Email is a cost-effective marketing channel that allows businesses to connect directly with customers. Unlike ads elsewhere on the web, the customers on your mailing list have chosen to receive communication from you which increases the likelihood they will engage with your content.
You may think email marketing is not for your business, but that’s not true. It is a versatile tool that can be applied in any industry. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from email whether you are using automation to increase client retention, reduce abandoned carts, or send personalized promotions to your customers.
Will Email Automation Work for Your Business?
There are many industries that follow predictable cycles and where automation will reduce administration costs and customer attrition. Email automation is a dynamic tool that can be implemented in a variety of ways to help any business. The following are just a few of the common ways businesses are putting this strategy to work for them.
The Automotive Industry
If you own a garage, you know when your clients will need their next service, oil change, or winter tire installation. Following up on those jobs takes time but you can’t rely on your customers to remember. Even if they do remember, why run the risk of them turning to another professional when they need it?
Email automation gives you the power to create reminders and have them distributed in a timely fashion. Automating messages to book winter tire replacements is a great example in fall. This brings in repeat business and your clients will appreciate the reminder. Similar strategies can be used for regular oil changes, break service and a variety of other regular vehicle maintenance tasks.
Seasonal Home Maintenance
Many service businesses face the same challenge. They offer services that should be completed within a cycle but homeowners may overlook necessary maintenance until it’s too late or choose the most convenient option. Email marketing allows you to stay in touch with your clients so when the right time comes, you ARE the most convenient option.
Service businesses that are seasonal like furnace maintenance, winterizing an inground pool or landscaping are all at risk of losing customers if they don’t follow up regularly. Email automation does just that and can help reduce customer churn by connecting with customers when they are in need of your services again. This power is even more important for services that may not be required for years, like septic system maintenance.
Clinics
The industry you have likely seen automation the most is with clinics. Dentists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and estheticians have all adopted automated communication.
Simply, a missed appointment is missed revenue. Email reminders and 48-hour pre-appointment confirmation notifications that sync directly with their calendars and clinic lists help these businesses manage their schedule and client relationships.
Email automation is a non-invasive method of reminding clients of appointments. They also reduce administrative tasks for your staff. No one needs to spend half a day calling to confirm appointments. Instead, the staff can focus on more pressing admin work and only have to deal with a small percentage of clients who may need to rebook.
B2B
They say, ‘It’s easiest to sell to people you’ve already sold to.’ That’s true but how are you keeping track of who you sell to, and are they ready to buy again?
How often you need to communicate with your clients may vary. Is your product or service seasonal? Do your clients restock on a regular cycle like 3 or 6 months? A customer relationship management (CRM) tool can help you keep track of your customers including their buying habits.
You can then use that data to create email automation that will keep you visible to your customers at the right time. This isn’t just about marketing, it is also an invaluable form of customer service. You can help your customers manage their inventory.
If you haven’t already invested in a CRM, get in touch and we can help you get started.
E-commerce
E-commerce platforms like Woo Commerce and Shopify have a number of great tools baked right in to help you automate your customer service. Email automation in e-commerce helps increase sales and revenue.
Emails can be programmed to follow up on abandoned carts or even suggest related products as an upsell. Businesses who sell online can also create personalized shopping experiences by following up with customers who shopped specific products with unique promotions. Personalized follow-ups like these have an increased likelihood of converting because they are targeted.
These actions can all be automated reducing the time you need to manage your online store. Now you can focus on in-store sales, shipping, or other customer service priorities.
How Can You Business Benefit from Email Marketing Automation?
Email marketing automation is a powerful tool any business will benefit from. It has the power to save you administrative time, drive sales, and increase customer retention. It is an effective channel because your audience is already interested in your product or service.
Email marketing has the added benefit of being cost effective. Compared to traditional marketing channels such as TV, radio, or print, email marketing gives you more control and more data on your customers for less. Once we have worked with you to create a strategy We can run campaigns that match any budget while providing great reporting data. We will fine tune logistics of your campaign to produce even better results.
Our designers can create beautiful banners and we can drive to specialized campaign web pages to improve conversions. We have email solutions suitable for any budget.
Are you interested in learning how your business can leverage email automation? Whatever Solutions & Media offers solutions and coaching to help you leverage digital tools like email marketing. Getting started is easy. Contact us for a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation.
