Planning for Successful Automated Marketing Campaigns

You can't grow a juicy strawberry plant by drowning it in all the water it needs at once. And you can't get a customer ready to buy from you by giving them all the information in one sitting. That's where marketing automation comes in. Automated marketing lets you carefully grow your customer relationships until they are ripe for that sale. Before you send that first email, answer these four key questions.

What Do I Want to Say?

To make automated marketing work for you, plan out what you want to say. Each campaign should have a specific aim in mind, whether that is:

• To increase brand awareness
• To sell a new product
• To get sign-ups for a new program
• To establish yourself as a market leader

Figure out your aim first, then build your campaign around it. The result will be clearer and more concise than if you don't plan.

Who Do I Want to Say It to?

Each campaign is going to have its own set of recipients. While each one is an individual, they will still have some common ground, such as:

• They’re new prospects who are still learning about your company
• They’re established customers who you think will like your new product
• They’re longtime subscribers who need to renew

Build up a persona to send your automated marketing campaign to – talk directly to them and their needs to make your campaign personal.

Why Should They Listen?

Your customers get a lot of marketing messages every day. Don't assume they want to listen to you – show respect for their time by giving them a good reason to. Use your drip campaign to give them information they can't live without or show how you can make their lives better.

How Do I Know When to Say It?

When planning your campaign, plan out when the best time to send your messages is. You can use metrics to help you with this. Perhaps start sending out information emails once a customer fills out an interest form. Or send relevant messages after a purchase. Keep an eye on how your customers are behaving, and plan your campaign to tap into that for maximum effect.

An automated marketing campaign can have a good yield for your business, so long as you plan it well and nurture your customers with carefully crafted content and plenty of care for your growing relationship.