There are two ways to grow your business—work more hours or work smarter. If you like the idea of having more time, working smarter is the better choice. And automated marketing can help, by systematizing routine marketing tasks like emails and social media. That frees you to focus on other things. Sound interesting? Here are 25 resources to help you learn more about growing your business the smart way.

1. What is Marketing Automation? A Beginner’s Guide:
   This website is an easy-to-read introduction from HubSpot that defines the term, how it’s used, and outlines what a typical automated workflow looks like.
2. Marketing Automation Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide:
   A website that outlines the technical aspects of automating your emails using MailChimp. Uses diagrams to navigate the set-up process and integrate landing pages and social media.
3. 17 Top Marketing Automation Tools For Small Business 2016:
   This 16-minute video previews 17 marketing automation tools. It highlights the “what’s in it for small business” so you understand why you would want to use each resource.
4. The Definitive Guide to Marketing Automation:
   Download this 100-page guide from Marketo. Key topics include the business case for marketing automation, common features, and tips in buying marketing automation.
5. Best Practices for Marketing Automation from 11 Experts:
   Marketo blog’s tips, tricks, and best practices from the big brains of marketing for more seasoned marketers to make their next marketing automation campaign more successful.
6. Marketing Automation for Small Business:
   This blog makes a case for how small businesses can benefit from automated marketing programs and what to look for in an automation program.
7. Easily Automate Your Email Marketing with Autoresponder:
   A one-minute video from Constant Contact showing how their autoresponder can be used with new and existing customers to keep customer relationships fresh and save you time.
8. Marketing Automation Begins And Ends With Content:
   This Forbes article reports that only 40 percent of businesses increase revenue using automation. Includes common reasons for failure and how great content can help avoid them.
9. How to Choose the Right Marketing Automation Platform for You:
   With over 300 platforms to pick from, choosing the right one can get complicated. This article helps you use your marketing plan to select the one that is right for your business.
10. Hubspot Academy – Email Marketing:
    Free email marketing videos that you can watch on your own schedule. Provides a broad range of topics that integrate automation with segmentation, email design, and analytics.
11. 7 Tedious Office Tasks You Can and Should Automate:
    Not sure just how automation can help your small business? The article provides examples of common tasks than can be done better through automation, saving you some time.
12. Do Your Email Marketing Practices Comply with the Law?:
    Don’t lessen the benefit of automated marketing by being out of compliance with CAN-SPAM laws. The article helps you learn how it applies and steps to follow to comply.
13. Best Marketing Automation Software:
    G2 Crowd’s review of automation software programs is based on customer satisfaction (from user reviews) and scale (based on market share, vendor size, and social impact).
14. Is Marketing Automation Worth the Hassle? New Data Raises Questions:
    Blog article reviews data on the effectiveness of automation and problems marketers are facing. Provides questions to help you think before investing in this technology.
15. What is Marketing Automation?:
    This HubSpot website provides frequently asked questions about automation, including “How do you know if it’s time to invest in marketing automation?”
16. How Marketing Automation Streamlines Sales and Marketing:
    This PC Magazine article examines seven ways marketing automation software can turn static marketing messages into sales generators using what you know about customers.
17. Automated but Awesome: 3 Unique Marketing Automation Campaign Ideas:
    Blog article with three ways you can jumpstart automation in your small business. Includes the “Get to Know Me,” “The Engagement,” and the “ Onboarding” campaigns.
18. What is Marketing Automation… in 60 Seconds:
    If you’ve always wondered what marketing automation is but were afraid to ask, this video gives you a head start in just one minute. It links to another video that shows how it works.
19. Why Does Marketing Automation Matter for Small Businesses?:
    Download this white paper from BlueTree Digital. It examines the challenges that stand in the way of automation success and how small and medium businesses overcome them.
20. Marketing Automation for Small Business:
    A free, 12-module online class from Leadpages shows how they grew their customer base to 40,000 in less than four years using marketing automation.
21. 5 Top Marketing Automation Tools for SMB’s:
    Entrepreneur Magazine reviews top programs for small and mid-sized businesses to boost productivity, increase revenue, and get rid of monotonous day-to-day tasks.
22. 5 Myths About Marketing Automation and Small Businesses – Busted:
    Using a study from Gleanster Research, Pardot.com debunks common misconceptions like, “Marketing Automation is Too Costly for Small Businesses.”
23. 5 Creative Ways Small Businesses are Using Marketing Automation:
    Presents real-life examples of how business owners are growing their business. It includes a wedding invitation business that increased revenue per mailing by 330 percent.
24. The Rise of Marketing Automation - Infographic:
    This infographic from Marketing Information Insider tracks the growth of marketing automation and its adoption by businesses.
25. 5 Marketing Tasks Your Competitors are Successfully Automating:
    Small Business Trends reports on ways more small businesses are putting marketing automation to work by saving time and increasing revenue.

Now that you have a full list – begin automating your marketing and free up your time!