Email marketing can be a powerful channel for engaging customers and driving business growth. But executing campaigns manually is inefficient and limiting. This is where automation comes in.
According to Statista, 77% of marketers leverage marketing automation to streamline workflows, enhance targeting, and improve results. Top brands like Nike, Airbnb, and Microsoft all use automation to engage subscribers and turn them into loyal fans.
In this post, we'll explore how to utilize Mailchimp's robust automation capabilities like workflows, tags, and segments to boost the effectiveness of your email marketing.
Introduction to Mailchimp Automation
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing platforms, used by millions of businesses worldwide.
A core strength of Mailchimp is its powerful automation features that help marketers work smarter:
- Workflows automatically trigger emails based on subscriber actions like signing up, making a purchase, or clicking a link in a campaign
- Tags organize subscribers and facilitate segmentation based on attributes like demographics, interests, and behaviors
- Segments allow sending targeted, personalized content to specific groups of subscribers
Automation provides tangible benefits compared to manual email efforts:
- Saves enormous time over manual processes
- Improves consistency and eliminates human error
- Enables hyper-personalization and real-time reaction based on user behaviors
- Allows you to engage users in a timely, contextual way
By leveraging these tools, you can streamline your marketing operations and get far better results from your email campaigns.
In this guide, we'll explore Mailchimp's automation capabilities in-depth and provide tips for implementation. Let's start with the basics.
Automation Basics
Marketing automation refers to technology that automates repetitive marketing tasks. This includes:
- Workflows - Predefined sequences of emails triggered by user actions like signing up for a newsletter
- Autoresponders - Instant automated responses to subscriber activities like completing a purchase
- Lifecycle stages - Custom subscriber paths based on behaviors and attributes
Common use cases for automation include:
- Welcome series for new contacts who just subscribed
- Re-engagement flows for inactive users who haven't opened in 6 months
- Shipping confirmation emails sent instantly when an order is marked as shipped
Automation provides major advantages compared to manual, one-off email campaigns:
- Saves enormous time and effort on recurring tasks
- Improves consistency across messaging for subscribers
- Reacts in real-time when triggers are met to engage users contextually
- Removes human error and enhances personalization
Mailchimp enables powerful automations like workflows and autoresponders without the need for coding. You design flows visually and set flexible triggers to match your business needs.
Next, let's look at creating workflows in Mailchimp.
Creating Automated Email Workflows
A workflow is a predefined series of emails that gets automatically triggered based on subscriber actions.
For example, you can set up a 5-email nurturing sequence for anyone who downloads a gated asset like an ebook. Workflows allow sending hyper-targeted, personalized content without manual effort.
Here's how to set up a sample workflow in Mailchimp for a subscriber who downloads a gated ebook:
- Navigate to Automations and select Create Workflow
- Set the trigger as "Added Tag" and specify the tag added for downloading the ebook
- Design the 5-email workflow with a welcome email first thanking them for the download
- Add emails over the next 4 weeks that nurture subscribers with related content
- Set a 5 day delay between each email to give the subscriber time to read and engage
- Customize the email content, segmentation, and settings for each block
- Publish the automated workflow
Once triggered, the workflow will automatically execute the 5-email nurturing series for anyone who downloads the ebook.
Some highly effective workflows every marketer should have include:
- Welcome series for new subscribers
- Win-back series for inactive contacts
- Abandoned cart or browse abandonment
- Lead nurturing workflows by lead stage
- Appointment follow-ups and reminders
- Reviews and referrals on purchase
Carefully tailor your workflow content and messaging to match the subscriber's context and needs at each stage. Time delays should reflect typical user actions. Test and refine over time.
Using Tags and Segments for Personalization
Tags and segments enable sending hyper-personalized content to specific subscriber groups.
Tags label individual subscribers based on attributes like demographics, behaviors, etc. For example, you can tag purchasers with "Customer".
Segments are groups of subscribers matching certain criteria. For instance, a "Lapsed Customers" segment could include those tagged Customer but inactive for 6+ months.
Here are some tips for using tags and segments effectively:
- Tag early and often to capture subscriber data over time
- Name tags intuitively for easy understanding across teams
- Audit existing tags periodically to consolidate as needed
- Create 2-3 key segments to start aligned to buyer stages
- Build segments to identify subscriber needs and behaviors
- Send segmented content to provide personal value
For example, you can send an abandoned cart email only to contacts in the "Abandoned Cart" segment instead of blasting everyone.
Tags and segments enable highly personalized, relevant communications tailored to each subscriber's needs. Start small with key segments, then expand over time.
Getting Started with Automation
Ready to dive into automation for the first time? Here are some tips:
First, ensure the basics are handled:
- Active Mailchimp account
- Initial email list imported
- Confirmation process for double opt-in
Start by planning your goals for automation and identifying options for quick wins.
Common starter automations include:
- Welcome series for new subscribers
- Basic browse abandonment flow
- Appointment booking confirmations
Determine the triggers that indicate a subscriber is ready for a workflow. Think through the desired sequencing and timing.
When building your first workflow, start small and simple. Over-complicated workflows usually fail.
Test extensively and track opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and complaints. Refine based on insights.
Once you've confirmed it works, conduct an A/B test against a control group to prove the workflow's impact.
Automation Best Practices
Here are some tips and best practices to ensure your automations succeed:
- Provide truly valuable content that helps subscribers
- Ensure subject lines are highly relevant and compelling
- Avoid over-automation that annoys subscribers
- Include opt-out links in each email
- Respect global unsubscribe requests immediately
- Ensure compliance with anti-spam laws
- Test rigorously before launching
- Start small and expand scope over time
- Monitor closely for errors to avoid flawed execution
- Continually optimize based on performance data
Avoid common mistakes like irrelevant messaging, excessive frequency, or excluding unsubscribe options.
Effective automations are timely, contextual, valuable, and aligned to each subscriber's needs and interests. Automation amplifies good email marketing but can't fix poor content.
Next let's explore powerful automation features in Mailchimp beyond basic workflows.
Mailchimp Automation Features
Mailchimp offers an extensive set of tools to automate sophisticated email marketing campaigns.
Key capabilities include:
- Pre-built automation templates
- Visual workflow builder with Automation Studio
- Smart segments that update dynamically
- Automation queue to schedule workflows
- In-depth automation reporting
These features enable complex multistage automations tailored to your business's needs.
Pre-built Automations
Mailchimp provides pre-configured automations to implement common workflows quickly:
- Welcome series
- Abandoned cart
- Product reviews
- Lead nurturing
- Inactive user win-back
The templates can be customized to match your messaging, branding, timing, and more.
Pre-built options allow launching powerful automations quickly vs. designing complex workflows from scratch. They provide proven frameworks that generally reflect best practices.
For most use cases, tweaking a pre-built workflow is faster than building one completely from scratch. But advanced users can opt to design fully custom flows using Automation Studio.
Automation Studio
Automation Studio provides a drag-and-drop workflow builder to visualize automations. Arrange email blocks and connect with lines to design multi-stage workflows with branching logic.
Benefits include:
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface to design workflows
- Easily visualize complex multi-path automations
- Rearrange and edit workflows on the fly
- Collaborate across teams on workflow design
Automation Studio offers increased flexibility for advanced automations beyond the standard workflow builder.
Smart Segments
Smart Segments automatically update based on subscriber behaviors:
- Abandoned cart in last 30 days
- Booked appointment in last 2 months
- Has opened last 3 emails
As subscribers take actions, they will enter or exit Smart Segments based on criteria you define.
Smart Segments can then trigger workflows when a subscriber qualifies. For example, someone added to the "Abandoned Cart" segment can automatically enroll in that workflow.
Compared to static segments that must be manually updated, Smart Segments automatically stay up-to-date.
Automation Queue
The automation queue allows scheduling workflows to be triggered at a future date and time.
You can queue workflows to handle use cases like:
- Sending weekly recurring digests
- Scheduling end-of-month promotional campaigns
- Setting workflows to activate next quarter
Queuing enables precisely scheduling workflows ahead of time vs. relying solely on subscriber actions for triggers.
Automation Reporting
Mailchimp provides detailed reporting on the performance of automations:
- Contacts entered/exited
- Email opens, clicks, etc.
- Unsubscribes and complaints
- Workflow step completion
- Email send summaries
Unlike regular campaign reports, automation reports provide workflow-specific insights. This allows fine-tuning automations to improve results.
Next, let's look at real-world examples and use cases for automation.
Automation Use Cases and Examples
Automation powers some of the most sophisticated and effective email marketing campaigns.
Here are some common automation use cases with examples:
Welcome and Onboarding Series
A stellar welcome and onboarding series is table stakes for good customer experience.
Rather than blasting new contacts with generic content, nurture subscribers with a tailored onboarding journey:
- Send a quick "Thanks for subscribing" email immediately on signup
- Follow up the next day with tips for getting started
- Send a series of 5-6 emails over the next 2 weeks with helpful tutorials and product guides
- Tailor messaging based on interests and demographics provided during signup
- Insert timely offers or incentives around day 10 to convert subscribers
- Showcase customer success stories they can relate to
Onboarding sets the tone for the subscriber relationship. Automation allows delivering personalized value from the start.
Transactional Workflows
Transactional communications happen as a result of user actions like:
- Purchase receipts
- Shipping confirmations
- Password reset emails
- New user invitations
Rather than handling these ad-hoc, set up workflows triggered by events:
- Purchase completes > Receipt email with details
- Order ships > Tracking email with delivery ETA
- Request password reset > Reset instructions with temporary password
Automated transactional emails feel more professional and responsive than one-off manual emails. Workflows also improve consistency across messages.
Win-Back Campaigns
It's far easier to retain existing customers than acquire new ones. That's where win-back campaigns come in.
Identify disengaged, at-risk subscribers like:
- No site visit in 6+ months
- No email open in 12+ months
- Last purchase over 18 months ago
Then re-engage them with campaigns like:
- Send survey to uncover friction points
- Reconnect with personalized video from founder
- Offer special incentive to reactivate their account
Win-back flows remind customers why they loved you originally. The automation nurtures subscribers by sending timely, relevant content tailored to rekindle their relationship.
Customer Re-Engagement
Beyond inactive users, automation can re-engage recently active subscribers showing potential signs of decreased loyalty.
Trigger workflows when users:
- Visit pricing page but don't convert
- Add high-value items to cart but don't checkout
- Previously purchased frequently but now decreased
Followup promptly with content like:
- Discounts on items left in cart
- Relevant features based on pages visited
- Customer testimonial matching their past purchases
Hyper-targeted, contextual re-engagement keeps customers continually engaged as their needs evolve.
Lead Nurturing Workflows
Leads require ongoing nurturing to eventually convert into customers. Automate relevant content matched to each lead's stage and activity.
For example:
- New lead signed up for newsletter > Begin general nurturing
- Visited pricing page > Send discount or coupon
- Downloaded advanced ebook > Tailor emails as Sales Qualified Lead
Create streams tailored to topics they care about based on interests and actions. Continue nurturing leads until they convert or disengage.
Thoughtful lead nurturing automation helps convert more leads into loyal customers. Segmented workflows outperform any one-size-fits-all approach.
Measuring Automation Effectiveness
To refine your workflows, analyze performance data in Mailchimp:
- Track email opens, clicks, and unsubscribes
- Monitor subscriber attrition at each workflow stage
- Review goal completions for key conversion events
- Analyze behavioral trends across targeted segments
- Identify bottlenecks causing subscriber drop-off
Continually optimize your automations based on these insights. Test new segments, content, timing, triggers, and more.
Conclusion
Automation is a must-have capability for modern email marketing. Mailchimp provides powerful tools like workflows, tags, and segments to streamline campaigns and enhance personalization.
This post explored how to effectively build workflows, leverage tags and segments, implement best practices, and make use of Mailchimp's robust automation features.
Now it's time to put these tips into action. Audit your current email efforts and identify opportunities to implement automation. Start small with high-impact automations like welcome series or abandoned cart flows. Continuously refine your workflows based on subscriber behaviors and performance data.
Used strategically, automation will enable you to dramatically scale your marketing reach and acceleration. Mailchimp's industry-leading automation capabilities help craft incredible subscriber experiences that foster loyalty and growth.
To learn more about creating targeted, automated campaigns with Mailchimp, check out SensorPro's email marketing platform - named a Leader in the G2 Grid® Report for Email Marketing.
