It’s no surprise that email automation saves businesses time and can nurture leads in the pipeline. Beyond this, automated email campaigns can be an effective marketing tool. Whether you’re new to email automation or are just looking to shake things up, it’s beneficial to take a look at what makes a successful campaign.
Below, 10 business executives share their success stories. Keep reading for fresh ideas on email automation campaigns.
Personalize Email Campaigns
Email automation is crucial for time savings with our small team. After our biggest trade show of the year, we collect over 700 leads. Rather than sending out a generic email would be lost in the shuffle with all of the other follow-ups, we set up a workflow for each sales director’s territory that was stylized to look and feel like an individualized follow up asking for a basic chat. This workflow sent out strategic, timed follow-ups to make sure we’re connecting with hot prospects in a timely manner.
Megan Chiamos, Cannabis ERP Software
Email Rather than Call
Having worked previously in hospitality and events, I am taken back to a time when I suggested we try out drip-marketing emails rather than cold calling. It was wildly successful and a lot of clients were amazed at receiving an email and appreciative of having time to respond rather than getting an unsolicited phone call.
Vidya Betesh, Human Resources Generalist
Craft Personas
The best automated email campaigns begin with much work crafting the right personas to speak to, then ensuring the content you’re crafting speaks to each persona in their respective path to purchase. The content must be compelling and relevant, yet not be drawn out across too many steps in the path to purchase. Be realistic with how many steps in the content funnel there are. And don’t automate emails to go out right after a prospect has engaged with a previous content piece – give them at least 2-3 business days to breathe and digest the content they’ve consumed.
Rennie Leon, Director of Marketing & Communications
Keep it Friendly
It’s no secret that people try to avoid going to the dentist. If every dentist spent their time trying to get patients into their office, they would struggle to run a profitable business. That’s why email automations are so important to dental practices. The best campaigns are friendly reminders to make your appointment. When tied to an appointment system, these automated emails can be sent on the day of your completed appointment (within a thank you email). They can also be sent 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, and 1 week before your next scheduled visit. By leveraging email automation, dentists can focus on what they do best…which is not email marketing.
Henry Babich, Dental Laboratory
Create a Newsletter
I think an upbeat, informative newsletter is a really great way to continue to engage customers. I also think there is enormous value in being able to offer your knowledge for free to better establish yourself as an expert in the field and help your customers along the way. For example, if you are a copywriter and sell a copywriting course for $100 – try offering a 5-day mini-course (enter email automation) for free. If you can prove that your product is valuable then they will be more likely to buy. You’re also building a relationship.
Sydney Miller, Sales & Marketing
Become a Resource
My email campaign revolved around me being a career resource for my candidates. I never sent job descriptions or said that I had a job that I was filling. Instead, I requested time to learn about their career aspirations and what they were looking for in their next role. Sales isn’t about us…it’s about them. The more that I made it about them, the more responses I received and the more connections that I made.
Deborah Bubis, Recruiter and Sourcer
Recycle Content
A really simple funnel that you can build that involves email automation is to take a slide deck from a pre-existing presentation and break it up into logical parts and export them as PDFs. For instance, if there are 5 main sections in the presentation, break that up into 5 separate but related PDFs. You can then offer a virtual course over N number of days and send the first lesson upon submission of an email address. It is really easy to sequence the remaining lessons using most email campaign services. This works especially well around technical content or anything with a clear progression of information.
Utilize Analytics
First, email campaigns don’t have to be huge. Even if you’re only sending to a few dozen people, using campaign tools allows you to know how people are interacting with your message. Make sure that your analytics tools are in place so that you understand how well the campaign is working.
Utilize Data Science
We utilize data science to help determine a sweet spot for outreach. Creating unique messaging with relevant information that is sent at the right time is critical.
Offer Value
The best email campaigns are the ones that offer value. Share tips, answer industry-related FAQ’s and educate your audience. For example, if you own a marketing agency, offer your marketing expertise instead of selling your services. Make your email campaign automations informative and exciting so your subscribers are more likely to click!
