What is email marketing automation?
Email marketing is still one of the most profitable marketing channels a business can invest in. For some organisations however, the thought of drafting email after email fills them with dread.
But fear not, email marketing automation is the ideal solution for any time sensitive business large or small.
Unlike a regular newsletter, an automated email is set-up once and then the system automatically sends it out based the pre-defined triggers. This could be someone signing up to a marketing list or when a customer makes a purchase.
While newsletters and one-off campaigns will always have their place in your email marketing strategy, the smartest companies are starting to use these automatic email campaigns that trigger from a user’s actions.
In the UK the open rates for automated messages are considerably higher than a regular campaign:
- B2C marketers who utilise automation have seen conversion rates as high as 50%
- Automated email messages average 70.5% higher open rates and 152% higher click-through rates than "business as usual" marketing messages.
Automated emails are timely, personalised and relevant to the reader. As a result, they are opened and clicked more frequently and drive visits and revenue for your business.
3 examples of email marketing automation workflows you should try
1. Lead nurturing workflows - trigger: multiple top-of-the-funnel conversions
If a contact has downloaded several pieces of your top-of-the-funnel content or regularly engaged with your brand, perhaps it is time to lead that contact further down the funnel with middle-of-the-funnel content.
2. Blog subscriber welcome workflow – trigger: subscription to your blog
Welcome new subscribers to your blog with a welcome email and thank them for taking the time to read your blog. Offer them tailored content based on their preferences.
3. New customer welcome workflow - trigger: buying lifestyle stage
Consider setting up a series of welcome emails to when a contact converts to a paying customer. Especially if your product/service requires some training on your customers’ part.
Sales focused email marketing automation
According to a reports, 60% of survey respondents who use marketing automation say it has increased the quality of the leads that get passed to sales. Leads that go through automated workflows have a 23% shorter sales cycle. Imagine what your sales team could do with 23% more time?
Email automation software
These days most email marketing platforms have an automation tool. However, not all email automation tools are built equal.
Choosing the right email marketing platform and ultimately, the right automation tool, will all depend on what the business needs. Some platforms like our very own Fatmail, offer a more ‘simplistic solution’ which doesn’t require any coding knowledge in order to build campaigns and can be set-up and running in a matter of hours.
On the other end of spectrum is Adestra, our enterprise level email marketing solution partner. Adestra’s sophisticated automation tool allows the user to create complex multi-funnel journey, where hundreds of different triggers can be set-up in order to push a subscriber further down the automation funnel.
Our dedicated email marketing team are here to help so don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like support with your email marketing automation strategy.