Consumers want it all, and they want it now.
While it may seem impossible, email marketers have the resources to meet at least some of the customer's needs, which is why there are several automated emails that every business should be using.
What is Email Automation?
Email automation is a sending time or is an action-triggered message(s) to your ‘email subscribers’ with highly relevant, targeted information. The idea behind email automation is to simplify your email marketing team's day-to-day workflow by completely automating the process.
Depending on what email marketing services are available to you, the automation process should be quite simple. At Bakklog we use MailBlue for our customers - the Dutch provider of ActiveCampaign - to set up all our processes.
After you create a list, you can start creating an automation. The automation is very visual so you can see exactly what is happening. Within the automation you use triggers to start certain actions, such as sending an email.
In an automation you usually start with sending a first email. Suppose you have a number of hyperlinks in your email, then you can see within the automation who clicked on which hyperlink. You can then take a different path based on these kinds of measurements to remind a user of your previous email or, for example, start a completely new automation.
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Why is email automation so critical to email marketers?
Aside from simplifying your day-to-day tasks, there are many reasons why email automation is so important to any business owner. First of all, it helps to meet the communication needs of your customers. When asked, 25% of consumers said they chose to unsubscribe from a brand's newsletter simply because it lacked a human touch. That sounds simple, but it can mean different things. In this case, however, it was a lack of communication between them and the brand.
Your customers have chosen to subscribe to your particular list because they believe you have something of value to offer, and if you've lost touch with them, they assume you don't have what they need, leading them to look for an alternative.
In 2019, 84% of consumers viewed customer service as a determining factor in deciding whether or not to buy from a brand. That said, if you don't communicate consistently with your subscribers, chances are they won't jump from subscribers to paying customers. When it comes to brand loyalty, 95% of consumers said customer service was a key factor in who they wanted to be loyal to. If they can't rely on you and your team, why should they be loyal to your company?
Building brand loyalty and trust is essential. When it comes to brand trust, the customer experience plays an important role, and when done right, email automation can help you create the ideal customer experience.
8 Automated Emails Every Business Should Be Using
Email automation benefits both your business and subscribers, so if you haven't started using this marketing tactic yet, you should definitely consider ignoring it for longer. Already a fan of this email marketing tactic? Then consider using these eight automated emails.
1. Welcome Series
A welcome email is one of the most widely used automated email campaigns by email marketers. Why? Because they are 86% more effective than your standard email newsletter and can have an open rate of around 91.43%.
Typically, a welcome email sequence contains a minimum of two emails that are first triggered when a new person joins a brand's email list. The signup process triggers the first email sent, usually one of three emails:
Welcome to the brand
Thanks for registering
A confirmation email that requires a second login
The email that follows the first message is usually sent after an action has been taken (such as the secondary opt-in) or time-triggered (meaning it was scheduled to be sent after so many hours or days after the first message).
Keep in mind that there are no hard and fast rules for how many emails you should send as part of an automated welcome campaign. If you're not sure how many emails to include, you should A/B test two variations of the campaign to see which one keeps your subscribers more engaged.
2. Thank email
Thank you emails can be sent for a variety of reasons. It can be part of your automated transactional campaigns or even your welcome email campaigns. It's about showing appreciation for your subscribers. After all, they have taken their precious time to perform an action; they expect you to show your appreciation. Remember that a little recognition can go a long way when it comes to building relationships with your subscribers.
3. Transactional Email
Transactional emails are emails that are sent after your subscriber has taken a certain action. These are especially important for people within the e-commerce sector. These emails often contain a summary of a purchase, along with all the relevant shipping information the consumer needs to keep an eye on their product.
Believe it or not, transactional emails have about 8 times more opens and clicks than any other type of email. They also generate nearly six times more revenue than other automated email messages.
4. Event Invitations
Event invites are another excellent example of a message that can be appropriately segmented and automated to get to your entire email list or to those who have chosen to receive information about upcoming events.
When it comes to marketing for an event, 40% of event organisers say these automated emails are the most useful part of their marketing armoury.
Automated event invites are great not only for marketers, but also for your subscribers. They help keep readers informed about what's going on with your brand and provide interactive materials to help them learn more if they're interested.
5. Email Newsletter
Aside from an automated series of welcome emails, email newsletters are the second most popular automated emails that any business should use because they are so versatile.
Email newsletters can be used in one place to share new content, make announcements, and promote new products or services.
If you're not using an automatic email newsletter, here are a few reasons why you should add it to your email marketing arsenal:
About 83% of B2B marketers use email newsletters for content marketing. - Content Marketing Institute
Newsletters have an average open rate of 22% – Smart Insights
6. Product Announcement/Launch
Product announcements and launches are excellent for brands whose primary purpose is to sell products. We live in a time when consumers want to be informed about the latest products. If you have something new on the horizon, you'll want to show it off early with a teaser so you can spark excitement among your readers. With the release date approaching, you've already captured the interest of your customers and they're waiting for the latest release announcement and eager to click 'learn more' or make a purchase.
7. Stock Update
These automated emails are great for keeping your email subscribers engaged with your website. Many brands use cookies and other technology to track pages or specific projects their customers have visited. If they show special interest in an item, these cookies keep track of it. If the product is not in stock, you will automatically send them an announcement as soon as your stock is replenished.
8. Feedback Emails
Your customers want to be heard and the best way to get them to give their opinion is to invite them to participate in surveys and give them plenty of opportunities to leave their feedback on products, services and their overall opinion about your brand.