Do you feel frustrated with low open and click-through rates on your email marketing campaigns? Do you think your time could be better spent if you didn’t have to send emails manually? If so, email marketing automation could be the perfect solution for you.
Automation allows you to create personalized and relevant emails that are automatically sent to your subscribers at specific times. This means you can significantly optimize the time invested in managing your email campaigns.
What is Email Marketing Automation?
Email marketing automation is the process of sending emails automatically to your subscribers based on predefined rules. We call this automation flows – or workflows! Of course, your email marketing platform needs to have this functionality. This means you can create emails that are automatically sent, for example, when a subscriber:
- Signs up for your email list;
- Makes a purchase in your online store (or physical store);
- Abandons their shopping cart;
- Clicks on a link in one of your emails;
- Hasn’t opened your emails for a certain period of time;
- Fills out a specific form;
- Among many other possibilities.
Ideas for Using Email Marketing Automation… and Some Practical Examples (That You Can Copy)
1) Turning Leads into Subscribers
Creating a welcome email that is automatically sent to new subscribers is a simple, yet effective, example of automation. This email should thank people for signing up to your list and offer them an incentive to make a purchase or subscribe to one of your services. Here are some examples:
Welcome Email: Thank the subscriber for signing up and offer an incentive to buy or subscribe to a service (discount, offer, free shipping):
Subject: Welcome to [Your Company Name]!
Hello [Subscriber’s Name],
Thank you for signing up for our email list!
To welcome you, we’re offering you a 10% discount on your first purchase. Just use the code WELCOME10 at checkout.
We also want to give you a free ebook with tips on [relevant topic for your business]. You can download it here: [link to the ebook].
We hope you have a great experience with us!
Best regards,
The [Your Company Name] Team]
Educational Email Series: Send a series of emails with relevant information about your products or services.
Subject: 3 Tips for [Relevant Topic for Your Business]
Hello [Subscriber’s Name],
In our last email, we gave you a free ebook with tips on [relevant topic for your business]. In this email, we’ll share 3 tips for [relevant topic for your business].
[Tip 1]
[Tip 2]
[Tip 3]
We hope these tips are helpful to you!
In the next email, we’ll talk about [next email’s topic].
Best regards,
The [Your Company Name] Team]
2) Segmenting Subscribers into Different Email Lists
Segmenting your subscribers based on their interests, behavior, or demographics is essential – “Send the right email, at the right time, to the right person!” – This allows you to send more relevant and targeted emails, which can increase your open and click-through rates. Here are some examples of segmentation:
Behavior: Segment your subscribers based on their actions, such as purchases, clicks on links, etc. For example, you can create a list for subscribers who bought a specific product and send them emails with offers for similar products.
Interests: Segment subscribers based on their interests, such as the products they viewed or the content they consumed. For example, you can create a list for subscribers who viewed a specific product and send them emails with offers for that product.
Demographics: Segment your subscribers based on their age, gender, location, etc. For example, if you segment your users by birthday, you can send them promotional emails at a time that is particularly favorable for consumption.
3) Send Personalized Follow-Ups After Specific Actions
Send personalized follow-up emails to subscribers who abandoned their shopping cart or haven’t opened your emails in a while. Let’s look at some examples:
Abandoned Cart: Send a reminder email to subscribers who abandoned their shopping cart:
Post-Purchase Email: Thank the subscriber for their purchase and offer them a discount for their next purchase:
Subject: Thank You for Your Purchase!
Hello [Subscriber’s Name],
Thank you for shopping with [Your Company Name]! We hope you’re happy with your purchase.
As a token of our appreciation, we’re offering you a 15% discount on your next purchase. Just use the code THANKYOU15 at checkout.
You can also find other exclusive offers and promotions on our promotions page: [link to promotions page]
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
Best regards,
The [Your Company Name] Team]
Birthday Email: Wish the subscriber a happy birthday and offer them a discount or gift:
Subject: Happy Birthday, [Subscriber’s Name]!
Hello [Subscriber’s Name],
Happy Birthday!
To celebrate your special day, we’re giving you a 20% discount on your next purchase. Just use the code HAPPYBIRTHDAY at checkout.
We hope you have an amazing day!
Best regards,
The [Your Company Name] Team]
4) Re-engaging Lost Subscribers
Send Reactivation Emails: Send an email to subscribers who haven’t interacted with your campaigns in a while. Here are some examples:
Reactivation Email: Send an email to subscribers who haven’t interacted with your campaigns for some time:
Subject: Are You Still There?
Hello [Subscriber’s Name],
We haven’t heard from you in a while. We’ve missed you!
We’d love to know what we can do to bring you back. If you’re still interested in receiving our emails, just click the link: [link to confirm subscription]
If you’re no longer interested in receiving our emails, you can unsubscribe here: [link to unsubscribe]
We hope you’ll stay with us!
Best regards,
The [Your Company Name] Team]
Offer an Incentive: Offer a discount or gift to subscribers who re-engage with your campaigns. For example, you can offer a special discount or an exclusive gift to subscribers who open the reactivation email.
Ask for Feedback: Ask subscribers why they stopped interacting with your campaigns and how you can improve. For example, you could include a survey in the reactivation email to ask subscribers why they stopped opening your emails.
Track and Analyze the Results
Don’t forget to monitor the open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates of your email marketing campaigns so that you can optimize them and improve your results. By tracking these rates, you can see what’s working well and what needs improvement.
Additionally, test different subject lines and content to see what works best for your audience. You can use A/B testing tools to test different versions of your emails, and use analytics tools to gain more insights into your subscribers’ behavior.
Email marketing automation is a powerful tool that can help you save time and money, while allowing you to send more relevant and personalized emails to your subscribers. By implementing the strategies mentioned in this article, you can:
- Increase Open and Click-Through Rates: Automated and personalized emails tend to have higher open and click-through rates than generic, manually sent emails.
- Increase Conversions: By sending automated emails at the right time, you can encourage subscribers to purchase your products or services.
- Improve Customer Relationships: Personalized automated emails can help build a stronger relationship with your customers.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your email marketing, automation is definitely something you should consider. Try out the ideas mentioned in this article and see how they can help take your email marketing campaigns to the next level.