Bernd Becker 
The rise of automated lifecycle emails has transformed the way businesses interact with customers during the customer lifecycle. Rather than one-off, generic emails sent to a massive list on a random day, brands have the opportunity to send relevant emails as long as (and when) a subscriber has engaged to date. From a welcome email to a re-engagement email after three months of no contact, automated lifecycle emails present great opportunities to connect with customers that build relationships and drive conversion.
In addition, thanks to AI and machine learning, personalization reaches a new level. Businesses know what their customers want and when they want it, and email automation allows them to get the message across at the right time. When customers get the right message at the right time, brands get better loyalty.
Understanding Customer Lifecycle Email Automation
Automated lifecycle emails integrate brands and customers relative to where they stand in the customer journey. Rather than sending particular types of emails to specific segmented audiences, a brand can automate and trigger these communications as the user engages with the brand and at certain times thereafter.
The expected lifecycle email types are onboarding (welcome) emails, promotional emails, and re-engagement emails. For example, as the user signs up for a newsletter (onboarding), makes a purchase (promotional), or goes quiet over time (re-engagement), they’d trigger to this specific audience by action taken. Yet instead of seeing these emails as marketing opportunities sent just because, the lifecycle emails can make customers feel more in tune with the brand, as they’ll seem personal and targeted. Email warmup plays a crucial role in this process by gradually building sender reputation, ensuring these lifecycle emails reach the inbox and resonate with the audience.
When a brand understands the opportunities that exist and the customer journey and correlates them with appropriate actions through email automation, customers are sent in the right direction for further engagement.
Creating Effective Onboarding Emails for New Customers
Nothing beats a first impression; an onboarding email sequence creates instant brand loyalty. When someone signs up for a service or makes their first purchase, an email acknowledging them with onboarding makes them feel that much better and prepared for what’s to come.
An example of an effective onboarding email is one with a warm subject line and/or greeting, brand introduction, and simple call to action. An onboarding email for someone who signed up for a new SaaS product may detail how to use the software, while an onboarding email for someone who just purchased a product from an e-commerce site may detail alternative purchases or ways to use the purchased product.
And then as part of an additional automated sequence, later emails only increase the brand’s worth with exclusives, how-tos, and social proof, making the onboarding experience seamless and effective.
Engaging Customers with Behavior-Based Email Triggers
Customer insights are generated from customer behavior, knowing what’s interesting and the level of interest versus engagement with the overall brand/content. Automated triggered emails based on actions taken allow brands to reach out purposefully and consistently in real-time. For instance, if someone visits a page on the site or a product category and doesn’t check out but views it multiple times, an automated email could be generated from the brand with suggested products or exclusive one-day-use discounts.
If someone engages with certain content within a blog post, they could be sent to promote additional blogs on that topic, e-books, and automated invites to webinars. Triggered automated emails created via AI from prior customer actions help to add to the customer experience with links to supplemental content at the time they need it. When businesses can better time and align email endeavors with customer behavior, they are able to keep customers engaged via email in real-time rather than inundating them with unnecessary non-applicable emails.
Strengthening Customer Relationships with Post-Purchase Emails
The sale is not the end of the shopping experience. Effective email or automatic follow-ups after a purchase can thank the customer for the purchase, reassure them of their order, and provide any other relevant purchase information. For example, an email automatically sent from an electronics company may contain instructions on how to use the device or how to take care of it after purchase.
Subscriptions rely on this type of automatic follow-up to trigger an email about new features or offering an upgrade to a paid version. There is also the possibility of sending follow-up emails about review requests, referral links, or loyalty programs. By staying in touch after the sale, companies can reinforce positive feelings and change one-time needs into customers for life.
Re-Engaging Inactive Subscribers with Win-Back Campaigns
Yet not all subscribers remain engaged. So re-engagement emails provide an opportunity for brands to reach those who have lost their way. Rather than deleting these inactive subscribers from an email list, for instance, brands can set up automated, special win-back campaigns to show they are interested in re-engaging.
For instance, a nice re-engagement email shows the subscriber that the brand is aware of the situation and seeks to remedy why they registered in the first place. Re-engagement emails might feature things like personalized recommendations for products the subscriber may have interest in after signing up, a one-time coupon to encourage expenditure, or details of new product functionality that may be useful. AI can assess the best move for each segment—an e-gift card, a beneficial content offer, or a reminder of what’s being lost.
On the contrary, if after two attempts or more someone doesn’t want to be re-engaged, automation can help ease that subscriber into low engagement status or a hassle-free unsubscribe option. This will help clean lists and keep communications going to only those who want them.
Enhancing Customer Loyalty with Personalized Rewards Emails
Loyalty and rewards programs foster long-term customer retention. Automated emails can notify customers when they’ve earned specific reward points, VIP access offers, or limited-time purchases based on prior purchases.
For instance, a travel airline’s loyalty program can generate milestone emails to let customers know when they hit a specific number of miles; it can encourage them to cash in their rewards or book their next getaway. A clothing store loyalty program can send emails offering 20% off certain items if they purchased something in that category before; it makes them feel acknowledged.
Brands can use AI automation to tailor these rewards emails to customers so they feel they’re getting some special treatment, which helps incentivize further loyalty to the brand. This improves customer engagement and drives sales while cementing brand loyalty.
Optimizing Lifecycle Emails with AI and Data Analytics
AI-powered automation increases the effectiveness of lifecycle emails since they’re adjusted in real-time based on engagement patterns. For instance, predictive analytics can determine which subject lines and designs appeal to which audiences as well as which time of day to send to each audience, enhancing overall capabilities for open and click-rate potential.
In addition, AI can assess customer sentiment to know when a subscriber is about to churn. When someone’s engagement begins to falter, AI can adjust the timing or message of the email in a last-ditch effort to keep that person. This level of hyper-personalization ensures that every email is adjusted based on the user’s previously recorded actions and preferences.
With customer insights, brands have better email automation opportunities adjusted over time through the customer lifecycle for greater, more appropriate results.
Measuring the Success of Automated Customer Lifecycle Emails
Ultimately, businesses should also measure success with important metrics to ensure customer engagement. Understanding open rates, clicks, and conversions lets a business know when and if certain parts of an email sequence worked and how to adjust them moving forward.
AI can help with this information as well. Businesses can use AI to analyze customer behavior to pinpoint shifts in activity, predict churn, and recommend adjustments in sequence content, delivery, or frequency. For example, if the second onboarding email is not receiving a positive click or open rate, perhaps a more enticing subject line or personalized introduction is needed. AI can also help determine what to change moving forward.
Ultimately, businesses should also measure retention over time. Are customers coming back? Are they redeeming new customer coupon offers or signing up for loyalty programs? Measuring repeat purchases and customer lifetime value shows how successful lifecycle emails have been in the short term. But with ongoing optimization through real-time adjustments, businesses can always have successful tactics at their disposal for meaningful customer interactions.
Conclusion
AI-driven personalization means that brands never have to worry about losing touch with their customers at any stage of the customer lifecycle. Automated email flows for onboarding new customers, reengaging lapsed subscribers, and thanking loyal buyers all make for effortless, enjoyable experiences that promote long-term retention.
Furthermore, AI can track customer behavior, determine likelihood to respond or disengage, and tailor messaging to ensure email marketing campaigns are sent with the right sentiment, information, and schedule. Therefore, as email automation technology becomes increasingly advanced, those brands that leverage AI-driven personalized customer lifecycle emails will reap the rewards of higher engagement, stronger loyalty, and increased conversion.
