From ecommerce to service-based startups, businesses in nearly every niche and industry can benefit from email automation software. The following are just a few of the benefits of email automation:

• Avoid the cost of additional manpower to handle email correspondence manually;
• Save time by avoiding manual sends and replies;
• Save attention and focus that could be better invested in strategic business activities;
• Inject interested leads using popups and forms into your mailing list automatically;
• Welcome prospects and new signups with automated welcome emails;
• Nurture leads using drip sequences to become paying customers;
• Deliver personalized auto emails to your mailing list, no matter how big it is;
• Easily send targeted and relevant communication to your segmented lists;
• Setup an automated email sales funnel at a cost far lesser than selling over other channels such as PPC and social media advertising;
• Communicate with large mailing lists of tens of thousands of prospects almost instantaneously;

All in all, email marketing automation helps you scale your business effectively and without the need for additional capital investment or recurring expenses.

With the right email service provider, setting up automation for your email marketing strategy can be not only easy, but also fun. Here are some steps to help you start sending automatic emails:

STEP 1: Map Your Buyer Journey.

Identify the various touchpoints that emails and SMS need to go out.

E.g., after purchase, following signup to your email newsletter, or upon cart abandonment.

STEP 2: Choose The Right Email Marketing Automation Tools.

Choose one of email marketing tools that fit your business requirements and marketing efforts, including daily ease of use, features, and affordability.

STEP 3: Compose Your High-Converting Email Sequence.

Unless you are doing a one-off promotion, it is best to design an email sequence where every email builds upon the one before. Pay special attention to the subject lines, preview text, creatives, and call-to-action (CTA).

STEP 4: Design Your Email Campaign

Set up your email campaigns for your segments with the right schedule inside your email marketing program.

STEP 5: Setup Triggers.

Using the step-by-step email automation builder, arrange your emails sequentially and choose the right triggers to fire them.

STEP 6: Monitor Email Marketing Campaign Performance.

Analyze your data for insights on improvement markers. It is crucial to test everything out and stick to more of what’s working in email marketing automation.

Email autoresponders are a powerful tool for busy professionals, acting as automated response emails that ensure no message goes unanswered. These automated follow-up emails can be strategically crafted as lead nurturing emails, delivering valuable content and guiding prospects through the sales funnel, even when you're away from your inbox.