Do you hear the word “automation” and start to flood with a feeling of dread and inadequacy? You’re not alone! But, knowledge is power, and we have plenty of that here in the Community to help you over the hump to start using our Automation Path Builder.
My grandfather always used to say, “A little bit every day gets the job done,” so here are two easy ways to start:
Hands down, the quickest, easiest way to start using automation is by creating a welcome path with the Automation Path Builder—whenever a new contact signs up, they’re automatically sent this content. Your contacts are at their most engaged when they join your list, so take advantage of that and engage with them from the start. Your welcome email should be evergreen so you don’t have to fuss with the content often, and at the very least should include:
- A thank you message for signing-up.
- Information about your organization, including a link to your website and links to your social media profiles.
- An explanation of the frequency of your mailing and the kind of content you plan on sending.
- A call-to-action to further engage. This can be as simple as asking your new contacts to follow you on your social media platforms. Beyond that, you can include further incentives to engage with your organization, like a discount code or exclusive information. Get creative and make a video of your employees saying, "Hi!"—this content is completely up to you!
Your welcome path does not need to be fancy—just a single email, though the Automation Path Builder does let you build it out to be more complex if you need it to be. This article gets more in-depth when you’re ready.
Next up is click segmentation. It’s a lesser-known powerhouse, so let’s talk about how you can use it to automate content. Click segmentation lets you add the contacts that click on a link in your email to a specific list. When you create your email, you can enable it at the same time you insert the URL. Then, similar to a welcome path, you can create a list-join path to automate your content. When the contact clicks the link, they’re added to the list, and being added to the list triggers the content to start sending. Now you’re sending interest-based content to those who are actually interested! (Segmentation and automation go hand-in-hand, so check out this article for a deeper dive.)
As a cherry, I’ll throw in a third option specifically for customers using ecommerce. If you’re using Shopify, Wix, or WooCommerce, you can quickly set up an abandoned cart path to remind your customers to click that “purchase” button! Follow these steps to get started.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg! As you grow more comfortable using the Automation Path Builder, you'll feel more comfortable exploring and experimenting with it. We'd love to hear how you end up using the Automation Path Builder to meet your organization's unique needs!
Want a real-life example of how a small business is using automation? Check out episode 60 of our Be A Marketer podcast!
