Email Marketing on Autopilot: 5 Rules to Setting It Up Right the First Time

Email marketing is huge these days, and everybody already knows the benefits it can bring to your small business. A strategic email marketing campaign can bring you a substantial increase in conversions and of course, a lot of entrepreneurial satisfaction. With a great newsletter series in place you can make sure all your subscribers will receive the right messages at the right time – what else could you really wish for?

So how do you go about email marketing to do it as effectively as you would desire? We have gathered here the most important five simple automation rules you have to follow if you want to set it up right the first time.

1. Analyze, Analyze, Analyze!

First thing is first – and when it comes to properly addressing email marketing, there’s no escape from this: analyzing! If you want to start off the right way, you have got to know the numbers of your activity – so collecting data and translating it into workable information will be a crucial starting point.

How do you go around analyzing? It’s simple, and it’s all about using metrics – it can be open rates, click rates, the number of visitors, conversion rates, purchases, new subscribers and any other relevant objective you might have. Looking at these numbers will help you to see how well you are doing based on what your objectives are and will give you a fair view of what your starting point is and what it is that you will want to work on.

2. Segment Subscribers

A very helpful tip to know before rushing into automation? Knowing exactly what category each of your subscribers falls into. Identifying your customers’ stages is huge because it allows you to build and adapt your content according to what their needs are and to what is the most appropriate information for them to receive to keep them close and interested.

Some of them have maybe just barely subscribed, some have already converted, and some are maybe already a part of your loyal customers’ group. Make sure you build several defining categories such as prospects, first-time customers, loyal customers and even lapsed customers. Your content will, therefore, be different for each category so that you manage to reach your objective toward each of them: acquisition, conversion, growth and retention.

3. Automate Your Email Course

An email course is one of the most important digital marketing strategy and your primary lead magnet. If everything is done right, your email course will be the most important factor in nurturing all your new subscribers and in persuading them into conversions and purchasing your products. So if anything, you might want to pay attention to not only what your email course contains but also the way you send it out to the world. And you want to send it out as efficiently as possible – this is why automating your email course will prove to be one of your best friends when it comes to email marketing.

4. Grow Subscribers’ Interest

One of the most important things to care for when it comes to your subscribers is to make sure they are receiving information that is valuable, catchy but not overwhelming. Based on the idea of segmenting your subscribers into different categories, you might want to consider a strategy that is focused on slowly introducing your subscribers into more depth of content.

Say someone just recently subscribed for your course, based on a particular topic that they are interested in and that they will soon receive the first lesson. As tempting as it might sound to drop your general newsletter to them as well, you might not want to rush with this.

The reason behind this logic?

Receiving two e-mails this soon, out of which one is uncalled for and usually richer in information than what your new subscriber is interested in might be a setback for many. Let them slowly grow a taste for what you have to offer and grow their engagement level without giving them it all at once. As great as your content might be, they simply will not be in a place of appreciating it.

So instead of rushing into it, wait until they go through the initial email course sequence and only then start sending them your general newsletter. At this point, you also want to tag them as “newsletter” subscribers, so that when you decide to broadcast your newsletter, you will only send it to those under this tag. Of course, once they have finished the initial email course, you want to make sure they are out of the email course sequence.

5. Route New Subscribers to Your Email Course

Most of the new subscribers to your email list have probably come straight into your email course, which is great since that is one of your primary lead magnets. But it might so happen that there is a substantial amount of new subscribers who haven’t gotten to this point yet – either because they have opted for Content upgrades or because they joined your list in other ways. Since your email course is essential and is the starting point for future conversions, you want to make sure as many of your subscribers end up receiving it. What can you do about it?

Start by creating a specific segment for these subscribers who haven’t been tagged for the email course and then set up an automation rule where only this segment will receive a one-off email one week after they joined your list.

Now, spread your wings and put your email marketing flight on autopilot! With these five tips in place you will find yourself head over heels with email marketing techniques and in time, you will discover the many wonders that it can bring to your digital marketing.