Effective Lifecycle Email Marketing (Strategies + Examples)

Email marketing is an effective way to incorporate automation into a business sales funnel and convert as many customers as possible. With lifecycle email marketing, you dive a little deeper into how you approach an individual customer.

Personalization is expected to be one of the most important inbound marketing trends of 2020. By finishing off 2019 with an email lifecycle marketing strategy in place, you set your business up for success. Here are simple strategies to get you started.

Reach Phase Strategies

During the reach phase of the sales funnel, inbound marketing agencies focus on reaching new prospects using strategies like SEO, social media, and advertising. During this phase, you’re building awareness about your business to spark interest among people who fit your target demographic.

Introductory/ Awareness Emails

During the reach phase, emails should be gentle and introductory in nature. This is the phase where you start to build a bit of awareness about your brand, discussing your mission statement and values. You can also start to talk about the products and services you offer passively.

Action Phase Strategies

The action phase of the customer lifecycle is when your customers start to feel familiar with your brand. They are interested in opening the emails you send to see what you have to say. They know the basics of your business, and now they want to know what you can do for them.

Informative Emails

At this phase of the lifecycle, focus on sending informative emails. For example, if your business sells boxing gear, you might include an email series that talks about the best type of boxing gear for their needs, what to look for in gear quality, and how to pack the perfect training bag.

These emails have value and build trust with the prospect, so when the time comes to ask for a sale, they feel comfortable parting with their money.

Abandonment Emails

During this phase of the customer lifecycle, you can start sending abandonment emails. Using an AI-integrated email CRM system, trigger automatic emails based on where your potential customer abandons their sale. This could cover anything from browse abandonment (leaving while browsing) or cart abandonment (leaving before completing a transaction).

Conversion Phase Strategies

When a prospect finally converts to a customer, the work is just getting started. During the conversion phase, the business needs to prove that the customer’s purchase was worth it.

Customer Care Emails

Customer care emails are an opportunity to show your continued customer service, but also to collect valuable feedback. Schedule follow-ups after a purchase to see how well the product is working for the customer, and see if they need any assistance. You can also use this as an opportunity to offer onboarding.

Cross and Upsells

Once you’ve determined that a customer is satisfied, you can start cross-selling and upselling. For these lifecycle emails, you’ll want to find the ideal balance between capitalizing on the previous sale and not being overly pushy for more.

Engagement Phase Strategies

A loyal customer is the bread and butter of the bottom line. Keep your customers coming back for more in the engagement phase by sending emails that remind them why they became a customer in the first place.

Loyalty and Birthday Emails

Loyalty and birthday emails thank a customer for their continued support and acknowledge their value to your business. Offering a discount or perk on their purchase anniversary or birthday is a great way to strengthen your relationship.

Win-Back Emails

Not all of your customers will stay up-to-date with your business. A strategically timed win-back email offering an incentive to make another sale is an effective way to bring customers back in the door. Schedule them for six weeks, three months, and six months, offering to increase the incentive with each passing email.

With the right tools in place, you can create an effective lifecycle email marketing strategy that will help you attract new customers and keep the ones you have.