Most organizations use electronic mail advertising and marketing automation, however does your marketing campaign have the correct triggers on your advertising and marketing funnel and buyer journeys? Are there extra automations that would drive extra leads, income or conversions for your online business?
Right here’s a blueprint that will help you reply these questions — whether or not you’re optimizing present automated journeys or organising your first triggered collection.
Efficient automation begins with a plan. You start with a easy framework, implement it after which construct on it for higher affect.
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Begin together with your advertising and marketing funnel
I nonetheless discover foundational instruments like a advertising and marketing funnel are an ideal start line for any marketing campaign. It is a fairly conventional B2B advertising and marketing funnel. Right here’s the way you’re most likely used to seeing it:
As an alternative of the same old inverted pyramid, our plan has the funnel phases from left to proper on the high of the diagram. The colours within the blueprint match the colours within the inverted pyramid.
These phases assist us outline the journey as we construct the blueprint. When it’s time to implement, the advertising and marketing funnel stage will even affect every electronic mail collection’s message map and content material. That’s as a result of prospects on the high of the funnel (consciousness and curiosity phases) have completely different data wants than prospects within the center (analysis and engagement phases).
Overlay your buyer journeys
Now, it’s time to consider your buyer journeys. The thought isn’t to search out the one “excellent” journey however to establish some widespread actions throughout it. Within the blueprint, the journey is in orange and goes left to proper beneath the advertising and marketing funnel bar.
The blueprint’s instance is a place to begin for an electronic mail automation journey, not a complete look. Whereas some journeys are widespread throughout automation blueprints, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy.
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Add in your electronic mail program
Our blueprint is concentrated on electronic mail, but it surely might simply as simply be a multi-channel automation, making an allowance for app notifications, SMS, electronic mail, and many others. You may even embrace offline channels (i.e., guide or automated) to get a full image.
I normally work in tandem on the journey and the e-mail program, so let’s stroll by that course of collectively.
Advertising funnel stage: Consciousness
- Buyer journey step: E mail opt-in.
- E mail program: Welcome collection.
You may argue that an electronic mail opt-in is late within the consciousness stage or early within the curiosity stage. That’s wonderful. It doesn’t change the remaining. The e-mail opt-in triggers a welcome collection.
Discover I stated welcome collection, not welcome electronic mail. On this case, the shopper is B2B and their product is extra sophisticated than shopping for a gown from a retailer. A welcome collection lets us introduce and educate concerning the options, advantages and benefits of our resolution.
Advertising funnel stage: Curiosity
- Buyer journey step: Clicks on “healthcare trade” hyperlink in electronic mail.
- E mail program: Healthcare trade collection.
You may also design your welcome collection to gather extra data on prospects.
On this instance, the shopper clicked on a hyperlink about options for the healthcare trade, which triggers an electronic mail collection about how this firm companies the healthcare trade.
Will we halt the welcome collection as soon as the prospect is within the healthcare trade collection? Generally — it is determined by how comparable or completely different the content material is.
Advertising funnel stage: Curiosity/analysis
Lack of motion can even set off an automatic collection. Like, when the prospect doesn’t open or click on on (i.e., have interaction with) 5 emails in a row, they start to obtain a reactivation marketing campaign. We normally halt every other automated collection, though they nonetheless obtain guide sends.
Advertising funnel stage: Analysis/engagement
- Buyer journey step: Clicks on “Request a worth quote” hyperlink in electronic mail.
- E mail program: Quote despatched.
It is a guide ship as a result of it includes customized content material and talking to a gross sales rep. May this be automated? Sure, in some circumstances, it may very well be.
Advertising funnel stage: Analysis/engagement
- Buyer journey step: Clicks on “Request a worth quote” hyperlink in electronic mail.
- E mail program: Quote follow-up collection.
As soon as the quote is shipped, the quote follow-up collection is triggered. These are normally customized to appear like they’re from the gross sales rep. Automation permits us to offer constant follow-ups to all prospects, save gross sales reps time and optimize the collection.
Advertising funnel stage: Engagement
- Buyer journey step: Receives worth quote; doesn’t buy.
- E mail program: Quarterly “contact base” collection for prospects.
You possibly can’t win all of them. However that doesn’t imply you cease speaking with the prospect. On this blueprint, not shopping for after receiving a quote shifts the prospect right into a quarterly “contact base” collection.
This collection can also be customized to seem as if it’s coming from a gross sales rep. Every electronic mail delivers worth with out requiring a purchase order, encouraging recipients to have interaction. Each message features a name to motion to schedule a dialog and a reminder of the answer’s advantages, serving to preserve the model high of thoughts.
Advertising funnel stage: Buy
- Buyer journey step: Six months later… purchases.
- E mail program: New buyer collection.
You possibly can’t win all of them straight away. Usually, by conserving in contact with prospects, you will get the sale later.
As soon as the shopper has signed, the brand new shopper collection is triggered. They get data to assist them arrange the answer and rise up to hurry rapidly to allow them to start recognizing worth straight away. This doesn’t take the place of reside assist, but it surely anticipates and solutions many widespread questions, saving the assist workforce time and giving them a useful resource to direct clients to for extra element.
Advertising funnel stage: Loyalty
- Buyer journey step: Six months later… purchases.
- E mail program: Quarterly “contact base’ collection for purchasers.
Just like the quarterly “contact base” collection for prospects, this collection is geared towards clients. It’s a fast check-in to see if every little thing goes effectively. It’s additionally a chance to ask for testimonials and referrals. Oh, and there’s all the time content material that gives worth with no buy to get the open.
Advertising funnel stage: All
- Buyer journey step: All.
- E mail program: Month-to-month publication.
Although not automated, the month-to-month publication is a crucial a part of the e-mail program. Even when a subscriber doesn’t set off any automated communications, they are going to nonetheless obtain this guide ship — making certain nobody falls by the cracks.
Now it’s your flip
In case you haven’t approached automation this fashion, now’s the time to start out! Attempt it out and see the way it improves your electronic mail technique.
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