand, you might worry that the platform is too crowded. But YouTube is still growing and offers plenty of opportunities for creators. Even if you cover popular topics, your brand’s unique personality and point of view will set you apart from others. New channels are always popping up as interests shift, and older channels fade. There’s always space for fresh talent. If you create high-quality content on topics your audience cares about, YouTube’s algorithm will help push your videos to the top. It may take time, but with dedication, you can build a successful YouTube channel for your brand.

YouTube marketing offers tons of benefits for your business. YouTube has a huge, active user base, so publishing quality content can give you lots of exposure and traffic. You can also work with popular creators to expand your reach even further.

Since YouTube is closely tied to SEO and social media, having a strong presence on the platform can help you reach even more people, including outside of YouTube. The platform is available in over 100 countries and 80 languages, and with features like auto-translated captions, you can easily target global audiences.

YouTube can also improve your visibility on Google. Many search results now feature video carousels, most of which come from YouTube. By optimizing your YouTube SEO, you'll also improve your chances of appearing in Google search results.

Overcoming Anxiety and How to Get Started

Starting something new can be intimidating, especially when it’s as public as creating videos for YouTube. You know you should be making videos, but where do you even start? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. I remember being nervous for six months before finally hitting "record" on my first video. And when I did, it was awful. But fast forward seven years and 700 videos later, I've finally found a rhythm. Sure, I’m still not 100% comfortable on camera, and even this video you're watching is my second take, but I've found ways to make the process smoother and way less stressful.

When you think about it, creating a YouTube video is more doable than it seems. It might take more time than sharing a few photos on Instagram or making a 15-second TikTok, but YouTube videos usually have a longer "lifespan," especially if the content is evergreen.

The First Take Will Be Awful — And That’s Okay!

I’m here to tell you that your first few videos might not be perfect, and that’s totally fine. My first video was, well, let’s just say it wasn’t the polished, expert-level content I imagined it would be. In fact, it was awful. But guess what? That’s part of the journey. The most important part is that you push through those early awkward moments and keep going. Every video you make will help you improve, get more comfortable on camera, and learn how to engage your audience.

In this blog, I'm going to walk you through the exact system, tools, and tricks that helped me not only overcome my fear of creating videos but also helped me build a sustainable routine of creating content that drives leads and educates my audience.

Step 1: Crafting a Compelling Hook

The first few seconds of your video are critical for capturing your audience’s attention. This is where the hook comes into play — it’s the moment you need to make viewers stop scrolling and pay attention. Crafting an effective hook is all about hitting the right chord with your audience’s pain points and offering a quick, easy solution.

Identify the Core Pain Point Your Audience Faces

Before you start shooting your video, think about what problem your target audience is struggling with. If you’re creating content around a topic, chances are there’s a specific challenge or question your audience has that you can solve. Jot down some video ideas to get started. For example, if you’re talking about how to create your first YouTube video, the pain point could be the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to start or the fear of looking unprofessional.

Create a Hook That Promises a Simple Solution

Your hook should quickly communicate the value your video provides. It needs to promise a solution to that pain point in a way that sounds simple, relatable, and actionable. Something like, “In today’s video, I’m going to show you how to easily create your first YouTube video and finally overcome the nerves,” works because it’s clear and to the point.

Keep It Educational, Relatable, and Under 15 Seconds

The hook shouldn’t be long-winded or too complex. Aim for brevity and clarity. A strong hook is educational, relatable, and grabs attention, all within the first 15 seconds. Make sure you get straight to the point so viewers know what they’ll gain by sticking around.

This guide shares everything you need to know when setting up Successful YouTube Ad Campaigns. Read here to get started.

Step 2: Building Trust on Camera

Now that you’ve hooked your audience, it’s time to build trust. This can be a challenge if you're new to being on camera, but with a few key strategies, you can establish credibility and comfort quickly.

Introduce Yourself Briefly—Share Your Experience Without Overloading on Details

Your viewers need to know who you are, but they don’t need a lengthy biography. Keep your introduction short, and focus on what’s relevant to your audience. For instance, in my video, I say, “I’m Brad Smith, and I’ve been doing this marketing stuff for 10 years, helping over 200 clients.” This helps to establish my authority while also showing that I’m a real person with real experience.

Think about your own story — whether you’ve just started learning something new or you’ve been building something for years. Share your journey, your experience, and the value you bring to the table. This creates a connection with your viewers and helps them trust you.

Use a Clear, Confident Tone to Build Authority

The way you present yourself is crucial in establishing authority. Speak with confidence, even if you’re nervous. The more you practice, the more confident you'll become on camera. A clear, confident tone will help your audience trust your knowledge and experience.

Invite Viewers to Engage by Asking Them to Comment for Your Exclusive Video Script

This is a great way to engage your audience right off the bat. In my videos, I often invite viewers to leave a comment for a free resource, like my exclusive video script. This not only encourages interaction but also helps create a deeper connection with your viewers.

To learn more about creating a YouTube content strategy, make sure to watch this YouTube Video, where we break down step-by-step instructions to build a solid YouTube strategy: Click here!

Step 3: Creating an Effective Video Script

A well-thought-out script is the backbone of your video. It ensures your content is structured, organized, and impactful. Don’t worry — you don’t need a word-for-word script, but having a rough outline will keep you on track.

Use Bullet Points to Outline Your Key Messages

I always use bullet points to structure my videos. This helps me stay focused on the key messages I want to deliver, rather than getting lost in rambling or tangents. A bullet-point outline ensures I cover all the important points, keeping my video informative and educational.

Structure Your Video with a Clear Introduction, Core Lesson, and Call-to-Action

Your video should follow a logical progression. Start with a brief introduction where you hook your audience, followed by the core lesson or content you’re teaching. End with a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages engagement or drives traffic to other resources (like my YouTube playlist). This structure will help guide your viewers through your content and keep them interested.

Remember, don’t make it all about selling something. Instead, encourage engagement and further learning.

At the end of this video, I might say something like: "If this video helped you, please subscribe to the channel, and don’t forget to check out my playlist on YouTube ads and video marketing. If you have any questions or want to learn more, connect with me on LinkedIn or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you."

By encouraging further engagement, you keep your audience interested in your content and increase the chances that they’ll come back for more.

Not sure where to start when it comes to growing your business with YouTube videos, check out our comprehensive guide to generate leads from YouTube. Watch it here!

Keep Your Content Focused on Educating Your Audience

While entertainment and humor can be fun, keep the primary goal of your video educational. My success on YouTube has come from providing actionable, clear, and helpful information. Focus on helping your audience learn something they can apply immediately to their own lives or businesses.

Relate the Lesson to Real-Life Examples

After teaching the core lesson, I like to share real-life examples of how the information applies in the real world. This could be a client testimonial, a success story, or an example from your own experience.

For example, I often share how creating YouTube videos has helped me generate three times more leads for my business. I might also share a case study of a client who doubled their business by implementing the same strategies.

Step 4: Overcoming Camera Nerves & Tools

It's completely normal to feel nervous in front of the camera, especially when you're just starting. But trust me — the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Use Simple Equipment—Many of My Videos Are Shot on an iPhone with a Good Mic

You don’t need a huge budget like Mr. Beast to make great videos. One of the most common concerns people have when creating videos is the need for expensive equipment. The truth is, many of my videos are filmed on an iPhone with a good-quality microphone (I recommend the DJI mic, which is affordable and effective). You don’t need to drop thousands of dollars on professional gear to create high-quality videos — your phone and a basic microphone will do wonders for your content.

Practice Makes Perfect: Record Multiple Takes Until You’re Comfortable

The first few takes might feel awkward, and that’s okay. Practice is key. I recommend recording a few takes of your video until you feel comfortable with your delivery. This helps you get used to being on camera and fine-tune your tone and pacing.

Leverage Editing Tools to Polish Your Final Video

Editing can make a big difference in the final product. Use simple editing tools to cut out awkward pauses, improve sound quality, or add captions. Editing helps polish your video, making it look more professional and easier to follow.

Step 5: Consistency & Lead Generation

The key to long-term success on YouTube is consistency. Producing regular videos keeps your audience engaged and helps you build momentum.

Aim to Produce Three Videos Per Week

Consistency is crucial to building your YouTube channel and audience. Aim to produce at least three videos per week. This might sound like a lot at first, but once you get into a rhythm, it becomes manageable. As you create more videos, your confidence will grow, and the process will become easier.

Repurpose Your Video Content into Blogs, Newsletters, and Social Media Posts

You don’t have to create new content from scratch every time. Repurpose your videos into blogs, newsletters, and social media posts. This will help you maximize the value of each piece of content and reach a wider audience. For example, you could write a blog post summarizing your video’s key points or share short clips on Instagram to drive traffic back to your YouTube channel.

Once you've created one video, don’t stop there. The beauty of YouTube is that it’s a platform for content discovery — and the more videos you create, the more likely it is that someone will find your content.

Create a series of related videos. For example, if your video is about making your first YouTube video, your next video might focus on advanced tips for video editing or how to rank your videos on YouTube. When you create video series, you increase your chances of having viewers binge-watch your content, which is exactly what YouTube wants.

If you’re looking to learn how to optimize your YouTube, be sure to check out this guide: The YouTube Marketing Funnel Strategy

Consistency Builds Trust and Keeps Your Audience Engaged

The more consistent you are with your content, the more your audience will trust you. When you post regularly, you stay top of mind, and your audience is more likely to return for more. Over time, this builds a loyal following that trusts you for advice, education, and resources.

Final Thoughts: Take Time to Grow Your YouTube Channel

Any business can benefit from being on YouTube, but growing your channel takes time. With patience and consistency, you can build a successful channel that attracts viewers and subscribers, bringing more traffic and leads to your website.

Remember, making your first video is going to be stressful. But by following the steps I’ve outlined here, you’ll be able to constantly improve with each and every video you create.

Start your own YouTube journey now! Grab your phone, set it up, and start recording your first video. Good luck, the process will get easier, and before you know it, you’ll be creating videos regularly and improving your brand’s YouTube marketing strategy.

Want to level up as a creator and discover how to enhance your channel? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to learn more about how to start and grow a channel from scratch.

How to Set Up Your First X (Twitter) Ad for Your Business – Step-by-Step Guide

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 09:26:03 GMT

4 Simple Tips To Setup Your First X (Twitter) Ad

How do I set up my first X (Twitter) ad? To set up your first X ad, go to More > Ads in your X account to access the Ad Account Manager. Create a campaign, select "Reach" to maximize visibility, set a small budget (around $5/day), and target your ideal audience using follower lookalikes, interests, and conversation topics instead of the generic "Promote" button.
Why shouldn’t I use the Promote button on X? The Promote button wastes money by showing your post to bots and irrelevant users. Instead, running ads through the X Ad Manager lets you control your audience, target real, engaged users, and optimize for better performance at a lower cost per click.
How much does it cost to run an ad on X? X ads can be very affordable, starting at just $5/day. By using follower lookalikes and engagement retargeting, you can get pennies per click or view instead of spending money on untargeted audiences.
How do I make sure my X ad reaches the right people? Instead of creating a new ad, use your pinned tweet as an ad. Then, target followers of similar accounts, engaged users, and specific interests. Avoid “optimized targeting” to prevent showing ads to bots.

W hy This X Ad Strategy Works for Any Business:

Precise Targeting : Reach the right audience with keyword, interest, and demographic targeting.
Pay-for-Performance : Only pay when you achieve your goal—reducing ad spend risk.
Cost-Effective : Low competition means cheaper clicks, ideal for small budgets.
Optimized Engagement : Targeted ads lead to more meaningful interactions and conversions.
Maximized Visibility : Use pinned tweets to boost engagement with content already performing well.

Do Not Hit That Promote Button on X!

It's like throwing your money away at the casino. Try this instead...

I'm going to break down my screen here and show you exactly how to take one of your posts and instead of hitting that promote button, actually turn it into an ad and show it to your ideal audience.

If you hit promote, it's like just sending it and showing it only to the bots.

Step 1: Access Your X Ad Account

Click on More → Ads to open your Ad Account Manager.
If you don’t have an Ad Account Manager yet, it will prompt you to create one.
It will also ask you to create a promotable tweet— you don’t want to do this.
Follow the steps to create the account, then pause, shut it off, and delete the promotable tweet right away.

Step 2: Create a Campaign

Click on Create Campaign and select Reach —this will allow you to show your post to the most people.
In the campaign details, name it something clear like "Reach - Pinned Tweet - Date" so you can track the results.
Make sure your payment card is on file before moving to the next step.
Follow these steps to setup proper tracking and UTMs.

Step 3: Set Up Your Targeting

Choose the right audience to get better engagement.
Set your daily budget to $5 a day —this keeps your cost per click low.
Select Max Reach and Pay Per Impression for the best results.
Target your ideal age range, gender, and language based on your audience.
You can only choose five locations , so pick the countries most likely to buy from you (e.g., Canada, United States, United Kingdom).

Step 4: Build Your Ideal Audience

This is where the real difference comes in between promoting a tweet and running an actual ad.

Use Follower Lookalikes – Search for people with your ideal audience and target their followers.
Leverage Interests & Conversation Topics – Find people engaging with topics related to your business.
Target Premium Subscribers (optional) – This is more expensive but can provide high-quality engagement.
Click on Recommendations to get more suggested audiences that match your selections.
Build an audience of a few million people —this helps lower your cost per click.

Step 5: Retarget People Who Already Engaged with You

Target anyone who engaged with your past posts.
Target your followers so your post gets shown to them again.
Turn off optimized targeting —this prevents X from showing your ad to bots.

Step 6: Choose Your Pinned Tweet as Your Ad

Instead of creating a new ad, select Use Existing Post.
Choose your Pinned Tweet — this builds social proof with more views, likes, and comments.
Your ad is now set up! Name it clearly so you can track performance.

Why This Works Better Than Promoting a Tweet

Now, instead of promoting your post and showing it to bots, you’re targeting your ideal customers for pennies per view, per click, and per follower.

Benefits of This Strategy:

✔ More visibility for your best post
✔ Engagement from real users, not bots
✔ Higher quality leads for less money

How to Get More Verified Followers on X (Twitter) Using Grok

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:43:42 GMT

What We Will Cover in this Blog:

1. How to Gain 20+ Verified Followers in 7 Days

2. How to Use Grok AI to Target Premium Followers – Step-by-step walkthrough

3. How to Build a High-Quality Audience for X Ads – Automate your targeting

4. How to Optimize Your Ad Budget for Growth – Maximize ROI with data-driven decisions

5. Why Business Owners Are Switching from LinkedIn to X – Leveraging trends for engagement

Why This X Growth Strategy Works for Any Business:

1. Target the Right Audience – Only reach high-value verified users

2. Increase Engagement & Followers – Grow real connections, not bots

3. Generate High-Quality Leads – Attract potential customers, not just followers

4. Optimize Ad Spend – Spend less while getting better results

What is a Verified Follower on X (Twitter)?

Verified followers are accounts that have received the official blue checkmark from Twitter. This badge indicates that the account is legitimate and belongs to a recognized person, organization, or entity.

The Impact of Verified Followers

In the bustling realm of social media, verified followers (the ones with the blue checkmark) are considered to be high-value users. These people are influencers, business owners, industry experts, and thought leaders—individuals who can help you gain visibility and credibility in your niche.

Having hundreds or even thousands of followers who don’t engage or interact with your content is not as beneficial as you might think. These followers may boost your numbers, but they won’t do much to help you reach your goals. On the other hand, a highly engaged, relevant audience can provide real value. This is where verified followers make all the difference.

When an account is verified, it signifies that the account is authentic and trustworthy because they use X for business, networking, or sharing valuable insights, they are much more likely to engage with content meaningfully. Their interactions can include retweets, likes, replies, and even direct messages, all of which contribute to increasing your visibility and credibility within your niche.

Having verified followers gives you the opportunity to connect with individuals who are not only active and engaged but who can also influence others in your industry. These followers are often seen as trusted voices, meaning that when they engage with your content, their interactions carry more weight. It can also lead to greater opportunities, such as partnerships, collaborations, or new business leads.

In contrast, a large number of random, unverified followers who don’t interact with your posts won’t provide any real benefit. They may inflate your follower count, but won’t help you drive sales, increase engagement, or establish your authority on the platform.

That’s why quality is far more important than quantity. A few hundred verified followers who actively engage with your posts, contribute to discussions, and help amplify your content can be far more valuable than thousands of passive followers. Verified followers help you build a more genuine and influential presence on X, ultimately making it easier to grow your brand, network, and business.

By building your verified follower base, you can better monetize your X (Twitter) account, as X pays ad revenue based on the views from verified accounts engaging with your tweets. If you have more than 2,500 verified followers, you can unlock X Premium for free. Additionally, if you reach over 5,000 verified followers, you can access X Premium+ at no cost.

Also Read: X (Twitter) Ads That Work: Step-by-Step for Business Owners

The Power Tool: Grok

Gaining more followers isn’t just about posting tweets nonstop. It’s an art—a mix of strategy, timing and authenticity.

Here’s the game-changer: Grok, an AI-powered platform that helps you generate the perfect audience for your ads and streamline your marketing efforts with an active and healthy X (Twitter) account. This method uses Grok AI to help you attract premium verified users, grow your engagement, and generate high-quality leads and customers.

Now let’s cover the step-by-step process of how Grok can help you reach more verified followers on X:

Step 1: Using Grok AI to Build the Perfect X Audience

The first step to success is setting up Grok to create a tailored audience-building campaign that aligns with specific business needs. The goal here is to target premium, verified subscribers who are genuinely interested in your business or area of expertise. Here’s how to set it up:

Define Your Audience : Grok allows users to specify the ideal audience. For example, targeting small to medium-sized business owners, digital marketers, e-commerce entrepreneurs, social media managers, or automation enthusiasts will help ensure the marketing message reaches the right people. These groups are typically highly engaged on X, making them perfect targets for campaigns.
Targeting Criteria : Grok will suggest interests, behaviors, and keywords that align with the selected audience. For a business focused on digital marketing, Grok might recommend targeting keywords like “business,” “entrepreneurship,” “marketing,” and “automation.” These are ideal for anyone running X ads or services related to these fields.
Advanced Keyword Integration : One of Grok’s standout features is providing specific keywords to include in your X ad campaigns. For example, if someone searches for “X ads,” the ad can appear directly in that search, which is essential for attracting qualified traffic and boosting engagement.

Step 2: Setting Up High-Engagement X Ads

Once Grok is set up with the ideal audience and keywords, the next step is to launch the X ads campaign. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

Create a Campaign : Inside the X Ads Manager, create a new campaign with an engagement objective. The magic happens when the campaign is targeted at verified users who are more likely to engage with high-quality content.
Set Your Budget and Audience : Based on Grok’s recommendations, create a campaign that focuses on premium subscribers (verified users). Set a location—like the United States—if targeting a specific geographic region to ensure the ads are reaching the right people.
Utilize Lookalike Audiences : A powerful feature of X ads is the ability to create lookalike audiences . This feature allows businesses to find users who share similar behaviors and interests with current followers, helping to maximize reach and engagement.
Refining Keywords and Interests : Using Grok’s suggestions, input targeted keywords like “business growth,” “digital marketing,” and “automation” into the X Ads platform. Also, refine the targeting to include users engaging in relevant conversations or following key influencers.
Focus on Engagement : Once the campaign is live, the next focus should be on engagement. Verified users are more likely to engage with content that speaks directly to their interests, so it’s important to craft compelling tweets and provide value to followers. Use replies and DMs to build relationships with your followers. By doing so, interactions and engagement rates will naturally increase.

We've prepared a video guide to show you How to Create Effective X (Twitter) Posts that Drive Sales. Watch it here.

Step 3: Scaling the Campaign

After seeing initial success, the next step is to scale the campaign. Here’s how to continue optimizing and growing:

Analyze Campaign Performance : Grok provides ongoing insights into campaign performance. By analyzing engagement metrics, businesses can determine what’s working and what needs adjusting. This data-driven approach ensures campaigns remain effective.
Test Different Ads : Grok can help users test various types of ads—text-based, visual, and video—to identify which content resonates most with the target audience. This approach increases the chances of boosting engagement and conversions.
Adjust the Budget : As the follower count and engagement grow, consider increasing the ad budget slightly to expand the reach. Grok can offer guidance on the optimal spend for the best results, ensuring the campaign continues to scale effectively.
Refine Content and Messaging : Grok also provides recommendations to improve ad content, such as more compelling calls-to-action, clearer copy, and eye-catching visuals. This continuous optimization can result in higher conversion rates and greater engagement.

Results in Just One Week

This strategy can help anyone to grow faster on X without burning yourself out.

. Here’s an example of what can be expected:

Doubling Verified Followers : In just one week, it’s possible to double the number of verified followers, gaining 20-30 new blue checkmark followers per day.
Increased Engagement : With a more targeted audience, engagement rates will increase significantly, leading to higher visibility for the brand or business.
Higher-Quality Leads : New followers will be aligned with the business goals, making them high-quality leads for products or services.

The beauty of this strategy is that it doesn’t just grow the account—it grows the business. By targeting the right people, you can attract new customers, expand your reach, and build stronger relationships with potential clients.

As the campaign progresses, Grok will offer insights and suggestions for refining content, adjusting targeting, and scaling the campaign. Continuous optimization will lead to even greater success.

Also, here are the steps to learn how to target your audience effectively on X ads.

Final Words

Understanding verified followers on Twitter can really change the way you grow and engage your audience. They're not just a sign of status—they provide real value through trust, visibility, and money-making potential. Learning about the X (Twitter) sales funnel is crucial in this process. Let’s run through it now. Click here!

With the right tools and strategies, growing your audience and business on X is easier than you might think. Grok enables users to target premium, verified followers, run effective ad campaigns, and increase engagement while generating new leads and customers.

If you are passionate about growing your verified X follower base, managing verified X followers, or even tracking the X followers, AutomationLinks can help you reach all these goals with ease.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for expert tips and step-by-step tutorials about developing a solid X (Twitter strategy ) so your brand can be more active on X.

How to Write a Weekly Newsletter with AI Using Video Transcriptions

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:45:46 GMT

What We Will Cover in this Guide:

1. How to Turn Video Transcriptions into a Newsletter – Step-by-step guide using AI

2. The #1 Email Follow-Up Mistake – And how to fix it today

3. How to Automate Weekly Newsletters Without Writing – My exact system

4. Why AI Newsletters Sound More Natural in Your Voice – The secret to personalization

5. How to Schedule 3 Years of Emails in Advance – The automation that scales your business

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business:

1. Never Miss a Follow-Up – Automate email marketing while staying personal

2. Save Hours Every Week – Turn your videos into emails without extra work

3. Increase Conversions with Consistent Emails – Stay top of mind effortlessly

4. Repurpose Content for Maximum Reach – Use AI to scale your marketing without burnout

What is a Newsletter?

A weekly newsletter is one of the best ways to stay in touch with your audience, provide them with engaging insights, and nurture leads. It is a digital marketing tool businesses use to share:

New product or feature announcements

Industry updates and trends
Original or curated content
Customer testimonials and case studies
Exclusive sales or special promotions
Event invitations and reminders
Personal messages from the team or CEO

Newsletters work well alongside social media strategy to strengthen and diversify your connection with subscribers. Building a strong email newsletter strategy means knowing your audience, creating engaging content, personalizing emails through list segmentation, and sending them on a consistent schedule.

Why a Newsletter is an Effective Marketing Strategy?

Newsletters are one of the most cost-effective and scalable marketing tools, offering a high return on investment with minimal expenses. Personalization further enhances their impact, as customers increasingly expect tailored content. Through audience segmentation, businesses can deliver relevant, customized messages that boost engagement and conversions.

Lastly, email marketing software provides measurable analytics, tracking key performance metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. This data allows businesses to continuously refine their strategy, ensuring they create more targeted, relevant, and valuable content for their audience.

Check out our guide on creating an email newsletter that converts. Read it here!

Why Automate Your Newsletter?

Running a newsletter is both exciting and rewarding, but the ongoing demand for fresh content can become overwhelming. Also, writing a newsletter from scratch can be time-consuming. Fortunately, you can streamline the process and boost efficiency by leveraging AI for writing your newsletter.

With AI and video transcriptions, you can:

Repurpose your content efficiently
Maintain consistency in your outreach
Save hours of manual work
Automate the process while keeping it personalized

We’ve compiled a step-by-step process to help you create a newsletter effortlessly that keeps your brand top of mind for customers.

Step 1: Get Your Video Transcription

The first step is to obtain the transcript of your video. Follow these simple steps:

Head over to YouTube – Choose a video you’ve created and navigate to the transcript section.
Copy the transcription – If you don’t have your own videos, you can technically use others, but it’s best to use your own voice for authenticity.
Use a Transcription Tool – If you prefer, you can also use tools like Descript, Rev, or Otter.ai to get a transcript of your video.

Step 2: Use AI to Generate a Newsletter

Once you have your video transcription, the next step is to turn it into a well-structured newsletter using AI.

Use an AI Prompt – Copy the transcription and paste it into ChatGPT with a custom prompt. Here’s a simple prompt to start with:
"Turn this video transcript into an engaging email newsletter. Include a compelling subject line, a brief introduction, key takeaways, and a call to action."
Personalize the Content – Make sure to update the details to reflect your name, business, and unique insights. This makes the email more personal and engaging.
Refine the Output – AI will generate a solid draft, but you should:

Edit for clarity and tone
Add a personal touch
Ensure it aligns with your brand voice

Remember that a successful newsletter starts with good planning. Staying organized makes it easier to create engaging content. Using an editorial calendar—or even a simple spreadsheet—helps you plan and structure your newsletters effectively. Every newsletter has key elements, so planning ahead will make designing and sending them much smoother.

Your subject line should grab attention, and your email images should be clear and relevant—avoid large or impersonal visuals. Personalization is also important for increasing engagement. Try A/B testing different subject lines to see what works best, and use an email preheader or preview text to give readers a quick preview of your message.

The key to a great newsletter is balancing useful information with promotions. If emails feel too sales-focused, readers may unsubscribe. Keep your content valuable and interesting to maintain a strong connection with your audience.

Learn how to build a killer newsletter even with minimal experience by watching our YouTube video on Newsletters that Drive Sales: Watch now!

Step 3: Set Up Your Newsletter in an Email Marketing Tool

Once you have your finalized newsletter copy, it’s time to send it out to your audience. Here’s how to do it:

Choose Your Email Marketing Software – Make sure you have a reliable email platform in place to streamline your workflow and maximize your time and budget. If you don’t already have one, consider platforms like MailerLite or GoHighLevel.
Create a New Email Campaign – Copy and paste your AI-generated newsletter into the email editor.
Craft an Attention-Grabbing Subject Line – Use numbers, insights, or stats to increase open rates (e.g., “3 Powerful Marketing Strategies to Automate Your Business” ).
Test and Send – Before sending, test the email to check formatting, links, and personalization.
Schedule Your Emails – Plan ahead and schedule newsletters weekly or monthly to maintain consistency.

You can check out our guide to email automation in GoHighLevel on YouTube: Click here!

Step 4: Optimize and Improve

If your AI-generated newsletter feels lacking in depth, you can ask ChatGPT to expand on key points. A simple follow-up prompt could be:

“Please expand on each section and provide more educational insights.”

This will ensure your audience gets more value from your emails, keeping them interested and eager for more.

Step 5: Be Consistent and Engage Your Audience

Consistency is key when it comes to newsletters. Follow these tips to make professional, on-brand email newsletters:

Plan Ahead – Schedule your newsletters at least a month in advance.
Encourage Engagement – Ask readers to reply, comment, or take action.
Track Performance – Use email analytics to measure open rates, click-through rates, and engagement.
Repurpose Content – Use your newsletter content for blog posts, social media updates, and more.

Next Steps to Follow

A successful newsletter isn’t just about the numbers—it’s about understanding what those numbers mean for your business. Define clear objectives, monitor key performance indicators, and assess the impact of your content. Stay flexible and open to change, because tracking progress isn’t just about measuring success—it’s about paving the way for ongoing growth.

Email marketing is constantly evolving, and your newsletter strategy should evolve with it. The most effective email marketers don’t just send—they listen, adapt, and refine their approach based on their audience’s needs.

Check out this blog to learn how to make the most out of your email marketing and subscriber base .

Final Thoughts: Automate & Scale Your Email Strategy

Scaling your newsletter doesn't have to lead to creator burnout. With AI and automation, you can maintain a high-quality newsletter while freeing up time to keep your audience engaged and informed. You can also improve your newsletter strategy with email marketing software that helps your business grow and meet its goals.

Your subscribers have welcomed you into their inboxes, giving you the perfect opportunity to engage with them consistently—so make it count! If you need expert guidance in crafting a content strategy that educates, informs, and strengthens your connection with your audience, we’re here to support you.

If you’re looking to learn more about marketing automation for your business, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for expert tips and step-by-step tutorials.

How to Track X (Twitter) Ads with UTMs for eCommerce Sales

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:58:04 GMT

What We Will Cover in this Guide:

1. How to Set Up the X Pixel for Accurate Tracking – Step-by-step guide to implementing the X Pixel

2. How to Use Google Tag Manager for X Ads – Automate and simplify your tracking setup

3. How to Add UTMs to Your X Ads and Organic Links – Track clicks, conversions, and sales from X

4. How to Track Leads and Sales with X Events Manager – Identify what’s working and scale your best ads

Why Should You Care about Tracking X (Twitter) Ads

X (Twitter) isn’t just a social network—it’s a high-impact marketing tool that can help grow your brand, engage your audience, and drive sales. With X (Twitter) being the 3rd most-used social platform with a high engagement rate, businesses have a golden opportunity to connect with users in real time. Because X thrives on fast-paced, trending conversations, you can jump into discu ssions, interact with potential customers, and build strong relationships instantly.

One of the best things about X (Twitter) ads is how precisely you can target people. You can reach users based on their interests, age, location, and online behavior. Plus, you can go even further by targeting specific keywords or creating custom audiences, like people who have visited your website or are on your email list.

X (Twitter) ads can be a game-changer for your marketing efforts. But like any marketing tool, it's important to track how your X ads are performing to make sure you're headed in the right direction. Without proper tracking, you might be wasting money on ads that don’t convert. This data is essential for evaluating traffic quality and gaining insights into overall campaign performance for faster decision-making.

X (Twitter) A d tracking helps you measure the success of your X ad campaigns, test new strategies, and make improvements based on real data. While setting it up may seem tricky, using the right tools and techniques can turn it into a powerful part of your marketing strategy.

This guide will walk you through the must-know tactics to help you set up the X Pixel, using Google Tag Manager, adding UTMs, and leveraging X Events Manager to optimize your campaigns.

More Qualified Leads = More Conversions

Tracking your ads is key to g etting better leads for your campaigns. When you track ads, you collect important customer data that helps you understand your ideal audience. This means you can focus on people who are actually interested in what you offer. People who fit your ideal customer profile are more likely to buy. Since they’re already inter ested in your product, your ads will feel relevant and timely. These leads don’t need much convincing. They’re already searching for what you offer, so when they see your ad, they’re more likely to take action—whether it’s visiting your website, signing up, or scheduling a call.

Not everyone buys right away. Ad tracking lets you follow up with potential customers who visited your site but didn’t take action. By showing them ads as they browse the web, you remind them about your product and increase the chances they’ll retu rn and convert.

1. Stop Wasting Money – Know exactly which ads and tweets drive sales

Without proper tracking, you might be spending money on ads that don’t bring results. Ad tracking helps you see which campaigns are actually leading to conversions, so you can stop wasting your budget on underperformin g ads. Instead of guessing, you’ll have real data showing which ads, tweets, or promotions are driving the most revenue.

2. Scale What Works – Double down on high-converting campaigns

Once you know which ads perform best, you can put more money behind winning campaigns. Instead of starting from scratch each time, you can take your best-performing ads, tweak them for even better results, and maximize your return on investment (ROI). This allows you to scale your marketing efficiently, reaching more potential customers without increasing your costs unnecessarily.

3. Track Organic & Paid Sales – Find out if your X profile is generating revenue

Your X (Twitter)profile isn’t just a place to post updates—it can be a powerful sales tool. With tracking, you can see if people are buying from both your ads (paid traffic) and organic content (tweets, profile links, DMs, etc.). This helps you understand how your overall presence on X contributes to revenue, so you can fine-tune your strategy to drive even more sales.

Additional read: Case Study: How We Increased a Client’s Revenue by 41% in Three Months

X Ads Tracking: How to Get Started

Step 1: Setting Up the X Pixel for eCommerce Tracking

What is the X Pixel and How does it work?
Have you ever visited a website and then seen ads for that same business pop up on other sites or social media? That happens because of marketing pixels (also called tracking pixels).

A X Pixel is a tiny piece of code that helps businesses learn more about their website visitors. When used correctly, these little codes can improve ads, make websites work better, and even increase sales. It helps track conversions, optimize ads, and create custom audiences.

To get the most out of your advertising budget, you need to know what works. Tracking pixels show which ads are successful and which ones aren’t—helping you spend money wisely.

This blog has all you need to know about how X Ads work to boost your advertising efforts. Read on!

How to Set It Up:

Navigate to Events Manager – In your X Ads dashboard, find "Events Manager."
Generate Your Pixel Code – Copy the unique pixel code assigned to your ad account.
Install the Pixel on Your Website

If using Google Tag Manager , create a new tag, select "Custom HTML," paste your X Pixel code, and trigger it on all pages.
If installing manually, paste the code into the <head> section of your website.

Test Your Pixel Setup – Use the X Pixel Helper Chrome extension to confirm if it’s tracking properly.

Step 2: Adding UTMs to Your X Ads and Profile Links

Why Use UTMs?

UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) allow you to track exactly where your traffic and sales are coming from. By appending UTMs to URLs, you can measure the performance of paid ads, organic tweets, and even direct messages (DMs).

UTM Format Example:

?tw-source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sale

Where to Add UTMs:

Ad Links: yourwebsite.com/product?tw-source=twitter-ad
Profile Links: yourwebsite.com/?tw-source=twitter-organic
DM Links: yourwebsite.com/special-offer?tw-source=twitter-dm

Step 3: Using X Events Manager for Advanced Tracking

What is Events Manager?

X Events Manager helps you track key events like purchases, add-to-cart actions, and form submissions. This allows you to see which interactions lead to conversions.

How to Use It:

Access Events Manager – Go to your X Ads dashboard and open Events Manager.
Set Up Custom Events

Track page views, add-to-cart, purchases, and form submissions.
If using Shopify, install the X Ads plugin to automatically sync data.

Use Thank-You Pages for Lead Tracking

Redirect leads to a thank-you page after form submission.
Track conversions by assigning the thank-you page URL as a conversion event.

Step 4: Track Sales from Organic & Paid X Traffic

Add UTMs to Every Link – Whether in ads, tweets, or your bio, track all traffic sources.
Track DM Sales – Use custom UTMs to measure conversions from direct messages.
Use CRM & Analytics Tools – Platforms like Google Analytics and GoHighLevel help track leads and revenue beyond X Ads.

Wrapping Up: Key Steps to Track & Optimize Your X Ads

Ad trac king isn’t just about data—it’s about spending smarter, scaling faster, and maximizing your profits. Whether you’re running paid campaigns or leveraging organic content, knowing what works (and what doesn’t) is the k ey to success.

Best Practices:

1. Set up your X Pixel and test it with the Chrome extension.

2. Add UTMs to all links to track ad and organic performance.

3. Use Events Manager to track leads, sales, and engagement.

4. Optimize your highest-converting campaigns and scale what’s working.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll ensure that your marketing dollars are spent effectively. With practice and experience, you'll gain confidence in running X ad campaigns and maximizing your return on investment.

Interested in enhancing your business and learning more about how X Ads work? Here is an Insider’s Guide to Enhance your X Ads Strategy. Click here!

At AutomationLinks , we have over a decade of experience in creating ads that drive results. If you’re looking for guidance on setting up your Twitter(X) Ads, we’ll help you fully exploit the potential of your X (Twitter) Ads Marketing Campaigns. Get in touch with us to see how we can help you set up, plan, run, and improve your campaigns for the best results!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to keep up with the latest in digital marketing and automation tips, guides, research, and strategies.

Best Affordable All-in-One CRM for Small & Large Businesses (Save Money & Scale Faster)

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:18:01 GMT

What You’ll Learn in This Blog:

1. Why Most CRMs Are Too Expensive – Hidden fees, user limits, and missing features

2. What Businesses Overlook When Choosing a CRM – The biggest mistakes that cost you money

3. The Best Affordable CRM That Does Everything – A complete platform that saves you thousands

4. How to Set Up This CRM to Automate Your Business – Step-by-step setup for better follow-ups and sales

How CRM Transforms Your Business from Top to Bottom

Getting customers might not be too hard at first, but keeping them coming back? That’s where many businesses struggle. If people aren’t sticking around or staying loyal, something isn’t working.

Happy, loyal customers are a sign that a business is doing things right. Not only do they keep buying, but they also spread the word, bringing in new customers without extra effort.

That’s why having a good system to manage customer relationships is so important. Looking at past sales and customer interactions helps businesses see what’s working and what’s not. With the right tweaks, they can improve the customer experience, build stronger relationships, and keep people coming back for more.

Centralize, Streamline and Optimize your Communication

A CRM helps you build great relationships with your customers by treating each one like a real person, n ever letting them slip through the cracks, and being there when they need you most. Automation isn’t just about sending emails. If you really want to put customers first, you need to understand what they like and how they interact with your business. CRM software stores all past customer data in one place, making it simple to track relationships, gain valuable insights, and keep your team on the same page with a complete view of each customer.

Sales teams can save time by automatically logging sales data and generating quotes or proposals. For customer service, automation eliminates tedious tasks like gathering customer history, which can be frustrating for both customers and employees. AI-powered chatbots also help by answering simple questions and directing more complex issues to the right experts. But automation is just the beginning. The real power of CRM comes from understanding your customers—knowing their history, preferences, and needs makes it easier to provide great service and solve problems before they even arise.

With all the right data at their fingertips, customer service teams don’t have to waste time searching for information. They can quickly assist customers, keep track of interactions, and even recommend relevant products. This not only saves time but also makes customers feel valued, showing them that your team is knowledgeable and proactive. In the end, it leads to happier customers, faster resolutions, and a stronger business.

Now that we've established the importance of CRM implementation, let’s take a closer look at implementation challenges and the hidden costs you hadn't considered.

The Hidden Costs of CRMs

As a business owner, you’re constantly juggling multiple software tools—your email marketing platform, your scheduling calendar, your CRM to track customer relationships, and then another tool just to integrate everything. And let’s not even talk about the outrageous pricing!

Most CRM platforms charge per email subscriber, per user, and even per connection. That means your costs can skyrocket as your business grows, and you’re still left paying extra for missing features.

Breaking Down the True Expenses

When choosing a CRM, don’t just focus on the upfront cost—consider the total cost of ownership, as it can become a significant expense over time. A CRM might seem affordable at first, but as your business grows, the costs can add up. Many CRMs charge more as you add users or need extra features, making it more expensive over time.

Here’s a look at some of the most popular CRMs on the market:

High-priced options: Some of the leading CRM providers charge at least $800/month and only allow three users. Want more features? That’ll cost you even more.
Hidden fees everywhere: Many platforms make it seem like you’re getting a great deal at $90 or $150 per month, but then you realize you’re only paying per seat—without the full automation suite.
Limited features: One software lets you follow up with leads but lacks an email marketing suite. Another requires an additional calendar tool to schedule meetings. And don’t forget Zapier if you need them to communicate!

So, you end up paying for multiple tools that don’t fully integrate, creating inefficiencies and unnecessary expenses while missing out on high-value CRM functionality.

The Solution: Go High Level

A great CRM should be worth the investment, making your work easier and strengthening customer relationships without adding extra costs or complications. With GoHighLevel, there are no surprise costs. It’s a simple all-in-one tool that gives you everything you need to manage customer relationships without the extra fees or headaches. That means less time worrying about your CRM and more time focusing on your business. What truly sets this CRM apart is its seamless combination of email marketing, automation, and sales management tools—making it an ideal choice for businesses that need to nurture leads through sophisticated funnels.

If you're looking for a robust CRM solution that bundles everything together and doesn't hike prices based on contacts, Go High Level is worth considering. Read more here!

Benefits and Features of GoHighLevel CRM

At just $99/month, it includes:

Unlimited users
Integrated scheduling
Unlimited email marketing contacts
Lead tracking and automation
Payment processing (no need for external payment platforms!)
Social media scheduling
Custom landing pages, forms, quizzes, and surveys
Memberships and affiliate programs

The best thing about this is that you no longer have to worry about syncing different tools or paying hidden fees. Inspired? Check out this video on how to automate emails in GoHighLevel .

Why This CRM Saves You Time & Money

No Contact or User Limits – Grow without extra fees
Built-in Email & Automation – No need for Zapier or extra tools
Calendar Scheduling & Payments – Replace Calendly & Stripe
Social Media Scheduling Included – No need for Buffer or Hootsuite
Lead Tracking & Sales Pipelines – Know exactly where your best leads come from
All-in-One Simplicity – No tech skills required

How Much Can You Save?

With all these features, GoHighLevel replaces tools worth thousands of dollars. The starter plan offers almost all core features, making it excellent value for money.

Final thoughts

If your CRM setup is a mess, or you're tired of paying ridiculous fees for disconnected tools, it's time to reconsider your strategy. The right all-in-one solution can save you time, money, and headaches, while actually improving your lead tracking and follow-up processes.

No matter what you do, GoHighLevel is the ideal CRM for getting the best results with the least effort. You'll never miss a follow-up or lose track of an important deal again.

�� Get Your Free 14-Day Trial to see if you agree with my assessment: Sign up here!

Have you struggled with CRM costs and integrations? Discover the secrets to attracting, winning over, and keeping customers coming back! This tutorial breaks down everything you need to know to build strong customer relationships and grow your business effortlessly. Watch now!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to keep up with the latest in CRM with guides, research, and strategies.

How to Get High-Quality Leads on X (Twitter) – The 2025 Growth Strategy

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:29:41 GMT

What You’ll Learn in This Blog:

1. How to identify premium leads on X

2. How to engage with ideal prospects for maximum impact

3. How to track & nurture leads using automation tools

4. Why relationship-building leads to better conversions

5. How to follow up and stay top of mind

Twitter stands out as a goldmine for prospecting leads, primarily due to its real-time engagement nature. This platform enables businesses to cultivate a follower base and create targeted campaigns by facilitating immediate interactions. Through direct communication, businesses can connect with potential customers and find new opportunities.

No matter the size, companies can engage with their audience, share their story, quickly address concerns, and build a unique brand personality. This kind of direct interaction creates trust and makes the brand feel more approachable and responsive.

Generating leads on Twitter requires a strategic approach that combines compelling content, effective use of hashtags, active engagement, and attentive social listening. This guide will walk you through a proven system to use Twitter as a Lead Generation Machine.

Why X (Twitter) Leads Are So Powerful:

Premium Users – X subscribers are more engaged, serious, and ready to invest.
Higher Conversions – Warm leads from X convert faster than cold outreach.
Automated Follow-Ups – Use smart tools to stay in front of leads without extra work.

Step-by-Step Strategy:

1. Identify Premium Leads on X

To find potential leads on X (Twitter), start by focusing on your ideal customer profile. Compile a list of keywords and hashtags that are closely related to your business and products. Don't forget to include your competitors' names and their product names, as their audience could also be your potential customers.

Checkout this comprehensive guide to gain a deeper understanding of how to attract and retain valuable leads. Click here!

2. Initiate Engagement: The Heart of Your Strategy

Once a potential lead is identified, make sure to engage, respond to replies, and show genuine interest in their feedback. These interactions can turn into valuable leads.

Follow Back : Acknowledge their interest by following them.
Interact with Their Content : Like and comment on their posts to demonstrate genuine interest.
Subscribe to Their Newsletter : This shows a deeper commitment to understanding their work and fosters reciprocity.

Engaging genuinely helps build strong relationships, making it more likely they'll check out what you have to say. This is where Hypefury comes in. Hypefury simplifies maintaining a strong Twitter presence with its AI-powered tools. You can schedule posts, monitor top profiles, analyze engagement data, and manage multiple campaigns, all through an easy-to-use dashboard.

3. Track Your Best Leads

Consistency is key in nurturing leads. The key to making it work for you? Be proactive! Participate in trending discussions, promptly respond to comments, and address concerns to demonstrate that you care. This approach fosters trust and loyalty among your audience, as they appreciate a brand that listens and responds to their needs.

Utilize tools like Hypefury's Engagement Builder to streamline this process:

Create a List of Potential Leads : Add usernames of identified leads to monitor their activity.
Schedule Regular Interactions : Allocate time daily or weekly to engage with their content, ensuring you remain top-of-mind. You can also reach out to them with personalized emails that reference your Twitter interactions.

This active engagement not only reinforces your presence but also builds trust over time, turning X (Twitter) into a powerful lead-generation tool.

4. Leveraging AI for Engagement and Visibility: Nurture the Relationship

AI-powered tools have changed the way businesses find new leads by automating searches, understanding customer behavior, and personalizing outreach. They make it easier to connect with the right people, boost engagement, and follow up efficiently.

Personalized Content Recommendations : AI can analyze a lead's interests to suggest content that resonates with them.
Automated Interaction Tracking : Monitor engagement metrics to optimize your approach.

It is important to post your tweets when your target audience is most active, making sure that content is delivered consistently at the right times.

If you need help with your content scheduling, automation, and ad campaigns, Hypefury can help you create high-performing tweets and boost engagement. It also helps you understand your tweet performance to ensure your next tweets hit maximum audience engagement.

5. Transition to Conversion: Follow Up in DMs

For leads who show a significant interest, develop a follow-up strategy:

Direct Messaging : Reach out with personalized messages offering value, such as exclusive content or solutions to their challenges.
Invite to Webinars or Events : Provide opportunities for deeper engagement through exclusive invitations through a dedicated landing page linked from your profile or tweets, where users can access the content in exchange for their contact details.

These practical steps guide leads through your sales funnel, so you can turn your prospects into valuable treasures.

Conclusion

Let’s go get those sales up! By following this step-by-step strategy, you can build a strong, active social media presence that helps grow your brand. Whether you're a marketing pro or just starting out, these tips will help you make the most of your X account and stand out from the competition.

Ready to see all this in action in an easier way? Book a session with us now and watch your opportunities and connections grow exponentially! You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channe l for more digital marketing and automation tips.

Want to learn how to create irresistible X (Twitter) Ads that work and spark conversion rates? Here is a complete Guide to Creating High-Converting X (Twitter) Ads : Get it here right now!

The Three Email System That Generates 3X More Leads

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 14:43:11 GMT

What You’ll Learn in This Blog:

1. The first email that guarantees inbox delivery and builds instant trust

2. The second email that keeps leads engaged and ready to take action

3. The third email that personally invites them to work with you

4. Why personal, 1:1-style emails outperform traditional marketing emails

5. How to get higher response rates and schedule more calls

We all know it, but it’s easy to overlook—the inboxes of our customers and prospects are flooded with marketing messages, eye-catching subject lines, and endless emails competing for their attention. So, how do you stand out and become the one voice they actually notice in that noisy crowd?

Let’s be real for a second: Most businesses send generic, automated emails that often get ignored or lost in the shuffle. If you’re looking to build genuine relationships, boost engagement, and ultimately turn those leads into loyal customers, you’ve got to take a different approach.

In this post, we’ve pulled together a tried and tested, high-converting email strategy step by step that guarantees that yours is the message that is opened and responded to. By the end, you’ll have a blueprint you can copy and paste into your business immediately.

Why This Works:

These emails feel personal, not automated
People respond more when the conversation is about them
Building trust first leads to higher conversions later

Email #1 – The Inbox Guarantee Email

This email is all about ensuring your message lands in your lead’s inbox and that they trust you right from the start, which helps optimize open rates.

Here's how to craft it:

Use a subject line that matches what you promised on the landing page. Your subject line is the first thing people see, and when done right, it grabs attention and makes them want to open your message. This ensures there’s no confusion about what they signed up for and reminds them of the value they can expect from your email. Use a tone that creates a sense of urgency or curiosity. Avoid clickbait subject lines since they harm your credibility and reply rates.
Ask them to reply to confirm they received the email. This simple request makes sure the email doesn’t end up in spam. Plus, it’s a great way to engage them early.
Keep it short and personal. A few lines are all you need. Don’t overwhelm them with a long message. Remember, this is just an introduction.

Building trust from the very first email is key to grabbing your prospects’ attention and getting them to respond. When people reply, it signals to email providers that your messages are valuable and wanted. The more replies you get, the stronger your sender reputation becomes, which in turn boosts your email deliverability.

This means your future emails are more likely to land in the inbox instead of the spam folder, helping you stay connected with your audience in the long run. It’s all about creating that initial trust to start building a lasting relationship.

Using a tool like MailerLite for A/B testing can really help you make smarter decisions. It lets you test different subject lines, content, and designs to see what your audience connects with the most. It’s an easy way to improve your email strategy and get better results with each campaign.

Email #2 – The Reminder Email That Converts

Now, it's time to stay top-of-mind without being pushy. A good reminder email subject line should be brief, relevant, and grab attention, focusing on the urgency or value of the message. Avoid anything too vague, random, or formal, as it might lose your audience’s interest.

Here’s how to write this reminder email:

Send it the next day. This helps keep you on their radar without giving them too much time to forget about you.
Use "RE:" to make it look like a direct reply. This small tweak makes your email appear more personal and less like a marketing message.
Restate the offer but also ask them to share something about themselves. People love to talk about themselves. Whether it's their business struggles or their goals, asking them to share makes them more likely to engage with you. By getting your leads to talk about themselves, you’re not only keeping them engaged but also building a stronger connection. This email keeps them coming back for more without feeling like they're being sold to.

Don’t send lazy follow-ups that are just about “touching base” or “checking in.” These messages don’t offer anything and end up being just another email in their inbox. Every interaction should have value, make sure your emails give them a reason to open, click, and respond.

True opportunities for organic, meaningful follow-ups come when you offer something valuable - whether it’s a physical gift, a webinar, a case study, a template, or another type of useful digital resource. You can easily send multiple follow-ups around these valuable offers, as long as the content is relevant and high-quality.

The goal is to be seen as an asset to your recipient, not just another marketer.

And a final reminder, if you're not adding value, there's little reason for them to care or respond. Make every follow-up count. You can also read through this detailed guide to get more insights about email follow-up strategies. Click here!

Marketing automation tools such as GoHighLevel make it easy to schedule reminder emails based on specific triggers or timelines. This means you can relax, knowing your messages will go out exactly when they need to, without any extra effort on your part. Learn how to set up email automation in GoHighLevel with this step-by-step tutorial. Click here.

Email #3 – The Personal Invite That Gets a Yes

This is where you truly seal the deal. The goal is to make this email feel like an exclusive, personal invitation.

Here’s how:

Use a question in the subject line. Questions pique curiosity and boost open rates. You could ask something like, “Are you ready to take the next step?”
Make it feel exclusive. Let them know this email is just for them – not part of a mass email campaign. You can be as creative as you want with it.
Ask them to reply with a simple “Yes” to commit before clicking any links. This small commitment increases the likelihood of them following through.

Sometimes, taking a break from the hard sell can be refreshing for your audience, so sprinkle in some emails offering early access to new arrivals or inviting them to be part of your community. Avoid boring copy, and instead, get conversational and connect on a deeper level. In the end, it’s all about creating a better experience that makes customers feel seen, valued, and eager to return.

Keep in mind, the aim here is to get them to say “Yes” in reply to your email, creating a more intimate interaction. Once they’ve committed in writing, they’ll be much more likely to follow through with your call-to-action – whether it’s scheduling a call, booking a consultation, or making a purchase.

Would you like to learn more about email marketing and see how it can work even better for your business? Be sure to check the full guide: How to Automate Your Marketing in 2025.

Pro tip: Keep It Personal

If you take away just one thing from this blog, let it be this: The more personal your emails feel, the better they’ll perform. Avoid fancy, corporate-looking email designs and stick with a simple, conversational tone. The goal is to make your leads feel like they’re receiving a message from a friend, not a faceless brand.

Conclusion: Turning Cold Leads Into Warm Conversations

This simple yet powerful three-email sequence has the ability to keep your brand at the forefront of your leads' minds and turn cold leads into warm conversations. The more personal you make your emails, the more likely they are to take action when the time is right.

If you’re ready to start implementing this system, we encourage you to start small: Try it out with your next set of leads and watch the response rates and sales—soar.

As you read through this if you find yourself wondering where to begin, subscribe to our YouTube Channe l for more digital marketing and automation tips.

You can learn more about the art of a winning social media strategy in this complete guide packed with tips and best practices. Click here to get started!

How to Lower Your Cost Per Click: The $0.10 Ad Strategy That Works

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 13:51:41 GMT

5 Simple Tips To Get More Leads

Why Facebook ads are overpriced and losing effectiveness
How X ads get 100X more impressions at a fraction of the cost
Why focusing on follows before selling increases conversions
How to retarget engaged followers for just pennies per click
The 3-step system to follow up with leads 24 times

Would you rather pay $1 per link click or just $0.03 per link click ? If that question made you pause, you’re about to stop guessing and start learning social media techniques that could completely reshape your marketing approach.

In today’s post, I’ll give you an inside look of two real ad accounts - one on Facebook and one on X (Twitter), and reveal some shocking insights into ad spend, lead quality, and audience trust-building. Keep reading becau se, by the end, I’ll show you exactly how to p ut some of these strategies in place for your own brand and watch your conversion rate jump.

The Experiment: Facebook vs. X Advertising

Facebook Ads: High Costs, Low Trust

One of our clients has been running Facebook ads for years. Their account is well-established with tons of data, and over the past 8-9 months , they have:

Spent: $44,000
Impressions: 662,000
Accounts Reached: 340,000
Leads Generated: 4,400

At first glance, these numbers seem impressi ve. But there’s a major flaw in this strategy: trust.

These leads are coming in cold and they have never interacted with the brand before. So, while the business is paying about $10 per lead and $2.28 per action, the convers ion rates are disappointing. Why? Because these leads are skeptical, ask tons of questions, and often don’t convert.

X (Twitter) Ads: Low Cost, High Engagement

Now, let’s compare that to an X (Twitter) ad account for a similar client. Here’s what we found:

Spent: $2,183
Impressions: Over 100 million!
Cost per 1,000 Impressions: $0.0001
Cost per Click: $0.03

What we’re doing here is focusing on building genuine relationships with our audience before pushing for sales. Instead of just running ads to get quick conversions, we’re investing in trust and providing value upfront. By nurturing leads through organic engagement, retargeting, and strategic follow-ups, we’re creating a more meaningful connection. Here’s a guide you won’t want to miss on how to nurture your leads.

This allows us to convert at a lower cost, build long-term relationships, and ultimately drive better results without wasting ad spend. It’s all about quality connections that lead to more loyal customers in the end.

What’s even better with X is that when someone comments on an ad, their friends will see it, organically expanding our reach through retargeting. This helps us build a community and keep engaging with our audience.

The key here is to establish trust with your leads before trying to close a sale. If they don’t know you, like you, or trust you yet, you're wasting valuable ad spend. Instead, focus on providing value, educating, and helping them so that when they’re ready to make a decision, they know exactly where to find you.

The X-factor? Instead of just driving clicks, we’re building an audience. When people follow the brand, they start engaging with its content, leaving comments, and developing trust over time. And when they’re ready to buy? They already know, like, and trust the business. Take a look at our X Advertising Analytics Tools tutorial, C lick here.

Why Audience Building is the New Winning Strategy

Most brands focus only on ads, expecting instant conversions. But here’s the problem:

Cold leads don’t convert well.
Skeptical prospects take longer to decide.
High ad spend with low trust equals wasted money.

Instead, a smarter approach is to:

Use ads to build an audience. People who follow you engage with your content, see your expertise, and begin to trust you.
Retarget those followers later. When they’re finally ready to buy, they already know you.
Leverage organic engagement. When someone comments on your X ad, their friends see it too, creating free exposure!

Curious about lead nurturing? Let us show you how to build better relationships .

How to Set Up Your Own Winning Ad Strategy

Remember this: Throwing money at ads doesn’t guarantee results, strategy does! Here’s how to create your Ad strategy that focuses on sophisticated nurturing workflows.

Focus on Building Relationships First

Keep engaging and nurturing customer relationships on social media to keep them coming back.
Run ads that encourage people to follow you instead of clicking straight to your website. Make sure you offer a good balance between promotions and valuable content, whether it's freebies, discount codes, or knowledge so that your audience remains engaged and appreciative.
Engage with followers through comments, DMs, and value-driven content.

Retarget with Low-Cost Ads

Once people know you , hit them with ads designed for conversions.
Retarget your warm audience for pennies compared to cold traffic.
Follow Up Like a Pro - When people trust what you offer, they’re more likely to buy from you.

It takes an average of 24 follow-ups before someone makes a decision. To give you a better idea, check out our proven four-step follow-up system. Click here!

Conclusion: Smart Ads > Expensive Ads

The goal isn’t to spend mor e, it’s to spend smarter. Instead of spending thousands on cold leads who don’t convert, shift your focus to audience-building first and sales later. W hen you nurture your leads, they become informed customers who truly understand your value. And when they see the full picture, they’re more likely to stick around, upgrade, use more of your services, and even spread the word to others.

If this strategy makes sense to you, subscribe to our YouTube Channel . You can explore more in this complete guide that will help you build a successful social media marketing strategy and follow the right best practices from d ay one. Click here!

The Social Sales System That Converts 3X More Leads with Zero Extra Effort

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 13:50:39 GMT

7 Easy-to-follow techniques you'll find in this guide:

1. How to Build an Automated Social Sales System

2. The Secret to 3X Higher Lead Conversions Without Extra Effort

3. Why Most Businesses Lose 99% of Their Website Visitors

4. How to Set Up a Simple Yet Powerful Follow-Up Sequence

5. The Best Way to Automate Your Retargeting and Keep Leads Engaged

6. How to Use Personalized Emails, Video, and Social Media to Build Trust

7. How to Set Up Retargeting Ads That Keep Your Brand in Front of Leads

Figuring out how to generate quality leads can be just as tricky as actually converting them into customers. It’s not always clear where to start, what methods work best, or how to maintain a healthy pipeline of leads.

The process can feel like a puzzle, where every piece—content, outreach, or targeting—is crucial to building a system that brings in the right people. And just like converting leads, generating them requires strategy, patience, and continuous improvement to get it right.

Building such an ecosystem is no small feat, but with the right strategy, automation tools, and collaboration between marketing and sales, it can be done effectively to ensure your brand stands out.

There you have it, The Social Sales System — a powerful, automated strategy that is time-tested to establish a perfect lead nurturing workflow, follow-ups, and conversions.

By implementing this system, businesses have seen results like:

3X more leads converted
5X more sales without cold outreach
80% of leads closed on autopilot
67% of clicks turned into customers
5-10 calls booked per week without paid ads

Let’s break down how you can implement this system to automate your sales process, save time, and grow your business effortlessly.

Step 1: Create High-Converting Landing Pages

When a potential customer visits your website, they quickly form an opinion about your brand. The design of your site, from its visual appeal to its layout and overall user experience, plays a crucial role in shaping that first impression.

A well-designed website is a smart investment in your brand's future. Partner with professional designers to build a site that not only showcases your brand’s identity but also meets today’s design standards.

We get why it can feel like a lot to tackle. The key is to create a system that not only produces content but also brings in traffic, nurtures that traffic, and effectively qualifies leads before passing them off to your sales team.

It’s about more than just throwing out content; it’s about creating something that draws in the right people, speaks to their needs, and gradually builds their trust over time.

Once you start converting those leads, the next step is making sure they’re nurtured with relevant content that guides them through the journey, all the while avoiding any hard sales push too soon. Watch this video to get a deeper understanding of High-Converting Landing Pages!

What You Need:

A visually appealing, mobile-friendly design
Clear calls-to-action (CTAs) like “Schedule a Call” or “Download Our Guide”
A form that collects emails and notifies you instantly
Tracking pixels to follow up with visitors via retargeting ads

Most customers need to see your brand 24 times before making a purchase. Ensure your website captures attention and builds trust so you can follow up effectively.

Step 2: Offer a High-Value Lead Magnet

People won’t give you their contact information for free—they need an incentive. What you’re offering needs to be appealing enough to convince someone to share their contact information.

Create a lead magnet that provides value and solves a problem for your target audience. It could be anything from a free ebook, a checklist, demos, or a webinar, but the key is that it has to provide genuine value.

That said, don’t just go for anything that looks good; make sure it resonates with your target audience and ties directly into what you offer.

Examples of Lead Magnets:

Free guide or eBook (e.g., “9 Steps to Automate Your Sales”)
Exclusive video training
Discount or free trial
Webinar invitation

Consider this: 99.9% of people won’t take action immediately. But if they get value from your lead magnet, they’ll remember you when they’re ready to buy.

Step 3: Build an Automated Email Follow-Up Sequence

Once someone downloads your lead magnet, don’t let them forget about you. Set up an automated email sequence that builds trust and nurtures leads.

Email Sequence Blueprint:

Email #1 – Welcome & Connect (Invite them to follow you on social media)
Email #2 – Provide More Value (Educational content or case study)
Email #3 – More Education (Another helpful tip or video)
Email #4-6 – Continue nurturing with valuable content
Email #7 – Soft Sales Pitch (Invitation to schedule a call or buy)

Remember, the goal is NOT to sell immediately but to stay top-of-mind so they reach out when they’re ready.

Step 4: Use Retargeting Ads and Drop-Basket Campaigns to Stay in Front of Leads

Not all leads will convert during your nurture sequence, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be ready for your solution later.

Have you ever searched for a product and then seen ads for it everywhere? That’s retargeting, and it’s a game-changer. Little tweaks to your page headline, lead magnet name, CTAs, or visuals can lead to better conversions.

Use your analytics to guide your decisions, try out small experiments, and watch your opt-ins grow over time.

How Retargeting Works:

Install a tracking pixel on your website.
Run low-cost retargeting ads to people who visited but didn’t convert.
Show them a mix of educational and direct sales ads at least 24 times.

Retargeting ads are MUCH cheaper than regular ads. You’re only showing them to people who have already expressed interest.

Step 5: ‘Listen’ on Social Media & Build Relationships

Your focus should be on your customers, but making money is part of the picture too. Just make sure you’re not being pushy.

Don’t just sell for the sake of selling. If all you do is push your products, you’ll quickly lose trust. People buy from brands they trust. Stay engaged by consistently posting valuable content on social media.

Choose the Best Platform for Your Business Success

B2B - Focus on LinkedIn & X (Twitter)
B2C - Focus on Instagram & Facebook
Want to build authority - Use YouTube
Local business - Optimize Google My Business

Don’t just dive in! Pick two platforms and master them before expanding. Watch this video to learn more about automating your social media posts. Click here!

Step 6: Automate Everything for Maximum Efficiency

Once your system is set up, it should run on autopilot.

Tools to Automate Your Social Sales System:

Website & Lead Capture: Duda , or Shopify .
Email Marketing: MailerLite , Brevo , or GoHighLevel
CRM & Automation: HubSpot, Keap, HighLevel
Retargeting Ads: Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads

Hire a freelancer or agency if automation feels overwhelming. Once systems and processes are in place, you can generate a steady stream of quality leads with minimal effort.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not Following Up Enough – Leads forget about you if you don’t engage at least 6-8 times.
Relying Only on Email – Many people ignore emails, so you need to be visible on multiple channels.
Not Using Retargeting – Most leads don’t convert on the first visit—remind them with ads.
Being Too Salesy – Focus on value, education, and relationship-building instead of constant sales pitches.

Check out this helpful guide to to help you turn new leads into successful deals!

Implement & Watch Your Sales 3X

If you’re not consistently following up with leads, you’re leaving money on the table.

The whole point of this Social Sales System is to help you:

Stay top-of-mind with potential customers
Build relationships on autopilot
Convert 3X more leads without extra work

Get personalized help setting up your Social Sales System now. Join our community for just $1/month and get access to expert training, templates, and support! Check it out!

Craving for more tips? Hit subscribe on our YouTube channel for more guidance on creating successful campaigns.

How to Run YouTube Ads for Just $5/Day and Get More Leads

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:40:32 GMT

5 Simple Steps You Will Learn In This Guide

How one pinned tweet can drive leads and start conversations.
Why asking for comments increases engagement and reach.
How to move leads into DMs naturally without being pushy.
The importance of offering high-value free content.
Why follow-up messages & email sequences close more sales.

Many businesses waste thousands on Facebook ads without results or limit themselves to one channel. In this post, I’ll show how I get high-quality YouTube leads for pennies per view—all for less than $5/day.

Hey there! I’m Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks . With 10 years in marketing and 2,500+ brands helped, I’ll walk you through my $5/day YouTube ad system. Retargeting leads with this strategy means prospects say, “I’ve watched all your videos—I’m ready to sign up.” Let’s dive in.

Why YouTube Ads Cost Less and Convert Better

YouTube now focuses on off-platform targeting, especially as users switch to TVs and upgrade to ad-free Premium ($20/month). For businesses, this means YouTube videos can be shown across Google’s ecosystem (Gmail, Display Network, apps) after someone watches your content.

This omnipresence builds trust. When leads see you everywhere post-engagement, conversion odds skyrocket.

Step 1: Retarget Viewers Who Watched Your Videos

If someone watches your YouTube video, use Google Ads to retarget them across Google platforms. Example: After they watch your video, show ads on Gmail, Display Network, or Google’s app.

Pro Tip : Link ads to a landing page with your YouTube video or directly to the video itself. This triggers YouTube’s algorithm to recommend your content organically later.

Step 2: Show Ads to Website Visitors

Retarget website visitors with YouTube/Google ads. When someone visits your site (and accepts cookies), they’ll see your ads on YouTube or Google platforms afterward—even if they have YouTube Premium.

Step 3: Target Your Competitors’ Audience

Run ads targeting viewers of 5–10 competitor channels with your ideal audience. Example: If Alex Hormozi’s audience aligns with yours, show your ads after his videos. This places your content in their recommendations or on Google platforms they use.

How to Scale This Strategy for More Leads

Start with $5/day on one tactic (retargeting viewers, site visitors, or competitors’ audiences). Once results roll in—more views, subscribers, and leads—increase your budget. High-quality leads will arrive sales-ready, saying, “I’ve seen your videos—let’s start.”

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

If this resonated:

Click here for my full advertising guide.
Like, subscribe, and check my YouTube ads playlist for setup tutorials.

Thanks for reading—see you in the next post!

The “One Tweet Sales Funnel” – How to Sell Without Selling

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:59:00 GMT

The 5-Step Tweet Hack That Quietly Floods Your DMs with Clients

One tweet, one image, and one ad without selling anything—this is the new X (Twitter) sales funnel. It’s working across all our clients’ accounts. If you want high-quality clients reaching out to you without pitching them, here’s how to do it.

My name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . Been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years, work with over 2500 clients. I'm going to walk you through, step-by-step, the exact sales funnel that's working best for us and all of our clients on X.

Why Most Tweets Don’t Convert Into Sales

Most tweets fail because they focus on selling, not building relationships. People won’t engage if they feel pressured to buy. Instead, give value first.

Step 1: Pinning a High-Value Tweet

Start by pinning a high-value tweet to your profile. Include:

A relatable image (like your face) to build recognition.
A clear, actionable offer (e.g., a free guide).
A call to comment on the post to access the offer.

This tweet acts as your sales funnel’s entry point. Example: My pinned tweet shows my face, offers a free checklist, and asks users to comment. My team then sends the guide via DM.

Step 2: Driving Engagement With Comments

When someone comments, your team gets notified. Reply with a DM like:
“Thanks for commenting! Here’s your guide: [LINK].”

The link leads to a landing page where they exchange their name and email for the resource.

Step 3: Following Up in DMs

Use DMs to deepen the relationship:

Send the guide link.
Ask if they need help.
Share a video explaining how to use the guide (e.g., a YouTube tutorial).

This builds trust and positions you as a helper, not a seller.

Step 4: Sending Leads to a Landing Page

Your landing page should:

Collect their name/email.
Deliver the promised resource.
Include a follow-up email with the same title as the guide (to avoid confusion).
Encourage replies (e.g., “Let me know if you have questions!”).

Add options to schedule a call, join a community, or watch more videos to nurture the relationship.

Final Step: Automated Follow-Ups

Send a series of 7 follow-up emails to stay top-of-mind. Use these to:

Share additional value.
Remind them to engage with your content.
Invite them to purchase or join your community.

Conclusion

This funnel works because it prioritizes relationships over sales. By giving value upfront (free guides, videos, and DMs), you build trust. When prospects finally reach out, they already feel connected to you.

Test this flow on your X profile, and adapt it to platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram. For more tips on X ads or growing your channel, explore our YouTube playlist .

Pin a high-value tweet : Use a relatable image, offer something actionable, and ask for comments to start the funnel.
Engage through comments : Respond to comments with DMs to deliver your free resource and build trust.
Follow up in DMs : Share links, explain your offer, and ask questions to deepen the relationship.
Send leads to a landing page : Collect emails and deliver your resource while keeping the process simple and clear.
Automate follow-ups : Use emails and DMs to stay connected, provide value, and nurture leads over time.

The Beginner’s Guide to YouTube Ads for Small Businesses

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 18:37:06 GMT

5 Tips That Will Transform Your YouTube Advertising

Your ideal customers are on YouTube right now—learning, being educated, watching on their TVs, or scrolling on their phones. YouTube is underpriced attention, and it’s where you can excel, scale, and grow your business with high-quality leads. My best leads come from YouTube because they watch my videos, learn from me, and easily click through to my website.

Hey there! My name is Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks.com. I’ve been in marketing for over 10 years, helping over 2,500 people (no boring details—check my site if you want to learn more). These videos are super actionable, and today I’ll Walk you through simple steps to set up YouTube ads for your business. Stick around until the end for a bonus for you . Let’s dive in!

Why YouTube Ads Are the Best for Finding Customers

YouTube ads work because viewers are already in a learning mindset. When they watch your content, they can instantly click to your website or reach out. For example, I create 15-second videos (horizontal and vertical) that directly say, “Want to learn YouTube ads? Click this video. If not, keep scrolling.” Be direct, relatable, and show your face—the more personal, the better.

How to Set Up a High-Converting YouTube Ad

Step 1: Create Relatable Ads

Test different ad formats (horizontal/vertical) that teach something or highlight your service. Use clear calls-to-action like “Click to learn” or “Get help now.” Focus on value and authenticity.

Step 2: Set Up Your Google Ads Account

Go to Google Ads and sign up (claim any free credits offered).
Sync your YouTube channel under “Linked Accounts” in your Google Ads dashboard.

Pro Tip: Avoid YouTube’s native “Promotions” tool—it’s cheaper for views/subscribers but weak for leads.

Step 3: Launch Your Campaign

Choose “Video Views” as your goal for quick results.
Name your campaign, set a daily budget (5–
5–15 to start), and target locations/languages.
Paste your YouTube video link and add headlines/descriptions.

The Best Audience Targeting Strategies

Target competitors’ audiences! Place your ads on channels your ideal customers watch. For example, if someone watches “Alex Hormozi’s” videos, your ad appears as a recommended video next. List 5–15 competitor channels to maximize reach.

How to Increase Watch Time and Engagement

Use YouTube Shorts. Shorts dominate TikTok/Instagram refugees and cost less per view. They’re perfect for quick, scrollable content that drives subscribers and views.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

Need a step-by-step blueprint? Click here to get it .
Subscribe to my channel for weekly YouTube ad tips (every Friday at 12 PM Eastern).
Ready to scale? Reach out to my team or an agency to optimize your campaigns.

YouTube ads are your shortcut to underpriced attention. Set them up right, and watch your business grow. See you in the next video!

YouTube is Underpriced Attention: Your ideal customers are already on YouTube, making it a cost-effective platform to reach high-quality leads.
Create Relatable, Direct Ads: Use short, engaging videos (horizontal and vertical) with clear calls-to-action to teach or highlight your services.
Set Up a Google Ads Account: Avoid YouTube’s native Promotions tool for better lead quality and sync your YouTube channel with Google Ads for advanced targeting.
Target Competitors’ Audiences: Place your ads on channels your ideal customers watch to appear as recommended content, maximizing reach and relevance.
Leverage YouTube Shorts: Shorts are low-cost, high-impact ads that cater to the growing trend of short-form content, driving views and subscribers.

The Silent Revenue Killer: How “Invisible Leads” Are Costing You Thousands

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 17:06:28 GMT

Core Strategies to Stop Losing Leads

It’s not Halloween, but the ghosts are everywhere. People are ghosting you—and you don’t even know it. 99.9% of people who visit your website leave and disappear. You didn’t even know they were there. That’s why setting up the right systems is critical for your business.

Why 99.9% of Website Visitors Leave

Hey there, I’m Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . I’ve been doing marketing for over 10 years and have helped more than 2500 people. People are too busy for you. They might visit your website at a red light or while picking up their kids from school. Without systems to remind them about you, they’ll vanish forever. Retargeting, follow-ups, and remarketing are essential to bring them back.

Step 1: Capture Leads With a Landing Page

A dedicated landing page generates 10–30% more email signups than a standard homepage. Here’s how:

Promise value (e.g., a free 3-step checklist in exchange for their name and email).
Include a preview of what they’ll receive.
Add reviews and a simple form.

If you want to use my exact system, I’ve included a link to the checklist here: Checklist

Step 2: Build Trust With a Follow-Up Video

After capturing their email, send a video to:

Introduce yourself and your brand.
Explain why they can trust you.
Direct them to check their inbox (this boosts email open rates by 40%).

Offer additional options, like scheduling a call or joining your community, to deepen the relationship.

Step 3: Automate Email Follow-Ups

Use a CRM or automated email system to:

Send a personalized email with the promised checklist.
Encourage replies to increase engagement (e.g., “Reply with your biggest challenge!”).
Include clear calls-to-action, like booking a call or accessing resources.

Step 4: Retarget Visitors With Ads

Retargeting ads ensure visitors don’t forget you. They serve two purposes:

Remind those who didn’t sign up to return and claim your offer.
Prompt those who DID sign up to take action (e.g., schedule a call or join your program).

These ads turn “ghosts” into customers by keeping your brand top-of-mind.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

Don’t let thousands of invisible leads haunt your revenue. Set up these systems to:

Capture leads with a landing page.
Build trust via video.
Automate emails.
Retarget visitors with ads.

f you’re ready to implement this system, you can access the free checklist here: Checklist . Subscribe for more automation tips, and watch your invisible leads become loyal customers.

99.9% of website visitors leave without taking action. Without systems to capture and retarget them, they’re lost forever.
Use a dedicated landing page to generate 10–30% more email signups by offering value (e.g., a free checklist).
Build trust with a follow-up video to increase email open rates by 40% and deepen relationships.
Automate email follow-ups to deliver promised content and encourage engagement.
Retarget visitors with ads to remind them about your brand and turn “ghosts” into customers.

X (Twitter) Ads That Work: Step-by-Step for Business Owners

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:05:22 GMT

5 Key Takeaways for X (Twitter) Ads Success

I heard a while ago: look for the underpriced attention when trying to grow your business or brand. TikTok was once the "next big thing" for virality and client growth, but algorithms have changed. The underpriced attention right now? X (Twitter) ads . More businesses are shifting budgets from Meta and Google to X, achieving pennies per click to their websites.

Why X Ads Are the Best Underpriced Attention

Hi, I’m Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . With 10+ years in marketing and helping over 2,500 clients, I’ll skip the fluff and dive into actionable steps to set up X ads effectively.

How to Set Up Your X Ads Account

Get Verified: You need the blue check mark (any verification tier works).
Skip the Test Campaign : After verification, click “More” → “Ads” → ignore prompts to set up a test campaign. Complete basic steps quickly, then shut off the ad.
Access Advanced Settings : Navigate to “Advanced” (not “Simple”) to avoid bot traffic.

The Best Targeting Settings for X Ads

Audience Restrictions : In “Account Brand Settings,” select “Limited” to exclude bots.
Demographics : Narrow age range, language (English), and 1–5 country locations.
Keyword Targeting : Ads can appear next to tweets, bios, or searches containing specific keywords (e.g., “email marketing software”).
Follower Lookalikes : Target followers of accounts with your ideal customers.
Retargeting : Engage users who’ve interacted with your brand or follow you.

Creating an Engaging Ad That Converts

X is about building relationships. Instead of pushing a generic image or link, provide value:

Share educational content or case studies.
Use existing high-performing tweets as ads.
Spark interest by addressing your audience’s needs directly.

Final Steps

Start with $5/day for the first 3 days to let the platform optimize.
Use Reach campaigns (best-performing objective).
Experiment with placements (e.g., profiles, tweet replies).

Ready to Try X Ads?

If you want more visitors, leads, and customers on X:

Here is full " Blueprint " to the x ads guide.
Follow me on X for questions.
Subscribe to my channel if this helped.

Thanks for reading—see you in the next guide!

Underpriced Attention = X Ads Advantage: Shift focus to X (Twitter) ads for cost-effective clicks, as businesses are moving away from saturated platforms like Meta and Google.
Verification & Advanced Setup Are Non-Negotiable: Get the blue check mark, skip test campaigns, and use Advanced settings (not "Simple") to avoid bot traffic and refine targeting.
Precision Targeting Drives Results : Use keyword-based placements, follower lookalikes, and retargeting to reach ideal customers. Restrict ads to "Limited" mode to exclude bots.
Value-First Ads Build Relationships: Prioritize educational content, case studies, or problem-solving tweets over direct sales pitches to engage your audience.
Start Small, Then Scale: Begin with a $5/day budget for 3 days to let the platform optimize. Use Reach campaigns for maximum visibility before scaling.

How to Close Deals With New Leads: 4 Simple Steps

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:53:58 GMT

5 Key Takeaways to Close Deals with New Leads

I’ve been closing leads since 1995—back when I sold garden benches face-to-face. Today, I sell hundreds of thousands of dollars a month online through social media. Here’s exactly how we do it.

Hey there—I’m Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . I’ve been in marketing for 10 years, helped over 2500 people, and I’ll cut straight to the point. Let’s dive in.

Step 1: Investigate Where the Lead Came From

When a new lead enters your pipeline (let’s use “David” as an example), start by identifying where they found you . Check if they came from Google, YouTube, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Review which pages they visited on your website, their email address, and whether they’ve opened your emails.

For instance, if David came from LinkedIn, copy his name, head to LinkedIn, and connect with him immediately . This ensures he sees you twice: once from your initial touchpoint (like your website or email) and again through your LinkedIn connection.

Step 2: Engage Authentically on Social Media

After connecting, scroll to their LinkedIn activity and click “Show all posts.” Start liking and commenting on their content—simple gestures like “Congrats!” or “Great insights!” go a long way.

This builds familiarity. They’ll remember you not just as a business contact but as someone who supports their work .

Pro Tip:

If you’re under $10k/month in revenue, do this yourself to strengthen relationships.
If you’re over $10k/month, hire a virtual assistant or sales manager to handle engagement.

Step 3: Send a Personalized Loom Video

Next, send a 30-second Loom video introducing yourself. Keep it casual—no selling. For example:

“Hey David, nice to meet you! I noticed you visited our website—just wanted to say hello. Let me know if you have questions or want to schedule a chat!”

This video puts a face to your name and builds trust.

Step 4: Show Up Early & Humanize Zoom Calls

When a lead schedules a call, join Zoom 5 minutes early with your camera on. Treat it like meeting at a coffee shop: greet them warmly, smile, and start with a handshake (figuratively!).

I built my business from zero leads by prioritizing this. On my Relationship Marketing Podcast, I was always early, camera-ready, and welcoming. Humanize the interaction first , then discuss business.

Recap: Close More Deals in 4 Steps

Stalk (Respectfully): Track the lead’s origin and connect on their preferred platform.
Engage: Like, comment, and support their content.
Introduce Yourself: Send a short, non-salesy Loom video.
Be Early & Authentic: Show your face on Zoom and build rapport before pitching.

Want the Full Checklist?
As promissed here is the 9-step follow-up guide . For more strategies, check out the playlist linked here .

Thanks for reading—and go put these steps to work!

Track the Lead’s Origin : Start by identifying where your lead came from—whether it’s Google, LinkedIn, or another platform. Understanding their journey helps you tailor your approach and build a stronger connection.
Engage Authentically on Social Media : After connecting, actively engage with their content. Like and comment on their posts to stay top-of-mind and show genuine support. This builds familiarity and trust over time.
Send a Personalized Introduction : Use a short, 30-second Loom video to introduce yourself. Keep it casual and avoid selling—focus on building a human connection first.
Show Up Early and Be Camera-Ready : Join Zoom calls 5 minutes early with your camera on. Treat virtual meetings like in-person interactions—be welcoming, smile, and establish rapport before diving into business.
Scale Engagement as You Grow : If your business is earning under $10k/month, handle engagement yourself to build relationships. Once you surpass $10k/month, delegate engagement tasks to a virtual assistant or sales manager to save time while maintaining consistency.

Best Practices for Creating Engaging YouTube Ads to Boost Leads

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 08:38:27 GMT

5 Key Practices for Engaging YouTube Ads

Some of my best YouTube ads have come straight from my phone—simple recordings explaining what I do, how I solve pain points, and how I help businesses get better results.

Hey there, I’m Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . I’ve been in marketing for 10 years and helped over 2500 businesses (I won’t bore you with the details).

Let’s dive in. Stick around until the end, and I’ll share my exact YouTube blueprint for setting up ads that generate leads and customers.

Study Existing YouTube Ads

Start by exploring YouTube on your phone or computer. Look for videos labeled “Sponsored,” “Watch Now,” or “Start Now.” For example, this sponsored ad directs users to a website without a video.

I prefer ads that include a video viewers can watch or click through to a site. Notice how recommendations appear alongside the video or links below it—use these features strategically.

Keep Videos Short and Focused

Aim for 30 seconds or less. This 23-second ad demonstrates software quickly—no fluff. Think: What can your business convey in under 30 seconds? Grab attention fast: “ Hey, if you’re struggling with [pain point], I’m [name] and I can help. Check the link below. ”

Use Your Phone for Authenticity

Film horizontal or vertical videos directly from your phone. No fancy equipment needed. Jump into the frame and address your audience plainly: “ This is who we are, here’s how we help, and here’s a free guide to learn more. ” This approach builds trust and grows your email list.

Effective Content Types for YouTube Ads

Test these formats:

Product demos
Webinars
Guides/blueprints
Direct sales pitches

The top performers? Quick intros that lead to a free resource. For example, a 29-second ad offering a free trial or demo.

Educational Content Builds Relationships

Consider longer educational videos (like this 25-minute tutorial). These act as lead magnets—viewers submit their info to access the content.

Treat these ads like regular YouTube videos:

Informative
Value-driven
Relationship-focused

Implementing Your YouTube Ad Strategy

Create a 20–30 second video (film on your phone).
Upload it to Google Ads.
Test educational vs. short-form content.

Ready to Start?

If this helped, subscribe, like, and share this content also try my playlist . I'm going to continue every Friday posting how-to videos for YouTube ads so you can learn how to do these on your own.As Promised here is our free YouTube Blueprint to launch ads that convert. Check the playlist above for more YouTube ad tips.

Thanks for watching—see you next time!

Study competitor ads: Analyze “Sponsored” content for CTAs, formats, and placement strategies.
Keep videos under 30 seconds: Hook viewers fast: “Struggling with [X]? I can help → link below.”
Film raw phone videos : Speak plainly to the camera; promote free resources (guides, trials) for trust.
Test multiple formats: Try demos, webinars, or 20–30 second intros offering instant value (e.g., “Free blueprint”).
Use tutorials as lead magnets: Offer in-depth educational content in exchange for contact details to nurture leads.

How can I target my audience effectively on X ads

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 14:07:26 GMT

5 Key Points for Effective X Ads Targeting

As more and more people are getting frustrated with Facebook ads and their Google ad performance, they're looking into things like X (Twitter) ads for their business. In this post, I'm going to walk you through how to find the perfect audience for you and your business on X.

Hey there, my name is Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks . I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and helped over 25 people. If you stick with me to the end, I'm going to show you the exact blueprint that we use to:

Find the ideal audience
Set up the right ads to get the most conversions

Building Your Ideal Audience

This is where you build your ads. If you aren't familiar with setting up X and Twitter ads, this is when you get to your campaign and your ad group level.

Using Autopilot

What we really want to recommend is using the Autopilot feature. Autopilot is a Chrome extension you can download from the Chrome Store. It's free to use and will allow you to build your perfect audience to target on X.

Steps to use Autopilot:

Set up Autopilot
Go through their targeting list
Use AI to build your audience (Say something like "I want a list of CEOs in United States". That's going to be my example for the AI to take over and start building that list for us.")
Add more relevant keywords (Depending on your type of business, go ahead and type in whatever you want there. The more clear and specific you are, the better the results)

Refining Your Audience

For me, I like to just keep it to the countries that people would buy from, so United States or Canada would be the best for me. I'm good with all the cities and states, and with men and women. My only thing is I want them to be over 21.

Steps:

Click on "next"
Target based on:

Country
State
Gender
Age

Pro tip: You can always come back and test these as well. They save as lists so you can test with your ads and see which ones work best.

Manual Audience Building

If you don't want to use Autopilot, you can build your audience manually:

Set your budget and check your estimated audience size
Focus on follower look-alikes and keywords
For keywords, think about what your ideal audience might be typing or commenting about

Conclusion

I hope this post brought you a ton of value. If you want to learn more about creating ads on X:

Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you on the next one.

Leverage Autopilot: Use the Autopilot Chrome extension for efficient audience targeting
Refine Your Audience: Target based on demographics like country, state, gender, and age
Focus on Keywords: Utilize relevant keywords to reach your ideal audience
Test and Optimize: Continuously test different audience lists to improve performance
Manual Building Option: Build audiences manually if preferred, focusing on follower look-alikes and keywords

Case Study - X Advertising Increased Revenue by 41%

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 15:53:43 GMT

4 Tips to automate your X (Twitter) advertising

The Two R's: Reminders and Relationships : I've identified many business owners' common mistake: sending ads directly to their websites. This approach ignores that less than 1% of customers are ready to buy immediately. Instead, I focus on the "Two R's" - reminders and relationships.
Automated Follow-up System: I've developed an automated follow-up system that takes someone from being a stranger to a loyal customer. This system involves multiple touchpoints across various platforms, including Google, YouTube, and Twitter/X. It's designed to keep your brand top-of-mind and build trust over time.
The Power of Retargeting: Retargeting is a crucial component of my strategy. By showing ads to people who've already interacted with your brand, we can significantly increase the chances of conversion. This cost-effective approach often costs just pennies per click while driving millions of impressions.
Email Automation Sequence: I've created a five-email sequence that gradually builds trust and relationships with potential customers. Each email serves a specific purpose, from providing value to sharing your story and ultimately leading to a sale. This sequence works on autopilot, nurturing leads even when you're not actively working.

Case Study: How We Increased a Client’s Revenue by 41% in Three Months

Over the last nine years we have worked with over 2,500+ business owners using the latest marketing strategies. Today, I want to share a case study that demonstrates the power of how X ads are working for brands around the world.

We recently helped a client increase their revenue by 41% in just three months using X ads. This wasn't achieved through some trendy marketing gimmick but by implementing a solid strategy focused on building relationships and staying top-of-mind. Let me walk you through how we did it.

See all of our 5+ star reviews by clicking here .

The Common Mistake and The Solution

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is relying solely on direct website clicks. They send ads straight to their website, hoping for immediate sales. But here's the truth: less than 0.001% of your audience is ready to buy now. That's why I developed the "Two R's" approach: Reminders and Relationships.

Instead of pushing for an immediate sale, we focus on building relationships with potential customers and reminding them of our client's brand. This approach ensures that our client is the first name that comes to mind when they are ready to buy.

The Full Workflow

Our strategy begins with capturing attention through organic X (Twitter) content and helpful guides. The goal is to take someone who's never heard of the brand before and guide them through a journey:

Get them to follow the brand on social media
Encourage them to join the newsletter
Retarget them with ads to keep the brand fresh in their minds
Build relationships through valuable content and training videos
Finally, ask for the sale

This approach works because it focuses on low-cost attention. As Gary Vaynerchuk often says, we need to look for the most underpriced attention to reach our audience for the lowest cost.

Right now, that's X (Twitter), where we can run ads at an incredibly low cost, driving millions of impressions and thousands of profile clicks for pennies per click.

The X/Twitter Strategy

Our Twitter/X strategy is simple but effective:

We set up a X ad that directs people to the client's profile page.
The goal is to get them to either follow the account, leave a comment, or subscribe to the newsletter.
Once they've interacted with the ad, the Twitter pixel adds them to our retargeting list.
We then show them more ads in the future, keeping the brand top-of-mind.

The Email Automation Sequence

Once someone joins the newsletter, they enter our automated email sequence :

Email 1: Welcome and introduction
Email 2: Provide something of value, giving them a reason to open and engage
Email 3: Share the brand's story, building trust and likability
Email 4: Introduce the services or products offered
Email 5: Make the sales pitch, including a coupon code or direct booking link

The Power of Retargeting

After the initial interaction, our retargeting ads kick in. We aim for people to see the brand at least twice, as this is when they start to remember the name.

We use video ads to further encourage relationship-building, helping potential customers get to know, like, and trust the brand.

By the third ad, we can start asking for more engagement, such as following the account or leaving a comment.

We also offer high-value incentives, like our full X audience that can be copied and pasted into their ad account.

The Final Step: The Purchase

The beauty of this system is that by the time we direct people to the purchase page, they already like and trust the brand.

We've built a relationship, so there's no need for a separate landing page. When they're ready to buy, they'll buy from us.

Conclusion:

This automated follow-up system has transformed our client's business. They're now seeing sales like never before, all happening on autopilot.

It's not because of some trick or the latest marketing trend, but because we're actually following up, building relationships, and reminding leads about the business.

If you're not using a system like this for your brand, you're leaving money on the table. It's time to stop relying on direct marketing and start focusing on building lasting relationships with your audience.

Remember, it's not about making the sale today, it's about being the first choice when your customer is ready to buy.

If you’re interested in seeing how this process works in more detail, download join our X Advertising Accelerator .

I’ll walk you through the exact steps I used to help this client grow their revenue, and I’ll even share a blueprint you can copy and paste into your own business.

The Follow up System that Made Me $3,000,000 [STEAL IT]

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 17:03:13 GMT

Your 5 Steps Action Plan

I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks and I've helped over 2500 businesses grow in the last 10 years and I've followed up with over 5,000 leads in 10 years. Here's what works to convert them into customers.

Why Leads Leave Your Website

Most visitors find you through social media, Google, or YouTube. They visit your website or a landing page. 99.9% leave and never return unless you use retargeting pixels.

Retargeting Visitors with Ads

Retarget them on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Show them videos, get them to schedule calls, or remind them about abandoned carts.

How Often to Follow Up

For products over $1,000: Follow up 24 times
For products under $1,000: Follow up 8-12 times

Some clients sign up after 3 years of follow-ups. Be omnipresent.

Building Trust Through Emails

Send personal, value-adding emails, not just sales pitches. Educate and provide useful information to stand out from competitors.

The Follow-Up Strategy
Get leads to follow you on social media
Show organic posts regularly
Use retargeting ads
Send personal, educational emails

Provide value consistently

Remember, the goal is to follow up forever. Get them on your email list, set up retargeting ads, and keep providing value.

I have a full follow-up guide that will teach you exactly how to bring new leads in and follow up with them until they're ready to buy. Just click on " blueprint " and you will be redirected to the follow-up guide page.

Follow up consistently: 8-12 times for products under $1,000, and 24+ times for products over $1,000.
Use retargeting pixels and ads across multiple platforms to stay visible to potential customers.
Focus on providing value through personal, educational emails rather than constant sales pitches.
Leverage social media as your new landing page , encouraging leads to follow and engage with your organic content.
Be patient and persistent - some customers may convert years after initial contact if you maintain consistent follow-ups.

How to Setup X Ads - 2025 Advertising Guide

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 10:47:26 GMT

9 Essential Steps to Setup X Ads

So you want to try X Twitter ads for your business but maybe don't know where to start? That's why I'm making this guide to walk you through how to set up your X ad account in 2025. I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and helped over 2500 brands. If you want to learn a little bit more about me, you can check it out here, but this guide is straight to the point so let's go ahead and dive in.

Setting Up X Premium

The first thing you need to do on your X account is sign up for X premium.

Sign up for X premium (any plan works)
Wait 2-3 days for approval
Once approved, click "More" then "Ads"

Adding Payment Details and Account Approval

I've already set up a dummy account here, but the first thing it's going to ask you to do is add your card details so they can charge you.

Here are the steps:

Add your card details
Wait a few days for ad account approval
Once approved, you'll see the main dashboard

If you want our full blueprint on setting up all the ads, here is the X ads "blueprint" for you to download

Navigating Ads Manager and Tools

You'll be able to see some things here like campaigns, creatives and tools. I like to start on tools and always start on events manager. Once you're in the events manager, it's going to ask you to go ahead and set up your pixel. This is where you need to track visitors that come to your website or purchase from your eCommerce store or just interact with your ads.

Installing the X Pixel with Google Tag Manager

I always recommend Google tag manager. If you don't use Google tag manager, you can add the pixel code in the head section of your site. What you'll do is click on "Add events". From here you can go ahead and put your website in and choose any of these options. I like to start with a page view so we can track that. I don't like to track specific audiences that complete the event - that's going to be something completely different.

I'm going to define the event with a code and then I'm going to say that I want to be able to track all of these different variables here to make sure that I know they've given their email, their phone, or purchased something from the site. Then you can go ahead and copy this code. On our website builder we use Duda, and you can add it in the head HTML section of your site. You can really use any plug-in for this if you're using WordPress or another site.

Here are the complete steps you need to take:

Use Google Tag Manager (recommended)
If not, add pixel code to your site's head section
Click "Add events"
Enter your website
Choose tracking options (start with page view)
Define event with code
Select variables to track (email, phone, purchases)
Copy and add code to your site

Building Custom Audiences

From there I like to go create an audience. You can go ahead and create an audience here. There are a couple different ways I like to do it.

Lists - you could take your CRM or your email list and upload them so you can do retargeting ads and show them your ads.
Website activity - you can choose to retarget people that visit your website with a Twitter ad. You will want to make sure you have cookies allowed for certain countries and states like California.

Syncing Shopify with X Ads

If you're an e-commerce Shopify site, you're going to choose catalog activity and that will track everyone from your store. Regarding that, you'll want to go to the Shopify App Store and download the X app plugin. This will actually track all visitors, leads and purchases with the conversion value even in your X ads manager.

Creating Your First Campaign

From there, a couple more places that you can go:

Compose tweets
Schedule them out
Upload posts and media

You'll also be able to use ads editor and audiences, but we actually don't use these that often. What we do is we just go and create a campaign. I always suggest to skip simple and use advance, then go from there.

Final Tips and Recommendations

I'm going to stop here because that's really all you need to get that account set up. I recommend you check out our X ads playlist where you can watch the rest of our X videos to see how to set up these ads and campaigns for best results.

Sign up for X Premium to access advertising features.
Set up your ad account and add payment details.
Install the X pixel on your website using Google Tag Manager or by adding code to your site's header.
Use the X Pixel Helper Chrome extension to verify proper pixel setup.
Create custom audiences based on website visitors, email lists, or catalog activity.
For Shopify users, install the X app plugin to track conversions and sync product catalogs.
Set up event tracking to monitor specific user actions on your site.
Utilize the advanced campaign creation option for more control over your ads.
Explore additional features like tweet scheduling and media uploads.

3 Emails that Turn Leads into Customers (80% Open Rate)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:34:43 GMT

5 Email Follow-Up Strategies That Convert

You're reading this because you want to send emails, get responses, and convert leads into customers. That's what we're going to accomplish in the next few minutes with three emails that get opened, averaging over an 80% open rate.

I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks and I've helped over 2500 businesses grow in the last 10 years. I'll give you actual insights you can copy, paste, and implement into your brand. If you want my full follow-up guide, stick with me to the end and I'll show you where to get it so you can follow up with leads for years.

Let's dive into my three automated emails that I see getting the best results. I use software called Go High Level to send personal-style emails. The key is to make your emails as personable as possible, with your name and a normal text style. You want the recipient to think you personally sent it to them one-on-one. That's what's truly going to get those emails opened.

Email #1: Delivering the Promise & Getting a Response

In your first email, give them exactly what you promised. If someone came in on a lead magnet on your website, give them the lead magnet. But the ultimate goal is to get them to respond.

Address their first name, tell them who you are, and remind them of what they downloaded. Not everyone's going to download it right away. Then ask them to respond back so you can actually send them the guide.

To get 80% to 90% open rates, say something like, "If I'm going to give you this guide, just respond back so I can make sure it hits your inbox." What's the point of having a CRM full of thousands of leads if none of them open it?

Make it as personal as possible. Send it from your name, make the subject line the exact thing they downloaded so you don't confuse them. You have to expect that your leads are busy - they're picking up their kids from school, driving down the road. They don't have time to open their email and read the whole guide most likely. You want them to be able to remember and reference what they downloaded in their email so they can easily go back and search for it.

Email #2: Follow-Up and Building Trust

In the second email, follow up and make sure they got what you gave them. Say something like, "Hey, by the way, just making sure you got my free guide."

Use the same subject line as before, just add "Re:" in front of it so it stays in the same thread. You don't want to shock or confuse people or make it so they can't find your emails. Keep it in the same subject line, the same thread, the same name so they remember. That way they come back and open it, and they can reference this when they're ready to get that guide.

This approach will help you maintain that 80% to 90% open rate. From there, have them connect and follow you in other places so they continue to remember you. In the P.S., invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. That way you can continue building that relationship - they'll see your LinkedIn posts and your emails, so they start remembering you and your brand.

Email #3: Re-engaging Leads with a Simple Question

For the third email, you can simply leave the subject line blank, add a dot, or add a question mark - whatever it takes to draw their attention. What we want them to see is the first line of text, which is called the preview text.

Say something like, "Is this still the best email for you?" If you have a lead or potential sale that's not responding, maybe they've gone cold or gone through your email series without clicking or opening anything, this will get you a 90% open rate. It's an easy "yes" response back, and now you're going to start hitting their inbox again.

Where to Get My Full Follow-Up Guide

I hope this brought you value. As promised, I have a full follow-up guide that will teach you exactly how to bring new leads in and follow up with them until they're ready to buy. Just click on " blueprint " and you will be redirected to the follow-up guide page.

If this brought you any value, here is the entire playlist that shows you how to continue following up with your leads in all kinds of different ways, so go check that out.

Personalization is crucial: Make your emails as personable as possible, using the recipient's name and a conversational tone to increase open rates.
Deliver on your promise: In the first email, provide the lead magnet or content you promised, and ask for a response to ensure delivery.
Use consistent subject lines: Keep email threads consistent by using the same subject line with "Re:" added for follow-ups, making it easier for recipients to find and reference your emails.
Build relationships across platforms: Invite leads to connect on other platforms like LinkedIn to maintain engagement and brand awareness.
Re-engage with a simple question: For cold leads, use a simple subject line and ask "Is this still the best email for you?" to achieve high open rates and re-establish contact.

What are the different types of YouTube ads

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:16:04 GMT

5 Essential Strategies for Effective YouTube Advertising

I freaking love YouTube ads, but if you do them wrong, you could really screw up. If you do them right, you can make a ton of money. Hey there, my name's Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks . We have helped over 2,500 people grow online for the last 10 years.

Today I'm going to walk you through my favorite YouTube ads - and it's not the one that comes up before the video that you can't wait to skip, skip, skip. Those are so annoying. You don't want to show that to your customers. You want to create a good user experience for your customers that find you when they're searching for you. Let's dive in.

Why YouTube Ads Beat Other Platforms

When you're setting up your YouTube ads, there are a couple of different options. Here's a quick summary:

Choose videos
Click on video views
Shut off multiformat ad

Optimizing Ad Placements for Desktop and Mobile

The most important thing is you need to shut this off on TV. I've got a TV over here - I don't want to see ads I can't click, I can't go to your website on that TV. So shut off TV, just have it on tablet, mobile, and desktop.

Here's what the ads look like:

An ad showing software like Fiverr where you can either start now or watch.
Another ad that's just sponsored, with "sponsored" shown below the video.
An ad on mobile that looks like a video at the top with title, description, sponsored tag, and watch/sign up buttons.
An ad that appears while watching a video, like a Peloton ad showing up while watching a camera tutorial.

How to Target Relevant Video Recommendations

On YouTube, you'll see sponsored ads on the right side as recommended videos next to another channel.We want to have the ad in the suggested videos on the side.

Creating Ads That Engage and Convert

You want to make it a good user experience. But what's really important is having your video as a recommended video after somebody watches something similar. For example, if I do business content and somebody's watching a marketing and advertising YouTube video, I want my ad to show up next to that as a recommended video. That's the power of YouTube - you want to be a recommended video next to either your competitors or similar channels that you know people are watching.

Final Tips for High-Converting YouTube Ads

If you want to try this, make sure you subscribe to my playlist . I'm going to continue every Friday posting how-to videos for YouTube ads so you can learn how to do these on your own. Here is the complete guide " blueprint " for you to replicate.

Thanks again for reading, and if this post brought you any value, give me a subscribe and I'll see you in the next one!

Avoid Disruptive Pre-Roll Ads Focus on creating YouTube ads that don't interrupt the user experience, unlike the annoying pre-roll ads that viewers often skip.
Optimize for Multiple Devices Set up your ads to appear on tablet, mobile, and desktop, but turn them off for TV where viewers can't interact with them.
Leverage Recommended Videos Position your ads as recommended videos next to relevant content or competitor channels to increase visibility and engagement.
Create Native-Looking Ads Design your ads to blend in with regular YouTube content, making them less intrusive and more likely to be watched.
Target Similar Content Place your ads alongside videos with similar topics or themes to reach viewers who are already interested in your niche.

How to Create Effective X (Twitter) Posts that Drive Sales

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 17:47:05 GMT

Key Takeaways: Mastering X (Twitter) Posts for Maximum Impact

If you want more followers, and people to click on your posts, expand them, and trigger the algorithm, you're in the right place. I'm Brad Smith, and over the last 10 years, I've worked with 2,500 people. Today, I'll show you exactly how to trigger the X algorithm to get your posts more likes, comments, retweets, and follows.

How does the Algorithm work?

The X algorithm wants users to expand your post or engage with it. The most important thing is the hook - why they should stop and read it. Your first sentence should catch someone's attention. But what's crucial is getting them to expand the post and click "show more."

As soon as they hit "show more," it triggers the algorithm. Then, that person's followers will see your post. Bonus points if they open the full image too. Opening the image triggers the algorithm, clicking "show more" triggers it again, and if you can get them to bookmark or leave a comment, that triggers the algorithm even more.

Writing the Perfect Hook

You want to calculate how many words it takes to get users to hit that "show more" button. Copy your text and find exactly how long it should be to trigger that action. Then, go back and adjust these words to make readers want to open it more. Play with the words to help them anticipate or look forward to clicking because they want to see the rest.

Ideal Word Count to Trigger "Show More"

To find the ideal word count, copy your text and ask ChatGPT how many words it is. For example, a post with 58 words might be ideal to get users to click "show more." Keep in mind that spacing between sentences affects this, so play around with it in preview mode to see where the "show more" button actually appears.

Once you've nailed the hook and word count, focus on getting users to open the post and click "show more." That's when you'll really see your post get better traction online.

Turning Organic Posts into Ads

When you see a post get good organic results, throw it in as an X ad to get even more engagement and build up your followers. Here is my full X ads blueprint strategy.

X Ads Blueprint

If you need more information about X (Twitter) ads or posts, check out my playlist where I break down step-by-step everything you need to know to implement this for yourself or your business.

Thanks for reading this post, and if it brought you any value, it'd be awesome if you subscribe. I'll see you in the next one!

Hook Matters : Craft a compelling first sentence to grab attention and make readers stop scrolling.
Trigger the Algorithm : Aim for users to click "show more" and expand your post to boost visibility.
Optimal Word Count : Aim for around 58 words before the "show more" button appears for best results.
Engagement is Key : Encourage likes, comments, and bookmarks to further trigger the algorithm.
Leverage Success : Turn high-performing organic posts into ads for even greater reach and follower growth.

How to Automate Your Marketing in 2025 (Full Guide)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:37:56 GMT

Key Takeaways from Marketing Automation Guide:

Hey there! I'm Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks . We've been helping 2500+ brands automate their marketing over the last 10 years. Stick with me to the end and I'll show you the exact blueprint we use to follow up and market to our customers. You can use this as a cheat sheet to grow your brand.

Why You Should Try This for Your Brand

We use a CRM called Go High Level that does everything from emails to social media posts to tracking all our leads. If you're not using a CRM for your business, I highly recommend checking it out. But it doesn't matter which CRM you use - the important thing is to use one to help automate your marketing .

When I say marketing automation, I mean something you can plug in to follow up with visitors, convert leads, and get more customers while you're busy running your business. You don't have time to manually do all this stuff, so we recommend software to automate these actions so you can build better relationships with your leads.

Automate Your Marketing Tips

CRM is Essential - Using a Customer Relationship Management system is crucial for automating your marketing efforts. Whether it's Go High Level or another platform, having a centralized system to manage leads, emails, and social media is fundamental for growth.
Automated Follow-Up is Critical - Don't leave potential customers hanging after they show interest. Set up automated email sequences and follow-up systems to nurture leads while you focus on running your business.
Track Everything - Implement proper reporting to monitor leads, visitors, and marketing channel performance. This data helps you optimize what's working and eliminate what isn't, making your marketing more efficient.
Multi-Channel Integration - Connect all your platforms (social media, email, website) to create a seamless automation system. This integration helps build stronger relationships with leads across different touchpoints.
Pre-Qualification Matters - Use tools like quizzes and forms to learn about leads before connecting with them. This helps streamline your sales process and ensures better-quality conversations with potential customers.

Here's a view of my Go High Level dashboard where you can plan out and schedule your social media posts. I recommend making these as personal as possible, connecting your social media channels, and syncing them across all your platforms.

You can also set up different automations. This is my automation workflow where we set up automated email follow-ups to continue building relationships with our leads. Once somebody downloads one of our lead magnets, they automatically get emails asking them to confirm their email, providing the download link, and continuing to follow up with education and value.

We also have our opportunities pipeline where we can track all the leads and what they're interested in. This allows us to say "Hey, this client was interested in this product" and make sure we follow up accordingly.

CRM Importance

Many of you might be using something like Calendly, but we like to have everything in one place to keep it simple and streamlined. We use a calendar system to allow people to book calls with us on our website. This turns them into a pipeline lead and triggers automation to follow up.

If you're not following up with people after they schedule a call, you're missing out on a big opportunity. Ask them to follow you on social media or subscribe to your YouTube channel. Embed your calendar links in your website - this helps with SEO and keeps visitors on your site longer.

Marketing Automation for Growth

You can add custom quizzes to learn more about leads before you get on a call with them. This helps pre-qualify leads when they first come into your business. We like setting up quizzes so we can learn more about you, your business, and what you're looking for.

Don't forget about reporting. You need to be able to track how many leads you get, how many visitors, where they came from, and which marketing channels work best. This allows you to continue optimizing what's working and shut off things that aren't.

Social Media Strategy

In your CRM, you can find those missing links, continue to optimize what's working, and shut off things that aren't. You can set up things like memberships, landing pages, and don't forget to start getting those 5-star reviews and asking for testimonials.

Email Automation

When I talk about marketing automation, I'm talking about the entire system to automatically follow up with visitors, turn them into leads, and most importantly, turn them into customers. You want to give them things, follow up, connect on other platforms, track it all, and make sure reporting is in place. That way you can scale and turn up ads or marketing channels that are working. Then you want to ask for reviews and get referrals - that's how a true business grows.

As promised, Here is my free guide . You can grab it to see exactly how to automate all these different marketing channels. The goal is to follow up, so when you get that follow-up blueprint, I hope you implement it. Let me know if you need any help!

How We Got 2,147 Email Sign-Ups and 3,200 X Followers in 3 Months

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 13:36:50 GMT

Growing Big on X: Our 3-Month Success Story

What We Started With

We started with nothing! Our plan was to grow the right way and make real connections. Here’s what we wanted to do:

Get followers who are really interested in what we do
Get people to sign up for our emails
Make friends with our audience
Not spend too much money on ads

The Hard Part

We had some challenges to face:

We had zero followers to start
We needed people to trust us in a crowded place
We had to get followers to become email subscribers
We wanted to keep our ad costs low

How We Did It

Our plan was to make friends first, not just get sales. Here’s what we focused on:

What We Posted

We made sure to post useful stuff regularly
We showed we knew what we were talking about
We only promoted things at the right time

How We Talked to People

We got to know people personally
We joined in on conversations
We used direct messages (DMs) to build relationships

Our Ad Plan

We made ads that got people talking
We showed ads to people who already liked us
We made sure our profile link was easy to find

What We Did Month by Month

Our plan was done step-by-step over three months:

Month 1 (0-715 email sign-ups):

We started posting content
We started our ads to get people to talk
We got some followers

Month 2 (715-1,430 email sign-ups):

We made our ads more specific
We talked to people even more
We started using DMs to make friends

Month 3 (1,430-2,147 email sign-ups):

We did more of what worked
We showed ads to people who already liked us
We made it easier for people to sign up

The Results

Here’s how well we did:

Key Numbers:

Total Views: 31,732,865
Video Views: 45,800
Reposts: 2,300
New Followers: 3,200
Email Sign-Ups: 2,147
Email Open Rate: 48.3%

Money Spent:

Total Ad Spend: $1,286
Cost per Sign-Up: $0.60
Cost per Follower: $0.40

What Helped Us Succeed

Not Rushing Things:

We didn't try to sell too hard too soon
We waited for people to trust us first
We let people join in their own time

Focusing on Quality:

We wanted followers who really cared
We made sure to have real conversations
We always posted good content

 Smart About Links:

We used DMs to talk to people personally
We made our profile link easy to see
We showed ads to people who were already interested

What We Learned

Friends First: Making real connections is better than just trying to get sales.
Always Be Helpful: Posting good stuff keeps people interested.
Be Patient: Let people become customers when they’re ready.
You Don't Need a Lot of Money: A good plan can get great results, even with a small budget.

In Conclusion

This story shows you don’t need a huge budget or to be pushy to grow on X. If you focus on making friends, posting helpful stuff, and being patient, you can do really well without spending a lot.

Want to automate your X growth strategy like we did? Check out our X advertising here to get started today!

Our 200% growth in three months proves that a good X plan can get you far. If you want to do the same, remember to make real connections and always be helpful.

Getting noticed on X (what used to be called Twitter) can be hard for businesses today. This story shows how we grew a lot using smart X ads and by talking to people on the platform.

The Follow-Up Strategy for Business Growth in 2025

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 18:42:08 GMT

If you’re not getting in front of your leads at least three times, your marketing strategy is already failing.

Many business owners assume their marketing channels aren’t effective because analytics don’t show direct conversions.

But here’s the reality: your customers need multiple touchpoints to buy, especially for high-ticket items.

If you’re selling a product worth over $10,000, you’re looking at roughly 23 interactions before they’ll make a purchase decision. Miss a single step in the follow-up process, and you risk losing them to a competitor.

Automation Strategy

Effective follow-up doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Automation tools like CRMs, email marketing platforms, and social media schedulers can do the heavy lifting.

Try this:

Use email sequences to nurture leads with personalized content.
Post consistently on Social Media and connect with your leads to keep your brand top of mind.
Leverage CRM tools to track customer interactions and schedule follow-ups at the right time.

With automation, you can ensure your leads experience consistent communication without adding hours of work to your day.

Marketing Insight:

The Exact Number of Touchpoints Needed for B2C and B2B Purchases. Not all purchases require the same number of touchpoints.

Here's the data:

B2C Purchases:
$100 or less: 8 interactions
$101-$1,000: 10 interactions
$1,001-$10,000: 11 interactions
$10,000+: 23 interactions
B2B Purchases:
$100 or less: 3 interactions
$101-$1,000: 6 interactions
$1,001-$10,000: 12 interactions
$10,000+: 16 interactions

Understanding these numbers helps you craft a follow-up plan tailored to your audience and product range.

Here’s a simple breakdown of the touchpoints needed:

Follow-up Automation Hack:

A System That Ensures Your Leads See Your Brand Across Multiple Channels. Relying on one platform for all your follow-ups is a mistake.

Here’s how to build a multi-channel system:

Social Media Ads: Retarget visitors who’ve interacted with your website or social pages.
Email Marketing: Create drip campaigns to nurture leads over time with relevant, value-packed content.
SMS Alerts: Send timely reminders for promotions or abandoned carts.
Google Retargeting: Ensure your brand follows your leads as they browse online.

Combining these channels creates a seamless experience for your leads, increasing the chances they’ll convert.

The key? Consistent, multi-channel follow-ups.

Most people don’t realize how different marketing channels work together.

Just because someone discovers your brand on social media doesn’t mean they’ll buy there.

They might convert because of a well-timed Google ad or email reminder.

This interconnected approach ensures your leads see your brand multiple times, increasing their trust and likelihood of purchasing.

Benefits:

Build trust and credibility.
Increase customer engagement.
Drive conversions across all platforms.

Credibility:
Brands that adopt a multi-touchpoint strategy report up to a 41% revenue increase. It’s proof that consistent follow-ups turn prospects into loyal customers.

Takeaway:
Don’t write off any marketing channel. It’s about the synergy of all touchpoints, not just one. Map out a follow-up system that ensures your leads experience your brand consistently across platforms.

If your marketing feels like it’s not converting, the issue might not be the channel itself—it’s how you’re using it. Many businesses fall short by not optimizing their follow-up strategy, missing out on potential customers who just need a few more interactions to decide.

How to Automate Your Social Media

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:04:53 GMT

Simple Tips to Automate Social Media

Start with ChatGPT's keyword planner for content ideas
Choose one pillar content format (video, audio, or blog)
Get your content transcribed
Use ChatGPT to create multiple social media posts
Schedule posts using automation tools like Hype Fury
Use a content calendar for consistent posting
Start with low-competition topics if you're new
Focus on educational, helpful content
Distribute across multiple platforms
Keep your brand voice consistent

This is one of the most common questions from brand owners every week: "I know I should be posting on social media, but I don't know what to post, where to post, or how to post because I'm so busy running my business." My name is Brad Smith owner of AutomationLinks and I've been helping people automate their businesses for the last 10 years. Let's get started.

Using ChatGPT for Content Ideas

First, go to ChatGPT and use the keyword planner prompt. Tell it what you want to talk about (like marketing), and it will suggest keywords categorized as:

Low competition
Medium competition
High competition

Creating Your Content

There are three options:

Create one video per week
Record audio on your phone and transcribe it
Create a blog post

The goal is to work on one piece of content that can be distributed across all networks.

Content Distribution Process

Take your video/audio/blog content

Download the transcription
Plug it into ChatGPT
Create social media posts from the transcription
Use the calendar strategy for X, Meta, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google My Business, blog and newsletter
One piece can turn into over 700 pieces of content

Automation Steps

Copy your transcription
Go to ChatGPT
Tell it to "become an expert social media copywriter"
Ask it to create social media posts using your transcription
Use software like Hype Fury or Go High Level to schedule posts

Pro Tips

You can either:

Get a freelancer/virtual assistant (Use Fiverr for that) to take your pillar content and create all social media content using your calendar
Spend a few hours a week doing it yourself

The key is keeping it on brand and using your exact transcriptions.

X (Twitter) Advertising Audience for Recruitment Unemployed

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 15:14:52 GMT

X (Twitter) Advertising Audience for Recruitment Unemployed

Copy and paste these keywords into the bulk upload area in your ads manager.

Keywords:

unemployed, unemployment, job search assistance, career transition services, employment opportunities, job placement programs, resume writing services, job training programs, career development workshops, #Resume, #JobSearch, #recruiting, #JobsReport, #CareerAdvice, #unemployment, #JobMarket, #jobboards, #NowHiring

Follower look-alikes

@CareerBuilder, @CareerBuilder, Glassdoor, @Glassdoor, Indeed, @indeed, Indeed, @IndeedUK, Indeed Canada, @IndeedCanada, Monsterworks, @MonsterworksUK, UndercoverRecruiter, @UCRecruiter, Hiring for Hope, @JobAngels, JobAngels, @JobAngelscom, Career Contessa, @CareerContessa, The Muse, @TheMuse

Interests

Careers - Job Search

Conversation topics

Interests - Job searching and networking

X Advertising Analytics Tools: How to Set Up Your Twitter Pixel and Ad Tracking

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:28:03 GMT

4 Simple Tips - X Advertising Guide

What is the X Pixel, and why is it important? The X Pixel tracks your website visitors, allowing you to build custom audiences and measure the effectiveness of your ads.
Where should you place the X Pixel code on your website? For beginners, add it to the head section of your website. For advanced users, use Google Tag Manager to keep your site fast and organized.
How can you verify if your Pixel is working correctly? Use the X Pixel Helper Chrome extension to check if the Pixel is active on your site.
What are the most important metrics to track for your ads? Focus on cost per click, follower growth, and engagement rates to see which ads are performing best. Customize your metrics to match your goals.

Step 1: Set Up X Manager

Start by logging into your X Manager. If you don’t have an account, create one and set up your ad account. This step is crucial for accessing the tools needed to track your ads. Save your billing information to unlock the full features.

Step 2: Install the X Pixel

Head to the tools section in X Manager and select Events Manager. Add a new event source, agree to the terms, and copy the Pixel code provided.

1. For beginners: Paste this code into the head section of your website.

2. For advanced users: Use Google Tag Manager for a cleaner setup that keeps your website fast.

Step 3: Use Google Tag Manager

If you’re using Google Tag Manager:

Copy the Pixel ID.
Create a new tag in Tag Manager.
Paste the ID into the appropriate field, name your tag, and save.

This step ensures your tracking is accurate and your site remains optimized.

Step 4: Test Your Pixel

After saving, visit your live website. Use the X Pixel Helper Chrome extension to verify that the Pixel is installed correctly. If it’s not working immediately, wait 30-60 minutes and check again.

Step 5: Build Your Audience

In the tools section, select Audiences and create a new one.

Option 1: Upload a customer list.
Option 2: Use website traffic data from the Pixel.

You can create specific audiences, such as visitors to certain landing pages, or start with general website visitors for retargeting.

Step 6: Customize Your Metrics

Go to the tracking section in your ad account and customize the metrics you want to measure. Focus on actionable data:

Cost per click
Follower growth
Engagement rates

Save your metrics as a preset for easy access during future campaigns.

By following these steps, you’ll have a solid foundation to track and optimize your X ads. Building custom audiences and using tailored metrics will help you see real results while saving time and resources.

Resources

Try Hypefury for auto-posting your Tweets and LinkedIn posts.
Try Duda for high-converting landing pages.
Try my favorite freelancers on Fiverr to get help with your pixel tracking.

What social media posts to post on X (Twitter)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:46:36 GMT

Key Takeaways from X Content Strategy

Algorithm Engagement: Create guides and cheat sheets that require user interaction through clicks or comments to boost algorithmic reach.
Personal Branding: Power Include personal photos with your content as faces are more memorable than company logos and create stronger connections.
Story-Driven Content: Share your journey and client success stories to build relatability and demonstrate real-world expertise.
Achievement Sharing: Don't shy away from posting accomplishments - they create engagement and support from your community.
Interactive Strategy: Encourage audience participation by offering valuable resources (like guides or blueprints) in exchange for comments or engagement.

Recently, in our X ads accelerator program, we helped a client dramatically increase their leads from 40 to 103 per month while reducing ad spend. X (formerly Twitter) has become the new LinkedIn, attracting businesses and high-authority individuals.

Hi, I'm Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks . With 10 years in marketing and having helped over 2,500 people through my agency, I want to share the three most effective types of content that are working on X right now.

Guides and Cheat Sheets One of the most successful approaches involves creating guides and cheat sheets. For example, one user's cheat sheet generated over 9 million views and 160 comments, with 60,000 likes. This level of engagement proves social authority and encourages more followers.
Creating mini guides or blueprints that require user interaction (either clicking to open or commenting for access) helps boost algorithm engagement. Personal pictures with your guides work even better – people remember faces over company logos.
Personal Stories and Timelines Share your journey from where you started to where you are now. Whether it's discussing daily practices, mistakes, or successes, these stories help readers relate and learn from your experiences. If you're just starting, share your current experiences and improvement strategies. Client success stories also work well in this category.
Accomplishment Posts Surprisingly, sharing achievements generates significant engagement. Whether it's a new website design or reaching milestones (like hitting 100,000 YouTube subscribers), these posts create connection and support. It's not about bragging – it's about sharing excitement and motivation for what's coming next.

Implementation Strategy To maximize these content types:

Create engaging guides that require interaction
Share authentic personal stories and case studies
Celebrate achievements while maintaining humility
Include personal photos when possible
Encourage engagement through comments

Want to learn more? Comment "blueprint" for access to my complete social media calendar, showing you exactly what to post, when to post, and how to automate your social media presence.

Remember, X is where business happens now. By implementing these content strategies, you can build authority and generate more leads for your business.

The Perfect Time to Post on X (Twitter)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:42:09 GMT

Key Takeaways from Posting on X

Timing Matters: Understanding your audience's active hours through analytics is crucial for maximum engagement on your posts.
Premium Account Required: A blue checkmark verification is essential to access detailed analytics and track your posting performance.
Dual Posting Strategy: Implement a twice-daily posting schedule, alternating between storytelling and educational content.
Analytics-Driven Decisions: Regular monitoring of engagement metrics across different timeframes helps optimize your posting schedule.
Value Over Sales: Focus on providing educational content and stories rather than direct sales pitches, letting your bio link handle conversions.

Hey there! I'm Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks , and I've been in the advertising industry for the past 10 years, helping over 2,500+ people through my agency. Today, I want to show you exactly when to post on X - one of the most common questions I get asked.

Finding Your Perfect Posting Time

First, you'll need an upgraded account with a blue checkmark. The type doesn't matter, as long as you have one to track analytics. Once you have your blue checkmark (about a three-day process), here's what to do:

1. Head to Premium X has made some great updates to this section. Explore the tabs to see which ones benefit your brand the most.

2. Check Your Analytics Click on analytics to view:

Likes
Engagement
Shares
Bookmarks
You can view this data across different timeframes:
7 days
2 weeks
4 weeks
3 months
1 year

3. Research Your Audience's Active Times Click on "audience" and scroll down to find active times. Look for the dark blue boxes - these indicate when your audience is most active. For example:

If everyone's online at 12 o'clock and you're posting at 8, your content will get lost in the feed
Different days may have different peak times (like Friday showing completely different engagement times)

Posting Strategy

We recommend posting twice daily on X:

One post should be a story
One post should be education
Mix in videos and different content types
Focus on education and storytelling
Avoid direct sales talk

Remember : People will know where to find you when they're ready. They can click the link in your bio, but your main focus should be on providing value through education and teaching.

Keep tracking your analytics and adjust your posting schedule based on when your audience is most active. This way, you'll maximize your engagement and reach your audience when they're most likely to see your content.

Note : If you want my complete guide showing exactly how to set this up for your account, comment "blueprint" below, and I'll send over my free blueprint. Plus, I'll share my social media calendar that tells you when and what to post every day of the week.

How to Add the Shop to Your X (Twitter) Profile

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 17:57:31 GMT

Key Takeaways for Adding Shop to X Profile

Start in Ads Manager: Access through "More " > "Ads" and create an account if needed - this is your gateway to setting up shop features.
Use Shopping Manager: Navigate to Tools > Shopping Manager to create your product catalog - this is where all your products will live.
Add Products: Manually Input product details carefully, including name, description, price, and images (PNG/JPEG format) - keep prices at zero if under 100k followers.
Build Your Shop Set up your shop layout, create product sets, and arrange items as desired - this determines how customers see your offerings.
Enable Shop Spotlight: Complete the process by publishing both your shop and Shop Spotlight, ensuring visibility at the top of your profile.

Hey there! In this guide, I'll be showing you how to add shop links to the top of your profile. This is where we're getting most of our clicks, so it's really important to set it up correctly.

Step # 1: Access Ads Manager

Once you're ready to begin, you'll need to access the ads manager. Here's how:

Click on "More."
Click on "Ads."
If you're new, create an ad account and make a dummy ad (you can pause it after)

Step # 2: Navigate to Shopping.

From the ads manager, you'll need to get to the shopping section:

Click on "Tools."
Select "Shopping Manager"
Give it a name (your business name)
Click "Create Catalog"

Step # 3: Add Your Products.

When adding products, you have options. If you're in e-commerce, you can download the X add plugin to your Shopify store, and it'll add the products for you. Otherwise, here's the manual process:

Choose "Manual Add"
Name your product (use TWW for Twitter + product name)
Copy and paste the description from your website
Set availability to "In Stock"
Mark the condition as "New."
Add your landing page link
Set price (keep at zero if under 100,000 followers)
Add image link (must be PNG or JPEG)
Enter your brand name
Hit "Add Product"

Step 4: Set Up Your Shop

Your product has been created successfully. Now it's time to build out the shop:

Go to "Shop"
Click "Build Shop"
Agree and continue
Hit "Setup"
Name your shop
Add description
Create product set
Arrange products using drag-and-drop
Select your product set
Click "Publish"

Step 5: Final Touch

You're not done yet - there's one final step to make your shop visible:

Go to Shop Spotlight
Select the same products
Click "Publish"

You'll see your products at the top of your profile page. If you have multiple products, you can add as many as you want and arrange them using the drag-and-drop feature.

Pro Tip: If you're running an e-commerce store, you can use the X add plugin with your Shopify store to add products automatically.

That's it! Your shop is now ready to start getting clicks right from your profile.

X (Twitter) Advertising Audience for CEO Chief Executive Officer

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 11:24:43 GMT

CEO X Advertising Audience

Copy and paste these keywords into the bulk upload area in your ads manager.

Keywords

CEO, Founder, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Innovation, Innovator, Technology, Tech, Visionary, Strategy, Strategist, Investment, Investor, Venture, Board Member, Speaker, Author, Advisor, Consultant, Philanthropist, Mentor, Fintech, Biotech, Energy, Executive, C-Suite, Startup.

Follower Look-alikes

@BillAckman, @bhorowitz, @pmarca, @WarrenBuffett, @satyanadella, @sherylsandberg, @JeffBezos, @tim_cook, @richardbranson, @reedhastings, Guy Kawasaki, @GuyKawasaki, @LinkedIn, @salesforce, @McKinsey, @Deloitte, @Accenture, @HarvardBiz, @TechCrunch, @business, @Gartner_inc, @FortuneMagazine, @TheEconomist, @FastCompany, @SlackHQ, @Microsoft, @SAP, @IBM, @Oracle, @Adobe, @HubSpot.

Conversation Topics:

Business Software, Business News, Business & Finance, Investing.

X Advertising Audience for Solopreneurs

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 12:54:21 GMT

The Solopreneur X Advertising Audience

Copy and paste these keywords into the bulk upload area in your ads manager.

Keywords

Build in public, Solopreneur, Entrepreneur, Freelancer, Online Business, Digital Nomad, Remote Work, Self-Employed, Microbusiness, Startup, Creative Entrepreneur, Content Creator, Side Hustle, Personal Brand, Indie Business, Bootstrapping, Work-Life Balance

Follower Look-alikes

SystemSunday, matt_gray_, AlexHormozi, thejustinwelsh, LeilaHormozi, dickiebush, GadzhiIman, Pat Flynn, @PatFlynn, Amy Porterfield, @AmyPorterfield, DAN KOE, @thedankoe, Lewis Howes, @LewisHowes, Sahil Bloom, Naval

Conversation Topics:

Lifestyle - Entrepreneurship, Interests - Entrepreneurship, Interests - Small Business, Lifestyle - Business software, Lifestyle - Small business

How to Find the Perfect X (Twitter) Advertising Audience for Entrepreneurs

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 11:07:16 GMT

5 Simple Steps Find the Perfect X (Twitter) Advertising Audience for Entrepreneurs

Choose the Right Objective: Select " Reach " and utilize X's AI Generator for precise, keyword-based audience targeting.
Audience Targeting Details: Aim for a 5.4 to 5.9 million reach by refining countries, keywords, demographics, and interests.
Budget and Demographics: Set daily budgets, use auto-bidding, and define the age, language, and country of your audience.
Refine Keywords and Audience: Customize the AI-suggested keywords and add influential profile lookalikes for better reach.
Create Engaging Ads: Develop ads that resonate with entrepreneurs' needs, using direct language and visual appeal.
Optimize Regularly: Monitor ad performance and adjust strategies based on engagement metrics.

If I were an entrepreneur looking to target other entrepreneurs with X ads, here’s exactly how I’d set it up.

Step # 1: Choosing the Right Campaign Objective

Select the " Reach " objective and leverage X's new AI Generator for audience targeting. This powerful feature helps you create a precise audience list based on specific keywords and profiles.

Key targeting steps:

Input " entrepreneurs " as primary keyword
Let AI compile relevant audience data
Review suggested targeting parameters

Step # 2: Audience Targeting Specifics

Your ideal audience will typically range between 5.4 and 5.9 million potential viewers. Configure your targeting by considering:

Countries
Keywords
Demographic details
Specific interests

Step # 3: Budget and Demographic Configuration

Set up your campaign by:

Establishing a daily budget
Verifying auto-bidding
Selecting age range (recommended 21-54)
Choosing language and target countries

Step # 4: Keyword and Audience Refinement

X's AI will suggest approximately 126 entrepreneurial keywords . Carefully review and customize these to match your specific audience profile. Consider adding influential profile lookalikes to expand your reach.

Step # 5: Creating Compelling Ads

After finalizing your audience parameters, focus on developing ads that genuinely resonate with entrepreneurs. Craft messaging that speaks directly to their challenges and aspirations.

Recommended approach:

Use clear, direct language
Highlight specific value propositions
Create visually appealing content

Step # 6: Continuous Optimization

Regularly monitor and adjust your targeting strategy based on ad performance and engagement metrics.

For daily tips on building audiences and optimizing X ads , follow my YouTube channel , where I post videos like this regularly. Hope this brought you value—see you in the next one!

The Fastest Way to Get Results from X (Twitter) Advertising

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 23:04:47 GMT

Here are 4 simple tips for using X (Twitter) ads effectively

Set Clear Goals : Decide what you want from your ads—more followers, newsletter sign-ups, or direct engagement. This helps you choose the right campaign type, like "Reach" for broad visibility or "Engagement" to boost interactions.
Build a Targeted Audience : Focus on a well-defined audience, using demographics like age, location, and follower lookalikes from accounts similar to yours. This keeps your ads relevant and cost-effective.
Use Engaging Content : Choose posts that tell a story or share your process. Avoid hard sells and focus on content that builds relationships, like videos or behind-the-scenes insights. The goal is to connect, not just convert.
Leverage Retargeting : Set up follow-up ads for people who interact with your first ad. Retargeting keeps your brand visible to engaged users, helping build familiarity and encouraging conversions over time.

Simple Guide to Setting Up X (Twitter) Ads for Fast Results

Step 1: Set Up Your X Ad Account

Go to the "More" menu and set up your ad account.
Follow the prompts to create an ad and connect a card on file. Then, pause the ad.

Step 2: Create a Campaign

Click "Create Campaign," but always choose "Advanced" instead of "Simple" to get better control.
Start with a "Top of Funnel" strategy by selecting "Reach" to target a broad audience.

Step 3: Define Your Audience

For a "Reach + Engagement" campaign, add a date to track ad performance.
Set a small budget and, if you have Autopilot AI Pro, use it to build an ideal audience. If not, manually set up an audience.
Aim to reach around 1 million people. Focus on specific demographics, like age, location, and language.

Step 4: Build an Audience with Lookalikes

Add lookalike followers from profiles related to your business. Start with profiles like System Sunday or Matt Gray, which have strong audiences on X.
Use recommendations to add more accounts until you have a solid audience, ideally around 500,000 people. For a budget of $100-$200, you can reach all of them.

Step 5: Engage with Followers

Switch from "Max Reach" to "Reach with Engagement" to encourage likes, comments, and follows.
Set filters to match your ideal audience, based on age, location, and language.
Set up keywords and follower lookalikes to refine targeting.

Step 6: Account Safety

Go to "Account Brands Safety Controls" and set it to "Limited" to avoid bots. Once set, this will apply to future ads.

Step 7: Retargeting Strategy

After starting your campaign, set up a retargeting ad for people who engaged with your first ad. This second ad helps build relationships by showing content to those who already interacted with your tweets.

Step 8: Use Existing Content for Ads

Choose tweets that tell a story or share a process. Avoid direct calls to action like “click” or “message us” to build genuine relationships.
A video can help people see your personality and encourage them to follow you. If you don't have a video, a strong image post works too.

Step 9: Track Results

Check your custom metrics to see how many followers you've gained and the cost per follow. The longer the ad runs, the lower your costs and the better your results.

 Bonus: Advanced Strategies

For more in-depth guidance, you can explore middle and bottom-funnel strategies, available in the X Ads Accelerator course. This course also provides top-performing ads you can adapt for your own campaigns.

This guide will help you set up X ads that grow your audience, boost engagement, and build lasting relationships.

How to Get More Leads Using Landing Pages - Guide for 2025

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 22:34:42 GMT

4 Simple Steps To Use Landing Pages For Your Business

What’s the main purpose of a landing page?
A landing page is designed to focus visitors on one offer or action, like filling out a form or making a purchase, without distractions.
Why shouldn’t I just use my homepage?
Homepages are broad and cover multiple topics, while landing pages are specific and keep visitors focused, which leads to better conversions.
How can a landing page help my ads perform better?
A well-optimized landing page loads faster, matches your ad, and can lower costs by improving your ad quality score.
What makes a landing page high-converting?
A high-converting landing page is fast, relevant, and addresses visitors’ pain points with clear calls to action.

The Power of High-Converting Landing Pages: Boosting Leads and Sales

Hello, there! Today, we’re diving into an important tool for generating leads and conversions: landing pages.

Brad Smith, the owner of AutomationLinks has helped over 2,500 brands grow online using landing pages. He’s found two landing pages that are converting more than any other landing page we’ve tested.

In this guide we’re going to cover what makes a landing page effective, why landing pages are crucial for businesses, and share some successful examples of high-converting layouts.

Whether you’re in e-commerce, B2B, or any field that needs to convert traffic into leads and sales, the insights here will be valuable.

Why Landing Pages Are Essential

When businesses advertise or market online, many make the common mistake of sending visitors to their homepage.

However, a homepage is broad and generic by design; it doesn’t focus on the specific offer, service, or product that brought a visitor in through an ad or social media post.

That lack of specificity causes visitors to get lost or distracted, ultimately reducing conversions.

A well-designed landing page, however, allows you to hone in on exactly what a visitor is looking for—capturing their attention and engaging them immediately.

We have seen this countless times. Take, for example, a client who had been running ads to her homepage for years, yet she was stuck at $20,000 in monthly sales.

She wasn’t seeing growth because the homepage simply wasn’t designed to convert.

After switching to a targeted landing page offering a 10% coupon code in exchange for an email address, her monthly sales rose dramatically—reaching $80,000 and now consistently averaging over $100,000, all while maintaining the same ad spend.

This shift is the power of a landing page.

Key Elements of a High-Converting Landing Page

Page Speed
When platforms like Google and Facebook evaluate ads, they assign a quality score that can impact both the position and cost of ads. A crucial factor in this score is page speed. If your landing page takes too long to load, users are likely to leave, which will lower the quality score. We recommend using Duda for its high-speed page loads, especially when running paid ads. Faster load times improve the user experience, resulting in better ad performance, reduced costs, and increased conversions.
Relevance
A landing page should reflect exactly what a visitor expects to find after clicking on an ad or post. For example, if someone searches for "personal trainer near me," the landing page title should say something like “Personal Trainer in [City]” to confirm that they’re in the right place. It’s crucial that your landing page clearly addresses what you promised in your ad or social media post. If you’re offering strong coffee, make sure the page title and images focus on that, not on unrelated products or services.
Clear Call to Action
Place a form at both the top and bottom of the page. Some visitors are ready to sign up immediately; others may want to read more about the product or service first. For e-commerce, a 10% discount in exchange for an email address can effectively boost conversions. For B2B, a simple "Get a Free Quote" button at the top works well. By providing clear options, you increase the chances of capturing leads.
Pain Points and Solutions
Addressing specific pain points at the top of the landing page is key. For example, if you’re a personal trainer, you might say, “Are you struggling to lose weight?” This approach speaks directly to visitors’ needs. Then, outline the solution and why your service or product is right for them. By focusing on pain points, you can engage visitors quickly and encourage them to stay on the page.
Thank You Page
After someone fills out the form, they’re directed to a thank you page, which is crucial for building relationships. On this page, consider showing a short YouTube video introducing yourself, explaining your product, or encouraging them to follow you on social media. Adding a scheduling option or another call to action on the thank you page can increase engagement, helping you build a stronger relationship with each lead.

E-commerce Page with Coupon Code
A client selling coffee created a landing page titled “Strongest Coffee in Canada.” The page emphasized their unique selling point: high-quality, strong coffee with a 17% discount for new customers. With straightforward images and reviews, the landing page consistently captured leads and converted them into sales.
Local Service Landing Page
For a videography service, each page was customized for specific locations like Orlando or Los Angeles. The landing page title matched the search query, such as “Top Videographer in Orlando.” This relevance reassured visitors that they were in the right place, and a simple form made it easy to request a quote.
B2B Service Page with Multiple Touchpoints
A business needing a high conversion rate and quality leads benefited from a landing page with multiple form placements and a detailed description of services. This layout captured leads efficiently and kept potential clients engaged with relevant information.

Conclusion

A landing page is a powerful tool for driving conversions, capturing leads, and generating sales. By creating a fast, relevant, and focused landing

Case Studies: Real Results with Landing Pages

E-commerce Example
One client, using Shopify, had been running ads that sent visitors to her homepage. Despite her efforts, her monthly sales stagnated at around $20,000. After creating a Duda landing page offering a 10% discount in exchange for an email, her monthly sales soared to $100,000, even as ad spend decreased.
B2B Example
A B2B client had been spending $40,000 a month on ads without seeing any returns. After implementing targeted landing pages with a clear call to action and messaging, they reduced ad spend to $5,000 while significantly increasing monthly revenue. The result was a high-converting campaign that generated strong leads, proving that landing pages can be transformative in B2B as well.
Videography Services
For a videography business, we created multiple landing pages focused on specific cities. Each landing page was tailored to the city name, making each page feel more relevant to the user. With forms at the top and bottom of each page and content addressing local pain points, we were able to generate higher-quality leads. The city-specific landing pages brought in more conversions than a generic homepage ever could.

Final Tips for Landing Page Success

Optimize for Mobile
Most people access sites on mobile devices, so your landing page should be easy to navigate on smaller screens. Pages that aren’t optimized for mobile are at a high risk of high bounce rates, meaning potential leads leave before engaging. Make sure to test your landing pages on mobile.
Build Trust
Incorporate customer reviews, ratings, and mentions in trusted publications to establish authority. Social proof signals, such as reviews or press features, help visitors feel more confident about your business and are more likely to convert.
Use Specific Titles
The keyword or phrase used in your ad should match the title on the landing page. If an ad is about "custom engagement rings," the landing page should say “Custom Engagement Rings” right at the top. This relevance reinforces to visitors that they are in the right place and encourages them to stay and explore.
Utilize Call-to-Action Placement
Call-to-action buttons should be easily accessible, with one near the top and one at the bottom of the page. This strategy allows visitors to engage as soon as they feel ready, rather than having to scroll back to find a form.

Design and Content Tips for Effective Landing Pages

High-Quality Images
Real images of products or services in action work best. For example, if you’re a personal trainer, show photos of training sessions. If you sell products, show the products being used in real-life scenarios. Real-world images enhance trust and keep visitors engaged.
Remove Distractions
Keep landing pages focused. Avoid adding unnecessary links or elements that can take the visitor away from the primary call to action. By minimizing distractions, you can maintain a visitor’s focus on the specific offer or service.
Concise and Clear Copywriting
Speak directly to the visitor. Explain the problem they’re likely facing and how you can solve it. Brief, direct language ensures that visitors immediately understand the benefit of filling out the form or making a purchase.

After the Form: Relationship-Building Tactics

Once someone fills out the form, you’ve captured a lead, but the relationship doesn’t end there. A well-structured thank you page can help deepen the connection. Here are a few methods for making the most of this follow-up page:

Introduce Yourself with a Video
A YouTube video on the thank you page is highly effective. If a visitor watches even part of the video, YouTube will continue recommending your videos to them. This repeat exposure reinforces your brand and keeps you top-of-mind for the lead.
Encourage Social Media Engagement
Include links to your most active social media platforms on the thank you page. By connecting on social channels, you can engage with leads on a regular basis, keeping them in your network until they’re ready to make a purchase.
Automated Follow-Up Emails
Automated emails allow you to stay connected with leads over time. For e-commerce, this could include a reminder about a product they were interested in, along with a discount. For B2B, follow-up emails could offer more information about the service, helping nurture leads until they’re ready to take action.

Examples of High-Converting Layouts

How to Build Better Relationships with Your Leads - Guide for 2025

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:24:21 GMT

10 Key Concepts from This Guide

Face-to-Face Connection Priority : "People buy from people they trust - whether in person or through video."
Video Marketing Foundation : "Making videos is the next best thing to meeting someone face-to-face."
The Nike Shoe Strategy : "Be everywhere your audience looks - create an omnipresence."
Name Recognition Power : "Remember and use names - it shows you care and builds relationships."
Engagement First Principle : "Always engage first - comment, support, and show genuine interest."
Three-Month Follow-up Rule : "Follow up for at least three months - some convert after three years."
Community Building : "Create a space where people feel part of your team."
1,000 True Fans Focus : "Build an unbreakable business with 1,000 true supporters."
Content Multiplication : "One video can create 730 pieces of content."
Start Small Philosophy : "Begin with 10 true fans and scale from there."

Hey there, my name is Brad Smith, Owner of AutomationLinks. Today, I want to talk about relationships - the number one thing that has grown my YouTube channel to over 100,000 subscribers, my social media platforms to be able to get 25,000 email subscribers, and also being in business for over nine years and lucky enough to have helped over 25 people.

I will walk you through all the different relationship builders I've implemented to build relationships that drive sales without having to do sales calls. If you don't like doing sales calls, you need more leads, you need more customers, and you need to be relationship-focused, not sales-focused.

The Foundation: Face-to-Face Connections What's the next best thing to meeting someone face-to-face? We all know that if we meet face to face, we shake each other's hands, and we have a relationship - those are the best leads and the best customers besides word-of-mouth referrals.

Real-World Example: I recently did an in-person meeting with a local business here:

We shook hands
We chatted for 45 minutes
We're pretty much instantly friends
We laughed, we joked
We made connections
We built a relationship based on the local business being local where we live

The result? If I see him out in person, I'll remember his name, we'll shake hands, we'll say hello, and he'll become a customer.

The Online Challenge: But you can't do that online. It's not so easy online. So, what are you doing right now to build relationships online? Or are you just selling? That's the problem I see - a lot of people are just selling:

"Hey, by the way, this helps you gain strength; go do this"
"Hey, by the way, you are missing out on conversions; go do this"

Most likely, your copywriting is about selling, talking about yourself when it should be about the pain points."

Video Marketing: Creating Virtual Face-to-Face Connections

"My favorite way, I think the best way, is by making videos. So you're seeing my face, we're interacting, you're seeing that I'm different than everyone else. I was able to tell you and share my story - I've been doing this for nine years, 25 people, and all this stuff, and now you probably feel like you know me a little bit.

The Journey to First Videos It took me six months to make my first video. What changed over those six months to help me make my first videos? Two things:

I stopped trying to memorize it and stopped trying to be perfect
I started educating instead of selling

Educational Approach If you're new:

Share things that you're learning along the way
Share when you tried something and failed
Share what you're going to do next
Share when something finally worked

If you're experienced:

Start educating
Be a specialist
Share your expertise

The College Professor Mindset What helped me with my videos:

Don't think you're going to post a video and get a million views
A business needs to focus on helping the small audience you want to attract
Think of making a video for 30 people
Become the college professor in your head
Just teach a room of college students who are learning something

Video Creation Strategy How I make videos:

Use bullet points from your book
Write down a few bullet points
Cover each bullet point in your head
Keep eyes on the camera when stopping talking
Look down at notes
Look back up and make eye contact again
Start talking

Professional Video Tips:

You can pause between bullet points
Keep consistent eye contact before and after
Edit the video - no one will know you paused
I made over 600 YouTube videos like this

Content Distribution After creating videos:

Post them on YouTube
YouTube will recommend your new videos
Embed those YouTube videos on your website
When somebody visits a website and plays a YouTube video
Next time they're on YouTube, they'll see your face again

The Learning Factor:

Not everyone wants to see my face again
But they want to learn again
They want to be educated on something they weren't searching for
This creates continuous engagement"

The Nike Shoe Strategy: Being Everywhere

Think about how Nike appears everywhere you look. That's the strategy we want to implement for your business. When someone discovers you, they should start seeing you across multiple platforms naturally.

The Multi-Platform Presence I call it the Nike shoe strategy because it creates a natural flow of visibility. Someone might first discover you through YouTube, and then suddenly, they see your content everywhere:

Through Video Content:

They find your YouTube content
Learn something valuable from your channel
See your embedded videos on your website
Discover your Facebook videos
Connect with you on Twitter
Receive your automated emails

Face-to-face in the Virtual World Video calls are crucial for business-to-business relationships. One of my mentors taught me something powerful - always turn that camera on. Think about it: how many times have you been on Teams or Zoom meetings where cameras were off? There's no relationship-building happening there.

The key is showing your face because:

It's the next best thing to meeting in person
People can see your personality
It builds trust faster than voice alone
Creates a more memorable interaction

The Power of Remembering Names Here's a simple but powerful strategy I use daily. I keep detailed notes of people's names on my phone. Why? Because nothing builds relationships faster than remembering someone's name.

Real-World Application: When I see someone and say, "Hey Frank, haven't seen you in a few weeks," their reaction is always surprise and appreciation. This works with:

Waiters at restaurants
Fellow entrepreneurs
Business contacts
Local community members

Building Social Media Connections: Instead of just collecting followers focus on meaningful connections. My Approach is straightforward:

Follow everyone you have meaningful interactions with
Engage with their content regularly
Let them see your:
Zoom call interactions
YouTube content
Regular social posts

The Value-First Approach Everything in my business focuses on education and value. Here's why this works:

Most people learn but don't implement
When they're ready to implement, they remember who taught them
They come back because of the relationship we built
They trust the education I've provided

E-commerce Adaptation For e-commerce businesses, while you can't connect personally with every customer, you can:

Create Multiple Touch Points:

Add social follow prompts on thank you pages
Include social links in automated emails
Focus on building long-term relationships

Remember: I'd rather have someone follow our social media than make an immediate purchase. Here's why:

They'll buy when they're ready
They'll become repeat customers
They'll comment on posts
They'll share with friends
Word spreads organically

This Approach creates a sustainable cycle of engagement, trust, and eventual sales through genuine relationship building.

The Art of Engagement and Relationship Building

Engaging First: The Key to Building Relationships You need to engage first after following on social media and connecting. I always go and subscribe to their YouTube channel if they have one, leave a comment on a few of their posts, and show that I support them. In return, they'll support you.

Let me share a recent example: Someone came to my channel, subscribed to my YouTube channel, and joined my newsletter but didn't connect with me on X, where I post all my best stuff and build the best relationships. Here's what I did:

Went and followed them on X
Liked a bunch of their posts
Left three comments on three posts over 3 days

The result? Without sending another word, they scheduled me and became a client. That's how you need to do it for your business - show support, reach out, leave comments. When you leave comments, it helps them by spreading them through the algorithm.

The Power of Open-Ended Questions

There are 3 key areas where open-ended questions make a difference:

Social Media Engagement When I leave a comment on someone's post, I ask them a question. This triggers the algorithm, so all of my followers will see their posts, and it boosts their posts.
Sales Calls: Instead of talking about myself, I:
Ask about them and their business
Focus on their pain points
Learn what's going to help them
Gather as much data as possible.
Email Communication : Asking open-ended questions in emails is crucial because:
When somebody responds to your email, you boost delivery rates
Higher open rates mean more people see your emails.
More people come back to your website

Following Up: The Three-Month Minimum I've had clients come back and work with me three years after joining my email list. This shows how important it is to have an email list and build relationships. Not everyone's ready to buy:

Today
Tomorrow
Next week
Next month
Or even in three years

Follow-up Methods: Through automated emails, newsletters social media posts, continuous education

Education as Your Foundation I do this through:

YouTube videos with tons of education
Converting videos into blog posts and guides
Creating downloadable cheat sheets

Posting everywhere: • LinkedIn • Medium • Reddit • Every social media channel available

The key is providing education everywhere, not just one channel. With AI, it's easy to distribute this education across platforms while maintaining authenticity.

Building Community: The Power of 1,000 True Fans

Community Foundation I recently started a community School for my nonprofit, where I give away all my courses for free. Previously, I had a Facebook group with 3,000 members. Here's what happens when someone joins our community:

Think of community as joining a team. When you join my community: "I'm gonna support you, thank you, you're part of my team, I'm gonna help you."

The Impact of Community Membership When people join your community, they:

Trust you more deeply
Lean on you for support
Become your strongest advocates
Turn into your best word-of-mouth referrals

They think, "This is my team, I'm part of this community, I'm gonna tell everyone about them."

My School Community Approach The focus is simple - I refer everyone to the best people out there:

Want to learn Google ads? Learn it there
Want to learn email? Learn it there
Want to learn content strategy? Learn it there
Want to learn AI? Learn it there

The community becomes a group of people supporting each other, who are friends and like each other.

The 1,000 True Fans Concept There's a book called "1,000 True Fans" - you just need 1,000 true fans that buy anything from you. When you:

Personally help
Focus on building relationships
Leave comments
Do zoom calls with your face
Send personal emails
Ask open-ended questions
Have them in your community

With 1,000 people, you'll have an unbreakable business. It doesn't matter:

What the economy does
If it's Black Friday
If everyone's on vacation

Those thousand people will support you because "this is my team; I'm gonna support them back."

Scaling Your Relationship Building One of my YouTube videos will actually produce 730 pieces of content:

Creates newsletters
Creates blog posts
Creates social media posts
Creates guides
Creates infographics

But remember - it all starts with your face. If you're not showing your face, you're going to get beat as soon as one of your competitors starts showing theirs.

Starting Small Begin with 10 true fans: "See if you can build a relationship like this with 10 people. If you could build a relationship with these 10 people and all 10 people become customers, now you can pull the money back into your business to scale this."

Implementation and Strategy: Making It All Work

Getting Started Without Fear Don't be nervous - well, you can be nervous, but be nervous and make it happen. Start by: "Think about what you're gonna help people with. If you're not already, make a video, show your face, and start taking selfies as cringy as that is."

Remember: You don't have to dance on TikTok. One of my best selfies was simply: "Me holding my laptop showing my content guide. If I had just shown the picture of my content guide, no one would have clicked on it. But I had to put my face on there to say, 'Hey, I'm a real person.'"

The Sunday Strategy - Why 5 PM? I used to send newsletters every Wednesday, but Sunday at 5 PM works better because:

It's my most boring time of the week
Football's on or ending
Done with weekend activities
Not out at restaurants
People start thinking about the week ahead
They check their Monday calendar
Begin thinking about business growth

"Mentally prepare yourself for the week. I know I need to do this, so Brad just sent me an email; he told me a couple of quick steps on how to do this. Alright, I'm gonna do this; get my team to help me this week."

Follow-Up System Your follow-up should include:

Automated emails that encourage replies
Social media connection prompts
Regular reminders
Educational content that drives opens
Clear paths to purchase when ready

Overcoming Common Challenges I see many business owners struggling with:

Not knowing what to say
Uncertainty about video content
Confusion about community building
Follow-up hesitation
Social media posting fears

The Solution: "Just ask right - you'll never know if you don't ask. If you're struggling with any of these, if you're not sure how to build these relationships, hopefully, this video helped, but then just reach out and ask."

Support Options: "Even if you're too busy, I'll send you someone who can help you for a low cost to just get this thing going."

Final Thoughts on Implementation Remember:

Start with showing your face
Focus on education over selling
Build relationships consistently
Scale when ready
Keep it personal even as you grow

"People buy from people they trust. Whether it's through videos, selfies, or educational content, show your face and build those relationships. Start small, be consistent, and focus on providing value before selling."

Ready to Build Stronger Business Relationships?

Get The Free Follow-Up Guide " Grab my follow-up guide that walks you through how to follow up with people using automation - the exact system we use. Click the link in the first comment below."
Join The Weekly Newsletter " Get relationship marketing tips every Sunday at 5 PM - perfect timing to plan your week ahead. I'll show you this stuff every single Sunday."
Access Free Resources " Join my school community where I give away all my courses for free and connect you with the best people in each specialty."
Need Personal Help? " Reach out if you're struggling with any aspect - I'll either guide you personally or connect you with affordable solutions to get started."

How to make a video for YouTube or your website

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 22:12:57 GMT

Here are five simple tips for creating a video:

Hook – Grab attention right away with a bold statement or question that resonates with the target audience.
Proof – Establish credibility by sharing results, experiences, or qualifications, helping viewers trust the message and see the relevance.
Promise – Outline what the viewer will gain or learn from the video, keeping them engaged by providing a clear takeaway or benefit.
Education – Deliver valuable, actionable content, teaching something useful that viewers can apply immediately. This section is the meat of the content, where he breaks down steps, tips, or insights.
Call to Action - Encourage viewers to take action, whether it’s subscribing, downloading a resource, or applying what they learned.

Copy/Paste This Script For Yourself!

Identify a Pain Point or Need

Add Empathy: Start by empathizing with the viewer's situation to establish a connection. Use language that resonates with their experience or challenges.

Introduction

Build Credibility: Briefly mention your expertise or experience relevant to the audience's needs. This helps in building trust and authority.

Address Specific Pain Points

Use Examples: Incorporate real-life examples or scenarios that the audience might be facing. This makes your points more tangible and relatable.

Visual Aids: If possible, use visual aids or graphics to illustrate these pain points for greater impact.

Share a Recent Success Story

Storytelling Elements: Enhance the story with elements of storytelling such as the challenge faced, the solution you provided, and the results achieved. This makes the story more engaging.

Testimonials or Evidence: Include client testimonials or quantifiable evidence of success to add authenticity.

Call to Action

Simplify the Process: Ensure the call to action is clear and the process to fill out the form is straightforward. You might want to briefly mention the kind of questions the form will cover to prepare them.

How to Build Better Relationships Online

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:14:58 GMT

The Key Takeaway

Build Trust with Personal Videos: Creating videos that educate and showcase your personality helps build trust by allowing customers to connect with you, even online.
Engage on Social Media: Connecting with leads on social media by following, commenting, and liking posts shows genuine interest, keeping your brand memorable.
Deliver Consistent Value: Share valuable content through newsletters, guides, and follow-up emails to nurture relationships and establish brand authority, making customers more likely to return.

People buy from people they trust. But how can you build stronger relationships online? The best way is in person, face-to-face, with a handshake, but what’s the next best thing? In this post, I’ll share my top three ways to build better online relationships, helping both my clients and myself to grow our brands and scale through connections.

My name is Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks . With over 10 years in marketing and over 2,500 people helped, I’m here to share a few tried-and-true tips on building trust and authority online.

Why Trust Matters

For B2B and e-commerce, trust is everything. People need to feel confident in your services or your platform, much like they do with major players like Amazon. If your site’s checkout or cart feels unfamiliar, they might just look elsewhere. Let’s discuss how to create that sense of trust and brand authority online.

Top 3 Tips for Building Online Relationships

Tip#1. Create Personal Style Videos

Make videos that educate and provide value, so potential customers see your face and learn from you. Video is the next best thing to meeting someone in person. When people see and hear you on a video, they’re more likely to remember and trust you.

Bonus Tip: Add videos to your website, especially on product, service, or blog pages. This provides visitors with helpful information and enhances their experience.

Tip#2. Follow and Connect on Social Media

For B2B businesses, it’s crucial to connect with leads on social media. If someone contacts you through your website or after a sales call, go follow them, like their posts, and engage with their content. Building a connection shows that you genuinely care, and they’ll remember you for it.

Tip#3. Educate and Deliver Value

Stay in touch by sharing value-rich content. Use automated emails like newsletters, social media guides, and blueprints that help customers achieve results. At AutomationLinks, we provide a free blueprint with detailed guidance, which builds trust and keeps the conversation going. When someone signs up for your newsletter or downloads your guide, send follow-up emails to keep building the relationship.

By staying active—commenting, liking, and offering free resources—people will remember your brand as one that cares and communicates. They’re more likely to return when they’re ready to work with you.

Why Critics Are Wrong About X (Twitter) Ads

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 17:28:45 GMT

5 Key Takeaways

Cost-Effective Advertising: X (Twitter) ads offer significantly lower costs compared to Meta and Google, with impressions as low as 4¢ per thousand and clicks down to 6¢.
High Engagement and Reach: Over 4 million impressions, 32,000 tweet engagements, and 63,000 video views resulted from just a $1,000 ad spend, making it a powerful tool for brand visibility.
Effective Retargeting: Engagement builds a valuable retargeting list, allowing you to repeatedly show ads to people who’ve already interacted with your content.
Strong Return on Investment: With a 19x return on ad spend, X ads can drive impressive results, including 9 new clients and $19,000 in recurring subscription sales.
Relationship Building: X ads are not just about sales but fostering relationships through organic content and engagement, helping build long-term brand loyalty.

Hey there! I'm really excited to share these results with you. Over the last three months, I’ve been running X (Twitter) ads on my account, and to be honest, the results have been better than I expected.

My name is Brad Smith, and I’m the owner of AutomationLinks . I’ve been in the marketing world for 10 years, helping over 25 clients. Today, I’ll walk you through how I set up my X ads, the results I’ve gotten, and what I’ll continue doing moving forward. Stick around until the end, and I’ll show you exactly how you can get my X ads course for free.

My Results Over the Last 3 Months

Here’s a breakdown of my results from the past three months:

My profile has grown significantly.
Impressions, profile visitors, and new followers are all up.
But the most important metrics? Engagement and media views are way up!

I saw a 70% increase in video views and a 74% jump in media views. This growth is crucial because it builds up my retargeting list, allowing me to show my ads to people again. Remember, most people don’t buy the first time they see something.

$1,000 Ad Spend: The Results

For this case study, I spent $1,000 and got over 4 million impressions! That means 4 million people saw my content, whether it was my videos, posts, or profile page.

To put it simply, you can’t get these results on Meta, Google, or YouTube. The cost and reach of X ads are outstanding. You can build your brand, gain followers, and ultimately drive more sales.

Cost Efficiency Breakdown

Let’s look at the cost side of things:

Cost per thousand impressions: This starts high but drops dramatically after about three days of running the ad. I got it down to 4¢ per thousand impressions. Imagine paying 4¢ for 1,000 people to see you!
Cost per click: My cost per click dropped to 6¢. For comparison, Meta and Google usually start at $5 per click. With X ads, you can reduce it to just 6¢ once you find winning ads and keep running them.

I had over 17,000 people visit my website with this ad spend, which is insane! Typically, you'd get about 1,000 visitors for the same spend on other platforms.

Engagement and Retargeting Strategy

For engagement, I was paying 4¢ per action, whether that was a like, comment, or profile visit. This engagement allows me to build my retargeting list. When setting up retargeting ads, I can target people who’ve already shown interest in my posts.

Tweet engagements: 32,000 people engaged with my tweets. Profile visits: 8,800 people visited my profile. Retweets: 29 retweets from my content.

I gained 201 new followers for $5.96 per follower. This is important because those new followers will now see not only my ads but also my organic posts. Building relationships through organic content helps get people to click on your links or visit your website without even needing to click on an ad.

Video Views and Conversions

I had 63,000 video views. Now, I can target those viewers with ads that direct them to my website because they’ve already watched my content and are familiar with me.

Landing page conversions: 38 people visited my landing page and filled out a form. Conversion rates are lower compared to other platforms, but since X ads are still relatively new, I believe that building my retargeting list and nurturing relationships will lead to more conversions over time.

Final Numbers: Calls and Clients

15 booked calls
9 new clients
$19,000 in recurring subscription sales

All of this from a $1,000 ad spend! That’s a 19x return on ad spend, which I’m not getting anywhere else—not on Google, not on Meta.

Patience and the Right Approach

You need patience, and you need to do it right. I don’t immediately push people to my website. Instead, I post personal content and encourage engagement. When people like, comment, or share, they’ll see my retargeting ad the next day.

Here’s an example: I post something like, “Hey, like, comment, and share, and I’ll DM you something.” It’s all about building relationships. Once they’ve seen my face, they’re more likely to remember me and click on my website link when they see my ad again.

Try It Yourself

I encourage you to give it a shot. Here is my X ads blueprint to copy and use.

Remember, don’t just post ads trying to get people to your website. You need to build trust, engagement, and your retargeting list first. Provide value, and the sales will follow when people see you for the second or third time.

Free X Ads Course

As promised, here’s how you can get my X ads course for free. I run a nonprofit, and all my courses are available for free in our classroom. You’ll get access to my X advertising course, email course, Google ads course, YouTube ads course, CRM course, and more. It supports my nonprofit, and I’ll continue posting helpful updates.

You’ll see my full strategy, from top of funnel (getting more followers) to middle of funnel (getting more video views) to bottom of funnel (getting people to visit your website and buy).

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out on Twitter, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a great day, and I’ll see you in the next post!

How to Track Your Sales Source with Hyros: Boost Your ROI

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 17:45:00 GMT

5 Key Reasons to Use Hyros

Full-Funnel Visibility: Hyros tracks the entire customer journey from first interaction to final sale, giving you a complete picture of your marketing effectiveness.
Optimize Your Budget: Gain insights into which channels truly drive revenue, allowing you to allocate your marketing spend more efficiently for maximum ROI.
Multi-Touch Attribution: Understand both first-click and last-click attribution, revealing the true impact of each marketing touchpoint in your sales process.
Seamless Integration: Hyros works with your existing tech stack, integrating smoothly with platforms like HubSpot, ClickFunnels, and major social media channels.
Scale with Confidence: Ideal for businesses making $2000+ monthly, Hyros provides the data-driven insights needed to scale your marketing efforts strategically.

Hey there! Brad Smith here, owner of Automation Links. I've been in the marketing game for 10 years now, helping over 25 people grow their businesses. And let me tell you, one of the most common questions I hear is: "Where did my lead come from?"

As a business owner or entrepreneur, you're busy. You don't have time to ask every single lead how they found you. That's where Hyros comes in - a powerful software that tells you exactly where your leads and sales are coming from.

Why You Need to Track Your Sales Source

If you're making a couple thousand dollars a month or more, you need to know which marketing channels are actually working. Think about it - someone might find you on Google, visit your website, fill out a form, get an email, follow you on Facebook, connect on LinkedIn, watch some YouTube videos, and finally be ready to buy. That's a lot of touchpoints!

Hyros shows you the whole journey - where they found you, what they did along the way, and when they finally purchased. It's not just about the last click before the sale.

Diving Into Hyros: My Favorite Features

Sales Data
This is where the magic happens. You can see:
Where each sale came from
The links and clicks that happened before the sale
Who the lead is
Subscriptions
Track your recurring revenue:
Where subscriptions originated
Start dates and current status
Integration with platforms like HubSpot, TikTok, and ClickFunnels
Lead Details
Dive deep into each lead's journey:
Pages they visited
Channels they came from (YouTube, Facebook, etc.)
Dates of interactions
First Click Attribution
See what brought people to you initially:
Channel that first introduced them to your brand
Revenue generated from each first-touch channel
Number of clicks and advertising costs
Last Click Attribution
Understand what finally made them buy:
The channel that drove the final purchase decision
Compare first click to last click for insights
Customizable Dashboard
Make it work for your business:
Create custom tracking links for each platform
Follow leads across the internet

Why This Matters for Scaling Your Business

Knowing where your leads and sales come from helps you:

Adjust your marketing budget effectively
Focus on channels that actually drive results
Understand your customer's journey

For example, you might think all your sales are coming from Facebook ads, but Hyros could show you that Google is actually driving more revenue. Or maybe you're not even on TikTok, but it's sending you leads!

My Personal Strategy

Here's a peek at how I use this info:

Spend a bit on Google for initial awareness
Use YouTube for retargeting
Build relationships on Facebook and Instagram
Leverage X/Twitter for organic content and direct messages

Hyros lets me see the full picture - from that first Google click to the YouTube view, email open, social media follow, and finally the purchase.

Ready to Scale Your Business?

If you're serious about growing your company and want to know exactly where to focus your marketing efforts, Hyros is a game-changer. They offer free demos, and their support team is there to help you get set up.

Don't just guess where your leads are coming from. Use data to drive your decisions and watch your ROI soar!

Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you in the next blog!

How to Automate Your Social Media Posts: A Step-by-Step Guide

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:13:15 GMT

5 Key Steps to Automate Your Social Media

Record Your Content : Use your phone to record audio or video on topics you're knowledgeable about. This authentic content will form the foundation of your social media posts.
Transcribe with CapCut : Upload your recordings to CapCut to get free transcriptions. This step turns your spoken words into text, ready for social media.
Generate Posts with ChatGPT : Use ChatGPT to create compelling social media posts from your transcriptions. This ensures your content is engaging and true to your voice.
Design Eye-Catching Images : Create professional images with Fiverr or personalize them using Canva. Visuals enhance your posts and attract more engagement.
Schedule with Go High Level: Automate your posting schedule using Go High Level. This allows you to manage and publish your content across all channels efficiently.

Are you frequently asking yourself, "How do I automate my social media?" You know you need to be posting regularly, but figuring out what to post can be challenging. Today, I'm breaking down my five-step process to create and automate social media posts—not just for one channel, but for all your channels. Stick with me to the end, and I'll show you how to use this process to create your blog and newsletter as well.

Step 1: Record Audio or Video on Your Phone

Sometimes, inspiration strikes at unexpected times. I often record audio on my phone—even while on the treadmill—talking about topics I'm an expert in or experiences I'm going through. Use this method to:

Educate your audience.
Share your experiences.
Teach what you know.

If you want to take it a step further, record yourself on video. Create educational content for YouTube or your website. Once saved, this audio or video will fuel tons of content that you can automate for your business.

Step 2: Use CapCut for Transcriptions and Video Editing

Head over to CapCut, which offers a free version that allows you to upload audio and get transcriptions at no cost. Here's how:

Upload your audio or video to CapCut.
Click on "Auto Captions" to generate captions from your audio.
Export the transcription as a text file.

This transcription is your goldmine of original content—no plagiarism, no AI detection issues—just your authentic words ready to be shared.

Step 3: Create Social Media Posts with ChatGPT

With your transcription ready, it's time to create social media posts using ChatGPT. Use this prompt:

"Only use the words I used in my transcription to write me five compelling social media posts with a strong hook and helpful tips to educate my audience."

Paste your transcription, and ChatGPT will generate several engaging posts. You can:

Use all five posts throughout the week.
Select the best one that resonates with your audience.

This ensures your content is engaging, educational, and true to your voice.

Step 4: Design Engaging Images with Fiverr or Canva

An eye-catching image can significantly boost your post's performance. You have options:

Fiverr : Hire freelancers to create professional images. Prices range from $5 to $30. For example, I had an image created for $30 that got amazing results on social media.
Canva : Create your own images for free. It's user-friendly and allows you to add a personal touch by including your photos and customizing the design.

Step 5: Schedule Your Posts Using Go High Level

Time to automate! I use Go High Level for:

Email marketing
Scheduling
CRM
Payments
Social media planning

Here's how to schedule your posts:

Connect all your social media channels within the platform.
Create a new post, selecting all channels or specific ones.
Upload your content—both text and images.
Schedule your posts or post immediately.

Go High Level is my favorite one, you can use other software like Publer .

By dedicating about an hour a week, you can prepare and schedule content for the entire week, ensuring consistent engagement with your audience.

Bonus: Automate Blog and Newsletter Creation with ChatGPT

Here's a little cheat: ask ChatGPT to write a blog and a newsletter based on your transcription. Simply:

Prompt ChatGPT to create a blog post and newsletter.
Copy and paste the content into your website and email automation tools.

Just like that, you've expanded your content reach without extra effort.

So, what are you waiting for? Go automate your content! By following these steps, you can create a week's worth of content in just 30 to 60 minutes. If you'd like to use any of the software mentioned, my affiliate links are below. Feel free to reach out if you need any help. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next post!

How to Plan and Automate Social Media Content: Turn 1 Piece Into 731 Posts Using My Method

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:00:04 GMT

5 Tips to Turn 1 Piece Into 731 Posts

Tip #1: Start With One Core Pillar Piece: Create one substantial piece of content from your own voice and expertise, such as a blog post, audio recording, or long-form social media post. Focus on educating your audience with valuable information based on your experience or knowledge.
Tip #2: Use AI to Duplicate Your Content: Use AI software to duplicate your pillar content, but instruct it to only use your original words to avoid plagiarism issues. Ensure your original piece is long enough to give the AI sufficient material to work with.
Tip #3: Use a Content Planner: Implement a content planner for each social media platform and content channel you use, detailing what to post, when to post, and how to post. This helps you maintain consistency across all channels and organize your content strategy effectively.
Tip #4: Schedule Your Content: Use scheduling software to automate your content distribution across platforms, spending about an hour each week on this task. This approach ensures consistent, educational content across all platforms, establishing you as an authority in your field.
Tip #5: Outsource the Process: Once you've established your content creation and distribution process, consider outsourcing to a virtual assistant or small team. Provide them with your playbook and content planner to maintain consistency while saving you time and money.

Ever wonder how those people make so much content on every channel? Posts 2-3-4 times a day? Well, good news - they don't actually do it all themselves. They make one piece of content, called a pillar piece, and that gets duplicated across the internet with either a small team or with AI.

Today, I want to show you exactly how that's done. It's the same method I've been using to grow my brand to 100,000 subscribers and expand on Twitter and LinkedIn. I create one pillar piece of content, then create 731 pieces from it. We use AI to download the transcripts and distribute them everywhere - from blog posts to newsletters to social media. Ready to learn how? Let's get started.

Who Am I?

Hey there, I'm Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks . I've been in the marketing game for over 10 years and have helped more than 25 people. My goal today is to help you, to educate you, and give you this little piece of value that you can use and implement in your business.

Tip #1: Start With One Core Pillar Piece

It all starts with one core pillar piece, and this needs to come from your voice. It could be:

A blog post you personally write (don't use AI for this)
An audio file you record on your phone (I've even done this on the treadmill)
A long-form social media post

Talk about something you're an expert at or something you've experienced. Teach something, maybe discuss a mistake you've made and how you fixed it. If you're new, this approach helps others learn from your mistakes. If you're an expert, teach what you know best.

The key is to educate your audience. Think about your ideal customer learning from you. Give them a cheat sheet, a tip, something that provides value from your words. Don't use AI for this part.

Tip #2: Use AI to Duplicate Your Content

Take that transcription or blog post and plug it into an AI software that will duplicate it. Here's the trick: tell the AI to only use the words that you used or wrote. Don't add or remove any words. This eliminates any AI-generated content - it's only your words, no plagiarism, no AI detection.

Make sure your original piece is long enough. A short paragraph won't give the AI enough to work with. It needs to be substantial enough for the AI to duplicate and run with.

Tip #3: Use a Content Planner

I have a content planner for every single channel, use it yourself by clicking here .

LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Google
Medium blog
Newsletter

It's hard to keep up with all these platforms, which is why you need a planner. It tells you exactly what to post, when to post, what time to post, and how to post it.

Tip #4: Schedule Your Content

If you're a solopreneur or just starting out, do this yourself. Use a scheduling software - we use Go High Level . Spend an hour a week scheduling these posts.

The goal is to get consistent, educational, helpful content on all these platforms. This way, people start learning from you, remembering you, and seeing you as an authority because you're everywhere.

Tip #5: Outsource the Process

Once you've got the process down, find a virtual assistant or hire a small team to handle this for you. I did it myself first, created the entire playbook, set up my content planner, and established the process:

Take my pillar content to the AI
Write the blog and newsletter
Get the social media posts
Schedule it all
Use specific content for titles, descriptions, and links

Then I handed it over to someone else. I use Fiverr and can recommend someone who will do this for you. You create that one piece of content, hand them the playbook and content planner, and they can duplicate it daily and weekly for you. You can find someone overseas to do this for $5-10 an hour, saving you time and money.

Free Content Planner Offer

Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this post. As a thank you, I want to give you my content planner. Just comment "blueprint" in our Youtube video comment section, and I'll send you the exact content calendar we use for AutomationLinks - the one I use to turn one piece of content into 731 pieces.

I hope this post brought you a ton of value. Go make one piece of content, duplicate it, get it out to the world. Build your name, build your brand, and get more customers. Thanks again, and I'll see you in the next post.

How to Get More X Followers Using Twitter Ads (Plus a Secret Follow-Up Trick)

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:00:02 GMT

5 Key Steps to Grow Your X Following with Twitter Ads

Create an Engaging Pinned Post: Build social proof and attract followers with a high-performing pinned post.
Set Up Your Ad Center: Get a Premium account and navigate the approval process for running ads.
Target the Right Accounts: Find and target audiences similar to your ideal followers using competitor accounts.
Choose Your Best Performing Content: Select or test posts to find the most engaging content for your ads.
Monitor and Optimize Your Results: Track follower growth and cost per follower to maximize your ad performance.

How to Get More X Followers Using Twitter Ads (Plus a Secret Follow-Up Trick)

Hey there! Brad Smith here, owner of AutomationLinks. I've been in the marketing game for over 9 years, helping more than 25 clients as a specialist in advertising, follow-up, and retargeting. Today, I'm going to show you how to grow your X following using Twitter ads. And if you stick around, I'll reveal a secret trick for following up with those new followers to turn them into customers.

Why X and Twitter Ads Are the Place to Be

I always say to look for underpriced attention, and right now, that's X and Twitter ads. We've seen this pattern before:

When TikTok was purely organic and you could get millions of views
When Facebook ads first launched
Early days of YouTube

Maybe you're not seeing great results on Meta (Facebook/Instagram) anymore. Perhaps Google Ads didn't deliver what you wanted. Or maybe you just don't want to dance on TikTok. That's where X comes in.

With X ads, you can get thousands of clicks and followers for pennies per click. It's easy to set up, and most importantly, I'll show you how to steal your ideal followers from other accounts.

Step 1: Create an Engaging Pinned Post

Start by creating a solid, shareable post and pin it to the top of your profile. This post should:

Get lots of downloads
Encourage comments
Attract likes
Motivate people to follow you

When you start running ads, this pinned post will build social proof. New visitors will see a post with tons of engagement, making you look like a trusted resource.

Step 2: Set Up Your Ad Center

To run ads on X, you need:

A Premium account (blue checkmark)
Approval for your blue checkmark (takes 3-5 days)
Ad approval (takes 1-2 days)

Expect a 5-7 day setup process before your ads are live.

Choose the advanced ad settings for better results. Select "Reach" as your objective.

Step 3: Find the Right Accounts to Target

Even if you don't think your audience is on X, there are likely other accounts with your ideal followers. For example:

Website designers can target agencies, Shopify, Webflow, or Figma audiences
E-commerce businesses can target competitors in their niche

Use the follower look-alike feature to show your ad to these targeted audiences.

Step 4: Choose Your Best Performing Post

Select your pinned post or test multiple organic posts to see which performs best. Whichever gets the best results, pin it to the top of your profile to build social authority.

Step 5: Monitor and Optimize

Run your ad for a couple of weeks, then check the results. You can see:

How many followers you've gained
Cost per follower

We've seen accounts getting followers for as little as a penny each!

The Secret Follow-Up Trick

Now that you've got new followers, how do you turn them into customers? Comment "blueprint" below our YouTube video and I'll send you my guide on how to follow up effectively. It covers:

Leaving engaging comments
Following up with new followers
Sending the right DMs
What to do after they follow and comment

Thanks for reading! If you want to dive deeper into X ads, check out my advanced Twitter ads video where I break down retargeting strategies.

Remember, growing your X following is great, but the real magic happens when you turn those followers into customers. Get out there and start building your X empire!

How I Use Video Marketing to Follow Up with New Leads

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:58:33 GMT

5 Key Points to Use Video Marketing to Follow Up with New Leads

Focus on Educational Videos: Create "how to" or "what is" videos, similar to teaching a class. The goal is education, not sales.
Lead Viewers to Your Website: Direct traffic to your website through your videos.
Utilize YouTube’s Algorithm: Once a lead watches one video, YouTube starts recommending more of your content, creating a cycle of repeated exposure.
Consistent Social Media Presence: Remind your audience through social media posts, providing more opportunities for them to see your content.
Building Relationships Over Time: The strategy isn’t for immediate sales but to build trust and authority so that when leads are ready to buy, they choose you.

Hey there! Brad Smith is the owner of AutomationLinks. Today, I want to walk you through my secret strategy for following up with new leads using videos. This approach helps me build trust and "shake hands through the computer" with potential clients.

Let me break it down for you:

The Video Marketing Follow-Up Strategy
Make educational videos
Send people to your website
Remind them on YouTube
Remind them on social media

The key is that none of these videos are sales pitches - it's all about education. I don't want you to buy anything from me right now. I just want you to learn and implement this strategy. If you do and see results, you'll likely come back and give me a high five!

It Starts with Education

The first step is creating educational content. Think "how to" or "what is" style videos. I approach it like I'm a college professor teaching a room full of students. To come up with ideas, I use Google to see what potential customers are searching for related to my industry.

The YouTube Algorithm is Your Friend

Once someone watches one of your YouTube videos, the platform starts recommending your other content to them.

This creates a cycle:

Someone finds your video via Google search
They watch it on YouTube
YouTube recommends more of your videos
The viewer sees your content repeatedly

Building the Famous Follow-Up

The goal is for your leads to remember you. No one's ready to buy today, but they might be next week, next month, or next year. By consistently providing value through videos, you're building a relationship.

Here's how it works:

A lead finds you (Google, referral, etc.) and visits your website
They watch an embedded YouTube video
YouTube starts recommending your videos
You invite them to follow you on social media
They see your posts and videos across platforms

The more they see you, the more they trust you. The more you educate them, the more of an authority you become. Eventually, when they're ready to buy, they'll choose you over competitors.

Don't Be Nervous - Just Start!

You really only need one video to get started. The algorithm will do a lot of the work for you. But I recommend creating content consistently.

Remember, you don't need to be perfect. I was nervous about making videos for six months before I finally did it. My first attempts were awful, but I still got leads from them. You can make mistakes (I made a few in this video), but focus on educating and helping your audience.