7 undeniable benefits of email automation
Email automation... won't that make me seem like a robot?
NO! Not if you use it effectively....
Sure, if you're not writing your emails in an authentic way, and you haven't thought about your email sequences from a 'customer journey' perspective.... but why would we do that?!
Here are 7 UNDENIABLE benefits of using email automation...
1. Get “better” leads - i.e. ones that are MUCH more likely to buy
Using workflows and lead scoring (I PROMISE this is not as scary as it sounds!) you can reach out to prospective customers at exactly the right stage in their “buyer journey”. What does that really mean? You can hit them with what they want or need to know at exactly the right time.
Plus, you can easily see what content they have already engaged with, and have a much better idea of their interests, pain points and specific areas they are looking for support! This allows you to tailor your conversations to serve in the best way possible and ensure your prospective customers know exactly how you can help them!
2. Convert leads into SALES 72% faster
A number of studies (e.g. Thomson Retuers) have proven that leads which are nurtured by automation systems convert into sales much more quickly. 72% more quickly, in fact! That’s a huge win. And you don’t need over-complicated systems or tools to do this. Many free and low-cost tools offer you these options e.g. MailerLite (free), ConvertKit (paid), MailChimp (paid feature). Although if you want to get seriously sophisticated with marketing automation you’ll want to look into some of the more feature heavy options.
3. Make your busy life EASIER
Automating your drip campaigns and different personalisation techniques means you can adopt a “set it and forget it” approach. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to think! You definitely do! You need to consider your audience carefully and understand well what they need from you. But when you do this upfront, automation takes away the manual work of nurturing your leads through the individual stages of their buying journeys (because don’t forget, your leads will all be at different stages at different times!)
4. Increase your overall sales and INCOME from current or previous clients too
Yes, it’s true that using automated workflows to nurture your leads (and existing customers) with smart & relevant drip campaigns increases your sales in general. And it stands to reason, right? Even your prior or current customers need to be reminded of who you are, what your expertise is and what you can offer them! If they don’t know, they can’t buy.
5. Cut the CRAP - get rid of what’s not working for you and focus more on what IS
Automation offers awesome analytics to help you figure out what to focus more on and what to cut out. - cut the crap, if a tactic or activity is not working to bring you new leads, drive more sales or transition existing customers into higher-value services or packages, don’t waste time on it! Easy to forget that one, especially when we hear and read so much about what we “should” be doing. Automation software gives you really cool insights into which pieces of your content, your website etc, your audience are actually engaging with and this is invaluable information when you need to make decisions about how you spend your time! Small disclaimer here - you do need to allow a reasonable period of time to build up these insights, though. You can’t expect a new strategy or tactic to work magic for you overnight - remember, consistency is key! BUT if you’ve been hammering away at something for weeks or months and can see from your workflow reports that it’s not getting traction - ditch it!
6. Optimise your OFFLINE activity too
Automation is not restricted to online activity - a surprising one, but if you’re running a business which is not solely an online operation, marketing automation can also have surprising benefits for you too. Depending on the system you use and it’s features, you can use automation for multi-channel activity like scheduling phone calls & meetings, sending hard-copy postcards, price lists, menu-cards to offline gathered leads and organising any direct mail activity you do.
7. Last but DEFINITELY not least - get some sanity back!
This entrepreneurship biz can often be so knackering - we pour our hearts and souls into this stuff and, especially when you are truly a one-man-band, it can take a toll on you! Both from a physical, “I’m so exhausted I can’t leave the sofa” perspective but also from a psychological and mindset perspective. You know, when you begin to wonder if you are going completely insane because it is 3pm and you just had a coffee for “lunch” because you’ve got so much to do.
Marketing automation is NOT going to solve all your woes but it can and DOES take a significant proportion of manual work out of your day! It’s important to remember that yes, you’ll need to get your brain cogs greased and creaking into action upfront when you set your goals, strategy and build your workflows, but once these things are done you will find new life breathing into your days as your system will take care of so much heavy lifting for you. Yes, you will want to make tweaks to optimise your campaigns, and revisit your strategy regularly to make sure you’re still doing the right things for where your business is at now, but it definitely makes day-to-day life easier. Phew, breathe!
There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to working with automation, drip campaigns and workflows for the first time - but it is SO SO SO worth doing! I promise it really doesn’t have to be scary at all, especially if you work with an expert to lead you through everything, help you build your strategy and set the technology up. Any of you guys who are super logical thinkers will absolutely love it, (well, you probably already are using it!) and for creative types it really helps structure all your great but chaotic ideas into effective customer journeys for your audience that convert and make a significant difference to your income. Woo!
Want to discover what marketing automation can do for YOUR biz? Book a complimentary strategy call with me and let's get to work!
