Anyone who works in digital marketing is constantly juggling various online tools. How do you find a tool that brings together all the tasks you need to perform directly in one app? Believe it or not, this is now possible thanks to automation tools like Zapier.
Zapier links different productivity apps and services together to create a smarter workflow and save you a lot of time in your daily business tasks. But that still doesn't give you a clear answer to this question: What is Zapier and how exactly does it work?
we'll tell you all about it in this post!
Zapier is an online tool that allows you to link different web applications, transfer data and automate processes by automatically linking and synchronising the actions of most of the applications and software you use in your company, so that recurring processes can be executed automatically.
Let's look at an example of a use case:
This example can be applied to a wide variety of applications because, as mentioned above, Zapier connects a large number of applications and services with each other. This connection is possible thanks to the so-called "Zaps", which are automated workflows between web applications that link two or more applications with each other.
The idea behind this automation tool is to help you create a smarter and more personalised workflow. This way, you can save time and focus on the important parts of your work. And since everyone has different apps or services that they use throughout their working day, Zapier offers integration with a wide variety of apps.
Zapier's web interface is used to create commands called zaps. Each zap is made up of two main parts: a trigger and an action.
The trigger is the event that sets the zap in motion; in programming jargon, it can be thought of as the "if this happens..." part of the operation. Zapier works with over 2,000 applications and services, so there are countless triggers on which you can base a zap.
The action is the event that completes the zap. It's the "then do this" part of the command and automation that simplifies your task or workflow. For example, a zap can be written to create an event in Google Calendar based on each new Trello card added to your dashboard, or a zap can create a to-do list in an app like Todoist based on emails you highlight or check off in Gmail.
When a zap runs, it processes a piece of data - each time that happens, it counts as a task.
Zapier does not represent a traditional programming environment and you don't need to have programming skills to use the tool. It's more like a simplified macro editor, where all you have to do is specify the trigger and action and fill in the details of exactly how the zap should work.
Zaps are not difficult to create and can mostly be done by selecting options from drop-down menus, but Zapier gives you the ability to customise zaps extensively, as well as create multi-step zaps (if you pay for one of the premium subscription levels).
If you still doubt the capabilities of this tool, here are some of the most important advantages you should consider:
Zapier has several pricing plans, ranging from a free version to large enterprise deployments:
In our daily working lives there are numerous repetitive processes, most of which are costly and time-consuming, although they are often not directly related to our own work. However, they are of vital importance for the success of the company.
These processes are present in almost every company, large or small: accounting, marketing, customer service and product manufacturing are recurring processes in everyday work. Zapier was developed to automate all these redundant but important steps and thus reduce the workload and save time and money.
Combine it with other tools such as HubSpot and you will revolutionise the way you run your business.