Email automation allows you to increase sales by personalizing emails based on behavioral triggers. Modern customers want content that’s relevant and tailored to them, so they’re more likely to purchase from you.
A welcome series of automated emails can thank new customers for subscribing, show product recommendations based on what they’ve browsed in the past and encourage them to complete their purchase journey. However, it’s important to keep these automated email campaigns in check.
Don’t Overdo It
Email automation is a powerful tool, but it can be easy to overdo. Businesses should use email automation to provide relevant content and offers to their subscribers, but they also need to ensure that each automated campaign has a clear purpose and a measurable impact on business goals. By following these best practices, businesses can optimize their email marketing campaigns and drive results.
The first step in email automation is to set up a series of messages that will trigger when certain events occur. For example, a welcome email can be triggered when a new subscriber joins the list or email notifications for google forms. This email can include helpful information about using the website or app, and a call-to-action that encourages the subscriber to take the next step, such as adding products to their cart or providing feedback.
Automated emails can also be used to send important business updates, such as order confirmations and shipping updates. These emails can help to build trust and brand loyalty, as well as increase customer retention. Similarly, automated emails can be used to send reminders about important dates, such as birthdays or anniversary dates. By setting up a series of automatic emails that can be triggered when certain events happen, businesses can save time by not having to manually send these messages.
Another benefit of email automation is that it is scalable. By setting up a series of automated emails that are triggered when certain actions are taken, businesses can scale their email marketing strategy to fit the size and needs of their audience. For example, a rapidly growing e-commerce site could use an automated welcome sequence to keep up with the growth of its user base.
One of the most common mistakes in email automation is failing to monitor and review key metrics. A business that doesn’t regularly check its email open rate, click through rate, conversion rate, and unsubscribe rate can make repeat mistakes or miss opportunities for growth. For example, a business that doesn’t monitor the performance of its abandoned cart email sequence may continue to use an unsuccessful message type or timing.
Don’t Over-Trigger
While automated emails should be sent based on pre-set triggers, it’s important not to ask for too much too soon. Many brands make the mistake of bombarding their customers or prospects with multiple requests in an attempt to drive conversions, a practice that can backfire.
For example, if a user abandons their cart, it’s best to send them an email within the hour of leaving it behind with content that provides value and drives them back into your sales funnel. This type of behavioral trigger email can include a personalized product recommendation, free shipping on their next purchase, or a coupon to entice them to return to your website or app.
Likewise, if a customer cancels their subscription to your meal service, sending them an email offering a special discount can encourage them to re-subscribe and keep the relationship going strong. Similarly, if a user hasn’t completed their billing information or upgraded their account with your business, a friendly reminder via an automated email can prompt them to complete this action.
In all of these cases, the email should be sent at the optimal time – which is a great reason why the majority of triggered emails are set up with first-party data. This data tells you what your audience is interested in based on the specific actions they take on your site and provides the context for your automated messages, enhancing personalization.
When used correctly, triggered emails can help your business grow. Whether it’s encouraging a user to finish their billing information or upgrading their account, or helping them navigate your website or app more easily and efficiently, automated email is a powerful tool that can boost your revenue and improve customer relationships.
Don’t Over-Market
Email automation is an incredibly valuable tool for schools, but it can also be misused. It’s important to avoid over-marketing when it comes to emails sent through automation, as this can make recipients feel bombarded and may result in unsubscribe rates increasing. Ultimately, you’ll want to use email automation to send relevant and timely information in the form of a series of automated emails. This allows you to engage your target audience with personalized content while saving time and increasing engagement by automating emails that would normally require manual execution.
When you’re creating your email automation sequence, it’s essential to create an effective subject line and preheader text. These are the first elements of your email your recipients will see and they’ll play a crucial role in encouraging them to open the email. Use a personal and conversational tone in your subject lines and preheader text to build trust with your recipients and encourage them to interact with your content.
It’s also vital to keep the contents of your email short and to the point. People are constantly spammed with long walls of text and have full inboxes, so if your email is too long they’ll likely skip over it or ignore it completely.
While it’s okay to include a call-to-action (CTA) in your automated email, it’s important to keep the amount of CTAs low. If you send too many, your subscribers will begin to associate your emails with being overly sales-driven and abrasive, and they’ll eventually stop opening and engaging with your emails altogether.
To avoid over-marketing in your emails, it’s a good idea to stick to a 3:1 ratio of value-building content to promotional content. For example, when you create an automated email sequence to win back abandoned carts, try sending a quick follow-up email highlighting the product they left behind and offering further assistance to complete their purchase. This is a much more effective approach than simply sending them a generic and pushy sales email. If you do this, you’ll find that your subscriber list will grow naturally and your school will reap the benefits of email automation.
Don’t Over-Send
Email automation is a powerful tool that allows you to save time by sending pre-written emails based on specific actions or behavior your audience takes. It can also help you to convert more leads into customers by giving them timely follow-up and personalized product recommendations. However, email automation should not be used to replace or overshadow your traditional marketing communications with potential and existing customers.
In fact, email automation is best used to complement your regular email newsletters and to reinforce the value of your brand. For example, welcome emails can serve as a great way to familiarize new users with your website’s features. Automated cart notifications are another great way to use email automation to increase sales. These type of automated emails can be sent immediately after a user has added an item to their cart but have not completed the checkout process. In many cases, these types of emails can be triggered within an hour of the abandoned cart, increasing your chances of making up for lost sales.
But just because you’re using email automation does not mean that your emails should lack personalization or a human touch. You should always strive to create an email that feels as if it is being sent to one individual rather than to a group of people. This can be done through a personalized subject line, an engaging email sender and by including a body of text that is customized to the needs or interests of the recipient.
Despite the advantages of email automation, some marketers are still reluctant to utilize this form of marketing. In addition to the fear of being labeled as a spammer, some are concerned about having to set up complex workflows. In reality, a basic email automation system is easier to set up than you might think. And there are plenty of affordable and easy-to-use tools available on the market today.
When choosing a marketing automation platform, look for one that offers an intuitive workflow editor and doesn’t require much training to use. It should also offer a robust set of automation recipes, email newsletter templates and personalization options to boost your open rates and click-throughs. Finally, you should look for a solution that integrates well with your existing CRM.
