With 79% of B2B marketers considering email as their preferred channel for content distribution, it’s clear that email marketing automation has become an indispensable tool for modern businesses.
By harnessing the power of automated emails, you can profoundly impact your engagement levels with your audience and enhance your overall digital marketing strategies.
Effective email marketing automation is more than just timed emails; it’s about nurturing relationships, guiding potential customers along the sales funnel, and driving meaningful conversions—all in a streamlined and efficient manner.
Let’s get this party started! Read on to explore the best email automation examples for marketing automation.
What Is Email Automation?
But first, some definitions. Email automation automatically sends emails to your subscribers based on an automation trigger. Instead of manually sending out individual emails, automation allows for a more efficient, targeted, and personalized communication approach.
Automated emails have proven to be a cost-effective way to build great relationships with customers and they keep your subscribers engaged, boost conversion rates, and improve customer experience.
The Benefits of Email Automation
Harnessing the power of email automation tools can bring significant advantages to your marketing strategy, including:
➡️ Efficiency: Email automation handles repetitive tasks, saving you time.
➡️ Scalability: Automation can manage growing email lists without extra work.
➡️ Personalization: Automation tools segment audiences for targeted messaging.
➡️ Consistency: Automated emails are sent regularly and at optimal times.
➡️ Engagement: Timely, relevant emails foster better user engagement.
➡️ Analytics: Automation provides useful metrics to improve strategies.
➡️ Retention: Automation helps build stronger customer relationships.
➡️ Revenue: With efficiency and engagement, email automation boosts sales.
Now, let’s delve into some great examples of email automation in action by showcasing the best practices for various marketing workflows.
Initiating Engagement: The Welcome Workflow for Starting Off on a Positive Note
Interesting fact—did you know that 74% of users expect welcome emails post sign-up? And the figures back this up, too. As of 2023, welcome emails are stealing the limelight with an impressive average open rate of 86%.
Given these stats, it’s clear that a welcome email is more than a polite nod—it’s a golden opportunity to engage new subscribers who’ve just expressed their interest in what you offer.
Take advantage of this chance to make a grand first impression and start the relationship on the right foot!
A good welcome email should be thoughtfully structured and generally include the following elements:
✔️ Warm greeting: Begin the email with a friendly hello. A welcome email is the perfect opportunity to inform your subscriber what to expect and highlight the value your product or service will bring them.
✔️ Show your brand personality: Encourage subscribers to engage with your brand, perhaps by following your social media accounts, subscribing to your blog, downloading a resource, or exploring a product feature.
✔️ Clear instructions: If applicable, give the recipient instructions on what to do next, whether it is setting up their profile, getting started with your product, or taking advantage of a new customer offer.
✔️ Incentive: To express gratitude to new subscribers or customers, offer them an incentive, like a discount coupon. This can motivate them to make their first purchase from your e-commerce business.
✔️ Support and feedback: Provide clear contact information and links to resources such as FAQs and user support. Encourage feedback to understand their experience and improve your marketing automation plan.
🚀 Pro tip: Take your time and create a welcome email that grasps your subscribers’ attention and encourages engagement.Branding is essential. If you are not a designer, take advantage of these welcome email templates here, which will make your life a lot easier.
Welcome email automation example
One of our favorite automated email examples is from a company called Away, a luxury luggage company.
Even before a new customer opens their email, the brand welcomes them warmly via a clever subject line—”We’re away. Let’s meet up.” This whimsical wordplay sets an amicable tone right from the get-go.
Next, the brand swiftly takes the opportunity to introduce itself. They also clearly depict how their product will improve your life, followed by a gentle nudge to learn more about the company and delve deeper into its offerings.
The narrative then unfolds to spotlight the key features of their product, which enhances the reader’s understanding and generates interest.
And the cherry on top—an enticing incentive! They present an unbeatable offer of a 100-day trial, which is available with any luggage purchase. This strategic incentive not only propels the customer toward making their first purchase, but also instills confidence in the product, factors which make the email a resounding success in engaging the new customer.
Let’s keep going and look at some more automated emails.
2. Use an Onboarding Campaign to Increase Conversion and Trust
Of all the different types of email automation workflows, onboarding may be one of the most important, particularly if you offer a SaaS-type service.
The purpose of a user onboarding email is to welcome new users when they sign up for paid subscriptions or digital products. Its main purpose is to guide the user in quickly understanding your offering and gaining value from the product or service.
An effective user onboarding email should include the following:
✔️ Welcome and confirmation: Start by warmly welcoming the user and confirming their successful signup. This immediately reassures them that the process was completed correctly.
✔️ Introduction to the product/service: Give a brief overview of what your product or service does and its benefits. This should be done in simple, user-friendly language to avoid overwhelming the user.
✔️ How to get started: Provide a clear, step-by-step guide on using your product or service. You might include links to a tutorial, a user guide, or a video demonstration.
✔️ Resources for help: Provide resources where users can seek assistance if they encounter problems or have questions. This could include links to FAQs, a help center, or customer support contact information.
✔️ Quick wins: Encourage users to explore and engage with the product by completing an easy task for them to achieve. This could also be done by highlighting key features, offering tips and tricks, and social proof.
✔️ Clear call to action (CTA): Always include a clear CTA that guides users on their next steps. This might be to start a tutorial, set up their profile, or use a particular feature.
Onboarding email example
Framer
Framer is a low-code prototyping platform. This onboarding email is a great example of email automation done right.
💡 Quick win introduction: By promising users that they will learn how to create their prototype, Framer’s email immediately offers tangible value. This engages users right from the start and motivates them to continue reading.
💡 Warm welcome: The warm welcome from Framer helps establish a friendly and approachable tone for future communications, which contributes to positive brand perception.
💡 Clear call to action (CTA): The “follow this tutorial” CTA offers a straightforward next step for users to start with Framer. This helps reduce uncertainty, which can lead to higher engagement rates.
💡 Guidance toward the ‘Aha! moment’: Providing additional resources and a quick win opportunity (like using a template) is a great strategy to guide users toward their “Aha! moment”—in this case the moment they realize the value of Framer’s platform. This approach can significantly enhance user understanding, engagement, and satisfaction with the product.
💡 Onboarding and user retention: By effectively guiding new users through the platform’s initial stages, Framer will likely increase user retention and build customer relationships.
When it comes to onboarding emails, don’t get hung up on flashy designs. Sometimes well-crafted, hyper-personalized text can do the trick. Just look at how Groove nails it with its text-centric onboarding email approach:
3. Cross-Sell and Upsell Automation to Increase the Average Order Value
The desire to sell more is universal. In this email automation example, we’ll look at how marketers use cross-sell upsell emails to increase the revenue of their brand.
It’s crucial to keep interacting with customers after they’ve made a purchase, especially when your brand offers a variety of products or services. That’s precisely where cross-selling and upselling strategies can be super useful:
➡️ Upselling: Involves encouraging a customer to buy a more expensive version of an item, or to add features or services that can increase the value of their initial purchase. For instance, upselling a customer from a basic software package to a premium package.
➡️ Cross-selling: Refers to the strategy of selling different products or services to an existing customer that are complementary to the ones they’ve already purchased. For example, if a customer has bought a laptop, a cross-sell email might recommend a laptop bag or a mouse.
The general strategy for marketing automation emails works as follows:
1️⃣ Send an email to your customers that features the product they’ve bought.
2️⃣ Follow up with another email to suggest new products or services that match their purchase.
This strategy is a great way to continue the conversation and potentially generate more sales!
Good cross-sell or upsell marketing emails should include the following:
✔️Personalization: Leverage customer data to offer personalized recommendations.
Reference previous shopping history and customize your special offers accordingly. Send a shopping cart email to your contacts with the product or service they bought.
✔️Value proposition: Clearly explain the benefits of the additional or higher-value product. Show how it complements their existing purchase, provides better features, or adds value.
✔️Strong call to action (CTA): To drive the customer to consider the recommended product or upgraded service, the CTA should be clear and compelling.
✔️Visual appeal: High-quality images and good design can help make your products more attractive and appealing to customers.
✔️Social proof: Reviews, testimonials, or ratings can help persuade customers of the value or popularity of the recommended product.
✔️Limited-time offer: Offering a discount on the additional product or upgraded service for a limited time can create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate action.
Up- and cross-selling email automation example
Kickresume, for example, has had great results with email automation. Typically, you’ll receive a lead nurturing email shortly after having signed up for an account and once they’ve started using it.
Right off the bat, the customer is presented with a compelling value proposition—by going premium, they’ll be on the fast track to securing a job. This proposition is closely followed by a clear CTA, which directs them to explore pricing plans.
Their email also has great visual appeal, which captivates the reader. It articulates what benefits the lead will gain when they upgrade to a premium subscription.
Additionally, it leverages social proof by showcasing a customer testimonial and highlighting the sizable number of premium subscribers, which bolsters the trust factor.
Moreover, it comes with a customer-friendly promise—a money-back guarantee—which assures customers of a risk-free investment:
4. Uncover Targeted Leads with Lead Magnets
Lead magnets are an essential feature of a lead-generating funnel that converts well and attracts loyal customers.
💡 What is a lead magnet?A lead magnet is an incentive that marketers offer potential buyers in exchange for their email addresses or other contact information.
Lead magnets usually offer digital, downloadable content, such as a free PDF checklist, report, e-book, whitepaper, video, etc. The goal of a lead magnet is to maximize the number of leads you are targeting for an offer by providing value to the potential customer.
The idea is to provide so much value for free that the potential customer will be more open to future communications from your business, which paves the way for potential sales in the future.
Simply collecting email addresses and sending a download link for your lead magnets in a single transactional email might not maximize their potential. Instead, consider setting up a tailored email autoresponder for each lead magnet.
This allows you to provide additional information, engage your subscribers more deeply, and foster more meaningful interaction with your brand.
Lead magnet follow-up email automation example
🔸 Acquisition
This is where your potential customer first encounters the lead magnet. It could be a blog post with a content upgrade, a pop-up on your website, a social media post, or an online ad.
🔸 Sign-up
The potential customer clicks on the lead magnet and is taken to a landing page or a sign-up form where they enter their email address (and possibly other information) to receive the lead magnet.
🔸 Welcome and delivery email
The first in a series of automated emails will include a welcome email. This is the first email your new subscriber receives after having signed up for your lead magnet.
It should thank them for their interest, deliver the details and a link for the lead magnet, and briefly explain what they can expect from your future emails.
🔸 Check-in email
After a day or two, send a check-in email. Ask whether they’ve found the lead magnet useful and whether they have any questions about it. This provides value and shows that you care about their experience.
🔸 Additional value email
A few days later, send an email that offers additional, related value.
These may be blog posts, infographics, or podcasts related to the content your subscriber downloaded. Include some teaser sentences and a call to action with a link to your evergreen material in this email.
The idea is to continue providing value and to start positioning your business as a trusted authority.
🔸 Soft pitch email
A series of follow-up emails are sent over the next few days or weeks. After you have provided additional value, you can start to introduce your product or service softly.
Share a success story, case study, or testimonial that shows your product or service in action. It’s not a hard sell, just a gentle introduction. Make sure you’re progressively building up to your sales pitch.
🔸 Hard pitch email
Now that you’ve provided lots of value and built some rapport, it’s time for a stronger pitch. Explain how your product or service can help them, what makes it unique, and why they should consider purchasing it. Include a clear call to action.
🔸 Last-chance email
Send a last-chance email if the recipient hasn’t responded to your previous pitch. Remind them of the benefits of your product or service, and consider offering them a limited-time discount or bonus to create urgency.
🚀 Pro-tip: Pay attention to the sequencing of your emails when you design your automation campaign.Each email is a micro funnel, and effective sequencing and targeted content are key to moving leads down the funnel toward conversion.
🔸 Non-responder follow-up
If the recipient still hasn’t responded, put them into a different email sequence or category. You might send occasional check-in emails, share more content, or offer other lead magnets in the future.
💡 How many emails are too many?It’s hard to say. It’s usually around 3-5 emails. It’s important to track and analyze your results. See which emails get the most opens, clicks, and conversions, and continually refine your sequence based on this data.
5. Improve Customer Experience
In today’s world, almost every company has a customer success team. This team assists your consumers, responds to their inquiries and problems, and manages feedback or complaints.
Beyond just support, this function can significantly bolster sales and enhance customer satisfaction.
But where does email marketing automation fit into this picture? It can be wielded in numerous ways to craft a distinct experience for your customers.
For instance, several brands use automated ‘thank you’ emails to gather reviews and feedback. Others send out surveys to glean invaluable customer insights. The examples below will shed light on how useful it is to automate repetitive marketing tasks like surveys and feedback.
Customer satisfaction email campaign example
Ritual
When a customer care case is closed, Ritual sends a triggered email to the customer, requesting them to complete a survey to rate the quality of the assistance they received. Here’s an example of such an email:
This type of email shows that you care about your consumers and the level of service you deliver.
Dropbox
Dropbox follows the same strategy as Ritual, but instead of a survey, they send a review email that asks customers to rate the success of their customer support.
After that, if a contact took the survey or you want to show that you value your customers’ feedback, you can send a thank you email in response to their action. Providing personalized customer service is a great way to make customers remember your brand.
6. Re-engage Customers with a Dedicated Campaign
Subscribers initially join your email list eager to benefit from the value you promise. Over time, this excitement can dwindle along with their engagement. Open rates decrease and clicks become scarce. Some subscribers may not align with your brand, but many can be re-engaged.
A re-engagement email automation campaign helps you sift through your list to retain the engaged, rekindle interest, and identify the least engaged. Devising such a campaign can be challenging, but with the right strategies you’ll be poised to re-engage and outpace your competition.
A win-back or re-engagement email should ideally include the following elements:
✔️ Personalization: Use the recipient’s name or previous purchase data to tailor the message and make it more relevant.
✔️ Strong subject line: Create an engaging and intriguing subject line to increase the chances of your email being opened.
✔️ Valuable offer: Provide a compelling offer such as a discount, free shipping, or exclusive access to new products. The goal is to incentivize the customer to interact with your brand again.
✔️ A strong CTA: Your CTA should guide customers on what to do next, whether it’s to “Shop Now,” “Reactivate Account,” or “View New Collection.”
✔️ Mention benefits: Remind the customer why they chose to interact with your brand in the first place. Highlight the unique selling propositions (USPs) of your product or service.
Let’s explore an email automation example that can aid you in this journey.
Re-engagement email example
Busuu is a platform that helps users learn new languages. Their win-back email is simple, but highly effective.
Busuu employs strategic personalization in its win-back emails that specifically target customers who discontinued their subscriptions midway through a language course.
By offering an impressive 50% discount, paired with a 24-hour window of opportunity, Busuu generates a compelling sense of urgency.
This encourages customers to return and take advantage of substantial savings, and re-engages them with their language learning journey.
The Takeaway
And there it is—your roundup of the most essential email automation examples to supercharge your email marketing campaign in 2023. With these examples, you’re set to create automated email campaigns that save time, boost conversion rates, and elevate customer experience.
Remember, the goal is to build a journey for your leads and potential customers by guiding them with clear steps and providing them with valuable information through email marketing automation. But be mindful; you’re not in the business of spamming your contacts. Instead, strive to offer them value and nurture them through a distinct customer experience that only your brand can deliver.
And here’s a final and very crucial pro tip: standing out is a game-changer in an inbox overflowing with emails. Personalization is your secret weapon here. Make your emails more than just messages—make them memorable. Why not give Hyperise’s personalization tools a try with a free trial? Go on, make your mark!
Alex is a content writer at Moosend. He leaped with faith into the digital marketing world from an architecture background and has never looked back. You will find him traveling in places around the world in his free time.