how we use low-code to automate comms, ops & marketing
With just a few clicks, you can automate emails and social posts. Many use it for lead management, but the possibilities go far beyond that. From personal customer journeys to matching systems that bring supply and demand together—low-code makes it accessible.
And yes, there are issues such as vendor lock-in and limited testing options. But with the right approach, low-code actually gives your coms, marketing and ops a significant boost. Low-code makes automation more accessible than ever. But how do you use it sustainably without getting stuck? And how do you know if low-code fits into your team?
what is low-code and how does it automate communication, ops & marketing?
In 2024, you can't ignore automation. It makes work easier, more fun and more accurate. Think of automating recurring tasks such as sending emails or scheduling social media messages. This way, you save time for what really requires attention.
Many companies use automation for lead management. For example, when someone subscribes to a newsletter or fills out a form. People then enter an automation sequence or receive an automatic response. But if you only use it for that, a lot of potential remains untapped.
Marketing automation doesn't have to be impersonal. In fact, it helps to make every step more personal for the customer. From the first contact until well after the purchase. This is how you build good, long-term relationships in a natural way.
Low-code plays an important role in this process. Where traditional development is often time-consuming, low-code offers a faster and accessible way to automate. This way, teams can set up and improve processes themselves without much technical knowledge. However, it is not a miracle cure that solves all your problems. At least not yet.
how others think about low-code
Low-code platforms are the subject of much debate in the tech community. TLDR? Whether you choose this direction depends heavily on your budget, needs and business situation.
the challenges of implementing low-code
Vendor lock-in
One of the challenges of using low-code platforms is vendor lock-in. When you choose a specific platform (such as Airtable), it can be difficult to switch later without costs and hassle. This makes you dependent on one supplier, which limits the flexibility of your organization.
So it's important to ask yourself how you keep the balance between convenience and dependency. What are the costs for custom development? And what does it cost to build a low-code solution with such applications?
Testability and version control
Low-code tools often have fewer built-in options for testability country version control. Tools like Git help you manage and control everything properly. Here the challenge lies in finding the right low-code tools that do have that in order.
Complexity in large systems
Do you use low-code for fast results, or do you switch to custom development as complexity increases? It often works well for smaller projects. As soon as you want to build larger and more complex systems, restrictions can come around the corner.
By thinking carefully about what you do and what you can solve better with customization, you can keep a grip on your projects. Fortunately, you can increasingly work with customization in low-code tools.
Integration with existing development tools
Many low-code tools support fewer development practices such as continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), making them less compatible with existing workflows. But if you take this into account from the start, you can find solutions or use workarounds. So you can combine the best of both worlds.
how do you implement it?
When we address an issue, we start by clearly identifying the problem and gathering input from all stakeholders. We then analyse the current processes and determine whether low-code offers a suitable solution.
Is the answer yes? Then, in the design phase, we put our heads together again to make a prototype. We collect feedback and tinker until it feels good. Then we build the digital product or set up the systems and thoroughly test whether everything is running as it should. After that, the solution goes live, we train users and monitor them to optimize where necessary.
nice examples of low-code implementations
headless cms & communication automation
Although we're pretty hyped about Webflow, you sometimes run into limitations. Especially when it comes to large-scale content management (read 400+). new items per month). That's why we've built a system that solves these challenges, powered by Airtable. In this case, to create, manage and publish hundreds of monthly events.
Normally, you would have to manually enter data such as title, location, and registration options for each event, which is error-prone and time-consuming. Our system takes a different approach to this.
As soon as you enter one event, it ensures that all relevant details are immediately in the right places. Whether it concerns different times, a series of or infrequent events, the system takes into account all kinds of possibilities. This way, you can effortlessly manage hundreds of events worthoThere is breathing space for other activities.
matchmaker between supply and demand
By connecting Webflow, Airtable, MessageBird and Realworks, we have built a system that automatically brings supply and demand together.
Users create a search profile via Webflow, after which Airtable stores preferences such as location and budget and compares them directly with the offerings available in Realworks. New homes? No problem. When a new home is placed, the system immediately sends a message to matched home seekers via WhatsApp.
create multimedia & dynamic content
If you want to reach as many people as possible and get the most out of your content, you can hardly avoid being active on these channels as well. Only the big disadvantage: with all the different social media channels, this quickly takes a lot of time. You can easily spend several hours a week or even daily doing it.
Could that be more convenient? Sure. That's why social media automation comes into play. You design branded or custom assets with Bannerbear, for example, and import data with Airtable or even an easy form. Using that input, you can create images, PDFs, caroussels and even videos.
tips & tools
- Airtable: the tool for building applications
- Zapier & Make: tool for connecting apps and automating tasks without code
- Bannerbear: automated image and video generation
- Webflow CMS & API: next-gen web builder and CMS
- Flowmonk: the glue between Webflow and Airtable to manage your CMS even better