How to launch your first email automation campaign

In last month’s blog, we talked about what email automation is, and why setting it up should be your New Year’s resolution. Let’s get started!

Here are two opportunities where setting up email automation will help move your prospects and customers closer to purchase faster.

Opportunity: Following up with prospects after a trade show

Your team met some ideal customers and prospects at a recent trade show. Keep them engaged and interested in buying by deploying an automated series of follow-up emails. Here’s how:

Step 1 - Set up your customer list in segments. Divide the leads you collected at the trade show into separate lists based on the products they expressed interest in, whether they are a current or prospective customer or other relevant criteria. Then, craft email messages that solve these targeted customers’ problems.

Step 2 – Create email content targeted to each segment. Start with the first segment of your list. What products or services did prospects8 view in your booth at the trade show? What problems or pain points were they trying to solve? What do they need to know to move closer to a purchase? How can you deliver a solution to them in 4 to 6 bite-sized emails? Don’t forget to include a strong call to action in each email message.

Email #1: Don’t overlook the opportunity to create a conversation with your trade show customers and prospects. Create a brief survey for the first email message. This unique approach does several things:

• It returns their problem or challenge to top of mind, and reminds them that it awaits a solution,
• It empowers them to give you valuable feedback about their booth experience and their perceptions of your brand, and
• It helps to surface any additional product- or solution-oriented questions they may have.

Email #2: The second email within your trade show email follow-up sequence could provide links to learn more about your products.

Email #3: The third email could include an educational video. Within this message, you can also ask them to subscribe to your company’s monthly e-newsletter.

Remember: You need to produce “editions” of these emails that are focused on the needs of each of your segmented customer lists. Select the most relevant products and educational videos that will resonate with their needs.

Opportunity: Following up with prospects after they download a report

Another opportunity that’s perfect for email automation is when your prospects download a report from you. Let’s say you’ve created a report or eGuide that explains how your product is superior to those of your competitors.

When they download the report, they have signaled that they have an interest in your solution. But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy. Your job is to nurture them toward a sale. A series of follow-up emails is a perfect way to do that. Here’s what a three-message email automation could look like:

Email #1: Share a customer success story. This message builds trust by demonstrating that another company just like them implemented your product and was successful with it.

Email #2: Promote your industry expertise. Explain the industry certifications your product has obtained from renowned industry sources (such as Underwriter’s Lab in the electrical industry), and why those matter when selecting a solution.

Email #3: This message tackles the bottom line head-on by focusing on the total cost of ownership of your product. It implies that your prospects are missing out on an opportunity to save money by not investing in your product.

As you map your email automation messages, start with the end in mind: What action do you ultimately want them to take? Buy a product from you? Sign up for training? Attend an event? Put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re trying to persuade by asking yourself these questions:

• What do they need to know in order to make an informed decision?
• What questions or objections do they have, which you must answer?
• Do they trust you enough to take action, or do you need to do something to make them more comfortable with your firm (such as sharing testimonials or case histories of customers who have been successful with your product or service)?

Conclusion

With a bit of brain power and planning, you will find setting up email messages and automation will move your prospects and customers closer to purchase faster. The key is to put yourself in your prospects’ shoes – to understand their information and education needs, and then to deliver targeted content to them in a logical, automated email sequence.

We can help craft email messages and setup email automation that will resonate and move your customers to where they are ready to buy faster. Let's talk.