Hey Rihanna and other subscribers,

It's 2023 and we're not going to pretend you haven't been around the block a few times when it comes to email automation. At the very least, you're likely using it to automate your welcome series.

So this isn't going to be another list of generic automations you've read about and/or used 100 times already.

If you want to level up your email marketing with creative workflows, we've got you covered (under our umbrella, 'ella, 'ella).

P.S. You can brush up on email automation with this refresher from MailerLite: Ultimate guide to email automation.

1. Invite new subscribers to self-segment

💡 Make the most out of your welcome/onboarding series by inviting subscribers to customize their subscriptions, allowing you to gather valuable data for targeting. For example, you could use an interactive survey to ask subscribers which topics they want to hear about most.

2. Follow up lead magnet emails with a nurture series

💡 It's easy to set up a workflow that delivers a freebie when people sign up. But why stop there? Set delays to give subscribers time to use the lead magnet (e.g. e-book, template, list of 750+ email ideas...) then follow up with a survey to ask how they liked it. Set another delay and promote your products.

3. Sell and deliver an online course

💡 Did you know you can create and deliver an entire online course with email automation? Use each email step as a course module with downloadable worksheets and set delays between each email. The course runs itself, requiring no extra work from you!

4. Engage people after they complete an NPS survey

💡 The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a measure of customer experience. It asks how likely subscribers are to recommend a brand on a scale of 1-10. Scores of 1-6 are Detractors (mostly likely to churn), 7-8 are Passives (indifferent to your brand), and 9-10 are Promoters (most likely to give a positive review). Follow up with Detractors and Passives asking how you can improve, and ask Promoters to leave a review.

5. Automatically cross-sell and upsell

💡 If your email tool has an e-commerce integration, you can create targeted cross-sell or upsell automated workflows based on specific purchases your subscribers make. You can also target subscribers based on links they clicked in your newsletter. 

6. Re-engage inactive subscribers

💡... and axe the ones you can't. Use email automation to reignite the passion subscribers have lost for your newsletters. This can be a fantastic tactic for increasing engagement. As for the subscribers who are done with you—automatically unsubscribe them. It can be tough to say goodbye but your metrics will thank you in the long run.

7. Run an "Ask me anything" (AMA)

💡 Include an interactive survey in your email, inviting subscribers to ask you anything. Then create an automated email sequence covering a different FAQ in each email.

Still scrolling?

8. Onboard new users

💡 If your product includes software or some sort of service, create an automation series to onboard new clients. Each email can include tutorials on a different subject to help users get started with your product, avoid churn and maximize value.

9. Send targeted birthday emails

💡 Go the extra mile in your automated birthday workflows by adding a targeted element. This could be something like separating birthday offers based on the subscriber's age, interest, location, or any other criteria to make your birthday campaign more personal.

10. Create an evergreen newsletter

💡 The beauty of automations is that everybody starts at the beginning. That means if your content is evergreen, so is your newsletter. For example, you could write 12 emails sent one month apart. When new subscribers sign up, you have a year of newsletters scheduled and ready to go.

11. Sell digital products

💡 Selling digital products is the best way to earn passive income online. Automating the content people are paying for means you can work on other things while also delivering valuable paid content to your subscribers.

12. Celebrate an anniversary

💡 Send a love letter to subscribers when they've been subscribed for a year. It's a great way to build loyalty and a good chance to send a survey to find out what they want to see more of/update their interests etc.

13. Create a VIP workflow

💡 Pool your most engaged subscribers together to say thanks. Showing that you notice and appreciate them is an amazing way to increase and maintain loyalty. Perhaps even offer them a thank-you gift or a gift for a friend if they subscribe to your email list too.

Get the most out of automation triggers

Automated emails aren't just for when a subscriber signs up to your list. There are tons of ways to trigger automations throughout the entire sales funnel. 

Here are 10 ways to use triggers:

1. When a subscriber joins a group
2. When a subscriber completes a form
3. When a subscriber field is updated (e.g Order count, last order ID, etc)
4. The anniversary of a date (for those love letters to loyal subscribers)
5. The exact match of a date
6. When a subscriber clicks a specific link
7. When a subscriber purchases a specific product
8. When a subscriber purchases any product
9. When a subscriber purchases from a specific category
10. When a subscriber abandons their shopping cart

Check out this article we wrote for more inspiration on automation triggers and how to use them.

Your Turn!

We know there are more great ideas out there. Please let us know the ideas we missed. If we like it, we'll add them to our website and credit you with a backlink.