Consumers like receiving emails from brands. In fact, according to Marketing Sherpa, 72% of customers prefer communication with companies to happen through email.
Source: Marketing Sherpa
In order to benefit from the full potential of email, it is crucial to know that you must neither bombard subscribers with daily messages nor keep the number of messages you send to an absolute minimum.
Source: 10 Facts about How and Why Consumers Like and Subscribe
To stay on top of the mind of your subscribers and monetize email marketing, you must provide users with the feeling of timely and regular communication. The sooner you get your subscribers accustomed to the frequency of your emails, the better.
Reach out to your leads when their interest in your brand is high and they are the most receptive to hearing your marketing message i.e. the moment they sign up. This is where Email Automation comes into picture. It helps to nurture a better relationship that may convert your subscribers into customers.
What Is Email Automation?
Email automation involves emails that are sent in a pre-set sequence once a new subscribe happens. As these emails are set to go out in a sequence and order that you decide, they help produce positive results with a limited amount of effort on your part.
The Benefits of Email Automation
Saves time
Email automation can be set up ahead of time. As you can schedule them at your convenience, it helps to save your precious time.
Saves money
Up to 98% of first-time visitors coming to your website are not sales ready. That is why you encourage them to join your email list. Once they have subscribed, sending automated emails greatly enhances the lead nurturing process.
Don’t wait; start from Day One! Set up a series of emails – a drip marketing program. You will have a chance of reducing cost per customer acquisition by an average of 33%.
Builds valuable relationships
Using email automation you can introduce your subscribers to your brand, and by getting more and more data at your disposal, you can address their needs better.
Not everyone who joins your email list will become a customer. However, the smart use of email automation will let you win a sizeable number.
Educates subscribers
If you’re selling to business customers, you have to remember that most of them are not ready to purchase your product or service the moment they’re browsing your website.
Prepare a few opt-in strategies with freemium content which aims at different pain points. When a visitor downloads one of your freemium PDF files, you can follow up with them through an email automation cycle.
Educational program delivered in the form of automated emails will help your subscribers make an informed decision enabling them to fulfill their company goals with your product or service.
The buying process in B2B is risky, so try to reduce the risk of investment for your potential customer by including information adequate to your leads’ buying stages:
- Problem/need recognition – send out a bundle of informative blog posts tailored to the downloaded freemium content.
- Information search – send testimonials of your satisfied customers and use the power of social proof. Point out the best practices enabled by the use of your software or product.
- Evaluation of alternatives – send a snippet of a whitepaper or a branch report to create a unique selling point and strengthen your expert image.
- Purchase decision – send, for example, five reasons to choose you as a vendor and provide subscribers with a time limited offer.
Kick-Start Customer Relationship with Email Automation
We have summed up a few ideas on how to show the new subscriber that you are committed to doing the little “extras” and your brand is customer-friendly. Consider including the following in your automated email copy:
- Information that will build trust right from the start – Tell them about your company. Provide social proof from customers who trust your brand. Include information about customer service and social media profiles to make sure that new subscribers can easily reach out to you.
- Information that will send visitors to your site – Flaunt your website, include the best articles or customer guidelines and start building your brand credibility.
- Information which will help you learn more about your subscribers – Include a link to a preference center in your automated emails; it will help you segment your subscribers and also personalize your content based on their interests.
