Email automation
Did you know the global marketing automation software market is set to hit $13.71 billion by 2030? On top of that, email marketing is currently considered to be the top automated channel for promoting your business.
Why so?
Around 4 billion people have at least one active email account, more than half of the global population. By 2026, it’s projected that 4.73 billion people will use email worldwide. That’s impressive!
And even though an average CTR for emails is 1.60% across industries, you can generate a considerable number of leads by sending out mass emails.
Of course, sending bulk emails manually is tiring and time-consuming. This is where email automation comes into play.
What is email automation?
Email automation is the process of setting up a system designed to send automatic emails to recipients as a response to their actions (or inactions).
Although it’s impossible to eliminate human participation in automated email campaigns because someone needs to set the system up, email automation software takes care of the rest — from scheduling emails to assessing the campaigns’ performance.
Who needs email automation?
First and foremost, email automation is highly sought after by sales and marketing pros. That`s because mail is at the heart of everything they do — whether it’s generating email leads, nurturing relationships, boosting brand awareness, promoting products, or driving conversions.
To save time, you can put most of the mailing tasks on autopilot with email automation software, helping teams across multiple industries run their campaigns smoothly and efficiently daily.
What are the benefits of automated emailing?
Email automation takes time and money to implement. So, for small companies or startups, this isn’t something to start with urgently. Still, there are 3 reasons automation is better than manual outreach.
Better reach and countless personalization options
Email automation provides an opportunity to reach out to a wider audience and send them personalized messages.
Say, you want to follow up with new subscribers. You create a welcome email template that contains variables, such as the recipients’ names, job titles, website addresses, etc. When you sync the lead database with the mailing system, it automatically replaces variables with the needed values. As a result, you get a bundle of tailored messages ready to be sent out in a few clicks.
Smarter sending
Email automation tools allow building separate email sequences and managing them at once. So, instead of monitoring and labeling threads in your inbox, you can create multiple campaigns and set up the order and the frequency for delivering emails.
Besides, you can include behavioral triggers. When the addressee performs the action you’ve set as a trigger (e.g., opened an email, clicked a link, or booked a meeting), the next email will be sent. This way, important users’ actions will be timely followed up.
Agile campaign management and transparent KPIs
Once the campaign is launched, you can track its performance and see if there are any problems with its deliverability, email open rates, email click rates, or reply rates. This allows detecting deviations and pausing the campaign, so you don’t waste money or harm your sender’s reputation.
Email automation software
Today’s email automation software has moved beyond mail design tools and mass send-out schedulers. Nowadays, many of these tools have become full-cycle automated ecosystems that let sales and marketing teams automate various tasks based on where their leads are in the sales funnel.
For instance, Snov.io’s automated software covers pretty much all the BENEFITS of current automated email marketing, like:
Advanced email search & Verification
Before you launch your automated email campaigns, ensuring your email list is packed with contacts is important. Yes, it’s extra tricky these days as not everyone shares their info freely.
With Snov.io’s Email Finder Chrome extension, you can easily track down email addresses from various online sources. Here’s how it works:
- Find and save leads directly from company websites
- Gather business contacts in bulk from Google search results
- Collect email addresses and company info from Yelp
- Locate emails linked to Twitter profiles
- Use domain search to find addresses associated with specific domains
- Filter companies and prospects by name, industry, size, and more using Snov.io’s own database
➜ How to use Email Finder extension for Chrome
If you’re looking to grab emails from professional networks like LinkedIn, check out Snov.io’s Li Prospect Finder Chrome extension — it’s made just for LinkedIn and immediately integrates into its search bar.
You can download the extension by going to LinkedIn, finding the search bar, entering your desired job titles and filters (like Locations or Current Company), and hitting the LI Prospect Finder button.
You’ll get a list of emails right away — just hit ‘Save’ to collect all the verified addresses.
➜ How to collect leads from LinkedIn with LI Prospect Finder
Verified already? Yep! Both Snov.io’s extensions include an automated Email Verifier, so you don’t need to check addresses manually. Emails are color-coded: green for verified, yellow for questionable, and red for non-existent. Super comfy!
Hyper-personalization & Smart dispatch
Almost every marketer in 2024 gets the power of personalization — 96% say it boosts repeat business, and 94% see it driving sales. That’s why lots of email automation tools now include built-in personalization features, often with AI to help professionals craft targeted, audience-specific emails faster.
For example, Snov.io’s Cold Email automation tool features a visual email sequence builder and an AI Email Writer — a GPT-based tool in the content editor that helps users create custom marketing emails either from their own prompts or generated by AI.
Besides offering ready-to-use templates for different industries, the mail content editor has cool features like Spintax. This helps you create multiple versions of your marketing emails, improving deliverability by sending unique copies that avoid spam filters and reach the inbox.
For a smarter email marketing sequence, try setting up custom triggers for your campaigns. You can pick delays that fit your schedule — whether it’s by the hour, day, or week—or tweak them based on how users interact with your emails. If they open, click, or ignore your messages, you can adjust your follow-up to match their behavior.
Email warm-up & Deliverability
Before you hit send on your campaign, many email automation tools offer a feature called Email Warm-up. It’s a key step because warming up your email account helps build a solid sender reputation and boosts the chances of your emails landing in the inbox.
➜ How to use Email Warm-up: tips for best results
And once you start sending out your first sequences, you’ll want to make sure they don’t end up stuck in filters that might send them to the promotions, categories, or spam folders.
That’s where tools like Email Deliverability Check can really help. It lets you test your deliverability both before and during campaigns for one or more email accounts. After running the test, you’ll quickly get insights into your Domain Health and how your email is categorized by providers, all in just a few minutes!
Also, to steer clear of spam filters, you might want to review your email content for any spammy words, check that attached links are relevant, and make sure your images are the right size for proper display.
➜ How to check and improve email deliverability
How to grow your business with email automation
For the best results, a little planning goes a long way. Here are a few handy tips:
Segment the subscribers’ list
Segmentation depends on your marketing objectives, and demographics alone might not be enough. For example, if your goal is to nurture loyal clients with special offers, it’s worth using all the customer information you’ve collected in your CRM as segmentation criteria. Or, for a series of welcome emails, consider a date when a lead has subscribed to a newsletter.
Clean your mail lists
Regular cleaning is required to remove leads who’ve unsubscribed from newsletters or haven’t opened your emails for a while. If senders neglect validation, they’ll sooner or later face more delivery error messages, and their domain reputation can be damaged.
Luckily, you don’t need to do all of the above manually. Email marketing automation software comes to the rescue!
Choose your email automation tool
Choosing a tool with great email automation features can really take your marketing campaigns to the next level. You’ll want to look for things like customizable templates, smooth automation workflows, and solid analytics features. Also, it’s super helpful if the platform integrates well with other tools like CRM systems. Just make sure it’s easy to use and has good customer support — those two can make a big difference!
Craft targeted campaigns
Customizing your mail campaigns for different audience segments can really boost relevance and engagement. Welcome emails are great for making a fantastic first impression and showing new subscribers what you’re all about. Nurture marketing campaigns are perfect for building relationships with valuable content and perks. And don’t forget about abandoned cart and re-engagement emails — they’re awesome for driving conversions and rekindling interest.
Sound catchy
The design of your email is key for catching attention and getting people to act. And while your subject lines matter for everyone, they’re especially crucial for younger crowds like Millennials and Gen Z. They’re hit with tons of content daily, so a standout subject line can really make an impact!
💡Pro-tip! For better results, test your subject lines and follow these tips:
- Keep it clear: Avoid vague or overly clever lines. Make sure your subject is clear and under 65 characters.
- Use action verbs: Words like “Buy,” “Shop,” and “Look” tell readers exactly what to do.
- Personalize: Use your subscribers’ names or send specific messages to boost engagement.
- Create urgency: Add a sense of urgency with phrases like “Flash sale” or “Limited stock.”
Create dynamic content
You can customize images, CTAs, and even the whole email layout for different segments. For example, if a company sells clothes for men and women, it can create separate emails for each group with tailored CTAs and images that match their interests.
Set up your triggers
With email automation you can send messages based on specific actions. For example, you can set up a welcome series to automatically send when someone subscribes, or trigger abandoned cart reminders if a customer hasn’t completed a purchase. This way, your communication remains timely and relevant, while you save time and cut down on manual tasks.
Check & Adjust
Testing different parts of your email campaigns can really help you figure out what clicks with your audience. Try A/B testing things like subject lines, content, and sending times to see what gets the best response. By keeping an eye on how your campaigns perform, you’ll learn what works best and keep making things better.
Comply!
Following email marketing rules is key to staying out of trouble and earning your audience’s trust. Make sure there’s a clear unsubscribe link in your emails so people can easily opt out if they want to. Sticking to regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM shows you respect their privacy and preferences.
Track & Improve
Keeping an eye on your email campaign metrics is crucial for getting a grip on how things are going and making smart decisions. Open rates, click-through rates, and conversions — are core induces to track and figure out what’s working for you. Use this info to tweak your strategies, refine your messages, and boost engagement. Staying flexible and responsive to these insights will keep your email marketing on point and successful.
Email marketing automation examples
Welcome Series
🧨 Trigger: A new user opens an account or subscribes to your newsletter.
📩 Content: A series of messages that introduce your brand, showcase your products or services, and highlight how they can benefit the customer.
🎯Aim: Get new subscribers excited and lead them toward making their first purchase or taking the next step.
Lead nurturing
🧨Trigger: A potential lead grabs a whitepaper, ebook, or another handy resource
📩Content: A series of mails that offer extra valuable content, interesting case studies, or helpful product info.
🎯Aim: To help the lead learn and navigate their buying journey, build trust, and boost the chances of making a sale.
Post-purchase follow-up
🧨Trigger: A customer completes a purchase.
📩 Content: A series of mails that thank the customer, ask for feedback or a review, and suggest related products or services.
🎯 Aim: To make the post-purchase experience even better, collect feedback, and encourage customers to shop with you again.
Product recommendations
🧨 Trigger: A client makes a purchase or browses products on the site.
📩 Content: Mails that suggest similar or complementary offerings based on their past buying experience or browsing history. 🎯 Aim: To boost cross-sell and upsell opportunities by personalizing recommendations.
Loyalty programs
🧨Trigger: Customer reaches a certain milestone, such as a specific number of purchases or amount spent.
📩Content: A message inviting them to join a VIP or loyalty program, outlining the exclusive benefits they’ll receive.
🎯Aim: Reward loyal customers and encourage them to continue engaging with your brand.
Wrapping up
The two chief components of email automation success are the quality of the contact database you have and the approach to tailoring emails you use. Remember, customers won’t appreciate receiving formal or irrelevant messages from you.
So, prior to investing any money in software and launching automated campaigns, make sure you’ve segmented your audience and planned email sequences thoroughly.
