5 Essential Email Automations
Welcome Automation
Welcome automations are one of the easiest ways to improve subscriber loyalty & engagement. Greet new subscribers with a friendly welcome email as soon as they sign up, then follow up with a series of 2-5 emails introducing them to your brand.
Personalize Your Welcome Email
Show subscribers you care by personalizing your welcome emails. In Mailchimp, you can use *|FNAME|* to display a contact’s first name in any email or subject line.
1, 2, 3 Timing
This rule of thumb can help you properly time your welcome series to maximize engagement. Add a 1 day delay between email 1 and 2, a 2 day delay between the 2nd and 3rd emails, a 3 day delay between the 3rd and 4th, and so on.
Timing can always be adjusted as you learn what your audience likes best!
Segment for Success
Use if/else branches to change the welcome emails a contact receives based on their groups, tags, or activities.
For example, you could send donors a video of their donations at work, and prospective volunteers a list of ways to get involved.
Abandoned Cart
According to Mailchimp, roughly 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts. Recover lost revenue by sending 2-3 personalized reminders after a customer fails to complete a purchase.
Display Your Subscriber's Cart
Remind potential customers what they were viewing and encourage them to follow through on the purchase. Some email marketing platforms can easily integrate with your ecommerce store to make this personalization simple.
Filter Out Purchasers
If your abandoned cart automation has more than one email, be sure to filter out those people who purchased after the first email. You can provide an exclusive discount to customers who still haven't purchased after 2 reminders.
Don't Overdo It
Never exceed 5 emails in your abandoned cart series. When customers feel pressured or overwhelmed, they are less likely to complete the purchase.
Post-Purchase / Post-Donation
Your engagement with a subscriber isn’t over when they donate or make a purchase. Respond to activity with tips on how to use your product, or case studies showing subscribers' donations in action.
Envision the Subscriber Experience
Imagine being your own subscriber. What info would help you make the most of a new purchase? Are there any add-ons or accessories that could improve your experience?
Include Repurchase Reminders
If you sell products that expire or run out, use the post-purchase automation to remind customers when it's time to re-order.
Nonprofits can also modify this for new donors by sending a friendly reminder a month after a subscriber's first donation.
Segment When You Can
Tailor post-purchase and post-donation emails to your subscriber. For example, you can share updates from a specific area of your work for people who donated from a relevant page.
This can be accomplished using if/else branches, or with multiple unique post-purchase automations.
Date-Based Automations
Date-based automations typically consist of a single email sent on a specific date relevant to the subscriber. Common examples include birthdays, anniversaries, and signup dates.
Get Creative
Because date-based automations tend to celebrate a special occasion, they’re a great chance to use creative language and design. Bright colors and bold images are welcome!
Keep it Short & Sweet
Date-based automations should be about the customer and the event being celebrated. If you provide a discount or special offer, keep it concise.
Personalization is Perfection
Include date and first name in these emails to help your subscriber feel truly special. Depending on your email marketing platform, this can be done using merge tags or dynamic content.
Cross-Sell Automations
Sometimes, after a customer makes a purchase, you can predict what they’ll need next. Use cross-sell automations to guide subscribers from their first purchase towards another sale.
Use Time Delays
Overwhelming customers with too many emails will make them disengage. Add a delay of at least 1 week between each email to give subscribers time to consider their purchase.
Respond to Activity
If a subscriber purchases the recommended product, they're probably having a good experience with your organization! Request a review to make the most of your positive relationship.
Be Specific
Cross-sell automations should be tailored to a specific product or product category. You may use a cross-sell automation to recommend a helmet after someone purchases a bike, but you wouldn’t make that same recommendation to someone who bought a pair of shoes.
Pay attention to your triggers and conditional branches to make sure you target the right people!