As the name suggests, email marketing automation sends automated email campaigns to your subscribers. Almost all businesses use this process to make their work easier and more efficient. But that isn’t the only thing email marketing automation software systems are useful for.
They use triggers, or specific customer actions, to send out personalized campaigns that resonate with customers. Now, this doesn’t mean you can leave everything to the tool. You must make the customer feel like they’re interacting with a human.
If you stick to the end of this article, you’ll know what you need to do for that to happen. In addition, you’ll learn several benefits of email automation and six of the best tools to use.
5 Benefits of Email Marketing Automation
Email marketing automation goes beyond reducing manual tasks. It’s only a misconception that automated marketing is one-size-fits-all. It’s not like every person will get the same generic email that greets them with “Hi, there!”
Instead, these tools personalize communication based on customer behavior and provide valuable insights to improve your marketing efforts. But to use these features, you must understand how these tools help you achieve these things.
Therefore, the following sections will explore five benefits of using automation with email marketing for businesses.
1. Increased Efficiency
The word “automation” implies reducing manual work, which is the first benefit of using automation for email marketing. It streamlines the process, freeing up time and resources you can spend on other things, such as customer support.
All you have to do is design templates and set triggers. Then, let the software handle the rest. If you’re not too particular about the design, you can skip that part too. Almost all email marketing automation software systems have a library of email templates you can use.
Simply customize the template to include your brand elements and email content, and you’re good to go.
Some tools even have automated workflow templates that you can customize to fit your needs. You can use mass email marketing or targeted messages.
Besides, there’s a greater chance of making errors if you send each email individually, not to mention the extra time. Automation removes this risk and ensures your workflows are efficient and effective.
2. Improved Customer Retention
Automation also helps you retain customers. Since email automation tools allow you to send out consistent emails, you’ll always appear on your customers’ screens. Even if they don’t open the email, you’ll always be at the forefront of their minds.
With the right email campaigns, you can keep their attention. All you have to do is choose the right type of marketing campaign at the right time. The email marketing automation tool will help you achieve this since it triggers emails based on specific customer actions.
For example, when customers make a purchase, send them a thank you message. Give them a special discount if they’ve ordered more than five times. Maybe you notice some of your customers haven’t ordered in a while. In this case, send them a win-back email to resume engagement.
3. Better Segmentation
Email marketing is all about personalization, which starts with email list segmentation. Dividing customers based on demographics, preferences, behavior, age, gender, etc., is difficult. But email marketing tools help you achieve this in no time.
Once you have the groups, you can send bulk emails to each group while keeping them personalized. For example, a restaurant introduces a special discount for people in a particular town.
If the restaurant notifies these people through email, it won’t have to write a separate message for each one. It can simply put the town’s name or zip code in the automation tool before releasing the campaign.
4. Personalized Customer Journeys
Another benefit to email marketing automation is that it lets you create personalized customer journeys. Automation tools have all the information they need to make an email sound specific to a customer.
You can even send personalized drip campaigns where each email depends on the customers’ actions. Let’s say a customer keeps showing interest in a particular product without purchasing it. Here, you can send them a feedback request asking them about the problem they’re facing.
Maybe they’re leaning towards the purchase but don’t know how the product will help them specifically. Knowing this, you can tailor the email content based on their history and preferences to help them decide.
However, you’ll have to combine the power of tools with human skills to achieve this. However, it will be worthwhile because helping clients with their journeys translates to positive customer experiences.
5. Detailed Analytics
Lastly, email marketing automation isn’t just about sending personalized emails; it’s about gaining valuable customer insights. These tools provide comprehensive analytics beyond open and click-through rates.
You can track customer loyalty analytics and journeys in detail. You can discover which emails resonate the most and what links customers engage with. These analytics can even help you learn where the customer abandoned the purchase process.
You can refine your email strategy for maximum impact by acting on this data. Identify what content performs best and tailor future campaigns accordingly.
This data also allows you to segment your customers even more effectively. As a result, you can ensure that your emails are highly relevant to each customer’s needs and interests. All these actions will ultimately help you drive higher engagements and better conversions.
6 of the Best Email Marketing Automation Software Systems
There’s no shortage of email automation tools on the market. Some claim to be the best, while others come forward with their weaknesses and let you decide. With such an extensive range of options, you must be innovative and look for the exact features you need.
It’s no secret that the best email marketing automation software is the one that fulfills your specific needs. But to determine whether a tool is suitable for your business, you must have the pros and cons of each.
So, here are six of the best options, along with their features, pros, and cons, to help you decide.
Since Mailchimp is an industry leader for email marketing automation platforms, you might think it’s hard to use. But in reality, it’s the exact opposite.
With a user-friendly interface, helpful tips, and best practices, Mailchimp guides you through every step of the email automation process.
For example, when creating subject lines, the editor gives tips about optimal character length, emojis, etc.
Moreover, you can map customer journeys and use A/B testing to improve them. Other features include unlimited emails, helpful reports, web hosting plans, transactional emails, and AI recommendations for automation. It even has an image library to make your email more appealing.
Mailchimp offers email automation features and other marketing tools like an integrated CRM and even a website builder! Therefore, you won’t have to research more tools when you’re ready to scale your business.
It also offers you a free trial. But, of course, it has limitations, and its paid tiers can be pretty expensive. Therefore, it would be best to try it out but then quickly move to paid plans.
If you own a small business, choose Constant Contact. It is perfect for businesses that are just starting and don’t have a huge marketing budget.
With its elegant and easy-to-use interface, you won’t have a steep learning curve. One feature that sets it apart from its competitors is its Spaminator tool. As the name suggests, it helps your emails avoid spam folders, resulting in high email deliverability.
Additionally, it offers multiple third-party integrations. You can plug in your CRM for customer insights or your e-commerce systems for automated order updates.
But nothing good comes without a cost, meaning Constant Contact also has some cons. Mainly, longer lists can get expensive. Plus, you won’t have much freedom with the templates.
And lastly, you won’t be able to launch complex campaigns. But you might not need that as a small business, so assess your needs before deciding.
3. Use Omnisend if You Have a Limited Budget
Next, we have Ominisend, which is great for startups with a limited budget. With its limited free trial and affordable plans, you won’t have to spend much of your savings.
You don’t even have to be an expert in email marketing to use this tool. Its focus on a simple interface, extensive template library, and step-by-step automation makes it easy to use. Plus, it emphasizes SMS marketing, so if that’s your goal, Ominsend has you covered.
You can even create monthly newsletters to keep potential customers engaged. Moreover, it has excellent customer support. So, if you ever face a difficulty, you can always ring them up.
Omnisend’s reporting and analytics will do just fine if you’re a beginner. However, advanced marketers might find their analytics somewhat lacking compared to competitors.
Plus, you must pay extra monthly fees for SMS marketing, which can add up quickly.
Klaviyo shines where Omnisend fails, namely in analytics and reporting. You can see various metrics, create custom reports, and view campaign, flow, and audience analytics. Because of that, it’s the best choice for businesses that want to focus on sales.
It takes things one step further with tailored solutions for wellness, restaurant, and retail businesses. Plus, it has different templates for each scenario and campaign.
If you’re an experienced email marketer, you’ll also find the interface easy to use. However, beginners might find it difficult to figure out how to use its features.
Furthermore, contact the Klaviyo team through email and live chat because their phone support lacks quality.
5. GetResponse Serves Beginners the Best
GetResponse is another option for small businesses and beginners. It focuses on improving customer interactions through powerful automated response options, email chat, and personalization features.
It also allows you to create marketing funnels that encourage brand growth and tailored messages. Moreover, you can integrate social media into your promotional emails to make them more interactive.
Besides, everyone knows what customer surveys can do for your business. They help you learn what works and what doesn’t to promote data-driven decisions.
GetResponse provides you with survey tools to make this possible.
Unfortunately, it’s not the best tool for advanced marketers who need complex automated email workflows or high-volume solutions. Plus, it doesn’t have a free trial. However, with these limited features, you can expect the pricing to be affordable.
Last but not least, we have Hubspot. It’s an all-in-one platform that can help with all your marketing needs. It integrates various marketing features and allows you to do more than email marketing.
On that note, you might be going overboard if you already have a CRM and other sales tools. You’ll only be paying double the money for those features when you only need an email marketing tool. However, if you want everything in one place, go for Hubspot.
Due to all these features, its automation is virtually unbeatable. It offers many social media management options and automated email nurturing features for better results.
You can send 2,000 monthly emails, work with ten active lists, and leverage extensive reporting even in the free plan!
As mentioned earlier, you can’t expect your email automation strategy to work if you don’t add human skills to it. No matter how advanced email marketing automation tools get, they’ll still have limitations. So, there are some things you need beyond the tools.
- Clear goals: Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive sales, or nurture customer relationships? Answering such questions will help you set clear goals to guide your strategy.
- Engaging writing: Craft clear, concise, and engaging messages that resonate with your audience. Use storytelling, humor, or other techniques to capture their attention. Moreover, add compelling calls to action (CTAs) like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Download Your Guide.”
- Building an email list: Use legal and ethical ways to gain customer contacts. Sign-up forms, pop-up forms, and valuable content are some ways to do this. You’ll also gather valuable customer insights through social media, Google, or website analytics. Remember, cleaning and managing your lists is also part of your email strategy.
- Customization: Even though you have email templates at your disposal, remember to customize them. Add your brand elements and make them look familiar to your existing customers. Plus, ensure your emails are mobile-friendly since people often read them on mobile devices.
Leverage Automated Email Marketing Software for Better Results
Overall, email marketing automation software reduces repetitive tasks, encourages timely emails, maps customer journeys, and increases effectiveness.
However, choosing the right software for your business can be difficult, so proper research is necessary.
Beambox facilitates email marketing campaigns while gathering data and building databases for your business. Boost your email marketing efforts without installing any hardware. Want to try it? Get Beambox free for 30 days now!
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