Emailing: 10 marketing automation scenarios to activate
By activating marketing automation email campaigns, you can optimise the performance of your lead nurturing at a lower cost and with less effort. As well as complying with best practice in e-mail marketing, setting up automated scenarios is essential if you want to get the most out of your database and your customer relationships.
The principle and benefits of marketing automation
Marketing automation refers to the devices and techniques used to automate marketing campaigns, mainly dedicated in B2B to optimising the generation and management of leads by e-mail. This is what a number of specialist emailing software packages like Sendinblue, for example, offer: based on predefined scenarios, you can automatically trigger actions to convert, build loyalty or follow-up with prospects and customers.
Below is an example of a scenario:
The effectiveness of marketing automation is formidable when it comes to :
- better convert your active or dormant leads into prospects or customers ;
- improve customer retention and build long-term loyalty;
- encourage up-selling of your product range;
- 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 email, to build 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 publicise your services with educational content.
Idea for scenario :
D+: thank you with a link to your FAQ
D++: tips on using the product or service
J+++: personalised promotions and benefits
Quick win: you increase your chances of a second purchase.
Scenario 2:
Awakening the dormant, to clean up your marketing campaigns
A dormant contact who is unresponsive to your efforts affects the open rate and deliverability of your campaigns. The inactive wake-up email allows you to make an enlightened sort and clean up your database by isolating the truly inactive and waking up the false sleepers.
Idea for scenario :
D+: personalisation of last actions with a promotion
D++: reminder of services and customer benefits
D+++: expiry of the "last chance" type promotion
Quick win: you reduce your campaign routing costs.
Scenario 3:
The first purchase, to speed up the 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 can programme 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 purchasing universe
D+++: personalised content based on behavioural data
Quick win: you reduce your acquisition costs by quickly triggering a new purchase.
Scenario 4:
The basket relaunch, to maximise your conversion rate
After the purchase, the shopping basket is the most engaging customer behaviour in e-commerce. Consumers use it as part of their purchasing process to validate information (delivery, payment method, etc.) or to save products. So nothing is lost - quite the opposite, in fact - when it comes to converting your abandoners.
Scenario idea :
D+: help with the product in the shopping basket
D++: special discount on delivery
D+++: substitute and similar products
Quick win: you maximise your conversion rates.
Scenario 5:
Post-navigation, to guide the buying process
A visit to a landing page or product page says a lot about your customers' interest. This is the time to capture this qualified traffic and guide them through the buying process, with a campaign lasting several weeks and varying products and offers.
Scenario idea :
D+: products consulted and their main benefits
D++: promotion on the product that generated the most interest
D+++: associated, recommended or popular products
Quick win: you reduce the conversion time for your sales reps.
Scenario 6:
Downloading content to qualify prospects
If a contact downloads a white paper or fills in a form, they're probably interested in your services or products. To support their progress through the conversion funnel and maximise your lead nurturing, think about automating personalised educational content.
Idea for scenario :
D+: contextualised solutions and answers to pain points
J++: success stories and case studies
J+++: free trial offers 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 organising an online event, such as a webinar, think about before, during and after workflows with your registrants and participants. Like Sendinblue, the best-performing marketing automation software offers turnkey models for integrating campaigns into your inbound education tools.
Scenario idea :
D-: practical details, programme and relevant information
D+: rebroadcast and promotion 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 allows you to follow 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-: voucher or discount to treat yourself on the big day
D: personalised 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 to a commercial e-mail for prospecting, the newsletter is more of a loyalty-building tool 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.
Idea for scenario :
D+: blog articles relevant to their business
D++: download a white paper
D+++: free demonstration or 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 of keeping your customers informed about products or services that offer higher performance or better 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 the targeted products or services
D++: sharing of customer testimonials and case studies
J+++: benefits of the higher range 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 effective management of your sales pressure. Encourage retention and give priority to the relevance of your messages, by arousing interest before talking about money. To do this, choose an agile software solution such as Sendinblue, which allows you to make extensive use of your customers' data and a high degree of personalisation.