Email marketing automation can be a huge asset for any D2C business. By automating your email marketing, you can free up valuable time and resources that can be better spent elsewhere. Additionally, email marketing automation can help you improve your customer relationships by allowing you to send highly personalized and targeted messages.
However, before you can start reaping the benefits of email marketing automation, you need to understand how it works and what you need to do to set it up. In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about email marketing automation, from the basics of how it works to more advanced strategies for getting the most out of it.
What is email marketing automation?
Email marketing automation is the process of using software to automate email marketing tasks. This can include anything from sending automated welcome emails to new subscribers to sending promotional emails based on customer behavior.
Email marketing automation can be a powerful tool for D2C businesses. It can help you save time on manual tasks, improve your customer relationships, and increase sales.
How does email marketing automation work?
Email marketing automation works by triggering email messages based on certain actions or behaviors. For example, you can set up an automated welcome email campaign that sends a welcome message to new subscribers as soon as they sign up for your list.
You can also use email marketing automation to send targeted messages to customers based on their behavior. For example, you could set up a campaign that sends a discount code to customers who haven't purchased anything from your store in the past 60 days.
What are the benefits of email marketing automation?
Email marketing automation can offer a number of benefits for direct-to-consumer businesses, including:
- Saving time on manual tasks: Automating your email marketing tasks can free up your time so you can focus on other aspects of your business.
- Improving customer relationships: With email marketing automation, you can send highly personalized and targeted messages to your customers. This can help you build stronger relationships with your customers and turn one-time buyers into lifelong fans.
- Increasing sales: By sending targeted messages to customers based on their behavior, you can increase the likelihood of making a sale.
How do I set up email marketing automation?
There are a few different ways to set up email marketing automation, depending on your needs. If you're just getting started, you might want to use a tool like Automizely Marketing, which offers a drag-and-drop email builder and pre-built automation workflows.
No matter which tool you use, setting up email marketing automation is fairly straightforward. In most cases, you'll just need to connect your email marketing account to your automation tool and then choose the trigger and action for your campaign.
For example, let's say you want to set up an automated welcome email campaign. To do this, you would first create a new campaign in your email marketing tool and then choose the "subscriber signs up" trigger. Then, you would add the action of "send a welcome email."
Once you've created your campaign, all you need to do is sit back and let the automation tool do its job. Your welcome email will be sent automatically to new subscribers as soon as they sign up for your list.
This can be especially helpful during busy times, or if you have a lot of customers. It's near impossible to keep track of all your customers' behaviors, interests, and needs manually–but email marketing automation can do it for you.
Some of the most common email automation use cases
Below are some of the most common email automation use cases for direct-to-consumer businesses.
Welcome email automation
As we mentioned above, welcome email automation is a great way to improve your customer relationships. Welcome emails are typically sent to new subscribers as soon as they sign up for your list.
This is a great opportunity to give your subscribers a warm welcome and introduce them to your brand. You can also use welcome emails to give new subscribers a discount code or free shipping on their first order.
Here's an example of what you could write:
Hi there!
Welcome to our community! We're so glad you're here.
To get started, we'd like to offer you a 10% discount on your first purchase. Just use the code WELCOME10 at checkout.
We can't wait to see what you'll create with our products.
Happy shopping!
Abandoned Cart Email Automation
If you've ever left something in your online shopping cart without completing your purchase, you've experienced abandoned cart email automation.
Abandoned cart email automation is used to recover lost sales by sending a reminder email to customers who have left items in their shopping cart. These emails typically include a link back to the abandoned items so the customer can easily complete their purchase.
Here's another helpful template to inspire you:
Hi there!
We noticed you left some items in your shopping cart. We wanted to make sure you knew they were still there waiting for you.
Click here to finish your purchase.
We hope to see you again soon!
Order Confirmation Email Automation
Order confirmation emails are sent to customers after they've made a purchase from your store. These emails confirm that the order has been received and is being processed.
Order confirmation emails are a great opportunity to upsell or cross-sell products. For example, you can include a coupon code for 10% off the customer's next purchase.
As an example, you could say:
Hi there!
Thank you for your recent purchase. Your order is being processed and will ship soon.
In the meantime, we wanted to offer you 10% off your next purchase. Just use the code NEXT10 at checkout.
We hope you're happy with your purchase. If not, please contact our customer service team and we'll be happy to help.
Thank you for shopping with us!
Shipping Notification Email Automation
Shipping notification emails are sent to customers after their order has shipped. These emails provide the customer with tracking information so they can see when their order will arrive.
Shipping notification emails are a great way to keep your customers updated on the status of their orders and build trust with your brand.
Here's a sample of what you could say:
Hi there!
Your order has shipped and is on its way to you.
You can track your shipment here:
If you have any questions or problems, please contact our customer service team and we'll be happy to help.
Thank you for shopping with us! We hope you enjoy your purchase!
Re-Engagement Email Automation
Re-engagement email automation is used to reach out to subscribers who haven't interacted with your brand in a while.
Re-engagement emails are a great way to remind your subscribers about your brand and get them interested in your products or services again.
For example, you can send a discount code to customers who haven't made a purchase in the last 6 months. It could sound something like this:
Hi there!
We noticed you haven't made a purchase from us in a while and we wanted to reach out and see if you're still interested in our products.
To show you how much we appreciate your loyalty, we're offering you a 10% discount on your next purchase. Just use the code REENGAGE10 at checkout.
We hope to hear from you soon!
Thank you for being a loyal customer.
What to include in your email marketing automation strategy
Now that you know what email marketing automation is and some of the most common use cases, it's time to start planning your own email automation strategy.
When planning your email automation strategy, or larger D2C strategy, there are a few things you'll need to consider, such as your goals, target audience, and budget.
1. Set your goals
Are you looking to improve customer relationships? Increase sales? Save time on manual tasks?
Knowing your goals will help you determine which email automation use cases are right for your business.
2. Know your target audience
Who are you trying to reach with your emails? What are their needs and wants?
Understanding your target audience will help you create emails that they'll actually want to read.
3. Determine your budget
How much can you afford to spend on email marketing automation? Do you have the resources to create and manage a complex email automation campaign?
Knowing your budget will help you determine which email marketing automation solution is right for your business.
4. Choose the right email marketing automation solution
There are a number of different email marketing automation solutions on the market, so it's important to do your research and choose the one that's right for you.
Some things you'll want to consider when choosing an email marketing automation solution include:
- Features: What features does the solution offer? Does it have everything you need to create and manage your campaigns?
- Ease of use: How easy is the solution to use? Will you be able to create and manage your campaigns without any problems?
- Pricing: How much does the solution cost? Is it within your budget?
5. Capacity to create your email marketing automation campaigns
When creating your campaigns, there are a few things you'll need to consider, such as your email list, content, and schedule. You also want to take into consideration the capacity your team has to manage the campaign. All of these factors will help you determine the best way to create and execute your email marketing automation strategy.
6. Monitor and optimize your email marketing automation campaigns
Monitoring your campaigns will help you ensure that your campaigns are performing well and achieving your desired results.
You can use data from your monitoring to optimize your campaigns for better results. For example, if you see that your open rates are low, you can try changing your subject lines or send time.
How you monitor progress and make these decisions should be part of your strategy.
Email marketing automation best practices
Now that you know what email marketing automation is and how to create your own email automation strategy, it's time to learn about some best practices.
When creating and managing your email marketing automation campaigns, there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind, such as:
1. Keep your email list clean
A clean email list is a list of subscribers who are interested in receiving your emails.
To keep your email list clean, you'll want to remove any inactive or unengaged subscribers. Additionally, you'll want to make sure that your email list is up-to-date and accurate.
2. Use segmentation
Segmentation allows you to send targeted emails to specific groups of subscribers. This can be based on things like location, demographics, interests, or purchase history.
Using segmentation will help you ensure that your emails are relevant and engaging for your subscribers.
3. Personalize your emails
Personalization allows you to customize your emails for each individual subscriber. This can be done by including the subscriber's name, company, or other personal information in the email.
Personalization can help you make your emails more relevant and engaging for your subscribers.
4. Test your emails
Testing allows you to see how your emails will look in different browsers and on different devices. Additionally, it allows you to test different subject lines and email content to see what works best.
Testing your emails before you send them will help you ensure that they're effective and engaging for your subscribers.
5. Monitor your results
This includes things like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates.
Monitoring your results will help you optimize your campaigns and make sure that they're performing well.
Using Automizely Marketing for the best email marketing automation
Now that you know everything there is to know about email marketing automation, it's time to learn about Automizely Marketing.
Automizely Marketing is the best solution for email marketing automation. It offers everything you need to create and manage your campaigns, including a drag-and-drop campaign builder, automatic list segmentation, and real-time results tracking.
Additionally, Automizely Marketing makes it easy to personalize your emails and test different subject lines and email content.
If you're looking for the best email marketing automation solution for your business, look no further than Automizely Marketing. Jump on a free trial to see all that it has to offer.
