Email is still arguably the most impactful marketing channel to maintain contact with prospects and customers. Consumers are bombarded daily with email and it is increasingly difficult to stand out from the noise.
In the middle of an election, a pandemic, and end of year sales, how can we make sure our emails stand out as relevant and important enough for subscribers to open? How can we use the actions that customers take on our website to deliver valuable content? One answer is a strategic use of email automation.
What is email automation?
Simply put, email automation is a way to create emails that reach users with the right message at the right moment—without having to create the campaign from scratch every time. By using specific website visitor actions that trigger automated emails, we can send messages that are contextual across all stages of the customer lifecycle. Automated workflows help to push prospects down-funnel, converting them into customers and ultimately, advocates. We see the value in this work all the time.
Recently, as a result of implementing a series of automated workflows, we were able to improve a client’s bottom line by 20%.
Here’s what we did.
Workflow #1: Abandoned Cart
Abandoned cart workflows have gained popularity in recent years, and if you are a frequent online shopper, you have almost certainly received a few. The concept is fairly simple: a visitor adds an item to their Cart and leaves the site without completing checkout and is met with an email gently reminding them to complete the transaction. Robust email workflows will even list which items were left in the cart. This workflow typically only works for subscribers who already exist in your database, but with some creativity, it can work for non-subscribers as well.
After 2 months, this workflow converted 20% of abandoned carts for our client.
Workflow #2: Customer Win-Back
An ideal use case for email automation is re-engaging with lost customers to win-back their business. These customers may have forgotten about you and need a simple reminder of who you are and how great you are.
This workflow consists of a series of emails sent during various periods of inactivity and stops once the customer completes a new purchase. At this point, the customer is considered active, and the workflow resets and won’t start again until the customer becomes inactive.
Since launching the win-back workflow, previously inactive customers have accounted for 22% of all e-commerce revenue.
Think about that. 22% of revenue has come from customers who—without email automation—may have been lost forever.
Workflow #3: Request Reviews
It’s no secret that user reviews impact how products are perceived by those unfamiliar with a brand. Dubious practices, like Amazon’s recent review harvesting scandal, have caused shoppers to question the legitimacy of online reviews. To address this, it is important, now more than ever, to have reviews submitted by verified buyers.
Putting together a workflow that allows customers sufficient time to use products before asking for feedback is a great way to get quality reviews on your site. Using this workflow resulted in a 32% increase in product reviews by verified buyers and— as a bonus—has generated thousands in additional revenue.
Workflow #4: Loyal Customer Reward
According to studies, customers are considered “brand loyal” after a fourth purchase. We created this workflow to push customers with three purchases towards that threshold. A simple, “Thank You” and small discount are enough to show appreciation for their continued business. This workflow has generated thousands in revenue, but more importantly, pushed dozens of current customers towards becoming brand evangelists.
Measure Engagement and Don’t Overdo It
There is an endless number of user behaviors that can trigger automated workflows and it’s very easy to overdo it. Has a relentless barrage of irrelevant emails ever forced you to unsubscribe from a business you care about? Ensure your messaging is timely and effective by maintaining constant email engagement KPIs.
Interested in learning how email automation can help your business? Email wes@computercourage.com for a free consultation.