The secret to actually making money with email automation!

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Having spent quite a bit of time running a direct-to-consumer CBD brand, I learned the importance of creating highly effective email automations that engaged customers and kept them coming back over and over.

Not to toot my own horn, but my brand had a 70% customer retention rate! Okay, maybe that is a bit of a humble brag but it ultimately lead to a merger with a larger brand.

When you chose to put more focus on your email list you can not only increase revenue, but you can drive down advertising costs due to not having to run so many Facebook ads to acquire NEW customers.

You are better off getting your existing customers to buy than trying to get new ones. Not only does it cost less but since they are a warm audience they are far more likely to buy from you. And the only cost to you is your monthly CRM subscription and the time you put into campaigns.

Email marketing done right starts with Automation.

Too many brands are guilty of not sending enough emails. I used to be guilty of this too.

For many, it’s the limiting belief that people don’t want to be bothered. But that is completely FALSE. If somebody willingly gave you their email, they WANT to hear from you. Think about it for a moment.

But how do I send more emails when I don’t even have the time?

This is where the miracle of email automation comes in.

Take the welcome email for example. Most brands send only one email that contains a coupon code. This is great, but why stop there?

With Hemp Daddy’s I ran a 30 email welcome series full of helpful content about CBD and the products we offered. Engagement and open rate stayed high throughout the entire series!

Maybe your product doesn’t require a lot of education though. How would you go about sending more emails to engage your customers?

Here is a high-level example of a well-executed welcome series.

1. Thanks for joining. Include a coupon code if you desire and maybe an engaging story about the brand or a unique product.
2. About the brand/meet the owner email. This creates a human connection and can inspire loyalty.
3. Suggested products. Send an email with your top sellers or suggest products based on what they purchased when they signed up.
4. Customer Testimonials. People love to see social proof when making a purchase. Let them know you already have a loyal following of happy customers. Don’t be afraid to brag.
5. Repurposed Content. Share a popular blog post, industry article about your brand or product. Get creative but don’t overthink it.
6. Last call to use your coupon code. Your first email should have had a coupon code that expires in a certain time window. This email is letting them know it’s about to expire. Urgency can be used to prompt people into action.

Your welcome series doesn’t have to stop there either. You can make this as simple or robust as you would like.

The Abandoned Cart

There are some conflicting opinions about the abandon cart email. Some people think the success metrics around the abandon cart emails are inflated. While that is somewhat true, there is still money left on the table if you don’t send these emails.

Some of the success of your abandoned carts will simply be reclaiming your EXISTING customers. But think about that for a moment. If your existing loyal customers get distracted and walk away from their computers, chances are NEW customers will be doing the same.

These are very simple to execute, but don’t stop at just one reminder.

Here is a sample of an abandoned cart email series:

1. Oops, your dropped something. This first email is just a gentle reminder sent 2–4 hours after they abandoned their cart. Avoid sending out a discount on this email.
2. Your cart is about to expire. Don’t delay. (Sent 24 hours after abandonment)This email uses a big of urgency. You can amp up the urgency a bit too if you sell items that frequently run out. With email programs like Klaviyo, you can send custom emails based on what somebody purchases.
3. What if we sweetened the deal? This offer expires in 48 hours. (Sent 2–3 days after abandonment) Now we can send them a coupon code. You never know why they abandoned the cart, but often times it’s due to unexpected fees on the back-end such as shipping and sales tax. This is a way to potentially overcome objections.

And don’t miss the opportunity to offer a helping hand. Be sure to include an email and a phone number if you have a customer support team that answers the phone. I don’t suggest putting a phone number in your email unless you have somebody that will answer.

The Customer Win-back Email may be the most profitable email of all.

This one is my all-time favorite automation.

It’s especially effective if you sell a consumable product like a trail mix, energy bar, protein powder, health supplements, or butt wipes 💩 .

Once you have some data from your e-commerce platform you will learn what your repeat purchase rate is. Maybe it’s 30 days, or it could be as far out as 60 days. Either way, this is your chance to send somebody a reminder to re-order.

It also lends itself well for setting your customer with a subscribe and save option.

Again, this reminder email shouldn’t stop with one email. Send two to three emails in this automation, and be sure to set a flow trigger to check and see if they made a purchase so they don’t get the follow-up emails if they did execute a purchase. This is easily done in Klaviyo.

Other email automations to consider

Lapsed Customer Emails: Reach out to old VIP customers. Do you have somebody on your list that has purchased several times but hasn’t come back in a while? Send them a special offer to come back. I often have customers respond to this email letting me know intimate things like deaths in their family and job loss that had just led to them being distracted.

Cross-Sell Emails: As an example, in my CBD business I would create a segment of customers that had purchased oils from me but not my pain cream. I would send them an email suggesting they try the cream. Simple as that. There are so many ways to get creative with these types of emails.

Educational Emails: This is where you can really add value as a brand, and not just be somebody that provides a product.

Behavioral Based Emails: These emails are a great way to reach POTENTIAL customers or even existing customers based on actions they are taking on your site and with your emails. For example, let's say somebody on your list has opened 50% of your emails but has never purchased. This is a good sign they are engaged, but just not ready to pull the trigger. Sending them a special incentive just might lead them to buy.

VIP Only Emails: If you are big on customer retention like I am, treat your loyal customers like kings and queens. This is especially true if you regularly give out discounts for first-time buyers. Make sure you treat your repeat customers even better, sending them valuable deals from time to time.

Need help building out your email strategy?

As an experienced CPG brand owner I know just how hard it is to put the focus and attention needed on email marketing, but with the trend of direct-to-consumer growing, and decreasing margins at the retail level, you can’t afford to NOT pay attention to your email marketing.

I would love the opportunity to help you develop a strategy. Visit my website, CalebSimpson.com to sign up for emails and book some time with me.

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