"We should automate that."
Famous last words before a marketing team spends 3 weeks building a workflow that saves 10 minutes.
The problem isn't automation. It's knowing what to automate first—and having a framework to actually implement it without hiring a consultant or learning to code.
We reviewed 30+ AI marketing automation resources published in the last 90 days. Most were either too enterprise (assume you have a RevOps team) or too basic (here's what a workflow is).
These 5 actually help a 3-5 person marketing team identify high-impact automations and implement them this quarter.
Resource #1: Zapier's "AI Workflows" Guide
What It Is: A comprehensive guide to building AI-powered automations without code.
Why It Made The List: This isn't a product pitch disguised as content. It's a genuine framework for thinking about where AI fits into your existing workflows—and where it doesn't.
Concept | What It Means | Your Application |
|---|---|---|
AI as a step, not a replacement | AI works best as one step in a larger workflow | Automate the bottleneck, not entire campaigns |
Trigger → AI → Action | The basic structure of any AI workflow | Form submission → AI qualifies → Routes to right person |
Start with existing data | AI needs input to produce output | Use CRM data you already have |
Quick Win: The guide includes a template for automatically summarizing meeting notes and creating follow-up tasks. Implement in one afternoon.
Resource #2: IMPACT's "AI for Marketing in 2026" Guide
What It Is: A strategic framework for deciding what AI tools to use, skip, and watch.
Why It Made The List: Most AI guides tell you what's possible. This one tells you what's practical. The "What to Skip" section alone will save you from wasting budget.
Section | Key Insight |
|---|---|
What to Use | Content drafting, data analysis, personalization at scale |
What to Skip | Fully autonomous campaigns, AI-only customer service |
What to Watch | Predictive analytics, AI agents (coming soon) |
Quick Win: Use the "First AI Project" framework to identify one low-risk automation to pilot this month.
Resource #3: MailerLite's "15 Email Automation Templates"
What It Is: Ready-to-use email automation workflow templates with visual builders.
Why It Made The List: Email automation is the lowest-hanging fruit. These templates aren't theoretical—they're actual workflows you can import and customize in minutes.
Template | Trigger | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
Welcome Series | New subscriber | 3-5 emails introducing your brand |
Abandoned Cart | Cart abandonment | Recovery sequence with escalating offers |
Re-engagement | 30+ days inactive | Win-back campaign |
Lead Nurture | Lead magnet download | Education → qualification → sales handoff |
Quick Win: The welcome series template. If you don't have one, you're leaving money on the table with every new subscriber.
For a deep dive on AI meeting tools that integrate with your workflow, check out our Fathom AI Meeting Assistant Review.
Resource #4: HubSpot's "11 AI-Powered Sales Automation Workflows"
What It Is: Specific AI automation examples across the full sales funnel.
Why It Made The List: Yes, it's HubSpot content. But the workflows apply to any CRM/automation stack. The value is in the specific examples.
Stage | Automation | AI Component |
|---|---|---|
Lead Gen | Visitor identification | AI enriches anonymous visitors |
Qualification | Lead scoring | AI predicts conversion likelihood |
Nurturing | Personalized sequences | AI selects content based on behavior |
Conversion | Meeting scheduling | AI handles back-and-forth |
Quick Win: The lead scoring workflow. Even a basic version dramatically improves sales efficiency.
Resource #5: n8n's Workflow Template Library
What It Is: 800+ free automation templates for the open-source platform n8n.
Link: n8n.io/workflows
Why It Made The List: n8n is like Zapier, but free and self-hosted (or cheap cloud version). The template library is a goldmine.
Template | What It Does |
|---|---|
Social Media Scheduler | AI generates posts, schedules across platforms |
Content Repurposing | Blog → social posts → email newsletter |
Lead Enrichment | New lead → enrich with data → route to CRM |
Competitor Monitoring | Track mentions, summarize with AI |
Quick Win: The lead enrichment template. Automatically add company data to new leads before sales sees them.
4-Week Implementation Plan
Week 1: Audit & Prioritize
Read IMPACT guide. List your top 5 time-wasting tasks. Identify which have clear triggers.
Week 2: Quick Win
Pick ONE automation from MailerLite templates. Implement and launch. Document time saved.
Week 4: Systematize
Review HubSpot workflows for sales/marketing alignment. Create a "what we automate" playbook.
The Bottom Line
The best automation targets are:
Repetitive — Same steps, every time
Triggered — Clear starting point
Low-stakes — Won't break anything if it fails
Time-consuming — Worth the setup investment
If a task doesn't hit all 4, don't automate it yet.
Start with one. Prove it works. Then scale.
by DO
for the AdAI Ed. Team
