Today, we're discussing 5 ways to use automation to develop your business.

What is automation, and why should you use it in your business

If you've ever used a chatbot or had a conversation with a digital assistant like Siri or Alexa, you've experienced automation. Automation is the use of technology to automate tasks traditionally done by human beings. In the business world, automation can be used to improve efficiency and productivity, reduce costs, improve customer service, and even sell more products and services.

The benefits of using automation in your business

The benefits of automation are clear. By automating tasks, businesses can save time and money while improving quality and productivity. But how do you know if automation is right for your business? Here are a few things to consider:

Automation saves time & money

Automated emails can save businesses a lot of time and money. They can be used to send out welcome messages, updates, and reminders without any staff intervention. In addition, automated emails can be personalized to each customer, which can help to build loyalty and increase sales. Overall, automated emails are an efficient way to communicate with customers and should be considered by any business that wants to save time and money.

Automation is scalable

Automated emails are one of the most effective tools in a digital marketer's toolkit. They're fast, they're easy to set up, and they're highly scalable. With just a few clicks, you can send out thousands of emails at once - making them perfect for reaching large audiences. You can also set up triggers (like a newsletter sign-up or abandoned cart) to send out pre-written emails at any time of the day.

Automation can be personalized

Companies that excel at personalization generate 40 percent more revenue from those activities than average players - McKenzie

Unless you plan on sitting at your computer all day and night writing in names, you'll want to add an email automation tool that can bring names in automatically.

Automation can help segment audiences

Pushing products and services to the wrong audience is like flushing money down the toilet. It does you nor your business any good. Instead, email automation can help you by divvying up your subscriber list into manageable segments. This allows you to send out one message to one audience and a completely different message to another.

5 Ways to use automation to develop your business

One of the most impactful uses of automation for businesses is email marketing automation. Automated email marketing can offer great results and, with tools like Cakemail, are super easy to set up and maintain.

#1 - Welcome and guide new users to your product or service - Onboarding sequence

When a new user signs up for your product or service, they need to be welcomed and given a guide on how to use it. Email automation can do this for you by sending out a series of welcome emails introducing the user to your product or service and showing them how to get started.

Onboarding sequences are usually between 3-7 emails long and are sent out over a period of days or weeks. They should be designed to welcome the user, introduce them to your product or service, and provide tips for success using it.

#2 - Teach them how to use the product on a deeper level

Once a user is familiar with your product or service, it's time to engage them on a deeper level and teach them how to use it to its full potential. Email automation can do this by sending out a series of emails that show the user different features and best practices. By encouraging deeper and better use of your products and services–especially in ways they may not have thought of–you make your products and services more valuable to them. This will encourage them to stay around longer and purchase more products as they come available.

#3 - Promote a product or service upgrade

As you release new products or services or upgrade existing ones, email automation can help you promote them to your customers. By sending out a series of emails about the new product or service and how it can benefit them, you can encourage customers to upgrade their subscriptions, purchase the new products, or become lifelong product users for you.

Email automation can also be used to cross-sell and upsell products. By sending out emails about complementary products or services, you can encourage customers to purchase them.

#4 - Follow up with site visitors - interest them to your product or service

Users who visit your site might not be ready to purchase a product or service immediately. Email automation can help you follow up with these visitors and interest them in your product or service. You can turn these visitors into leads by providing valuable information about your product or service–such as free resources or case studies.

#5 - Stimulate abandoned carts or inactive accounts

Email automation can also help you recover abandoned carts. By sending out an email reminding the user about the items in their cart, you can encourage them to come back and complete the purchase when they're ready.

Customers who haven't interacted with your product or service in a while might be at risk of churning. Email automation can help you reach out to these customers and keep them interested. You can do this by sending out a series of emails with helpful information about your product or service or by offering a discount for reactivating their account.

Email automation can help you develop your business in many ways. By using it to welcome and guide new users, teach them how to use your product or service, promote new products and services, follow up with site visitors, and stimulate abandoned carts or inactive accounts, you can keep your customers engaged and encourage them to purchase more products from you.

5 Tips for using automation successfully

Automation is not for everyone. But, as your company grows, you may discover that it's right for you. Here are some tips for using automation successfully.

Tip #1 - Don't automate everything

Not every email that you send needs to be automated. In fact, automating every communication is a quick way to show your audience that you don't really care about them. Instead, it's essential to think through what should be automated. One way to know which should and shouldn't be is to think about what communications you need to send out repeatedly and which only make sense by sending out once.

Tip #2 - Use A/B testing

It's challenging to know what will work and what won't. The best email marketing campaigns utilize A/B testing to determine what works best for their audiences. Sometimes you might want to test one subject line against another, and other times you might want to test your email images or call-to-action. Just remember, you should only test one variable at a time. Trying to do too much will simply muddle up your analytics.

Tip #3 - Remember your audience(s)

Emails from a company aren't for the company itself–at least, they shouldn't seem that way. If someone takes the time to sign up for your email list, they are telling you that they think what you have to say is valuable, and they'd like to know more from you in the future. Remember to make every email that goes out about your audience(s).

Tip #4 - Practice better subject lines

The goal of a subject line on an email is to get the receiver to open the email and look at it. But, that doesn't mean you should try gimmicks or tricks or "clickbait" to improve your open rates. It's essential that your subject lines are clear and inform the person receiving the email what the email is likely about. If you're unsure whether your subject lines are working, test some. Try using emojis, exclamation points, or keeping them fun. There is no limit to what you can try; just be sure to keep records of their results.

Tip #5 - Use CTAs

An email should have a purpose, and that purpose should be clear. A call-to-action (CTA) should be somewhere in your email. It can be to make a purchase, visit a site, leave a review, or anything else that you'd like your audience to take action on. Not having a CTA can confuse the receiver and make the email less valuable to you and them.

How to get started

To use email marketing automation, you need access to the right tools. Email marketing tools and API by Cakemail can help you develop marketing automation programs that complement the rest of your marketing efforts. Cakemail brings together all the right tools to help you engage your audience and gain meaningful insights along the way.

With Cakemail, you can:

• Send email marketing campaigns anytime
• Grow, manage, and target your audience directly from a user-friendly dashboard
• Create unique customer experiences, providing value that your competitors can't
• Manage consent and comply with anti-spam laws
• Get the latest data to ensure you're making the best decisions possible and learning directly from your campaigns

At the end of the day, we've all had 24 hours to do our work and live our lives. Unfortunately, working harder doesn't mean you get more time than anyone else. However, working smarter with automation can give you some precious time back and help you grow your business beyond your wildest dreams.

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