Strong relationships are built on personal connections. Do you want your subscribers to open and interact with your emails? Then you need to engage with them using a personalized approach. Of course, typing customized emails for each individual on your subscriber list is not feasible, which is where email marketing automation comes in handy. This tool – which triggers emails that correspond with your customer journey – is designed to personalize your emails at scale. Let’s review how to effectively personalize your communication with email marketing automation.

What is Email Marketing Automation?

Automated email marketing is a series of emails that are sent only when qualifying triggers are activated by a customer. These emails are personalized based on the steps a customer takes along their journey. By meeting specific touchpoints – such as abandoning a cart or visiting a certain page – these emails are tailored to address the consumer’s unique interest. Automation follows a custom-made, complex email workflow. For instance, if a customer shows a particular interest in one of your products, they will be sent a different email sequence than a customer interested in a different aspect of your business.

How to Personalize Your Email Marketing Automation

According to SmarterHQ, 72% of subscribers admit they only engage with personalized email messaging. When receiving tailored emails addressing their specific needs, your subscribers are more likely to shop with your brand, but you must first gift them a proper personalized experience. Here’s how you can start:

Segment Your Email Subscriber List

This is foundational to creating a personalized email automation experience. You should create multiple lists segments based on your consumer’s data, such as gender, location, and interests. Most email marketing platforms allow you to create custom fields and tags to achieve dynamic segmentation. By segmenting your subscribers, you can send out email campaigns that are uniquely catered to their user experience. For instance, you’ll be sending a female Bostonian sports-lover a far different email than the one you’d send to a male farmer from rural Arkansas.

Automate Workflows at Every Step of the Customer Journey

You want to establish automated workflows at every stage of your customer journey. Here are a few examples:

• Generate Leads: Once you have a subscriber’s email, build rapport by having your automation trigger a highly personalized email based on their segments.
• Welcome New Customers: Generic emails don’t confirm your appreciation for new customers. Instead, personalize your emails so they feel they’ve been truly thanked for their patronage.
• Promote Your Product: Has a potential client abandoned a cart or viewed a particular product without a purchase? Automate an email that highlights how that product would suit their unique lifestyle.

A customer’s journey is complex, so it’s important to build and organize a workflow that addresses every touchpoint along the way. Just be sure that these emails are evergreen.

Analyze the Email Marketing Automation Data and Evolve

After your automated email series has been running for some time, check customer engagement and their ensuing behavior. Most email marketing platforms provide analytics covering the outcomes of your campaigns. Check the numbers and see which of your emails are lacking – leading to unsubscribes or lack of clicks – and which are most effective – leading to purchases or engagement. Compare the two and see what elements in your effective emails keep your customers coming back, and use that information to revise your less successful emails.

Personalizing your communication with email marketing automation is great for establishing relationships with multitudes of consumers all at once. It’s the perfect opportunity to grow your business and nurture leads automatically. At Vision Advertising, we can build comprehensive automated email series that aligns with your marketing plan. If you’re interested in finding out more about email marketing automation or wish to inquire more about our services, contact us today.