Email automation used to be the domain of the big guys – very large enterprise companies – and big guys only.
Slowly, email automation dripped (sorry) down to smaller businesses thanks to tools like Infusionsoft. However, even Infusionsoft is overkill (in complexity and cost) for small online sellers.
After all, MailChimp gives those of us with fewer than 2,000 subscribers a free and easy email marketing platform. Why invest so much more just to add email automation?
Well, now you don’t have to.
MailChimp recently released its email automation features to all users – even those with fewer than 2,000 subscribers – at no cost.
You read that right. Free.
You get an email automation. And you get an email automation. Everyone gets an email automation!
Remind Me. What’s Email Automation?
Email automation (one piece of the broader marketing automation pie) is the process of sending prebuilt emails automatically to subscribers based on their actions or unique data.
For example, all those marketing emails you receive around your birthday are automated.
No one at Target gets a calendar reminder that your birthday is coming, logs into MailChimp, builds the email, and presses send.
Target built that email years ago and MailChimp sends it automatically because you shared your birthday with Target.
Boom. Automation.
Got It! Show Me the Free Email Automations.
Sold on this free service? Here are four automated emails you can send to your customers using MailChimp.
1. Introduce Yourself With a Welcome Email.
Once you shepherd your new subscriber through MailChimp’s tedious double opt-in process, send them a welcome email to thank them for their interest and introduce your value proposition.
You might use this email to deliver a discount code and drive an initial purchase. If you do, dangle that discount code like a carrot at every step of the double opt-in process to make sure your new subscriber completes the process.
2. Get Intimate With a Lead Nurture Series.Â
Most small businesses just dump new subscribers immediately into their monthly newsletter list. For the subscriber, that’s like joining a conversation already in progress.
Savvier marketers send a series of automated lead nurture messages every couple weeks to slowly introduce themselves to new customers. You’ll want to feature a mix of your best content, most popular products, and occasional discount codes to really put your best foot forward with your new subscriber.
(Dive deeper with these six lead nurture tips from Infusionsoft alum Greg Jenkins.)
Once the subscriber receives all five or six emails, they’ll automatically enter your monthly newsletter list.
This approach is sometimes referred to as drip marketing because the subscriber received a steady drip, drip, drip of emails until they make a purchase… or complain.
3. Show ‘Em You Care With an Anniversary Email.
Any date can serve as a trigger for an email automation. There’s just one catch – MailChimp needs to know the date.
It doesn’t do any good to set up an automated birthday email if MailChimp doesn’t know the subscriber’s birthday.
Instead, consider sending an email on the one-year anniversary of the subscriber joining your list. MailChimp already knows the subscriber’s subscription date. And the subscriber already gets plenty of email around her birthday anyway.
4. Act Like the Big Guys With Shopping Cart Integration.
Ready to really up-level your email automation game?
If you use an ecommerce shopping cart like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or Magento, you can actually hook it up to your MailChimp account. From there the email automation options are virtually limitless.
You can follow up on purchases with extra info or requests for feedback. You can send a special thanks to your regulars and big spenders. You can even attempt to win back inactive customers with a discount code.
Of course, virtually limitless options can lead to unlimited paralysis. It’s hard to know where to begin.
If you’re not ready for shopping cart integration, don’t let that slow you down. Get started with a simple welcome email or on-boarding series and you’ll be acting like the big guys before you know it!