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Users across the globe sent more than 306.4 billion emails per day in 2020, making email one of the most popular communication methods. However, it’s important to develop email campaigns that effectively engage users. Automated email sending may be the solution your business needs to connect to subscribers with little to no maintenance.
Email automation refers to an email marketing strategy that sends specific messages to users based on an action they take, or may not take, on your website. Automated email sending allows you to create specific user journeys and relevant messages for them to receive personalized messages that help strengthen your customer relationships. These may be transactional marketing emails to deliver personalized and important information, such as password reset instructions or a receipt for a purchase, or they may be traditional marketing emails to share announcements or information for a broader audience, such as a weekly newsletter or a weekend promotion.
However, these emails differ from email blasts. Email automation allows you to set up emails one time, just like an out of office message to reply to all of your emails while you’re on vacation. This provides an easily scalable and efficient way for you to connect with your users and encourage them to respond to you. Your website continues to attract new users who sign up for your email list, and your automation tools allow you to begin immediately building a relationship with them with no additional work.
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Email automation involves you sending your users an email based on how they interact with your website. Think about a time you were shopping online for a new pair of shoes and the department store sent you an email a few days later to remind you of the shoes you viewed but didn’t purchase. That’s automated email sending at work.
Setting up an email automation requires using an email automation or marketing automation platform, and many of these tools or platforms include templates that can be used to easily design your emails. After you choose a platform, you create unique customer journeys and designate the emails they receive based on their actions. Once you set the parameters and establish a trigger for the campaign, you’re done. Now, anytime a user performs a triggering action on your website, they will receive your chosen emails.
For example, a restaurant wants to boost their catering orders. They create an email automation campaign that targets users who browse catering menus on their website but don’t request a quote. A few days after the user views the menu, the restaurant’s campaign deploys an email encouraging the user to request a quote, and they receive a few more follow-up emails, including one with a discount code.
Your company should use automated email sending at any opportunity to generate more leads or nurture existing leads. Some specific examples of when you may use automated emails include:
The specific times when you should send automated emails varies based on the nature of the email. For example, it’s important to send welcome messages or security-related emails immediately, but you might only send nurture once a month. However, while there is not a limit to how often you should send emails, it’s important to avoid sending too many to overwhelm your customers. Monitor your campaigns and subscription rate trends to help you find your sweet spot for how many emails to send and when to do it.
Email marketing is still an extremely powerful marketing channel. Research shows most companies earn a $42 return on investment for every $1 they invest in email marketing. That’s a 4200% ROI! Furthermore, research also shows companies earn 320% more revenue with automated emails than they do with non-automated emails. Imagine tripling your revenue by investing less time in your email marketing. Email automation makes it possible.
Automated emails allow you to drive more meaningful business results. Each email is a tailored, one-on-one interaction with the customer. This helps boost your customer engagement, building your relationship with them to increase customer retention and loyalty. These emails can also attract potential leads back in, converting them into customers.
For example, research shows 69% of online shoppers abandon their carts. However, 45% of shoppers open abandon cart emails, which is a common and effective email automation strategy. More than 20% of these shoppers click the link in the email to return to their cart, and 50% of those shoppers then make a purchase.
Email automation simplifies your email marketing processes and allows you to deploy more personalized and effective content to your users. Below are some of the benefits it offers.
Developing an effective email automation campaign requires careful planning and precision. Consider these tips as you delve into email automation.
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Email automation allows you to more easily and quickly respond to a larger number of users while still providing each user with a personalized experience. Automated drip campaigns can help you nurture your leads and move them through the sales funnel. By providing a personalized experience and converting leads into customers, you may gain more loyal customers and attract new customers through referrals from existing customers.
One of the best ways to make your email automation more effective is to lead with strong content. It’s more beneficial for you to send fewer but higher-quality emails than it is to send numerous unfocused or low-quality emails. Begin with well-crafted, targeted and engaging content that attracts users and gives them a reason to learn more.
It’s also important to ensure you’re sending the best messages to the correct people at the right time. Narrow your segments as much as possible to pin down extremely specific target markets. Take advantage of A/B testing to learn more about user behavior. Testing can help find out what kind of subject lines users are more likely to open, what links users are less likely to click and more.
Choosing the right email marketing automation platform and tools for your business is an important step. Here are some common types of tools and examples of services to consider.
Email list building tools allow you to create and deploy methods of gathering leads to grow your email list. Some examples include:
Integrated email marketing automation tools seamlessly integrate with other platforms to help you send the right message to the right audience at the perfect time. Some examples include:
Tracking and monitoring tools for email provide you with critical insights about your email recipients and their behaviors. Some examples include:
Email testing tools allow you to preview your emails to ensure they appear and send properly and gather insight about your readers to improve your emails. Some examples include:
Email marketing services with automation are specific platforms that allow you to build and send email campaigns. Some examples include:
Automated email sending can be beneficial for businesses and industries of all types and businesses of all sizes. Each organization can use automation tools to promote their product or service and guide the customer through the sales funnel. Check out the list below for some examples of types of automated emails you could send to better connect with your audiences.
Remind users that their subscription is ending soon. Most people procrastinate until they realize they could lose something they value. Emails highlighting the benefits of renewing now can help prevent losing customers. This type of email may be beneficial for industries like:
Update users about their own performance or what’s new on the platform. For example, a fitness app may send users emails to recap how many hours they exercised using the app in a week. Activity updates may be useful in industries like:
Send subscribers a special message on their birthday or the anniversary of when they subscribed to or purchased from you. It’s often a good idea to provide them with a special deal to use. Industries that may benefit from these emails include:
Let subscribers know about the new content on your website. This helps you leverage the powerful content on your website to educate customers and provide them with useful information. Blog update emails may be beneficial in all industries.
Follow up with a user who fills their online shopping cart but does not complete their purchase. These gentle reminders are timely and capable of improving your conversion rates and revenue. Industries that may benefit from cart abandonment emails include:
Nudge customers to use the coupons you previously sent. They help your offers stay on their mind and help prevent them becoming lost in the sea of offers from your competitors. These emails may benefit industries like:
Let users know you also offer an app and encourage them to download it. These emails can be critical during onboarding or welcoming phases, and it’s important to emphasize the app helps them stay up to date with the latest news from your organization. Download reminders may be good for industries like:
Ensure your subscribers don’t miss out on upcoming events and know how to access them so they receive something uniquely valuable from you. Consider sending reminders for online events the day of but reminders for in-person events a few days early. Industries that may benefit from event reminders include:
Ask your audience for their thoughts. These emails often include a survey to help you learn more about your customers. These emails provide an effective way to gain insight about your audiences’ goals, needs, preferences, and struggles to better tailor your products, services, and communication. Asking for feedback is beneficial for all industries.
Confirm the end of your relationship with a customer. These emails allow you to end your relationship on a positive note and thank the customer for their years of business with you. Industries that may benefit from these emails include:
Encourage users to connect with others like them and strengthen their relationship with you. These emails may drive them to your website or suggest users follow you on your social media accounts. Community invitations may benefit industries like:
Encourage users to interact with and take advantage of your loyalty program. You may send them special offers, encourage them to open your app for a secret promotion, an updated recap of their point status, or any similar update. Industries that may benefit from these emails include:
Show the human side of your business. These emails can help reinforce your brand identity and foster a connection with your subscribers. Meet the team emails may benefit any type of agency as well as businesses in industries like:
Verify a user wants to subscribe to your email list. It’s important to send this email right away, and this type of email helps ensure you do not violate any spam laws. All industries could benefit from these emails.
Update users with notifications to confirm their purchase, let them know their product shipped, or similar matters. These emails reaffirm the buyer’s decision to purchase from you, and they can help customers feel excited about their incoming package. You can also use this as an opportunity to share useful content about things like product care or what to expect when the product arrives. Order updates can be useful for the e-commerce and retail industries.
Check in with people who attended your recent online or virtual event. Start by thanking them, and ask for their feedback about their experience. Some industries that could benefit from these emails include:
Leverage marketing tools that track users who spend time on your website. Consider sending them a related message based on the pages they visited. Examples of industries that could benefit from these emails include:
Encourage subscribers to browse your inventory by highlighting your best-rated products. These emails leverage social proof to move customers through the sales funnel, encouraging them to make a purchase. Product highlights may benefit businesses in industries like:
Update your email list efficiently. Send emails to users who’ve stopped opening your messages to invite them to update their preferences and verify they want to stay on your email list. Consider including a promotion or other highlights to remind them why they signed up for your emails in the first place. Reactivation emails can benefit organizations in all industries.
Recommend a product or service based on the user’s activity or previous purchases. These emails curate a personalized experience for the customer and demonstrate how well you understand them, offering unique value. Recommendations may be useful in industries like:
Alert customers of when it’s time to order more of or replace a product. This helps prevent customers from running out of your products and reminds them to purchase from you rather than one of your competitors. These emails may be beneficial for industries like:
Ask customers how satisfied they are with your product or service. This helps strengthen your customer relationships and may reveal ways to update your content to better market it to new customers. Review requests may be beneficial for industries like:
Let users know about changes to an item they’re interested in and may have added to a wish list. These emails may alert users of pricing changes or that a product is available again. Industries that may benefit from these emails include:
Thank your subscribers for taking a certain action, such as completing a survey, signing up for your newsletter or leaving a review. Including a promotion or discount code may entice them to return to your website, too. These emails are beneficial for all industries.
Encourage users to spend more time on your website or purchase additional products or services. They may include recommendations based on your previous purchases or suggestions for upgrading your existing services. Upselling automated emails may benefit industries like:
Alert subscribers of your upcoming webinars. These emails help you strengthen your relationships with customers and help ensure the success of your webinar by attracting the largest audience possible. Webinar invitations may be beneficial for industries like:
Introduce subscribers to your email list. Start by thanking them for signing up, and include some information about what they could expect from your emails. These emails can benefit organizations in all industries.
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Exact steps for setting up automated email sending will vary based on the platform you choose. However, follow these general steps to begin using email automation.
Research shows emails have an average of an 18% open rate. That’s some stiff competition. Review the tips below for some ways for your emails to stand out from your competitors.
When it comes to your email marketing strategy, if you’re looking for a way to work more efficiently and make the best use of your resources. automated email sending may be the solution for you. Take advantage of email automation to save time while strengthening your relationships with leads and moving them through the sales funnel.
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