Workflows You can Automate in Your Email Marketing to Save Your Time and Drive Sales, along with the creative.

Basic components of an email marketing campaign

“I want to do a business with a company that treats emailing me as a privilege, not a transaction.” – Andrea Mignolo, Executive and Leadership Coach

According to the Econsultancy report, 73% of companies find email marketing to be the best channel for promoting their products and services, followed by SEO and PPC.

Developing an impactful email marketing campaign can indeed be a complex and tedious process. It involves several steps, each of which requires careful planning, attention to detail, and ongoing effort to ensure the success of the campaign. However, with the right approach and persistence, the results of a well-executed email marketing campaign can be significant and prove to be extremely advantageous to the business in the long run.

Following are some of the requisites of an effective email marketing campaign:

1. Building an email list: This involves collecting the email addresses of potential customers, typically through opt-in forms on a company’s website, landing pages, or through other means.
2. Segmenting the email list: Once a list is built, it’s important to segment it based on various criteria such as demographics, behaviour, interests, etc., to ensure that the right message is sent to the right audience.
3. Creating and designing email content: The content of the email is critical to its success. This can include text, images, videos, and other forms of multimedia. The content should be engaging, relevant, and valuable to the recipient.
4. Sending and scheduling emails: The next step is to send the emails to the intended recipients using an email marketing platform. The emails can be scheduled to go out at a specific time and date.
5. Measuring and analysing results: After sending the emails, it’s important to track and analyse key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, etc. This information can be used to optimise future campaigns.
6. Continuously testing and improving: Email marketing is a continuous process that involves continuously testing and improving the email campaigns to maximise their effectiveness.

Given the complexity and time-consuming nature of email marketing, it’s essential to utilise automation tools to streamline the process and increase efficiency. Automation tools can help with tasks such as email list management, content creation & design, scheduling, tracking & analysis, and much more. By automating these tasks, businesses can focus on the creative and strategic aspects of email marketing, resulting in more effective and successful campaigning.

Email marketing workflow – Meaning and scope

“A small list that wants exactly what you’re offering is better than a bigger list that isn’t committed.” – Ramsay Leimenstoll, Marketing Manager, KeepandShare

A workflow in email marketing refers to the series of automated steps and processes involved in creating, sending, and analysing the performance of an email campaign. A workflow typically starts with defining the target audience, determining the content and messaging for the email, designing the email template, scheduling the send, and monitoring the performance of the campaign.

An effective email marketing workflow will take into account factors such as the recipient’s preferences, past interactions, and behaviour to ensure that the emails are targeted, relevant, and personalised. The workflow can also include automated steps such as testing and optimising the email for deliverability, triggering follow-up emails based on subscriber behaviour, and analysing the performance of the campaign to make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.

According to a 2022 study by Litmus, 70% of brands have experienced an increase in their email marketing workload, however their budgets remain unchanged. In 2022, 37% of brands increased their email marketing budget, with only 1.3% making cuts, which is a significant shift from the beginning of the pandemic.

What can be achieved by the automation of email marketing workflows?

 “To get the right message to the right person at the right time you first need to get the right data to the right database at the right time.” – John Caldwell, CEO, Online Insights 5050

The goal of automated email marketing is to streamline the process, increase efficiency, and personalise the email experience for subscribers.

As per the study conducted by DMA, triggered personalised campaigns are responsible for producing 75% of email revenue, compared to the one-size-fits-all approach that generates a smaller share.

With automated email marketing, businesses can:

1. Send triggered emails: Automated emails can be set up to be sent based on specific triggers, such as a subscriber signing up for a newsletter, abandoning a shopping cart, or reaching a certain milestone.
2. Personalise emails: Automated tools can help personalise emails by adding the recipient’s name, location, or other relevant information to make the email more relevant and engaging.
3. Segment audiences: Automated tools can segment email lists based on specific criteria, such as location, purchase history, or other subscriber information, to create more targeted and effective campaigns.
4. Streamline campaign management: Automated tools can manage various aspects of the email marketing campaign, including scheduling, sending, tracking, and analysis.
5. Improve efficiency: Automated email marketing can free up time and resources, allowing businesses to focus on the creative and strategic aspects of email marketing.

Automating their email marketing workflows can bring numerous benefits to businesses. By using the right tools and techniques, they can ensure their emails are timely, relevant, and effective in driving the marketing goals forward.

Major workflows to automate for email marketing

“If you are not seeing the email channel as a money-making machine, you have the wrong strategy.” – Hans Smellinckx, Co-founder and CEO, MARKIES

A study by Getresponse shows that the most commonly utilised marketing automation methods by marketers are email automation at 64%, followed by profiling and targeting at 26%, and dynamic content personalisation at 23%.

Automating repetitive and routine tasks within an email marketing campaign involves setting up a series of triggers and actions that occur in response to specific subscriber behaviours or events. There are several types of email marketing workflows that can be automated. By automating these workflows, businesses can improve the results of their email marketing campaigns and build stronger relationships with their subscribers.

The workflows that should be automated in email marketing will depend on your specific goals and audience, but here are some workflows that are often automated for more efficiency and higher conversion rate:

• List Management and Segmentation Workflow

1. 1. This workflow involves grouping your subscribers into different categories based on demographics, interests, or behaviour, which allows you to target specific groups with more relevant campaigns.
   2. For example, if you sell beauty products, you could segment your subscribers based on their preferred product categories, such as skincare or makeup.
   3. This allows you to send targeted campaigns to each group, such as a skincare routine tutorial to those interested in skincare products.
   4. List management and segmentation workflow can be automated by using subscriber data and behaviour to create rules for segmentation.
   5. For example, you can create a rule that adds a subscriber to the “skincare” segment if they have clicked on a certain number of skincare-related links in your emails, or if they have indicated their skincare interests during the sign-up process.
   6. This process can be automated using marketing automation software, which can automatically update segments as subscriber data and behaviour change.

• Welcome and Onboarding Email Workflow

1. 1. These emails are designed to introduce new subscribers to your brand and set expectations for future communication.
   2. They can include information about your company, your products or services, and the types of content and promotions subscribers can expect from you.
   3. For example, a welcome email might include a special discount offer for new subscribers and a brief overview of your brand’s mission and values.
   4. The process of sending welcome and onboarding emails can be automated by launching a triggered email campaign that is set off when a new subscriber signs up for your email list.
   5. This type of automation ensures that new subscribers receive a  warm welcome and sets the tone for future communication.

• Triggered Email Workflow

1. 1. Triggered emails are automated emails that are sent based on subscriber behaviour, such as abandoning items in their shopping cart or making a purchase.
   2. For example, if a customer adds items to their cart but does not complete their purchase, you could send an abandoned cart email reminding them of the items left in their cart and offering a discount code to encourage them to complete the purchase.
   3. The process of sending triggered emails can be automated by using marketing automation software to track subscriber behaviour and trigger the appropriate emails.
   4. This type of automation helps you reach out to subscribers at the right time, increasing the chances of conversion.

• Lead Nurturing Email Workflow

1. 1. Lead nurturing emails are a series of automated emails designed to provide valuable content and build relationships with potential customers over time, until they are ready to make a purchase.
   2. For example, a lead nurturing campaign might include a series of educational emails about a particular product or service, along with special offers and discounts.
   3. The process of sending lead nurturing emails can be automated by using marketing automation software to track subscriber behaviour and send the appropriate emails at the right time.
   4. This type of automation helps you build relationships with potential customers, even when you’re not actively selling to them.

• Test and Optimisation Workflow

1. 1. Automating your email testing and optimisation processes can help you improve the deliverability, open rates, and conversion rates of your campaigns.
   2. This can lead to higher ROI as you can quickly identify what works and what doesn’t, and make data-driven decisions to improve future campaigns.
   3. For instance, you could use A/B testing to determine the best subject line or call-to-action for your email campaigns.
   4. To automate your email testing and optimisation processes, you can use email marketing software that has built-in testing and optimisation features.
   5. The software will automatically send the two versions of your email to a randomly selected group of subscribers and then analyse the results to determine which version performed better.
   6. You can then use the winning version as the basis for future campaigns or continue testing until you find the optimal version.

• Reporting and Analytics Workflow

1. 1. Automating your reporting and analytics processes can help you track the success of your campaigns, including open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. This information can help you make data-driven decisions to improve future campaigns.
   2. For example, if you see that a particular campaign has a high open rate but a low click-through rate, you could test different subject lines or images to see if that improves engagement.
   3. Automation of this workflow can be done by integrating your email marketing platform with a marketing analytics tool. This allows you to automate the process of collecting and analysing data so you can easily track the performance of your campaigns.
   4. Some email marketing platforms have built-in analytics tools, but you can also use third-party tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Adobe Analytics.
   5. These tools typically provide real-time insights into the performance of your campaigns and allow you to view data on key metrics.
   6. To enable automation, you simply need to set up the integration between your email marketing platform and your marketing analytics tool, and the data will flow seamlessly between the two.

• Subscriber Preferences Management Workflow

1. 1. Automating the process of managing subscriber preferences can help ensure that your emails are always delivered to the right people, at the right time.
   2. For example, if a subscriber opts out of receiving promotional emails, you could automatically stop sending them promotional emails and only send transactional emails, such as order confirmations and shipping notifications.
   3. Automation of this workflow can help streamline the process of managing opt-ins and opt-outs, as well as other subscriber preferences, such as email frequency and preferred categories of content.
   4. This can be done by incorporating opt-in and opt-out forms in your email campaigns, or by providing a subscriber preference centre where they can manage their preferences themselves.
   5. By automating this process, you can improve the relevance and effectiveness of your campaigns and reduce the risk of subscribers marking your emails as spam.

• Email Personalisation Workflow

1. 1. Automated personalisation of email content, such as including the recipient’s name or tailoring the email content based on their past interactions, can improve the relevance and effectiveness of your campaigns.
   2. For example, you could use data from their purchase history to recommend complementary products in your email campaigns.
   3. This workflow can be automated by using software or platforms that allow you to access and use customer data, such as their name or purchase history, in your email content.
   4. This data can be stored in your email marketing platform or in a separate customer relationship management (CRM) system and can be automatically inserted into your email campaigns using dynamic content or personalised merge tags.

• Abandoned Cart Email Workflow

1. 1. Automating abandoned cart email reminders can help recover lost sales by reminding customers of items left in their cart and encouraging them to complete their purchase.
   2. For example, you could send an email with a picture of the items left in the cart and a discount code to incentivise the customer to complete their transaction.
   3. This workflow can be automated by setting up a triggered email campaign in your email marketing platform. The campaign would be triggered when a customer adds items to their cart but does not complete the purchase.
   4. To ensure the best results, it’s important to determine the optimal time to send the email, such as a few hours after the cart was abandoned or the next day.
   5. Additionally, testing and optimising your email content and discount offer can help increase the conversion rate of your abandoned cart emails.

• Re-engagement Campaign Workflow
• 1. Re-engagement campaigns aim to reignite the interest of inactive subscribers and keep them engaged with your brand.
  2. By automating this workflow, you can ensure that these campaigns are sent out in a timely and consistent manner.
  3. The process of automating re-engagement campaigns typically involves defining a set of criteria for determining inactive subscribers, such as those who have not opened your emails in a certain period of time. Once these subscribers are identified, you can go on to create targeted campaigns specifically for them.
  4. To automate re-engagement campaigns, you can use an email marketing platform that allows you to set up triggered campaigns based on subscriber behaviour.
  5. For example, you can create a campaign that is triggered to send when a subscriber has not opened your emails in past 60 days. The content of this campaign could include special offers or personalised recommendations based on their past behaviour or interests.
  6. By automating re-engagement campaigns, you can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your marketing efforts, as well as keep your subscribers engaged and coming back to your brand.

There are statistical evidences, which stand testimony to the success rate of automating email marketing workflow. Take a glance at these facts and figures:

1. 49% of global businesses use email marketing automation, as stated by Optinmonster.
2. Automated emails are capable of generating 320% more revenue compared to non-automated emails, according to Campaign Monitor.
3. Automated emails result in 2.5 times higher conversion rates compared to mass emails, as reported by Metrilo.

There are thousands of other impressive statistics like these to prove the point. Owing to this, it is not surprising why more and more businesses are opting for email marketing workflow automation to meet their sales and conversion goals.

Final thoughts

Email marketing workflow automation can bring a multitude of benefits to businesses looking to improve their marketing efforts. By automating various processes such as list management, personalisation, and abandoned cart reminders, businesses can save time, improve their email campaigns’ relevance and effectiveness, and increase their overall ROI.

Email marketing automation allows businesses to segment their subscribers based on their demographics, interests, and behaviour. This enables marketers to target specific groups with more relevant campaigns and send targeted emails, such as a skincare routine tutorial to those interested in skincare products. Automated testing and optimisation can help businesses improve the deliverability, open rates, and conversion rates of their campaigns. This can lead to higher ROI as businesses can quickly identify what works and what doesn’t and make data-driven decisions to improve future campaigns.

By automating the process of managing subscriber preferences, businesses can ensure that their emails are always delivered to the right people, at the right time. Subscribers can opt-out of receiving promotional emails, and businesses can automatically stop sending them promotional emails and only send transactional emails, such as order confirmations and shipping notifications. Automated personalisation of email content can also improve the relevance and effectiveness of email campaigns by including the recipient’s name or customising the email content based on their past interactions.

Automated abandoned cart email reminders can help recover lost sales by reminding customers of items left in their cart and encouraging them to complete their purchase. Re-engagement campaigns can help keep inactive subscribers engaged by sending them targeted content and offers designed to reignite their interest.

In short, email marketing automation enables businesses to stay ahead of the curve. Therefore, more and more businesses these days are considering implementing email marketing automation in their marketing strategies.

To wrap up, businesses looking to improve their email marketing efforts should consider implementing email marketing workflow automation. The benefits of automating various email marketing processes are clear and proven. With so many benefits, businesses should make a move toward automation and enjoy the many advantages it has to offer.

References:

www.site-seeker.com/9-reasons-why-email-marketing-is-so-important/
www.analyticssteps.com/blogs/how-does-email-marketing-work-business-what-are-its-benefits
www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2022/10/03/12-components-needed-to-make-a-successful-email-marketing-campaign/
www.constantcontact.com/blog/benefits-of-email-marketing/
www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/knowledge-base/what-is-an-email-workflow/
www.smartsheet.com/content/email-marketing-automation-workflows
www.sendinblue.com/blog/what-is-email-marketing/
www.blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-automation-examples
www.moengage.com/learn/email-marketing-automation-workflows-with-examples/
www.moengage.com/learn/email-automation-campaign-workflows/
www.leadsbridge.com/blog/how-to-automate-your-emails/
www.mailchimp.com/marketing-glossary/email-automation/
www.agilecrm.com/blog/10-highly-effective-email-automation-workflows/