Emailing: 10 marketing automation scenarios to activate
By activating email marketing automation campaigns, you can optimize your lead nurturing performance at lower cost and with less effort. In addition to following best e-mail marketing practices, setting up automated scenarios is essential to get the most out of your database and your customer relationships.
Principles and benefits of marketing automation
Marketing automation refers to the devices and techniques used to automate marketing campaigns, mainly dedicated in BtoB to optimizing lead generation and management by e-mail. A number of specialized emailing software packages, such as Sendinblue, offer this type of automation: based on predefined scenarios, you can automatically trigger conversion, loyalty or follow-up actions for prospects and customers.
Below is an example of a scenario:
Marketing automation is a powerful tool for :
- better convert your active or dormant leads into prospects or customers ;
- improve customer retention and build long-term loyalty;
- promote up-selling within your offer;
- activate additional sales opportunities (cross-sell).
According to Gartner, the leading strategic consultancy for companies and SMEs, 85% of customer relations worldwide will be automated by 2020, with scripted interactions that can do without direct human contact.
10 marketing automation scenarios to activate in email marketing
Scenario 1:
The welcome e-mail, to create a relationship of trust
New customer, new member or new subscriber: someone has taken the risk of registering or making a purchase on your site, and it's important to thank them and establish a relationship of trust with them. The welcome e-mail can also be used to publicize your services with formative content.
Scenario idea:
D+: thank you with a link to your FAQ
J++: tips on how to use the product or service
J+++: personalized promotions and benefits
Quick win: you increase your chances of a second purchase.
Scenario 2:
Awakening the inactive, to clean up your marketing campaigns
A dormant contact unresponsive to your efforts affects the open rate and deliverability of your campaigns. The inactive wake-up e-mail enables you to make an informed selection and clean up your database by isolating the truly inactive and waking up the false sleepers.
Scenario idea :
D+: personalization on last actions with a promotion
D++: reminder of services and customer benefits
D+++: expiry of "last chance" promotion
Quick win: you reduce your campaign routing costs.
Scenario 3:
The first purchase, to accelerate your customer loyalty process
The more time that passes after a first purchase, the lower the likelihood of a second conversion. If you're already using software at the level of an automation tool like Sendinblue, you have the opportunity to program relevant messages based on real sales data.
Scenario idea :
D+: thank you and recommendation on associated or complementary products
D++: offer on trendy products from the same shopping universe
J+++: personalized content based on behavioral data
Quick win: you reduce your acquisition costs by quickly triggering a new purchase.
Scenario 4:
Basket relaunch to maximize your conversion rate
After purchase, the shopping cart is the most engaging customer behavior in e-commerce. Consumers use it as part of their purchasing process to validate information (delivery, payment method, etc.) or save products. So there's nothing to lose, on the contrary, when it comes to converting your abandoners.
Scenario idea :
D+: help with the product in the shopping cart
D++: special discount on delivery
D+++: substitute and similar products
Quick win: you maximize your conversion rates.
Scenario 5:
Post-navigation, to guide the buying process
A visit to a landing page or product page speaks volumes about your customers' interest. Now's the time to capture this qualified traffic and guide the interested party through the buying process, with a campaign over several weeks, varying products and offers.
Scenario idea :
D+: products consulted and their main advantages
D++: promotion on the product that aroused the most interest
J+++: associated, recommended or popular products
Quick win: you reduce your sales reps' conversion time.
Scenario 6:
Content downloads to qualify prospects
If a contact downloads a white paper or fills in a form, he's probably interested in your products or services. To support their progress through the conversion funnel and maximize your lead nurturing, consider automating educational and personalized content.
Scenario idea :
D+: contextualized solutions and answers to pain points
J++: success stories and case studies
J+++: free trials or product demonstrations
Quick win: you qualify your prospects with new sales opportunities.
Scenario 7:
Event follow-up, to keep your audience captive
If you're organizing an online event, such as a webinar, think about before, during and after workflows with your registrants and participants. Like Sendinblue, the most successful marketing automation software offers turnkey templates for integrating campaigns into your inbound educational tools.
Scenario idea :
D-: practical details, program and relevant information
D+: reruns and promotions on related products
D++: additional content and future events
Quick win: you capture your audiences in your conversion funnel.
Scenario 8:
The anniversary date, to reward and stay top of mind
Marketing automation lets you track your customers throughout their lifecycle to remind you of them and mark specific events: birthday, one year since registration or first purchase.
Scenario idea:
D-: gift voucher or discount to treat yourself on D-day
D: personalized greetings and gift reminder
D+: reminder of promotion expiry date
Quick win: you reward, relaunch and segment your contacts.
Scenario 9:
The sector newsletter, to prepare your prospects
Compared with sales prospecting e-mails, the newsletter is more of a loyalty-building device with an informative value: you prepare your prospects, documenting them in advance of the sales phase. Target their concerns with information linked to their sector of activity and business.
Scenario idea :
D+: blog articles relevant to their activity
D++: download of a white paper
D+++: demonstration or free test proposals
Quick win: you increase the open and conversion rates of your editorial campaigns.
Scenario 10:
Up-selling to increase margins
The principle of up-selling consists in keeping your customers informed of products or services that offer higher performance or greater service than their previous purchases. It requires the creation of advanced dynamic lists integrated into your e-commerce solution.
Scenario idea :
D+: engaging content on targeted products or services
J++: sharing of customer testimonials and case studies
J+++: top-of-the-range benefits and loyalty discounts
Quick win: you increase your sales volume and your margin.
Enhance your customer relations!
This is the key to the success of your marketing automation email campaigns, and to managing your sales pressure. Encourage retention and give priority to the relevance of your messages, by arousing interest before talking about money. To achieve this, choose an agile software solution like Sendinblue, which enables you to make the most of your customers' data and offer a high degree of personalization.
Article translated from French