Skip to main content

Top email automation triggers

Ashly Arndt

Email triggers are an essential part of a business marketing strategy, helping brands expand their outreach, enhance conversion rates, and produce overall better engagement levels with their audience. Because this necessary solution gives businesses the power to automate communication with their customers in a timely yet efficient way, it should inarguably be woven into every company’s email program. 
 
In this article, we’ll delve into what email automation triggers encompass, the different types of triggers you can leverage within your marketing strategy, and tips to help ensure the success of future email campaigns.  

What are triggered emails?  

Email automation triggers are automated emails that are generated based on specific conditions—or triggers—in one’s marketing campaign. These triggers can include anything from welcome emails for new account sign-ups, to abandoned cart messages intended to help users finalize their online purchase. 
 
The goal of a triggered email is to target the user once a predefined action occurs, rather than waiting to send future emails to a broad segment in mass. By sending swift follow up messages that are tailored to an individual’s interest, you can increase the likelihood of open rates, engagement, and conversions in your email campaigns. 

Why data quality is essential to automated communication 

Data quality is foundational for email communication success—trigger emails included. Having the right data in your system will directly impact deliverability, engagement, and much more. 
 
By verifying your email addresses with an email validation tool, you can help instill more confidence in your sender reputation and enhance the performance of your marketing campaigns. Because trigger emails are automated and happen shortly after a triggered event, ensuring clean, accurate data is even more crucial for your outreach efficacy.

What you need to know about triggered email marketing

How does triggered email marketing differ from other methods of email outreach? Unlike traditional email marketing, which involves scheduled blasts, triggered email marketing sends messages in response to a user’s actions. This makes the emails more personalized and relevant, resulting in higher engagement rates and conversions. 

Types of automated email triggers

Automated emails can be shaped around different marketing strategies. They can also be based on the specific buying stage of the customer journey. 

Unsure of which automated email trigger to begin with? Below, we outline several different forms commonly leveraged by marketers:

  • Welcome emails: Sent to new subscribers or customers, offering a warm introduction to your brand.

  • Abandonment emails: Targeted to individuals who have abandoned items in their shopping carts or haven’t completed a specific action.

  • Transactional emails: Provide purchase confirmations, receipts, and shipping notifications.

  • Behavioral emails: Customized messaging based on user interactions with your website or product.

  • Reminder emails: Sent to remind subscribers of upcoming events, appointments, or renewals. 

Triggered email best practices

In order to increase engagement and generate success in your email marketing campaigns, you’ll want to ensure your emails reach the right audience at the right time. Below is a list of best practices to help guide your strategy: 

  1. Segment Your Audience: As mentioned above, the success of your email campaign is contingent upon reaching your audience effectively at the best possible time. Segmenting your audience is a great way to divvy up your users by interest to ensure your messaging is personalized to their needs—a feat which is sure to maximize email open rates.

  2. Timely Delivery: In our current, fast-paced world, it’s crucial to capture your audiences’ attention—and to do so as quickly as possible. Ensure you’re reaching your users shortly after contact with your company to keep your brand top of mind.

  3. Personalize Content: Are you more likely to respond to an email that starts with your name and captures your interest, or one that seems like a copy and paste banter sent to a mass audience? If you’re like most users, you’ll likely prefer the former option—and so will your email recipients. Be sure to increase personalization in your triggered emails as much as possible to effectively engage your audience. Examples of personalization can include greeting the user by their name, providing a special offer for birthdays and key times of year, or including specific product recommendations based on browsing behavior and purchase history.

  4. Optimize for Mobile: Users are more likely to open your email through a mobile device than any other device, accounting for approximately 41.6% of email opens.1 Double-check how your emails appear on mobile to ensure the right visual and responsivity across devices with varying dimensions.

  5. Email Verification: Ensure the accuracy of your email list to improve deliverability and engagement. This is one of the top practices for any email trigger campaign because email verification tools will ensure the emails in your database are real and able to receive mail 

The importance of email verification when sending triggered emails

Now that you know the benefits of adding automated email triggers to your marketing strategy, it’s crucial to ensure success with accurate and reliable contact data. That is where Experian’s email verification solutions come into play. Take advantage of our email verification to cleanse and confirm your email data, optimize your triggered email campaigns, and drive meaningful engagement with your messages.  
 
Learn more about email validation before kickstarting your campaign to maximize your success.

 

Connect with one of our experts to get started!