Automation is not quite as simple as \u201cset it and forget it,\u201d as they say in the Ronco oven infomercials. But with these tricks we\u2019re about to show you, you\u2019ll see dramatic improvements from automation almost instantaneously.<\/p>\n
In honor of Independence Day, let\u2019s talk about how to use email marketing automation to boost your revenue, free up your time and give you some much-needed independence from your computer and\/or smartphone.<\/p>\n
Email Marketing Automation Basics: Here\u2019s Exactly What It Will Do For You<\/b><\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the secret that explains why automation can supercharge your conversions?<\/p>\n
It starts with the open rate. According to data-driven marketing firm Epsilon, automated emails get 119% higher click rates than blast emails<\/a>. That\u2019s because they deliver the right message to the right people at the right time.<\/p>\n Other sources agree: According to digital research firm eMarketer, B2C marketers see up to a 50% conversion rate with automated emails<\/a>. And automated emails are 133% more likely to sync with a customer\u2019s purchase cycle<\/a> than broadcast (a.k.a. batch and blast) messages, according to the Lenskold and Pedowitz Groups.<\/p>\n And, our title stat — according to Jupiter Research, automated emails generate 18 times more revenue than blast emails<\/a>.<\/p>\n OK, you say. Eighteen times the revenue? Sign me up!<\/p>\n \u2026 now what?<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not sure where to start with email marketing automation, don\u2019t worry. It\u2019s easy to dive in.<\/p>\n A great place to start is to automate things you\u2019re already doing. Let\u2019s break down a couple of easy places to do this.<\/p>\n Why does Wal-Mart employ greeters, whose sole purpose is to say hello to customers the moment they walk into the store? Why do savvy brands — such as Disney or Uniqlo — have specific welcome wording that gets repeated without variation every time a customer initiates contact?<\/p>\n It\u2019s because those megabrands know that good welcome messages — that is, ones that feel totally friendly and natural, but which are carefully crafted to get the maximum impact — can make a huge difference in conversions, sales and loyalty.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a handy crib sheet of top tips to steal from the masters for your automated welcome emails and messages:<\/p>\n This one\u2019s just basic manners. When people hand over their email address, that\u2019s a big deal. Even if they\u2019re doing it for a short-term goal — say, because a pop-up promised a 10% off code for signing up — they\u2019ve still extended a measure of trust that needs to be met with genuine gratitude.<\/p>\n To make the thank you feel organic, feel free to pair it with useful info for your customer about how to use your offering.<\/p>\n EXAMPLES:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Carbonite<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> Simple. Straightforward. Visual enough with some icons and brand colors, yet not too busy to be a turnoff. The helpful content and clean aesthetics are a great fit for this online backup company. The text shows a focus on useful tips, yet the tone isn\u2019t off-puttingly uptight.<\/p>\n The beauty of an instant automated \u201cThank you and welcome\u201d email is that it forms an excellent first impression. Sure, we hardened marketers understand that there\u2019s not a person at a computer hitting send individually on a message thanking people every time they sign up for emails. But when a gratitude-focused message like this hits a new subscriber\u2019s inbox right away, it lays a great foundation of solid goodwill.<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> JO-ANN Fabrics<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> This colorful, eye-pleasing message is short, sweet and memorable. It\u2019s more designed than the Carbonite example — which is appropriate for the arts & crafts crowd that JO-ANN caters to. Notice a commonality with the Carbonite message? That\u2019s right, both use a color scheme where bright green and white are front and center. Green is a classic \u201cgo\u201d or happy color, which subtly reinforces that joining these brands\u2019 email lists was indeed a great decision.<\/p>\n Whether you do it with your words, your graphics, your colors or something else, use the welcome email as an opportunity to reinforce your branding.<\/p>\n This can mean a number of different things, so see what\u2019s right for you. It could be about including a special offer, giving people a little chuckle with your offbeat word choices, driving new signups to a special section of your site, etc.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Virgin America<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> When do people sign up for an airline\u2019s email list? Virgin knows that most signups come 1) when people are watching a fare and want alerts when the price drops, and 2) when they\u2019ve pulled the trigger and purchased a ticket. With that in mind, Virgin uses this automated welcome email to reassure new subscribers of the value of their subscription.<\/p>\n With that great header graphic — which signifies either \u201cI Love You\u201d or \u201cRock on and Hail Satan,\u201d depending whose grandmother you ask — Virgin America establishes an easy rapport with its new email subscribers. The company also uses this prime opportunity to emphasize the useful information that will be coming through this channel, which is great for discouraging anyone who might feel a case of subscriber\u2019s remorse coming on.<\/p>\n You can follow all the best practices for writing and designing a killer welcome email, but if you forego the opportunity to get people to use and love your offering — well, that\u2019s unfortunate.<\/p>\n The beauty of automating your welcome messages is that you can send out emails that encourage engagement and conversions based on what point of the customer journey people are in.<\/p>\n Make sure you take the time to encourage brand engagement through your welcome message. That can mean a variety of things — you can have the goal of driving your subscriber back to your site to browse if you\u2019re an eCommerce retailer; you can encourage your subscriber to engage with your social media channels, etc.<\/p>\n Just don\u2019t forget a Call to Action of some sort!<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Lyft<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> Lyft knows that people often sign up for their email list 1) when chasing down a free ride promo, or 2) when signing up to use the service for the first time. That\u2019s why this message is short and incredibly action-driven.<\/p>\n In just about 13 words, Lyft does everything that our tips prescribe. Best of all, that enticingly bright call to action button (\u201cTake a Ride\u201d) gets people going to where Lyft wants them — back to the rideshare app, to use the service. This is a great example of how to write a welcome email for an app-based service. It drives an outward click to the brand\u2019s phone app, as that\u2019s where Lyft wants its customers to spend their time engaging with the brand.<\/p>\n When you need to signal boost a particular product, service or offering, promo emails are hard to beat. This is a place where automation really shines — using the data gleaned from your customers\u2019 behavior, you can pinpoint exactly when each customer is likely to be most receptive to your promotion.<\/p>\n For some inspiration — consider automating a follow-up message for people who did or didn\u2019t open your message, or try a follow-up email for those who did or didn\u2019t click on your call to action. Both methods are great for getting more attention for your promotion.<\/p>\n Check out these actionable tips for how to maximize your engagement by automating your promo emails and follow-ups.<\/p>\n Paired with audience segmentation, automation is a critical tool to share hyper-targeted offers to motivated audiences on exactly the right schedule. Time is limited, attention spans are short, and you want to get people enticed ASAP.<\/p>\n This is the beauty of automating your promo emails — you can bank on the fact that when your subscriber receives them, he or she will already be in the mindset to consider what you\u2019re promoting.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Code42<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> This promo email from data backup service Code42 was sent out around the holiday season. This one was targeted to people who had already signed up for the brand\u2019s CrashPlan service, which protects data in the event of an unexpected loss event. The promo urged the subscriber to gift the service to a loved one while promising an incentive to the giver. Audience segmentation and automation were key here — the promo wouldn\u2019t have made sense if it were sent to subscribers who had not yet converted, or to those who weren\u2019t open to the idea of purchasing the CrashPlan service.<\/p>\n You have tracking and analytics set up for your email marketing, correct? (If not, stop what you\u2019re doing and get on that!)<\/p>\n Email marketing offers a treasure trove of information about your customers\u2019 browsing habits, shopping preferences and engagement.<\/p>\n By using the data provided by standard tracking and analytics, you can create priceless urgency in your automated promo emails by adding deadlines, expiration dates and \u201cwhile supplies last\u201d caveats.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Target<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> Just like Santa Claus on steroids, massive retailer Target knows if you\u2019ve been sleeping and knows when you\u2019re awake. They also know exactly what types of products you\u2019ve been browsing and when — which allows them to add this super-targeted email footer on their promo emails that display items that you\u2019ve already shown interest in. While your brand may not have the data and programming power of Target (yet!), you can absolutely create a sense of personalization by infusing your automated emails with the insights from specific subscriber habits and patterns.<\/p>\n Cart abandonment messages are one of the easiest and most useful places where you can set up automated messages. Emails like these — which can give a little nudge about items placed into the online cart and not yet purchased — are easy to set up and can yield great conversions.<\/p>\n Here are a few tips on how to maximize:<\/p>\n Something got in the way of your customer finalizing a purchase.<\/p>\n Was it price? Was it an urgent phone call? Was it a random coffee spill that caused the computer to glitch out and crash, leaving his or her cart sadly abandoned?<\/p>\n Remember: You can use tracking and analytics to determine (or at least make an educated guess about) what the hitch was. No matter what the reason, an automated cart abandonment email that\u2019s triggered to go out at a time when your customer is likely to be in a purchasing mood can work wonders.<\/p>\n Think about what that means to you — are you an eCommerce shop that sells things people buy on impulse? If so, maybe evenings or weekends are the right time to send out your automated cart abandonment messages. Are you a commercial data backup service? Then maybe peak business hours — say, Tuesday morning — would be a good time to nudge your cart abandoners.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Chubbies<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> This no-judgment email makes it dead simple to pick things up where the customer left off. Because Chubbies is a leisure\/casual brand, this message is timed to go out based on what time of day the customer has been browsing on the site previously. Whether it arrives when the customer is at work or at home, this colorful, lighthearted message adds yet another facet to the customer\u2019s brand experience.<\/p>\n Why did your customer abandon his or her cart? What was happening at the moment the critical \u201cCheckout\u201d tab was closed, with purchase uncompleted?<\/p>\n As stated previously, data and analytics can give you great insight into the answers to these questions.<\/p>\n While you\u2019re using that data, why not use a bit of it to jazz up your automated cart abandonment email to make it feel even more hand-sent?<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Beardbrand<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> Check out that P.S. — Beardbrand\u2019s automated cart abandonment message is set up to populate this line with an actual product that the customer has purchased or considered. Talk about personal! This is a highly underused tactic in cart abandonment messages, which makes it stand out even more. With the conversational tone, straightforward text and formatting and that slam-dunk P.S., Beardbrand\u2019s automated email feels incredibly not automated (but it gets all the benefits of automation — namely, going to the right audience at the right time).<\/p>\n Even if your product or service is not in the traditional \u201creplenishables\u201d category — think prescription goods, perishables, seasonal items and more — you might well benefit from an automated repurchase or purchase cycle email.<\/p>\n Here are a few tips on how to maximize these often-overlooked messages.<\/p>\n We all have those products that we\u2019ve bought and lost interest in. Or products that we\u2019ve pushed aside for an alternative.<\/p>\n In order to combat this type of situation — and to capitalize on a warm lead — the best automated repurchase emails make the case that buying a product again is vital.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Sephora<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> Makeup is a high-margin replenishable, and retailer Sephora is a giant in the industry for a reason. This automated repurchase email is simple, visual and urgent. The language is strong but not over-the-top pushy, and this message goes out to customers in advance of when they might be expected to have finished the product in question. This helps the brand stay top-of-mind at the exact right moment.<\/p>\n When you set up automated repurchase messages based on season, you open up a whole additional opportunity to help previous purchasers of your product or service that it might be time to buy again.<\/p>\n The great thing about doing this is that it comes off as helpful, thoughtful and tuned into the customer\u2019s personal needs. While the ultimate goal may be to make another sale, the objective presented to the customer is to send a friendly reminder about something relevant. That action establishes trust and loyalty.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Harrod Horticultural<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> \u201cIs it really that time of year again? The time to kill slugs?\u201d This replenishment email from UK garden supply shop Harrod Horticultural may seem silly to the non-gardener, but to someone who\u2019s purchased this particular garden defense product before, it serves as a helpful reminder coming at a very important time. That\u2019s the beauty of automated messages, remember — right message, right audience, right time.<\/p>\n Perhaps you\u2019re really on the ball and you\u2019ve already automated the types of messages above. Perhaps you have a very specific business and not all of these types of emails make sense for you to send.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for more guidance on what kind of emails to automate, try this. Envision your sales funnel. Walk through each step of the customer journey, and identify points where your customer might benefit from another touchpoint. You can also reverse engineer an automation strategy based on your goals.<\/p>\n Whatever you choose, remember — automation will help you reach more people with less work on your part in the long run. What could be better than that?<\/p>\n OK, so you\u2019ve gone through the different types of marketing emails that you can automate. You\u2019ve visualized your sales funnel and brainstormed different points of the customer journey where a specific and useful message might be useful.<\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019re thinking: \u201cWait, back up! What if I don\u2019t know how to use email marketing automation?\u201d<\/p>\n We won\u2019t mince words: In order to get the most out of automation, you\u2019re going to have to learn the basics of a new tool. But don\u2019t worry — much of the knowledge on what to automate lies within you already.<\/p>\n For example — Do you do follow-ups after events? You can automate it! Is your team making a ton of sales calls or sending individual emails to check in with leads? Automate it!<\/p>\n If you have emails (or texts or calls) that you regularly send, ask yourself: Could I automate this to make these messages more efficient and engaging? Chances are the answer\u2019s yes!<\/p>\n Here are some tips and examples of how to make the most of your more individual email marketing automation campaigns.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s a signup anniversary, a purchase milestone or a birthday — you can get a tremendous bang for your buck by setting up an automated email message to go out to your customers on a day that\u2019s specific to them.<\/p>\n Take this opportunity to do all the things that a great marketing email does — show gratitude, give a quick reminder of why your marketing emails have been useful to the customer and drive the relationship forward with a great call to action.<\/p>\n EXAMPLES:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> BestSwimwear<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> Who doesn\u2019t love cake, colors and coupons? Being called \u201cbeautiful\u201d on your birthday is pretty great, too. This message is bright and simple. The call to action comes with a compelling reason to click — a generous 20% discount offer.<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> ModCloth<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> \u201cI love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow,\u201d sang \u201860s pop band Spiral Staircase. ModCloth nails that sweetly appreciative sentiment with their anniversary email. As an added bonus, they send out messages like this for both the annual and semiannual anniversaries of their subscriber signups — a great little touch that makes people feel extra special.<\/p>\n These types of messages are sometimes called \u201cwin-backs,\u201d and they\u2019re a great way to boost your overall engagement.<\/p>\n Now, you have to walk a fine line with the crafting of these automated messages, of course. First, they shouldn\u2019t feel automated at all. They should feel as genuine, useful and personal as possible. Also — keep it brief. Lead with something straightforward and un-gimmicky. Approach this message like you\u2019re writing to an old friend who has grown distant, and you\u2019re trying to remind the friend of your good times without being sappy or pushy.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE:<\/p>\n FROM:<\/strong> Smart Blogger<\/p>\n WHY IT\u2019S GREAT:<\/strong> In the blogging world, gig work, hustling and \u201cfeast or famine\u201d ebbs and flows are common. Smart Blogger, an affiliate network, caters to a customer base of content writers who often have a lot of passion but also a high risk of burnout. That\u2019s why this simple and useful automated re-engagement message from the company is so effective — it has a great, friendly \u201chere\u2019s what you missed\u201d tone, and it goes out of its way to offer no judgment for why the subscriber hasn\u2019t been engaging with the brand.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been focusing on ways to use automated emails to close the elusive sale or to lock in loyalty among new subscribers.<\/p>\n What about your loyalists?<\/p>\n They deserve your automated love too, of course. That sentence may sound funny — do you really give the people you love a \u201ccanned\u201d message? That\u2019s the beauty of the kind of automated email marketing we\u2019re talking about. Because they\u2019re so relevant and tailored, the best automated email marketing messages don\u2019t feel canned or mass-sent at all.<\/p>\n In order to identify your brand evangelists, check your analytics to identify thresholds such as frequency of using your app or website, the open rate for your emails or even engagement on your social channels.<\/p>\n What are the pain points and goals of these types of hyper-engaged users? Remember, they\u2019re your VIPs — how can you make their experience even more special?<\/p>\n Still feeling lost? There are plenty of resources available to help you learn.<\/p>\n If you want to read more about how automated marketing messages work, check out this great catch-all guide<\/a> by marketing genius Neil Patel. Digital guru Moz offers a similarly comprehensive compendium<\/a>. And WordPress services startup WP Curve has another great overview <\/a>of the category.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for services to help — tools such as Zapier and PieSync can help you automate as well.<\/p>\n Still hesitant? There\u2019s no reason why you can\u2019t jump right into email marketing automation. Don\u2019t believe us? Check out this rundown of great workarounds to traditional implementation hurdles.<\/p>\n You have a tiny team. Your budgets make shoestrings look like eight-lane highways.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have the manpower to set up email marketing automation,\u201d you say.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where you\u2019re mistaken. Good news — automation is specifically useful for you! Automation gives you the impression of more manpower, without actually having to have more manpower. That\u2019s because it frees up time and is way more effective than the batch and blast strategy, or, heaven forbid, manual sending.<\/p>\n![\"Earn](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Tips-to-Help-Find-Your-Independence-This-Summer-SOCIAL.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Basics of Email Marketing Automation: Here\u2019s An Easy Way to Get Started<\/b><\/h2>\n
Automate Your Welcome Email Series or Onboarding Messages<\/b><\/h3>\n
TIP 1: Say \u201cThank You\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Carbonite](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image13-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Jo](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image4.png\")
<\/p>\nTIP 2: Reinforce Your Brand<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Virgin](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image5.png\")
<\/p>\nTIP 3: Be Clear About What\u2019s Next<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Lyft](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image3.png\")
<\/p>\nAutomate Your Promo Emails<\/b><\/h3>\n
TIP 1: Target your promo<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Code42](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image7.png\")
<\/p>\nTIP 2: Establish urgency<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Target](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image1.png\")
<\/p>\nAutomate Your Cart Abandonment Messages<\/b><\/h3>\n
TIP 1: Consider what timing works best for your customer<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Chubbies](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image15-1.png\")
<\/p>\nTIP 2: Use data to make it personal<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Beardbrand](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image14.png\")
<\/p>\nAutomate Your Repurchase\/Purchase Cycle Program Messages<\/b><\/h3>\n
TIP 1: Make repurchase seem essential, not optional<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Sephora](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image12.png\")
<\/p>\nTIP 2: Automate messages based on season or purchase history — or both<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Harrod](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image6.png\")
<\/p>\nEnvision Your Sales Funnel and Identify Touchpoints to Automate<\/b><\/h3>\n
What to Do if You\u2019re Not Sure How to Use Email Marketing Automation<\/b><\/h2>\n
TIP 1: Get bang for your buck by automating with a date or trigger that applies to all your customers, but which is unique for each one<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"BestSwimwear](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image9.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"ModCloth](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image2.png\")
<\/p>\nTIP 2: Create well-crafted automated messages to re-engage your customers who are in danger of unsubscribing<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Smart](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image8.png\")
<\/p>\nTIP 3: Don\u2019t neglect your evangelists<\/b><\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t Have the Human Resources to do Email Marketing Automation? Here\u2019s Why That\u2019s Not a Problem\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Uber](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image10.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Groove](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image11.png\")
<\/p>\n