7 Ways to Personalize Automated Mailings based on the actions of Subscribers

In an age of personalization, a one-size-fits-all strategy for email marketing does not perform today. Email marketers and businesses that are e-commerce generally have plenty of data about their customers, however they mostly fail to use that data to their full advantage. With an increasing number of companies using email marketing, it's essential that, as an email marketer, you implement new ways to ensure your clients are engaged.

The days of making use of the first name of subscribers in the emails was believed to be among the most effective strategies to improve conversions. Making sure that subscribers receive timely, relevant emails which are relevant to their interests is vital to keep them interested in your business.

Automation and personalization, when utilized together, create amazing results. A analysis indicates that According to Experian research, businesses who personalize their marketing messages have more unique click rates and 11% higher open rates as compared to those that do not personalize. It also states that triggered emails result in more response rates to conversion for the same number of emails as opposed to "batch blast" blast and batch emails.

When it comes to creating custom-designed campaigns for your online store emails, you must adhere to a few easy and complex procedures to drive your campaigns to the right place.

  Be Prepared to Answer the Right Questions  

To send automated emails, it is necessary to get customer data. The most effective method to collect this is by asking them to make certain preference options that can assist you in separating the data. When customers opt-in to your emails, inquire about the reason for choosing to receive your email. Your responses will provide insight that will guide you towards sending targeted and relevant emails.

This is an example of an email sent by Marisa Murgatroyd, Founder of Live Your Message. In the email she asks her email subscribers to take a quick survey that will enable her to separate the people based on their interests and to send only messages that are the most pertinent to them.

  Build Customer Personas  

After you have received responses from your customers, create personal profiles of customers out of the information you've gathered. By understanding your customers and email subscribers better it will allow you to create customized experiences for them. This can help provide the email recipients greater focus and an experience that is more customized.

  Consider Location and Time  

Check your email messages by location and time to determine what works best for your needs. Certain hours of the day are proven more effective when it comes to . Customers may be spread across the world in different times zones, so it's essential to cater to all of them. Your customers may respond more positively to your messages if they're sent out at a particular time of the day. It is important to do A/B test for your email and determine the ideal time when the customers reach out to your emails and then set the send timing accordingly.

  7 kinds of automate Emails Triggered by Subscriber Behavior  

When you've got enough data for you to correctly divide your subscribers into segments, it's time to create automatized trigger emails for certain segments or actions.

  There are seven types of trigger emails you could send out to your customers:  

  1. Welcome Emails

These welcome emails help create a connection with your newly joining subscriber. This is the first message you send to confirm the signup. It will allow you to filter your database by asking your subscribers about their preferences. It is recommended to send a sequence of welcome emails; the first one should be a simple welcome note and introducing your offerings, followed by a second one asking about the subscribers' preferences, and following emails about promotions and discounts that they can avail for the future purchases they make.

Take a look at this example of Welcome Email from Hootsuite. The email guides the subscriber to sign up for their web-based tool. This is the first email of their series that is triggered and is sent when the subscriber decides to sign up.

  2. Abandoned Cart Emails

Emails about abandoned carts are those which are sent out to clients who added products in their shopping carts but failed to make it to the checkout. Highlighting the abandoned products and offering a discount or a free shipping option to go to the checkout process is an excellent way to make them complete the purchase.

Check out the email sent by Asics. They have highlighted one of the abandoned products by putting it in the top banner and showing the rest of the items in the cart beneath. They have also displayed items to encourage cross-selling, increasing customers' chances returning to the site to make a purchase.

3. In Stock Emails

Emails with back in stock are those emails that are sent out to customers who wanted to purchase a specific item that was out of stock and has chosen to get notified when the product is available in the stock. Sending an email that notifies the customer about availability of the product is an excellent way to get them back to your website for the purchase.

This message from Kauffmann The Mercantile is an excellent instance. This notice is a great way to let your customers feel loved.

4. Price Drop Reminders

The price drop emails go to those who have left your store online or abandoned their cart likely due to the cost of some products that there is no discount. When the previously browsed products are available at a discounted price, it is good to inform customers of it. It is a good chance to convince customers that had previously considered buying from your.

Look at this example of the retailer Target that has notified the customers of the discounted new price of the products in their carts, as well as additional products recommended by Target. This will convince the customer to purchase the product.

5. Order Confirmation

After customers checkout and place an order, notify them via email of their order confirmation to them, confirming as well as thanking them for having completed the purchase. It will allow them to recheck their purchase and adjust it when necessary. Include a payment receipt and details of your order to keep your transaction in the public domain. Also, give them options to track their order and provide feedback. It is also possible to consider selling similar products or cross-selling.

Here's an illustration of an order confirmation email sent from Amazon. This particular purchase was for an ebook. Notice how Amazon suggests similar books at the bottom of the email.

  6. Order Follow-up Emails

After your client has made an order through your website, you need to send order follow-up emails. Automate follow-up email messages which include product-related recommendations and related product suggestions. The emails also contain the tracking information for your order, a summary of your order summary and payment details.

Look over this email from Etsy that informs the customer about the progress of the shipped order.

7. Re-engagement Emails

Re-engagement emails aim to strengthen the relationship between your subscribers and customers who haven't opened your emails or who haven't bought from you in a specific timeframe. Re-engagement emails that are effective can encourage clients to return to your site. You can send a series of messages to attract your disinterested customers and draw them towards buying from your website. It is also possible to include deals and promotions to encourage customers to return to your site and place an purchase.

Here is an example of an email re-engagement from Pinkberry which offers their customers a free yogurt, if they come to any Pinkberry store within seven days of:

  Automated emails work best when they're personalized  

Hyper-personalization is what will keep your email subscribers interested in your business. When you next plan for your email marketing campaigns ensure that you do more than just include their names in the emails. Creating personalized emails that are based on the subscribers' behavior and interests is crucial to ensure the automated emails you send out work successfully.

Kevin George is the Head of Marketing for EmailMonks, one of the fastest growing email design and coding firms that specializes in crafting elegant email templates, conversion of PSD files to HTML email conversion and free HTML email templates. Kevin loves sharing his experiences and thoughts regarding email marketing techniques and top practices in his blog on email marketing.