email automation

What is email automation in marketing?

Email automation in marketing is a system that automatically sends previously composed emails whenever a specific action is taken by a customer on your website. Each action corresponds to an email or a series of emails intended to move your customer to the next level of your sales funnel. For example, a visitor subscribes to your newsletter, which will automatically trigger the sending of a welcome email, perhaps containing a discount for a first purchase.

7 examples of automated campaigns

Abandoned cart reminder emails
Welcome emails
relationship emails
Emails to new customers
Emails to returning customers
E-commerce receipt emails
Winback emails

If you wish, you can create an email marketing campaign for each possible action on your site. Only your imagination is the limit. Here we give you 7 examples of frequent automated e-commerce campaigns for your marketing strategy.

1. Abandoned cart reminder emails

According to a study by the Baymard Institute, up to 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned. To counter this, it is essential to have an abandoned cart follow-up strategy in place, and set up automated emails that support this strategy.

For maximum effectiveness, consider this automated email campaign more than just sending reminder emails. Create a consistent sequence of emails to continue reaping benefits long after you start sending the campaign.

How to Set Up an Abandoned Cart Follow-up Email Sequence

When deciding to send abandoned cart reminder emails, choose the right time to do so. Although there is no specific rule, it is recommended to follow the following sending rhythm:

Email 1: sent within 24 hours.
Email 2: sent within 48 hours.
Email 3: Sent within 72 hours.

Over time, you will need to review your data and make adjustments where needed. As soon as conversion rates start to drop, it's time to end the streak. Feel free to send four, five, six or more emails, especially when it comes to an approach that lines up with the stats. For example, some brands send an automated sequence of seven emails to re-engage prospects who have abandoned their cart.

In summary: keep sending your follow-up emails if they continue to generate sales.

Email 1: Remind prospects of the items they left in their cart

Most companies offer discounts and promo codes immediately after cart abandonment. For example, some people abandon their shopping cart just to find out if they will receive a discount. If you wish to opt for this technique, however, be careful not to dangerously reduce your commercial margin.

Alternatively, you can also use the first email in the sequence as a simple reminder: let prospects know they left one or more products in their cart by showing them an image of the product in question if your email template -mail supports visuals. Then, include a link that directs them directly to checkout.

Email 2: Raise objections

What is the main reason why people do not buy your products? This email gives you the opportunity to address objections and convince consumers that your product is worth buying.

If you haven't yet identified your target audience's objections, all you need to do is solicit feedback. Add a question to your first email asking why prospects didn't complete their purchase. Survey consumers for a month, and you'll quickly build a small database of barriers to conversion.

Use this data to shape the design of the second email in your abandoned cart follow-up sequence. The data collected could, for example, tell you that it would be useful to highlight elements of reassurance such as product reviews and positive customer testimonials.

Email 3: Offer a Discount or Incentive

If subscribers haven't made a purchase after the second email, you need to be more persuasive. This is a good time to send a rebate. Whether it's a percentage or a fixed amount of discount, a freebie, or some other offer, you need to provide an incentive that both grabs prospects' attention and allows you to make attractive margins. Then perform A/B testing to identify which approach will work best for your audience.

Be sure to include an image of the product if possible, and an obvious link to the shopping cart so prospects can complete their purchase.

2. Welcome emails

The welcome email is the first email a person receives when they subscribe to your newsletter. There is also a welcome email that is sent to your new customers. But in this specific case, we are referring to the welcome email that is sent to people who have not yet made a purchase.

According to some studies, welcome emails have a much higher open rate than promotional emails. Customers value welcome emails, and businesses need to know how to capitalize on that engagement.

How to set up a welcome email sequence

As you will see in the examples below, a welcome email serves several purposes:

Welcome subscribers,
Offer subscribers an incentive to purchase,
Set expectations,
Invite subscribers to join other channels where the brand is present.

Welcome subscribers

Your first email should welcome subscribers and tell them about your brand. Take the time to present it, what sets you apart, and the added value you can bring to your subscribers and customers to capture their interest.

In its welcome newsletter, the Unbottled brand invites its subscribers to learn more about its mission, discover its products and join the #dropbottle movement on social networks.

Offer subscribers an incentive to purchase

If you offered subscribers a promo code in exchange for their email address, be sure to set up the automated email that should email them the promo code.

The thanks Handy brand, for example, offers its subscribers a 10% discount on their first order.

Set expectations

The idea of setting expectations is part of the process of welcoming subscribers and introducing them to your brand. When it comes to setting expectations, your main objective is to understand your subscribers' expectations for future emails that you will send them, and to highlight the added value that they will benefit from. . Are you going to send them how-to content, how-to videos, promo codes, or something else? How will your subscribers benefit?

Get creative. Don't just send out coupon codes once in a while and treat your followers with care.

Invite subscribers to join other channels

You should also include links to your social media accounts and other channels where you would like to interact with your followers. You could spread these invitations across multiple emails, instead of including them all in the same email.

Including additional means of interaction is a great way to invite subscribers to interact with your brand across multiple channels, giving your business a better chance of making an impact with consumers(- trices).

Mention your social media accounts, physical stores, and any other points of contact at the end of your emails. Some businesses include their phone numbers and links to social accounts, a store locator, and customer service at the bottom of their welcome email.

3. Relationship emails

Automated email campaigns are great for building a relationship with prospects. This relationship allows you to guide potential customers at each stage of their buying journey, to help them finalize their order. Some companies use the 3/47/50 rule to build trust with prospects, which goes like this:

3% of your Internet users are ready to buy now,
47% of your Internet users are not ready to buy now, but they will buy in the future,
50% of your Internet users will never buy,

This is a general rule that is far from immutable. However, it is effective in highlighting the benefits of relational campaigns for brands.

Most companies focus primarily on the 3% of Internet users who are ready to buy now. Then there is the segment of the 50% of Internet users who will never buy. This leaves us with the segment of 47% of Internet users who could buy in the future if they are put in confidence. This is where a relationship email sequence comes into play.

How to Set Up a Relationship Email Sequence

Instead of inundating subscribers with promotions every week or focusing primarily on discounts, find ways to add value to your brand without promotional inducements.

Your followers are real people. If they might need your product and want to buy it, it is possible to help them further. By exceeding their expectations, you will manage to differentiate your brand from the competition and establish yourself as an authority in your industry.

While it's possible to include your products in these emails, be careful not to make them the main focus. Instead, prioritize content that brings value to your followers and doesn't hurt your brand.

Here are some more specific ideas:

Email 1: Educate Subscribers

Teach your email subscribers something interesting that relates to your particular product or audience. For example, a mattress brand could avoid continually sending promotional emails by educating its email subscriber base on topics such as the following:

the manufacturing materials that make the mattress comfortable,
the risks of sleeping on a poor quality mattress and how it affects your back and posture,
the inefficiency of inflatable mattresses which do not guarantee an even distribution of body weight,
the science behind ergonomic pillows,
the importance of the density of the mattress,
Spotify playlists that make it easier to sleep,
the 5 best alarm clocks to get up in the morning,
the science of sleep and the impact of sleep quality on health and well-being.

The concept comes down to pursuing an idea and seeing where it leads. All the above topics would interest a prospect, while allowing the company to make an impression without depending on promotional incentives.

Email 2: Introduce your brand to subscribers

You used the welcome email to introduce your brand. Your relational email sequence will now be used to develop your brand narrative.

Write an email or series of emails that tell your brand's story and why it's different. Associate your brand with a larger mission if you can.

Email 3: Tell a story

Everyone loves exciting stories. If you can tell an engaging story about your employees, customers, or even your own life, make it the main topic of a relationship email.

Running out of ideas? Maybe a client has had impressive results using your products. Or that there are very specific reasons that motivated you to start your business. Whatever the subject of the story, it should be interesting and closely related to your brand.

If stories are so effective in building relationships, it's because they humanize your brand and make it more interesting and accessible to consumers.

Email 4: Interact based on user behavior on your site

If someone interacted with your brand through live chat, social media, or another way that allowed you to collect their email address, send them a follow-up email. connection with this initial action.

4. Emails to new customers

The email you send to your new customers is crucial. If you don't celebrate this milestone, you risk losing it in the longer term. To do this, start a relationship that will retain them and encourage them to promote your brand of their own accord.

How to set up an email sequence for your new customers

If there is one thing to understand about your new customers, it is that they face a dilemma. They have trusted you enough to make a first purchase, but have probably had bad buying experiences in the past and may unconsciously have doubts about the long-term relationship with your brand. If their first purchase did not fully meet their expectations, they will not buy from your website again.

On the other hand, if your customer experience is up to snuff, those people are more likely to become loyal customers who will support your brand for years to come.

Email 1: Welcome your customers

When to send it? Immediately after purchase.

Similar to email to subscribers, email to customers welcomes them to your community, introduces them to your brand in more detail, and explain the next steps to them. What is the order preparation time? When will it be delivered? What is the return policy? These are examples of questions you need to answer.

This email also gives you the opportunity to submit product suggestions, as long as these are closely related to the purchase made to avoid an over-upsell approach.

Email 2: Evaluate their shopping experience

When to send it? About three days later.

Check in with customers and ask them how their experience was. Consumers are often ignored by companies during this process. You can set yourself apart by inviting them to contact you if they need anything.

Customers should be able to contact you easily. Invite them to respond directly to the email instead of asking them to fill out a contact form or open a support ticket.

Email 3: Inform your customers of the delivery of their order

When to send it? Two days after delivery of the product.

This is a short email meant to let customers know that their product has been delivered to them. Ask them if the product has actually arrived, and especially if it is in good condition. It's always better to know about potential problems in advance to avoid letting a frustrating situation for the customer escalate. It also shows that you take a responsive customer service approach.

Email 4: Request your product review

When to send it? About four to five days later.

This is another very simple email you can send to solicit feedback. It can help boost sales, since Internet users today rely on customer reviews during the buying process. Data shows that nearly a quarter of consumers say they always check customer reviews, while 40.8% say they check them frequently. Ask customers to leave a product review if they are happy with their purchase.

Email 5: Offer a time-limited promotion

When to send it? Five days later.

Create a time-limited promotion that relates to your customers' interests. Offer a discount on the same category of items that customers purchased the previous week.

Email 6: Remind your promotion deadline

When to send it? One day after limited time promotion.

Track your promotion. Remind customers of the time limit, for example if there are only 24 hours left.

5. Emails to repeat customers

Repeat customers generate almost a quarter of a company's revenue. This will make it easier for you to create a fully automated email campaign that aims to retain your existing customers, rather than trying to acquire new ones.

How to set up an email sequence for repeat customers

Your returning customers should be treated differently than your new customers. They know, like and trust your business, and that trust is based on previous positive experiences.

These people essentially need relevant information and products that meet their expectations. With this in mind, your goal will be to focus more on offers related to their interests, while providing them with the help they need.

E-mail 1: Confirm receipt of the order

When to send it? Two days after the expected arrival date of the package.

This first e-mail, like the clarification e-mail intended for new customers, should aim to confirm the good reception of the product, within the expected time frame. Depending on the product, now could also be a good time to seek a review.

Email 2: Offer personalized recommendations

When to send it? Four days later.

Since they are recurring customers, you know more about their preferences. This makes it easier for you to personalize the product offers you send to them. Even better, you don't need to cut prices or offer a promotional code. Simply presenting product suggestions to existing customers can provide them with enough value.

If you offer tourist excursions on your site, you can for example use the browsing and search history of your customers to offer them related destinations.

6. E-commerce receipt emails

Emailed receipts can be a great source of sales and revenue, thanks to their high open rate. This means that you can customize the content of these receipts to make an offer to your customers and encourage them to take other types of actions.

How to set up a receipt email sequence

Optimizing your email receipts is relatively simple. First, add essential information to your electronic receipts: transaction number, names and photos of products purchased, shipping details, customer support contact details, and payment information. Then add additional elements and information, such as product suggestions, or links to your social media accounts.

7. Win-back emails

Over time, your subscribers might start ignoring your emails. An automated win-back or re-engagement email campaign could rekindle their interest.

But that's not all. You should also follow this practice to show Gmail and other email services that subscribers want to continue receiving your emails. In a 2014 interview with Campaign Monitor by a Gmail representative and Gmail's anti-abuse team, commenters said they wanted "to see evidence that your recipients like your messages, or at least let them consult them. In other words, if you have inactive subscribers in your list who don't open your emails or click on them, your emails will probably land in the tab promotions, or even worse, in the spam folder.

How to set up a win-back email sequence

While there are many ways to implement automated email campaigns like this, there are a few key principles to remember:

Start with a reminder,
Follow up with an attractive offer,
Inform subscribers that you are going to delete or unsubscribe them from your list,
Unsubscribe inactive people.

Here's an example of a customer winback campaign that can be sent to subscribers who haven't opened or clicked on an email for 60 days:

Email 1: Offer an attractive discount

If subscribers haven't responded to your first email sequence, set up an attractive discount paired with a message compelling enough to get inactive subscribers to revisit your site. What is the most attractive offer you can offer? It can be a discount, a gift offered for a product purchased, or a bundle of products at a reduced price.

Your incentive should be powerful and relevant enough to bring previously inactive subscribers back to your site and make a purchase. Once re-engaged, they are likely to start buying from your site again.

Email 2: Let inactive people know they will be removed from your list

Politely inform subscribers that they will be removed from your list if they don't make a purchase or respond to your calls to action. Specify a date or time limit so they don't put off the action. This email is also great for reminding subscribers of the offer you gave them in your previous email.

Email 3: Unsubscribe inactive subscribers

If inactive subscribers haven't responded, stick to your action plan and unsubscribe them from your list. You should also message them to let them know they've been unsubscribed in case they missed the first email or didn't have a chance to respond. Also include a link that allows them to easily re-subscribe to your list or adjust their preferences when receiving emails.

SOURCES: SHOPIFY.COM

Marketing Email Automation: 7 Campaign Examples