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Email Marketing Journey

What is an Email Journey?

In email marketing, an email journey is a series of automated emails triggered by subscribers’ actions (or inactions) that educate, engage, and ultimately convert them into loyal customers.

For example, if a potential customer signs up for your waiting list (the action), they might then join a welcoming email journey, full of automated emails that provide value and build trust and authority.

Alternatively, a more complex email journey might consist of marketing emails promoting a discount. If a reader opens one of those emails (the action) but doesn’t use their code to make a purchase (the inaction), they might receive a different set of emails designed to push them to make that final step and purchase.

Ultimately, the email marketing journey a person is placed in corresponds with the buying stage they’re currently in.

Imagine someone just discovering your brand — they’re in the awareness stage. You wouldn't bombard them with sales pitches. Instead, your emails would educate them about your brand, address their pain points, and offer valuable resources to build trust.

As the customer moves into the consideration stage, their interest is piqued. Your focus would then shift to sending emails showcasing how your product/service solves their specific problems. This might involve case studies, demos, or even free trials to let them experience the value firsthand.

Finally, when they’re in the decision/purchase stage, emails should highlight your unique selling points (USPs), offer limited-time discounts, and provide social proof through testimonials and reviews to nudge them toward a final conversion.

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Important note: Speaking to your audience differently depending on the stage they’re in is known as lifecycle email marketing, a strategy used to ensure each customer’s needs and interests are met throughout the email marketing customer journey.

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How to Implement an Email Journey

To develop a quality email marketing strategy, here are six steps you should follow:

Define your goals

First, determine what you want to achieve with your email journey. Is it lead generation, increased sales, or boosting customer engagement?

Then, quantify your goals. For example, you might aim for a 20% increase in leads from email signup forms within 3 months or a 15% boost in sales from a targeted email campaign promoting a new product.

Map your customer journey

Next, outline the different stages your subscribers will go through. This can be a simple flowchart detailing stages such as awareness, consideration, decision/purchase, and retention (where the focus is on keeping customers happy and engaged).

For each stage, identify the content that educates or motivates the customer to move to the next level. For example, in the awareness stage, you might offer a free downloadable guide on a relevant topic to get them to consider making a purchase.

Segment your audience

After that, group your subscribers based on demographics, interests, and behaviors to deliver highly relevant messages. (It’s a good idea to use your email marketing platform’s segmentation tools for this!)

For general-interest campaigns, segment by demographics like location or age. For more targeted campaigns, group subscribers by past purchases or website behavior.

Craft compelling content

The next step is to develop your email copy, visuals, and calls to action (CTAs) for each stage of the journey.

In the awareness stage, focus on educational content such as blog posts, ebooks, or webinars that address your target audience’s pain points.

For the consideration stage, showcase product features and benefits, and include customer testimonials, case studies, or product demos.

Finally, in the decision/purchase stage, your content should highlight special offers, discounts, or limited-time promotions to entice subscribers to buy.

Set up triggers and automation

Most email marketing platforms offer automation features. A common trigger is a new subscriber joining your list. Set up a welcome email series for that audience that introduces your brand and key products/services, building your reputation and trustworthiness.

Measure the success of your email marketing journey

Lastly, identify the most important metrics for your goals and track them closely. Below are some key metrics to consider measuring:

Engagement metrics

Track open rates, click-through rates, and click-to-open rates to gauge subscriber interest and content effectiveness.

High open rates (where a customer opens the email) indicate subscribers are finding your emails relevant, while strong click-through rates (customer clicks on a link within your email) show they're engaged with your calls to action.

The click-to-open rate — a ratio of clicks to opens — provides a clearer picture of content quality. Even if emails are opened, are subscribers finding something valuable to click on?

Conversion rates

Conversion rates tell you if your email journey is successfully guiding subscribers toward your goals — whether it’s a purchase, signup for a free trial, or downloading an ebook.

Revenue

Go beyond conversions and delve deeper — how much actual revenue is your email journey generating?

List growth/retention

A healthy email list is crucial for a successful journey. So, monitor list growth to see if your efforts are attracting new subscribers, and keep an eye on unsubscribe rates to identify any content or messaging that might be driving people away.

Customer lifetime value (CLV)

A successful email journey doesn’t just focus on immediate conversions. It should also aim to nurture long-term relationships with your customers.

That’s why you should track customer lifetime value (CLV) — the total revenue you expect to earn from a customer throughout their entire relationship with your company. You can do this through marketing automation and predictive analytics tools, as well as a customer relationship management (CRM) platform with CLV tracking capabilities.

The Benefits of Implementing an Email Customer Journey

Below are some of the benefits of a quality email marketing strategy.

Streamlined customer onboarding

Email journeys can automate a personalized onboarding series that introduces new subscribers to your brand and explains your offerings. This smooth onboarding process fosters positive first impressions and encourages continued engagement with your brand.

Hyper-targeted communication

Email journeys allow you to send messages that directly address your audience’s specific needs and interests. It's like having a one-on-one conversation with each subscriber, dramatically increasing the impact of your communication!

Improved lead nurturing

By delivering targeted content at each stage of the buyer's journey, you can gently guide leads toward a conversion — no more overwhelming them with sales pitches from the get-go! Instead, you build trust, educate them about your value proposition, and ultimately convert them into loyal customers.

Boosted engagement

Email journeys, with their personalized approach and relevant content, are far more engaging than generic emails. Subscribers are more likely to open, click through, and interact with emails that speak directly to them. This increased engagement translates to a more active and receptive audience for your brand.

Increased sales and conversions

By guiding subscribers through your email journey, you’re strategically positioning your product or service as the perfect solution to their needs. This targeted approach significantly increases the likelihood of conversions — whether it's a purchase, signup, or download.

Enhanced customer retention

When you provide valuable content, exclusive offers, and reminders about your brand, you keep your customers satisfied and coming back for more. Email journeys can also be used to re-engage inactive subscribers and win back those who’ve lost interest.

Measurable ROI

Email marketing offers one of the highest returns on investment (ROI) of any marketing channel. Email journeys take this a step further by allowing you to measure the direct impact of your efforts on sales, conversions, and customer lifetime value.