Nowadays, businesses spend a lot of time on advertising to allure customers and create new contact points - and that's how it should be. However, quite often, we just don't remember that communication targeted at an existing customer is significantly cheaper and often much more profitable.
With marketing automation, you can create a series of automatic emails and considerably improve your customer communication. Read this guide to find out what marketing automation workflows every business must have!
We'll divide email marketing automation examples into two categories: the first one consists of mainly basic automation and the second one is all about more advanced workflows.
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Basic automation workflows
Think of your online presence as a real shop or even a real hotel. How would your salesperson or hotel receptionist act if they wanted to impress the customer? Then, transform your observations into the digital world and come up with a series of email marketing automation workflows based on what you noticed.
1. Welcome newsletter series
You can start by sending a welcome newsletter series to your new subscribers. This is an awesome opportunity to engage these people and start the journey from subscriber to customer. Plus, it’s a great chance to make an amazing first impression. Our advice is to set up a trigger that will automatically send out the first message the moment after they click the subscribe button.
Also, the first email in this series shouldn't try to sell anything, but rather just welcome them and maybe offer a nice promotion or discount. Follow up a few days later with an email that tells them how to contact you if they have any questions and where to search for information. The last email should be asking them for details about themselves; this way, you can better cater to them and get the segmentation data that you can later use for customized campaigns.
2. Lead nurturing series
Develop an email marketing workflow that will nurture leads using qualifications. Your campaign can be kicked off by targeting a segmented list of existing leads. Next, use automation to drop new leads at the start of the campaign, so they receive the complete series of nurture messages.
The first few messages should show the leads that they have a problem that needs to be solved. The next few emails should suggest that your products or services are the solution to that problem. Then, the nurture workflow should send out some messages that highlight the brand's personality and position it as a leader in it's niche, which will help leads build their confidence in your company as a provider. Wrap the series up with messages that offer a one-on-one interaction opportunity with your brand, like a live demo.
3. Free trial sign-up
This workflow should focus on pitching the benefits of your products or services in a subtle, yet straightforward way. In order to minimize the number of messages you send and avoid annoying your leads, we recommend combining the welcome email series with the message providing user free trial training videos and guides.
The very first message should be all about the resources that help them use your products or services. This way, if they can't find value in what you offer, they'll most likely let the trial expire. A few days later, send a message pointing them to your resources so they begin to see your brand as an authority that can be relied on for useful advice.
Advanced automation workflows
Again, think of your online service as a physical store or a real restaurant. How would a top salesperson act if they wanted to truly impress a customer and exceed their expectations? Turn your ideas into marketing automation workflows.
4. Send an automated birthday or customership anniversary greeting
You can have an automated workflow that sends a birthday greeting to your customer. Alternatively, you can choose to send an automated greeting on the customership anniversary. You can, of course, do both!
5. Customer retention workflow
When customers show behaviors that indicate the possibility to leave, trigger a message that may convince them to stick around. Some examples of such behaviors are failing to pay the invoice, not opening emails for a long period of time, and unsubscribing. The retention message should have a gentle tone, as you don't want to annoy potentially unhappy customers.
This can also be a good opportunity to send a survey that asks them how you can improve your products or services in order to better accommodate them. Therefore, you'll show that you're genuinely interested in their opinion.
These are some of the best email automation workflows every business should be using. Remember that your customer should be always at the forefront of your marketing communications.
If you're looking to improve your email marketing game, then you're in the right place! Our guide will walk you through the essential email marketing automation workflows that every business should have. By implementing these workflows, you can save time and money, while also improving your customer communication and increasing your revenue. So, don't wait any longer, read on to discover the email marketing automation workflows that can take your business to the next level!
Got questions? Need help? Do you feel that your digital marketing efforts could be improved? Our team specializes in creating and managing online campaigns that convert. Get in touch with us!
