Email marketing automation has revolutionized digital marketing, offering unparalleled efficiency and personalization. Even better, many email software providers now offer sophisticated pre-built email automation campaigns. This means much of the heavy lifting is already done for you, with marketing funnel templates that simply need a touch of customization to fit your brand.
By the end of this comprehensive guide, you will understand:
- The significant benefits of leveraging pre-built email automation campaigns.
- When to opt for pre-built drip campaigns and when crafting your own from scratch is best.
- The diverse types of pre-built email campaigns available today.
- A wealth of practical examples and tips for implementing effective email drip campaigns.
- Whether pre-built automation templates should be a key consideration when selecting your next Email Service Provider (ESP).
How Pre-Built Email Automation Templates Became Essential
While your business may feel unique, many marketers share common Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and goals. For instance, you might be focused on these four primary objectives for the year:
- Boosting overall revenue.
- Streamlining and automating sales funnels.
- Expanding your customer base.
- Transforming website visitors into loyal, repeat customers.
For each of these universal goals, there’s a core set of triggered emails that consistently drives results. Since the underlying objectives are similar across many businesses, the types of effective campaigns also tend to be similar. This commonality is precisely what allows for the creation of robust pre-built templates.
Yes, it does! It does make sense!
Pre-made email automation templates start as a complete sequence of triggered emails or drip campaigns, providing a solid foundation that you can then personalize. The question then becomes: when should you use these pre-built workflows, and when is it better to design your automation campaigns from the ground up? Here’s what you should consider.
When to Leverage Pre-Built Email Automation Templates
Pre-built marketing workflows are essentially templated email sequences. The degree of customization varies across marketing automation platforms; some allow for full personalization, while others are more rigid. If you can customize them, integration is typically smooth. However, if they are fixed, careful consideration is required.
Utilize a pre-built automation workflow template if you:
- Want to save time. These templates are designed for efficiency. Everything is pre-configured, much like a cooking recipe where you simply follow the steps. You set the desired triggers, import or design your email template, and the campaign is ready to launch much quicker than building from scratch.
- Are in the exploring or learning phase. If you’re experimenting with whether a specific drip campaign will yield results, pre-made templates are invaluable. They allow you to test different email types without investing extensive time in setup. This is perfect for trying out new strategies and gathering insights before committing to a fully custom build.
- Want to benchmark or improve existing campaigns. Even if you’ve already spent time designing your own sophisticated drip emails, you might wonder if there’s a better approach. Head to your ESP’s template library, pick one that seems promising, and use it to test against your current workflow. This offers a low-effort way to explore new strategies.
- Are new to marketing automation. Your familiarity and expertise with marketing automation play a big role. Experienced users might prefer building from scratch, but if you’re just starting out, a workflow template serves as an excellent outline to guide your content and structure, making the learning curve much smoother.
- Seek peace of mind. Starting with a workflow template can alleviate worries about missing crucial filters or steps. For critical campaigns like abandoned cart or welcome sequences, ensuring the correct targeting and progression is vital. Templates provide a reliable structure that helps prevent common errors.
Designing Your Own Marketing Automation Campaigns from Scratch
While pre-built templates offer convenience, there are times when designing your own drip campaigns from scratch is the superior approach. This isn’t daunting if you have a clear vision. Here’s when it’s better to start designing from the ground up:
It is better to start a marketing automation campaign from scratch if you:
- Are experienced in Email Marketing and Automations. If you have a precise and concrete idea of what you want to achieve with your automation, especially if it involves a very complicated or sophisticated workflow, building from scratch allows for maximum control and customization to match your exact vision.
- Want to do something truly unique. Email automation templates typically offer solutions for common challenges, such as cart abandonment, welcome series, or thank-you emails. If your business requires something more niche, highly tailored, or entirely innovative, designing your own drip email campaign ensures it aligns perfectly with your specific objectives.
For marketers eager to hone their workflow-design skills, practice is key. Start with simpler automations and gradually build up to more advanced ideas tailored to your unique needs.
Pro Tip: Steal Inspiration from Pre-Built Templates! Even if you decide to build from scratch, you can still use pre-built drip campaign templates as a source of inspiration. Reviewing a pre-configured workflow can help you visualize how a campaign operates, making it easier to conceptualize and design your own sophisticated automation.
Prioritizing Pre-Built Templates When Choosing a New ESP
Pre-built sales funnel templates can significantly accelerate the setup of email drip campaigns, allowing marketers to launch campaigns much faster. If rapid deployment is a priority for you, then the availability and quality of pre-built email drip campaigns should be a definite consideration when evaluating email marketing platforms.
While it might not be your absolute top criterion, it can certainly tip the scales, especially when you’re deciding between two or three strong contenders. Remember, you’re not forced to choose one or the other; you can seamlessly integrate pre-built email automation campaigns with your own custom, triggered campaigns for a hybrid approach.
Many leading email automation software platforms now provide robust template libraries to help you create these types of marketing automation emails.
But what specific campaigns should you look for? Let’s dive into the examples and tips!
12 Most Popular Email Automation Campaign Types
The possibilities with email automation are vast, offering countless ways to engage your audience. Here’s a list of the most popular and effective email automation campaigns that you are most likely to find as a pre-built template:
- Abandoned Cart
- Upsell/Cross-sell
- Weather-based
- Repeat purchases reminder
- Onboarding / welcome emails
- Product recommendations
- Website re-engagement emails
- Special offer reminder
- Specific area of interest
- Change in custom field
- Anniversary / Loyalty / Happy Birthday
- Improve customer experience and Survey Buyers
Among these, “Abandoned Cart” (especially for e-commerce) and “Happy Birthday” triggered emails are consistently the most popular and high-performing. Let’s explore each one with practical examples.
1. Increase Conversions with Cart Abandonment Drip Emails
Cart abandonment statistics reveal that approximately 45% of cart abandonment emails are opened, highlighting their immense potential.
It’s no surprise that the cart abandonment sequence is the most successful and popular recipe in e-commerce email marketing. Here’s a typical example of how a cart abandonment automation flow might look:
And here is a real-world example of a cart abandonment email from Jack Wills.
An abandoned cart drip campaign triggers when a recognized or signed-in user leaves items in their shopping cart without completing the purchase. It then sends a series of timely reminders.
Recent research suggests that an ideal Cart Abandonment drip email campaign should consist of 2-3 emails. The first email should be sent within the first hour, as this provides the highest chance of enticing the customer back to complete their checkout. This is a critical example to include in your email and marketing automation strategy.
Here’s an email automation example of a very well-crafted cart recovery email sequence from retailer Kate Spade New York. As soon as the customer abandons their shopping cart, the first email is sent, prominently featuring the product they were originally interested in:
A day later, the customer receives a second abandoned cart email, this time offering a discount to encourage them to finalize their purchase.
As these two examples demonstrate, you can configure these emails to dynamically display the specific products left behind. This is achieved using dynamic content, which automatically loads product images, details, and links. This way, every time a subscriber exits the checkout process, they receive an email that precisely mirrors the products in their abandoned cart, requiring no manual intervention from the marketer after initial setup. The products in the abandoned cart email serve as a powerful visual prompt, driving user action!
2. Increase Average Order Value with Automated Upsell and Cross-sell Emails
Two highly popular and effective pre-made email automation templates are cross-sell and upsell emails.
These automations are triggered after an initial purchase with the strategic goal of increasing the average order value (AOV).
- Cross-sell emails recommend complementary products to go along with the item the customer just purchased. For example, if someone buys a camera, a cross-sell email might suggest camera bags, extra lenses, or tripods. This can also be framed as an opportunity to save on shipping fees.
- Upsell emails are sent to customers who have just purchased an item, perhaps a smartphone, offering them a special deal on a more expensive, upgraded model, or suggesting add-ons like extra insurance, a larger data plan, or premium accessories.
3. Automated Weather-Based Recommendation Emails
One particularly innovative and engaging email automation template automatically checks the weather in your customer’s location and triggers a highly relevant email based on those conditions.
For instance, a fashion e-shop could send an email about “the newest flip-flops and sunglasses” if it’s sunny. Conversely, when it’s rainy, an email promoting your latest umbrella designs would have a much higher success rate and be perceived as more helpful by the customer.
4. Sales Funnel Template for Repeat Purchase Reminders
Marketing automation doesn’t have to be complex to be powerful. For businesses with restock, recurring, or renewal products, an automated email reminder sequence is incredibly valuable if subscriptions aren’t an option. These reminders are intelligently triggered to prompt repeat purchases.
A repeat purchase reminder is an automated email that you can schedule to be sent after a specific period following the initial purchase date.
For example, if a customer purchases an electric toothbrush on March 1st and it comes with two replacement heads, with an average use life of three months per head, the reminder could be set for a little before six months from the purchase date. This ensures the customer is prompted to restock in a timely manner, and crucially, from your brand.
5. Onboarding Sequences / Welcome Emails
Guide your new users and customers effectively down the sales funnel with an engaging onboarding sequence or series of welcome emails. These triggered emails are specifically designed to motivate new subscribers to take key actions and progress to the next stage of their customer journey.
Welcome emails provide a crucial first “soft-touch” interaction with your newly registered customer or subscriber. By starting off on the right (and automated) foot, you can immediately begin building a strong relationship.
When new users subscribe to your newsletter or register for your platform, it’s highly beneficial to guide them through its features using a rich Welcome email sequence while they are still familiarizing themselves with your brand.
There are more than 8 distinct types of Welcome and onboarding emails you can set up for your users:
- Standard welcome email: “Welcome to Acme.com!”
- Welcome to a reward system/loyalty program: “Welcome to our Acme’s loyalty program!”
- Confirmation email disguised as a welcome email: “Confirm your account to Acme.com!”
- Upgraded subscription Welcome email: “Welcome to Premium Acme.com!”
- First delivery welcome: “Welcome to your first delivery from Acme.com!”
- User/customer re-activates their account: “Welcome back to Acme.com!”
- VIP customer segment: “Welcome to Acme’s VIP list!”
- Content upgrade welcome: “Welcome to our free cheat sheet!”
Here is another compelling example:
Source: How 30 Companies do Welcome Emails
6. Increase Sales with Product Recommendation Emails
Segmenting your mailing lists is the foundational step to targeting the appropriate audience with highly relevant product recommendations.
Setting up a Product Recommendations automation allows you to strategically increase sales of specific products that resonate with members of a particular segment.
A product recommendation automation email can be categorized into three main types:
- Most-viewed Products: Recommending items that the subscriber or similar segments have frequently browsed.
- Most-ordered Products: Showcasing popular items that have high sales volumes across your customer base.
- Most-profitable Products: Highlighting products that contribute significantly to your revenue, often with higher margins.
By segmenting your email list based on these customer and product attributes, you can recommend items that are either popular or highly profitable. Many advanced ESPs come with these pre-built templates, making implementation straightforward.
7. Drive Customers Back with Site Re-engagement Campaigns
Often referred to as browse abandonment emails, these pre-built email automations are designed to bring people back to your website after they’ve visited but haven’t completed a desired action (like adding to cart or purchasing).
Every recognized or registered customer who has visited your website or e-shop but hasn’t engaged further will receive a timely email designed to draw them back. This strategy is particularly effective when coupled with price drops or special promotions. Alternatively, you can send them an email featuring products or categories they viewed, without explicitly mentioning it’s due to their previous interest.
You can configure these timed emails to include a discount offer valid for a limited period, with a subsequent reminder as the discount approaches its expiration.
8. Boost Mailing List Conversions with Special Offer Reminders
When you launch a special offer or send out a promotional newsletter, consider the additional conversions you could gain from those who didn’t act on the first email. A special offer reminder is a series of automated emails within a drip campaign designed to remind subscribers about the expiring deal.
By setting up a special offer reminder, you can craft a series of engaging messages, progressively increasing the sense of urgency in tone and style as the deadline approaches.
You have the flexibility to segment and filter which subscribers receive these reminder emails when configuring your automation. For instance, you could send a specific Special Offer reminder to those who opened and clicked on your first email but didn’t complete a purchase. For those who haven’t even opened any of the promotion emails, you could set up a different reminder with a fresh, enticing subject line to pique their interest!
9. Automatically Segment and Trigger Mails Based on Shown Interest
Emails segmented by interest always perform better. But first, you need to understand who is interested and in what. With email automation, you can gather valuable insights into your subscribers’ preferences based on their behavior. Set up an automation that tracks the product categories they click on and their on-site actions to make more precise and relevant recommendations.
Each time a user views a specific product page, their ‘score’ for that page can be tracked. Once this score reaches a predefined threshold, they can be automatically re-segmented into an interest-based emailing list. This ensures they receive highly targeted communications related to their demonstrated preferences.
10. Track and Trigger Events with “Field Value Has Changed”
Remember when we said the number of email marketing automation campaigns is limitless? Here’s a prime example of how that works. Because your ESP functions as a database, you can track any changes in your customer profile fields. Yes, email automation can track virtually any custom event. Upon a field change, you can then trigger any action you desire. For instance, a change of home address could automatically trigger a “find stores near you” email.
Digital marketers can also monitor behavioral pattern changes or timed events and craft messages and newsletters accordingly.
For example, a common trigger used to remind users when their trial is about to end, aiming to increase the odds of them converting to a paid service/product, is the “When a specific date is reached” trigger.
Consider this entry in your database for a newly registered user on your SaaS product:
Email: example@example.com
First Name: John
Last Name: Doe
Registration Date: 04/24/2019
End of Trial Date: 05/01/2019
Using the “specific date is reached” trigger, you can automatically send an email to John on 05/01/2019, reminding him that his trial period is ending today, prompting him to take action.
11. Build Brand Loyalty with “Happy Birthday,” “Loyalty Sequences,” and “Thank You” Emails
Did you know you can cultivate deeply loyal customers through strategic email drip campaigns?
Set up a Birthday email sequence to send out exclusive discount coupons a few days before the actual birthday, and perhaps a personalized e-card on their special day.
Another powerful way to foster customer affection is by sending out VIP Rewards. To implement this, you simply need to set up a loyalty sequence that tracks specific events you want to measure and accumulates a total score. Once a customer reaches a certain score, it can trigger a personalized Reward email, making them feel valued and appreciated.
12. Improve Customer Experience with “Survey Buyers”
A fantastic strategy to enhance your email marketing program is to actively gather feedback from your customers about their experiences. Ask them what they think about your products, services, after-sales support, delivery process, shipping fees, and most importantly, what you could do better.
A pre-built email automation template can be configured to trigger a few days after a customer receives the tracking code for their order. This survey could cover the overall shopping experience with your brand, but you could also set up targeted surveys about next year’s merchandise, specific product features, or even use it to track customer Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Should You Consider Pre-Built Email Automation for Your Next ESP?
Pre-built sales funnel templates are a significant asset, helping marketers set up email drip campaigns much faster than building from scratch. In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the need for speed is paramount, making pre-built email drip campaigns a highly valuable feature to look for in your email marketing platform.
While it may not be your absolute number one criterion, the availability and quality of these templates can certainly tip the scales, especially when you’re making a tough choice between two or three strong contenders. Crucially, remember that you’re not limited to one approach; you can always leverage pre-built email automation campaigns in conjunction with your own custom email-triggered campaigns, creating a flexible and powerful marketing strategy.
