Marketing Automation Workflows

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What Marketing Automation Really Means

Forget the technical jargon for a second. Here's what automation actually does:It remembers for you. Someone downloads your lead magnet? They automatically get your welcome sequence.It personalizes at scale. Send different messages based on what people do, not just who they are.It follows perfect timing. Send that discount exactly three days after someone browsed your pricing page.

It never gets tired. Your automation can follow up with 1,000 leads with the same energy it gives to one.

The 6 Workflows Every Business Needs

Welcome Series

When it triggers: Someone joins your email or SMS list Why it matters: You have about 48 hours to prove you're worth paying attention to The workflow:

Day 1: Welcome message + deliver what they signed up for
Day 2: Share your best content or customer story
Day 4: Introduce your product/service naturally
Day 7: Send a special "new subscriber" offer

One of our customers, a course creator, built a 5-email welcome series. Before automation, she manually sent a single welcome email to 30% of new subscribers. After? 100% get the full sequence, and her course enrollment from new subscribers jumped by 67%.

Abandoned Cart Recovery

When it triggers: Someone adds items to cart but doesn't complete purchase Why it matters: The average cart abandonment rate is 70%. These are people who almost gave you money. The workflow:

1 hour later: "Did you forget something?" + cart contents
24 hours later: Address common objections (shipping, returns, etc.)
3 days later: Offer incentive if needed (10% off, free shipping)

Real numbers: Businesses recover 10-30% of abandoned carts with a good sequence. That's revenue you're leaving on the table without automation.

Lead Nurture

When it triggers: Someone shows interest but isn't ready to buy Why it matters: Most sales don't happen on the first contact. Or the fifth. The workflow:

Week 1: Educational content related to their interest
Week 2: Case study or success story
Week 3: Comparison guide or FAQ
Week 4: Soft pitch with social proof
Week 5: Direct offer with urgency

This is where most businesses fail. They send one email and give up. Meanwhile, your automated sequence keeps nurturing leads until they're ready—whether that takes weeks or months.

Post-Purchase

When it triggers: Someone completes a purchase Why it matters: Happy customers are your best marketers, but only if you ask The workflow:

Immediately: Order confirmation + tracking
Day 3: "Has it arrived? Here's how to use it"
Day 10: "How's it going? We'd love your feedback"
Day 14: Request review + make it easy with direct link
Day 30: Recommend complementary products

One of our e-commerce clients gets 40% of customers to leave reviews using this sequence. Before automation? Less than 5% ever left feedback.

Re-engagement

When it triggers: Subscriber hasn't opened emails in 60-90 days Why it matters: Inactive subscribers hurt your deliverability and waste money The workflow:

Day 60: "We miss you" + ask if they still want to hear from you
Day 75: Share your most popular recent content
Day 90: Final message + easy opt-out option

This might seem counterintuitive, but cleaning your list actually improves results. One client removed 15,000 inactive subscribers and saw their open rates jump from 18% to 31%. Same emails. Better audience.

Event Follow-Up

When it triggers: Someone attends webinar, downloads resource, or engages with content Why it matters: Interest is highest right after engagement The workflow:

Within 1 hour: Thank you + replay/resources
Day 1: Related content they'll find valuable
Day 3: "What did you think?" + engagement question
Day 7: Soft pitch to next step
Day 14: Direct offer if appropriate

The key? Strike while the iron is hot. Someone who just watched your webinar is 10x more likely to buy than someone who watched three months ago.

How to Build Workflows That Don't Annoy People

Start with the customer journey. Don't think "what do I want to send?" Think "what would help them right now?" Space things out. Nobody wants four emails in two days. Give people time to breathe. Make it feel human. Write like you're talking to one person, not broadcasting to thousands. Add exit conditions.

If someone buys, they should exit your sales sequence. If they click a link, maybe they skip ahead. Test your timing. The "three days later" rule isn't universal. Test different intervals for your audience.

Common Automation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

The set-it-and-forget-it trap. Build your workflow, then check it monthly. Update examples, refresh offers, and fix anything that stops working.

Too much, too soon. Start with one or two simple workflows. Master those before building complex sequences. Ignoring the data. Your automation shows you exactly what works.

Someone clicks link A but never link B? Time to update your strategy. Making it impersonal. Use names. Reference past behavior.

Segment based on interests. Generic automation is barely better than nothing. Not testing your own workflow. Run through it yourself. Did you get the emails? Do the links work? Does it actually make sense?

The Real ROI of Marketing Automation

Let's talk money for a second:

Time saved: What takes you 30 minutes to do manually happens in seconds with automation. For every 1,000 subscribers, that's hours back in your week.

Revenue increased: Businesses see 14-20% increases in sales productivity with automation. You're reaching people at exactly the right moment.

Consistency improved: You never drop the ball on follow-ups. Every lead gets the same high-quality experience.

Insights gained: Automation shows you what works. Open rates, click rates, conversion rates—all tracked automatically.

One of our clients spent about 4 hours setting up a cart abandonment workflow. That workflow now runs 24/7 and recovers $3,000-$5,000 in monthly revenue. That's $36,000+ per year from four hours of work.

Getting Started: Your First Workflow

The set-it-and-forget-it trap. Build your workflow, then check it monthly. Update examples, refresh offers, and fix anything that stops working.

Too much, too soon. Start with one or two simple workflows. Master those before building complex sequences. Ignoring the data. Your automation shows you exactly what works.

Someone clicks link A but never link B? Time to update your strategy. Making it impersonal. Use names. Reference past behavior.