Why Setting Up Workflows is Not a One Time Thing
You did it! You've locked and loaded your workflows into your preferred email service provider. Your 24/7 automatic sales machine is ready to fire and rake 20% - 40% additional revenue. So you let it do the magic.
Three months later, you check in and find that the magic is nothing more than pulling a bunny from a hat.
Theories pop into your head. Maybe you don't have a large enough email list yet. Perhaps it needs more time. Or email marketing may only be for brands who got ahead of the pack.
It's none of those.
The truth is regular audit and optimization is the key to maximizing the potential of email workflows. Here's why you can't just set 'em and forget 'em.
Changing Trends
Like other marketing channels, trends come and go in email marketing. Remember when brand newsletters looked like printed magazine-style newsletters? 2 columns, huge blocks of text, and a weird banner? Yup, we don't see those anymore (fortunately!)
2 recent trends that you should optimize your emails for are dark mode and the subscribers option to block images.
Email providers that support dark mode on mobile are:
iPhone Mail
iPad Mail
Gmail (Android & iOS)
Outlook (Android & iOS)
Email providers that allow image blocking on mobile are:
iPhone Mail
Gmail
AOL Mail
Yahoo! Mail
Outlook
Office 365
Samsung Mail
When your emails aren’t optimized for these trends, it doesn't matter how well-written or designed they are. They won't get read. They won't serve their purpose.
Brand Updates
Each time you change something brand-wise – a website update, business address change, look and feel, tone of voice, etc. you have to check on your workflows.
These changes, no matter how small, may affect triggers, segment definitions, and other factors that influence the performance of your emails.
When checking your workflows, it's good to ask:
Is my welcome info up to date? What about my post-purchase info?
Have our policies changed?
Do we have updated brand images?
Are our website pop-ups and other forms linked and sending email addresses to the correct lists?
What recent brand updates should reflect on our emails?
Fresh Subscriber Insights
The more emails you send, the more data and insights you get from your subscribers. Regularly analyzing these insights will help you strategize ways to optimize your existing workflows.
Not only that, but you'll also be able to make informed decisions about whether or not you need to dig deeper into persona-specific flows or what elements you can A/B test to learn what your subscribers will respond to!
Redefining Definitions
Most email service providers have default triggers built into their workflow templates. It's understandable to go with these setups when you're building your workflows for the first time on your own. But when you already have data and insights, sticking with the default isn't helping you grow.
Checking whether workflow triggers and segmentation are appropriately defined at least once a month will ensure that your emails are sent to the right subscribers at the right frequency at the right time.
Deliverability Issues
You have to routinely check your email deliverability to ensure your emails are landing in the inbox and not getting flagged as spam.
Your deliverability audit should include the following:
Bounce rate
Spam complaints
Sender reputation
Email engagement rate
Domain and IP reputation
Conclusion
In an ever-changing email marketing environment, building out your automations is just the first step.
Regularly reviewing and refining your emails will make sure they stay current and get the best results.
But let’s face it – without the background and expertise to turn data into insights and generate actionable steps to optimize, setting up a time to audit won’t do you much help with out the actionable steps to follow. .
Hiring an expert to set everything up and have an internal member manage the whole audit and optimization workflow won’t help you maximize the true potential of email marketing for your business either.
A surefire way would be to vet an email marketing agency that will work with you from strategy to execution and everything in between to get great results!
