How Email Marketing Automation Can Help You Improve Your Business Performance
What is email marketing automation?
If you are new to the concept of email marketing in supporting your marketing funnel, consider implementing this marketing channel into your strategy, as it plays a crucial role at every stage of the funnel.
It is widely known that the strongest relationships are built on personal connections, which is why personalized interaction with customers is paramount in marketing. Otherwise, relationships tend to be unstable and ineffective for both parties involved. A recent study shows that up to 72% of consumers only interact with personalized emails☝️. But how can you personalize a large number of emails on a business scale? This is where email marketing automation comes into play.
Email marketing automation is an effective tool for boosting sales and a means to conserve essential resources: team time and effort. It is an efficient way to minimize operational errors as well.
In a 2019 research conducted by the Email Marketing Industry Census in association with Upland Adestra, automation emerged as the most crucial attribute in email marketing.
What is automation?
It is a series of triggers along the customer journey that initiate and send a personalized email to the customer. Each email is tailored specifically for each touchpoint, organically guiding the customer through the sales funnel.
The key distinction between triggered emails and regular mass emails is that the customer receives information you have carefully selected and filtered, ensuring it is genuinely interesting to them.
Difference between mass and automated email campaigns
Let’s take a closer look at the seemingly insignificant differences between these campaigns:
Mass emails, or a drip campaign, involve a sequence of pre-composed emails sent to all subscribers at regular intervals. While they cover various aspects of the business and notify subscribers about important company news and promotions, some readers may not be particularly interested in general information, causing the focus on addressing customer pain points to be lost.
How does email marketing automation work?
In the case of an automated or triggered email campaign, personalization, not scale, becomes the primary interaction tool.
For example, if a customer leaves items in their cart without completing the purchase, a specific trigger can be activated to send them a personalized offer with a discount to encourage completion. Moreover, utilizing a high-quality email service provider can take it a step further and generate tailored recommendations for this particular customer based on their preferences or browsing history on your website.
Such automation capabilities can bring more than a 20% increase in potential customers reaching the final stages of their orders, all without incurring additional costs.
Effortlessly boosting brand loyalty
Now, let’s explore how to establish efficient email marketing automation step by step and reap all the benefits it offers for your business:
- Segment your email database:
The key to a successful drip campaign is a properly segmented contact list. Depending on the specifics of your business and automation goals, you can employ various segmentation approaches: starting with simple segmentation criteria like geography, gender, and age and gradually incorporating specific audience segments such as repeat buyers, customers interested in specific product categories, and those who have requested a demo version of your product or downloaded bonuses from your website, etc. The possibilities for segmentation combinations are only limited by your imagination and business requirements. Remember, the purpose of each segment is to provide personalized information that genuinely interests the reader and encourages interaction with your business.
- Set up an automated script for each stage of your customer journey funnel
Once you have your segmentation in place, develop a unique script for each group of contacts, incorporating personalized information and clear goals.
For new users, create a welcome series of emails that introduces them to you, your business, or your product, answers basic questions about further interaction, and prepares them to progress to the next stage of their funnel journey. Meanwhile, a reactivation script can send special limited offers exclusively to existing customers, encouraging repeat purchases and spreading the word about your product through referral or loyalty programs. Additionally, celebrate important milestones with your customers by customizing emails for their birthdays, anniversaries of your relationship with them, or other significant events. There is no such thing as excessive loyalty in business.
See conversion statistics for different types of such chains:
- Collect feedback and suggestions
It is crucial for people to be heard. In business, it is essential for customers to feel important and valued. Therefore, pay attention to surveys to gather feedback and learn what your subscribers think about your product or service. Surveys provide valuable feedback and allow you to collect additional information directly from your users. This data can help you improve specific aspects of your business, bridge the gap between you and your customers, and enrich your segmentation.
According to surveys by industry experts, here are the top three areas email marketers should focus on in the near future:
Scale efficiently
While many entrepreneurs utilize email marketing for their business, only a few take advantage of automated email marketing. This driving force enables you to deliver high-quality personalized communication to your users at scale. After all, when a person feels important, they are more likely to engage, leading to the desired outcome — conversions!
The Livepage team is always ready to share their expertise and help enhance your business performance, including leveraging email marketing automation. We wish you successful campaigns and look forward to working with you soon!