Email marketing automation, when done right, can have magical effects on a business. It can streamline operations, decrease customer service time, increase order value, improve customer engagement, and turn your best customers into your best advertising.
But sometimes, the magic wand of marketing automation can get a little… wonky. Marketing automation that is implemented without rigorous testing, or that runs for too long without a routine check-up, can be disastrous for a business.
The triggered “Review Your Purchase” email that duplicates items in your purchase…
The personalized subject line, with somebody else’s first name…
The webinar confirmation email that goes out three hours after the webinar is already over…
The empty personalization without a fallback…
These are all examples of automation gone wrong that I personally have received. The last three? All of them took place TODAY. And they’re from some major players!
This is not to dissuade you from incorporating marketing automation to your mix. Far from it! After reading this post, I hope you’ll feel empowered to incorporate multiple automated emails, knowing you have a testing and monitoring system in place to keep all cylinders firing and the customer engagement high!
#1. Keep and maintain a data dictionary
Keep track of where you are capturing customer data, what data you are capturing, where it needs to live in your email marketing system, and whether or not it is being used for personalization or to trigger an automated program. One document, updated as changes occur, to refer to for newbies and to keep your own head on straight when you’re in a hurry.
#2. Keep track of your automation programs and how they are impacted by data and by each other
Think of your marketing automation programs as an interconnected system. In fact, design them as a system from the start. Keeping track of what data triggers an email, and what data is personalized within your marketing campaigns, can help you not only avoid the mistakes I showed you above (and a myriad of others I couldn’t list here because I don’t like to dwell on the negative)… they can help you identify ways to ensure your programming is building on itself and enhancing results across every touch point. You might have a new lead nurture program funnel people into two different automation programs based on whether they purchased from you or not, for instance.
#3. Complete a quality control checklist before you launch an automation program
We respect what we inspect. Show your automation program extra QC love by putting it through a checklist. Not a mental checklist. An actual checklist you run through and mark tasks complete on. You’re about to launch something into the universe that you believe will add value to your business and to the lives of your subscribers. Give it another once-over and save yourself time, headache, and missed opportunity!
#4. Go through quality control on all live automation programs AT LEAST every 3 months
You heard me. Taking 10 minutes to check your automation programs over once a quarter will ensure that you don’t fall victim to Email Automation Gone Wrong (or if you do, you’ll at least minimize the damage).
These automation programs are not one-and-done –
they live on for a period of time and have business impacts far beyond “pushing send to your audience” one time. Treat them with care and respect, keep track of what programs are running and what data points are incorporated in order to ensure nothing goes off the rails, that the content is always fresh, and that you aren’t missing opportunities.
Start with solid systems as you build your email marketing program. You’ll have a foundation you can easily build on to, regularly monitor for opportunities and optimizations, and make money off the clock while saving yourself needless worry and frustration.
oh… and one more thing!
I realized as I was working through this post that having a tool or two might be super useful as a jumping off point, so… I created a totally free resource bundle for you. If you’re curious about what a data dictionary might look like, how to document your automation programs, and what a good quality control checklist might look like, this baby might just be a lifesaver for you.