{"id":80180,"date":"2022-11-23T11:54:12","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T16:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/?p=80180"},"modified":"2022-11-23T11:54:12","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T16:54:12","slug":"automate-your-email-inbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/automate-your-email-inbox\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Automate your Email Inbox"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Did you know that you can automate your email inbox! You sure can &#8211; and this is how I do it to save myself about 5 hours a week!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The average entrepreneur gets more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.templafy.com\/blog\/how-many-emails-are-sent-every-day-top-email-statistics-your-business-needs-to-know\/#:~:text=How%20many%20emails%20does%20the,amount%20of%20emails%20organization%2Dwide.\" data-lasso-id=\"25947\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">100<\/a> emails a day!&nbsp; Not only that, but many of us are addicted to checking email constantly.&nbsp; In fact, a <a href=\"https:\/\/ppm.express\/blog\/how-much-time-your-employees-spend-on-checking-emails\/#:~:text=During%20the%20study%2C%20working%20in,return%20to%20the%20working%20mode.\" data-lasso-id=\"25948\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quarter<\/a> of our working hours are spent responding to emails.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent Twitter chat, @VirtueDesk said it best \u2013 \u201cWith automation, we can eliminate non-revenue-generating tasks from our list. This frees our time so we can focus on the revenue-generating tasks instead, or work on a different task in advance. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A2: With automation, we can eliminate non-revenue-generating tasks from our list. This frees our time so we can focus on the revenue-generating tasks instead, or work on a different task in advance. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BizapaloozaChat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#BizapaloozaChat<\/a><\/p>&mdash; VirtuDesk (@virtudeskcom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/virtudeskcom\/status\/1594778692567568384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 21, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But then, this tweet caught my attention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A4. I need a tool to respond to or delete emails for me \ud83d\ude42 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BizapaloozaChat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#BizapaloozaChat<\/a> and maybe one to tweet for me as well! \ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Vr72CBkdo9\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/Vr72CBkdo9<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Lisa Sicard \ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udcbb (@Lisapatb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Lisapatb\/status\/1594775483232706561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 21, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI need a tool to respond to or delete emails for me \ud83d\ude42 \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it sparked an entire conversation about how to automate your email inbox. This is something that I do, and when I shared that it was possible, everyone wanted to process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So here it is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, I\u2019m going to share how I automate my <a href=\"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/gmail-as-crm\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"78241\" data-lasso-id=\"25954\">Gmail<\/a>, but you can do the same process with Outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Automate Your Gmail Inbox and Responses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Gmail has a lot of automating features. The most common are the ability to automatically tag emails, move them into folders, archive them, and delete them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you may not realize that you can even automate responses to emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a real time saver and if you do it right, you might even generate a few sales opportunities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m going to share specific examples from my business and maybe this will help you as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find time-sucking emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing you want to do is identify those emails that come to you that I classify as time-sucks.&nbsp; These are emails that are typically non-revenue generating emails.&nbsp; They ask you for your time, but contribute nothing to you or your business.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a blogger I\u2019m always getting emails requesting link placements or for guest posts.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-3gW0_fUIEAeDUVAy-lP49p2ORxosSMFqceEC4L2uW217uVc7qNtVRCceKvSNdv7VdAbAZRRVU-03pqOzSHT3W01Q1M8GPJa9gZJrzR7MhV2-k8t9_fsV0zabkSbKJInleUG4BI0iLs8XCcnJVuYgnKb0fP84NUss4jLBbdS5BZNpy7LIMw4fj6ADE029w\" alt=\"automate your email inbox\" class=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Just clearing these out of my inbox takes a few minutes a day \u2013 and that adds up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Create a Template and respond manually<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, you want to review all those time sucking emails and put them into different categories of email responses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my case &#8211; all of them are asking for guest posts or links.&nbsp; So, instead of responding to each one with a unique email, I write an email template that I can use and customize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you write the draft, make it somewhat generic.&nbsp; For example, don\u2019t start with their name, just jump into the introduction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Screenshot-2022-11-23-at-11.34.41-AM-1024x271.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80185\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve written the email, it\u2019s going to be sitting in your draft folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next thing you want to do is save this as a template by clicking on the 3 dots at the bottom of your email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/115kKI9gWcum0KUiuaHlr3U9WtgEt_OPSLxmQIlzhPQ9bv7fIzzK-HeVX2qimnQF8DJDcoJXtB7lafMwdSupURKCT9eu_QPPtO4dkWKMbfnLnK9H7uLx_e4zQnDwjaeX47TfM1iDsBXbJZJpe9iVG97XTzNDij1zO8flSNVfXYUQCnbUMfnniuFYdofgKQ\" alt=\"screenshot on how to automate your email inbox using templates\" class=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A window will open up.&nbsp; Then choose \u201cTemplates\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it\u2019s a new template, then \u201csave draft as template\u201d and give it a name.&nbsp; If you have an existing one, you can update the one you have.&nbsp; Please note it will erase the previous one and create a new one with the same name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a power tip!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DELETE any signature that you have in your email.&nbsp; Because the template will insert EVERYTHING that\u2019s in the template.&nbsp; So if you have a signature, it will create a duplicate signature.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how you respond to any email manually with this template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click \u201creply\u201d to the email that you received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, you\u2019re going to click on the three dot menu. Then click on \u201cTemplates\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/6GLklHObRo2b7Rnyp0W6Yqiz0xMhRe1Dn48G_PZ7J8WIWtIwiJCIA1h7Q1KUXOXook_SwkGjGnIs_ozEiiEMZEWj80ow2vzXnynG9cyEA1fD6Q7-7u_m1o-cgIrly6cQd-VUw2vh1kgE3IygXrl-Glu64X_tJ_2NNhq2j4BzCfmMXfkBJzl6dj7VnmHPHQ\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Select the template you created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the email text will drop into the email.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Screenshot-2022-11-23-at-11.39.34-AM-1024x233.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80187\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, you can edit the email and customize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But let\u2019s say you wanted to automate your responses completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Automate Your Email Responses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You will have to have followed the above steps to figure out which emails you want to automate and to create the different template responses you want to use.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now to the automation part.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>You want to head over to settings and then click on filters and blocked addresses.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/mPCN74RWyizydIYY2Bwn_IcD4HKmp26bjJISYi1a4Yx4oqBc4IXoREpdD6E_Jg0MDf8QoB-Bm5YO7GuvATYbg0On33bz9XBl_0uVvlNhKsWoeL19Bdbbt11Ri6UtHvmglD2KmRxlzFWOqXEtjZAqFKilGpk-gswX1SI_eGafKmCH1bhMups8bLv5aoeFrg\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Create a new filter<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Look for \u201cCreate a new filter\u201d if you don\u2019t have any filters, it will be right there.&nbsp; But if you\u2019ve already created some filters, it will be at the very bottom of that section.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/2n5OlOfZEF9_rmRTFlJxnlnbKWpQQzYthkVjbVsPUJRcaUHYFYO4z5l-5VNPh6Pp9WvQtPDYJPJYwT8YL3y6x28bR7F85WUpG5bqg_K5W8hF3mqWtQfTx-CCFls9MDlmmYbH8qOY6sjx9ejngXzSqzaJc5LyyaIDyE6xha4sxr2eVYqKm0nIMcqL_LIXuA\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\">\n<li><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;Enter the phrase you want to filter for<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>A window will open up and you will have several different ways to filter your messages. In my case, I chose \u201csubject\u201d because the common phrases and intents of the emails all have the same subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/nFQSvMXjq78tQdgTxpCygpBoK0x1kKcfQmf9WtV3eN4jeV1-OlgEtArYQTafW9q-iAcsacSVmf8TLaaKqqNh1R3rAM3Bg-ggNcQlwSahDt5YpX5sTik6SqDUed2vCw6jj2fjGmWj1RzNhncxW1HR5CuU13rodr63kotrfAgez0n5kH4r4GAawRog6Wbq8g\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, they mention my site URL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also have people requesting for guest posts, contributions, etc.&nbsp; For that, you can even insert specific words in the field \u201chas the words\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you have people constantly asking for directions, pricing, or a pricing sheet, you can use those phrases there.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"4\">\n<li><strong>Click on \u201ccreate filter\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/qcWwOZZK3P3ThN2PtMhrDAECfrbTTbCTLWFHYyW_-u9yT-SOVJNOIscyJanysaBnYTacaLLEA3yMsmBpXEsfj0MTuZfoEOZ--M35-wKUoj-BlPDXdgpDHhL1_4wjTMBlUjL7T3T3dptghLHHlup28IPTDNZ_6yCE79imrwhyiFK3wWAWLAdHljKOkWsf8A\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where all the magic happens.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gmail will open up this window where you get to tell it exactly what you want the filter to do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice that I have clicked the option \u201cSend template\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, whenever an email comes in that has my URL in the subject line &#8211; send the template named \u201cPitch back\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NOTE: At the end of this window there is an option called \u201capply to matching conversations\u201d &#8211; sending templates will NOT do this.&nbsp; It will only apply to NEW messages that you get.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the automation is running, you\u2019ll see all your messages in the sent column.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Screenshot-2022-11-23-at-11.35.11-AM-1024x416.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80186\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ready. Set. Go and Automate Your Email Inbox<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s all there is to it! Now you can eliminate up to an hour a day of responding to repetitive emails and requests!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ready to automate your email inbox! Here&#8217;s how I automated my gmail to respond to repetitive requests and saved myself about 5 hours a week!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-80180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing-tools","tag-email"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}