(Last Updated On: March 18, 2020)

10 Email Workflows You Should Be Using in Your Marketing Automation

Email workflows can streamline communications for your company. Email addresses are some of the most valuable data your business has when it comes to sales, marketing, and customer retention. Unfortunately, many companies are just sitting on this vital resource, using the addresses ineffectively, or investing way too much time on a poor return.

What Are Email Marketing Automation Workflows?

Email workflows are the heart of marketing automation. These workflows are the automated steps to send specific email campaigns based on the actions of your customers. You can, in advance, decide what type of information particular customers or prospects need and deliver it to them at the appropriate time based on their actions and activity. Of course, it will take some time to set everything up, and you will need to evaluate and modify the processes occasionally. However, these workflows will work for you 24/7 with little to no input on the part of you or your team.

First Step in Making Sure You Reach Your Subscribers

Before you set up your email workflows, it’s important to take a look at your most recent bounce rates. This allows you to see how many of your latest campaigns have failed to reach your subscribers. Armed with this knowledge, you can take action and get your email list back in shape. If your bounce rate is higher than 2% or 3%, you may want to consider using an email validation system. Weeding out unwanted email addresses – such as misspelled, catchall and temporary ones – will positively impact your deliver-ability. Also, a more advanced email validation service can identify spam traps and isolate abuse emails. These pose a risk to your reputation as the sender. The more you prune your list, the greater your chances of getting your emails in your subscribers’ inboxes.

1. Welcome Email Workflow for Subscribers

You should have an automated response to potential customers signing up for your email list. However, you are missing out if you stop with just one email. While subscribers are now going to receive your regular emails, there is no need for them to miss out on your best content. Compile a list of your most essential content for a new potential customer. What do they need to know about your company, your products, your service, your brand? Next, set up an email cadence for the subscriber to receive relevant content that will help them get started with your new product or service.

Tip: To ensure you’re only gathering genuine email addresses, try installing an email verification API on all of your subscription forms. Even when you use the double opt-in method, there are still sophisticated bots that can affect your email hygiene. An email verification API is the most effective way to prevent bad contacts from ruining your deliver-ability.

2. On-boarding Email Workflow for New Customers

It is no longer enough to add your new customers to your email list. You should compile specific content that will be helpful to a new customer. This will make them feel that they have made the right decision in choosing your company.

This begins with a warm welcome message. What follows depends on your type of business. It may include information on contacting you for support, links to user guides, or even training videos.

Set up this automated workflow in advance, so new customers are warmly welcomed each time and receive follow up messages at the appropriate times.

3. Free Trial Sign-up Email Workflow

If you offer a free trial, you likely do so in exchange for an email address. This might be one of the most valuable leads you can generate, since the customer has already expressed a specific interest in your product.

This automated workflow may be similar to your new customer workflow. However, in this case, you still have selling to do. While the emails in this flow may contain much of the same information you send to new customers, it should be customized with the knowledge that this customer still needs a bit of encouragement to make a purchase. Messages may include tips on getting the most out of the product, links to product resources, and even special offers for turning the trial into a purchase.

4. Re-Engagement Email Workflow

It is common in the business life-cycle for customers to become inactive. You can simply let them continue to fall away, or set up an email marketing automation workflow to nurture the relationship and bring them back as a customer.

There are many ways to catch the customer’s attention and bring them back to your business. Some possibilities include notifying them of an upcoming sale, pointing out new features or options related to your product, or offering them an exclusive offer or

coupon.

With automated workflows, this can happen automatically, ensuring you will always be working to retain customers before they slip away.

5. Up-sell Email Workflow

One of the most effective ways to build a business is to turn customers into repeat customers. Compiling data on customer habits allows you to send automated, customized, targeted email to current customers and convert them into regular customers. When a customer completes a purchase, it is a good idea to thank them. In this same email, you have an opportunity for the up-sell. If your company sells more than one product or service, this is a chance to recommend other products and services.

6. Upcoming Purchase Reminder Email Workflow

If your product has a life-cycle, you can create an email marketing automation workflow to reach out to your customer at just the right moment. Do you sell something by subscription, if it is a consumable item, or something that expires, based on purchase

dates and purchase quantities? You can design your workflow to reach out just before your customer runs out or needs to renew. This can be as simple as a friendly reminder that includes a link to purchase, or an opportunity to share product news and improvements.

7. Abandoned Shopping Cart Email Workflow

If you run an eCommerce site, you may know that close to 3/4 of online shoppers leave a website before completing the purchase of items in their cart. There are various reasons for this. They include shoppers who are just browsing, finding a lower price elsewhere, getting frustrated with the checkout process, or just forgetting. An automated email workflow can reach out to these shoppers automatically. When they leave the site without completing a purchase, you have the opportunity to encourage them to complete it. You can even offer them an incentive such as a purchase discount, free shipping, or credit towards a future purchase.

8. Lead Nurturing Email Workflow

If you are investing in content marketing, you likely have potential customers who have yet to make a purchase decision. Perhaps they have downloaded a couple of your resources, read your blog posts, or watched a video or two. Perhaps they are still not ready to make a purchase. However, through an automated email workflow, you can stay in contact and continue to nurture the relationship. Emails might include more information on the topic they have shown an interest in or maybe even a special offer or free trial that matches their interest.

9. Sales Notification Email Workflows

Not all email automated workflows include messages to the customer. Some emails might be internal – informing other people in your organization about customer activity. Modern CRM software has the capability of scoring leads based on criteria such as resource downloads, email opens, and demo requests. A workflow can be established to notify sales when a potential customer has reached a scoring milestone, and it is time for a sales call.

10. Event Email Workflows

There are actually three different workflows tied to events. An event is any special activity your business offers and may include conferences, training, and webinars. These provide essential opportunities to engage with customers, and automated email workflows can make this more effective.

Event Announcement Email Workflows

Events are a perfect time to reach out across all of your past, current, and potential customers with an invitation. A well-produced invitation has the power to do the same nurturing work as many of your other workflows.

Event Preparation Email Workflows

Once people have registered for an event, don’t waste the opportunity to stay connected. Sending event schedules, event news and even ways they might prepare for the event keeps your business in front of them. You’re building the relationship.

Event Follow-Up Email Workflows

People who have attended your event, online or in person, need to hear from you when it is over. Communication may include supplemental information, a post-event offer, or a chance to offer feedback.

Before You Hit Send

There are two significant components of designing a marketing automation email workflow: the technical and the creative. Technically speaking, there is work within the CRM and mail client to automatically determine which email goes to which email address and when. Creatively, it is essential to offer professional writing, layout, and design for each email component. Even the most well-crafted workflows will prove ineffective if the writing, font choice, color selection, and overall look of the emails is not professional quality. You also need to ensure that the look and feel of all these components are in line with your company and brand.

Getting Started

Email marketing automation can seem overwhelming. However, quite the opposite, it will save you hours of time and ensure your customers are being tended to even when you aren’t paying attention.

Starting small can be helpful. Choose one task or area that is especially important to your business at this time. Work on the email automation for that task first. For instance, if you are finding free trials are not turning into new customers, start with a Free Trial Sign-up workflow.

Once you get it running and see how effective it can be, you may be inspired to design a few more.