Imagine being able to set your email marketing on autopilot.
With a
little forward-thinking and planning, email automation makes it possible. Email
automation is a tool that allows you to create an email or sequence of emails
through the use of an email marketing service, such as Constant Contact,
MailChimp (available for both free and paid plans) or others. Once the
email(s) are created and perimeters are in place (such as the order or frequency
you decide), these emails will automatically go out to contacts after they
perform a specific action, such as joining your email list or making a
purchase. Once set up, automated emails work on autopilot so you can focus on
other areas of your business.
Create an Automated Welcome Email Series
According
to a report by Omnisend, “welcome emails have an average open rate of 45%,
versus 18% for promotional emails.” Naturally the first email in a welcome
series should thank subscribers for joining your email list. Shopify recommends
keeping welcome emails clean and easy to understand, with a brief description
of your brand, how you’re different, what you have in common with shoppers and
why shoppers should be excited. Make sure details regarding store hours,
locations and contact information are accessible by linking to this information
on your website or including it in the email footer. Don’t forget to always
include a call to action. This may be a link to your website with an invitation
to “shop now” or follow your social media pages.
For the second email in the series, you should teach readers something. This could include details about your products (e.g., high-quality ingredients, small-batch confections) or something relevant to your product or audience, such as tips for choosing the perfect gift for anyone and any occasion. Your call to action might include a link to a cool video that drives home your message or a coupon or promotional code as a gift for subscribing—just make sure to skip the expiration date since you won’t know when your contact will receive the offer.
To make the subsequent emails effective, consider content that will be useful to your audience. Constant Contact suggests using the following questions to determine which information would be most relevant to your audience, as well as the number of emails to include in a series and the frequency of which to send those emails.
- What do they want to know?
- What do they need to know?
- What are their needs, problems and challenges?
Answering these questions will help you to develop communication that nurtures and engages with prospective and returning customers.
Avoid Time-Sensitive Content
Once
you’ve determined which information is relevant to your contacts, make sure to
avoid time-sensitive content. Since the dates contacts receive your automated
emails will vary based on when they sign up for your email list (or take
another action), be mindful not to include information or photos that might
become outdated upon receipt—such as specific dates, holidays or seasons.
Although much of the beauty of an automated email is that you can “set it and
forget it,” don’t forget it entirely. Make plans to review each email
periodically to ensure it’s still relevant and current.
By investing time upfront to craft a simple, yet
effective automated email series, your efforts are sure to pay off by
converting more contacts to customers and building customer relationships that
lead to lifelong loyalty and brand advocacy.
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