Marketing agencies are always keen to jump on the latest trend – and right now, that trend is AI.
Everywhere you look, agencies are layering AI into their offers – from content creation to chatbots. But while it’s fashionable, much of it is still surface-level. What about services that actually move the needle when it comes to growing a business?
Let me make the case for marketing automation.
This is where I specialise – particularly using a platform called HighLevel. It’s a powerful all-in-one CRM and automation tool designed for small and medium-sized businesses. More importantly, it actually helps clients turn more leads into paying customers – and keeps them coming back.
| Did you find this content useful? |
|---|
| Sign up for my free Marketing Hints, Tips and Hacks email newsletter every Tuesday at 11am. => Sign up here <= |
Most agencies offer PPC and Social Media to drive traffic to a client’s website. A small percentage of that traffic converts – brilliant. But the majority leave without buying. That’s wasted opportunity.
Marketing automation solves this. It captures leads and continues the conversation – automatically – for as long as it takes. Weeks, months, even years.
And what about existing customers? I often see businesses relying on outdated email tools to send one-size-fits-all newsletters. With HighLevel, your existing customers can be nurtured, up-sold, cross-sold, and looked after – all through personalised automation.
Back in the 90s, when I worked in traditional mail order, the golden rule was: “Your customer list is where the gold is.” That hasn’t changed. So why do so many modern agencies overlook it?
I got into marketing automation in 2009. Before that, I was a direct marketer – catalogues, inserts, and postal campaigns.
A client of mine wanted to move online. We had a tiny email list of 1,200 contacts, a basic email platform, and a few PayPal ‘Buy Now’ buttons. Orders started coming in, but behind the scenes, it was chaos. Order fulfilment was messy. Reporting was non-existent. And because we had separate systems for email and orders, we couldn’t run targeted campaigns.
That’s where a lot of small businesses still get stuck. They start with a website, add a sales platform, tack on email, and before long they’re juggling disconnected tools. I call this “Multi-System Chaos”. And once you’re in that mess, scaling becomes nearly impossible.
That’s when I found HighLevel.
It gave me one platform, one dashboard, one database – and full control over the entire marketing and sales process.
Today, HighLevel doesn’t just help you automate emails and sales pipelines. It’s packed with AI-powered tools that handle customer interaction around the clock. The built-in AI Live Chat can answer website visitors instantly, in natural language. And Voice AI can answer your phone when no one’s available, take messages, qualify leads, and capture key details – all in real time.
This isn’t just clever – it’s practical. It means your business never misses a lead, never leaves a customer waiting, and never needs to rely on a human to say the same thing over and over again.
Here are just a few of the key benefits:
-
AI & Automation – Live Chat AI and Voice AI handle enquiries 24/7
-
Email Marketing – Automated, highly targeted follow-up sequences
-
E-commerce – Order forms, shopping carts, and integrated payments
-
Affiliate Marketing – Built-in module for referral programmes
-
Customer Service – Integrated support workflows and ticketing
-
Lead Management – Score, tag, and segment leads automatically
-
Opportunity Tracking – Turn more leads into booked appointments
-
Subscription/Membership Programmes – Generate recurring revenue
-
Product Fulfilment – Handle digital or physical goods with ease
With HighLevel, I helped one client go from zero to £500,000 in online sales in just five months. We built an email list of 300,000+ and launched a subscription product that generated £100,000 in its first year.
When marketing automation – now powered by AI – can have that kind of impact, it still amazes me how few agencies offer it as a solution.
To my mind, the smartest agencies today aren’t just generating traffic. They’re helping clients turn that traffic into long-term revenue using automation and AI. That’s the future.
If you’d like to explore how marketing automation and AI can help your business or your clients, book a Discovery Call and let’s chat.
👉 Book a Discovery Call with Julian
