What is Marketing Automation for Shopify?
Marketing automation enables you to automatically perform marketing actions for your Shopify Store without expending additional resources and time. This can be in multiple forms like email marketing, social media, and promotions ads.
Types of Marketing Automation in Shopify
While email marketing have a definitions is still to ample so there can be multiple thinks in the marketing automation specifically for e-commerce but let’s deep dive into each one of the types of marketing automation for Shopify.
“Marketing automation can save you time and money, while also improving your customer engagement and sales”
Email Marketing Automation
By setting up automated email campaigns based on specific triggers or actions, businesses can engage with their customers at the right time with relevant and targeted messages. This can help improve customer retention, increase sales, and boost overall customer lifetime value.
Retargeting Ads Automation
Retargeting ads automation refers to the use of automated systems to display ads to users who have interacted with your website or social media accounts. This type of marketing automation helps to keep your brand top of mind and can encourage customers to return to your site and make a purchase. Retargeting ads can be customized to show specific products or services that a customer has shown interest in, making them more likely to convert.
Loyalty Program Automation
Loyalty program automation is a way to reward customers for their repeat business and encourage them to continue shopping with your brand. It involves setting up a system to automatically track customer purchases and assign rewards or incentives based on their behavior. This can include things like points systems, exclusive discounts, or early access to new products.
Social Media Marketing Automation
Social media marketing automation is the process of using tools to automate certain aspects of social media management, such as scheduling posts, analyzing data, and engaging with followers. This can help businesses save time and effort while still maintaining an active and engaging social media presence.
Email Marketing Automation: 6 Workflows You Can’t Ignore
After discussing the various types of marketing automation, it's important to get into the specific workflows that are essential for making your marketing automation strategy successful. These workflows can help streamline your marketing efforts and improve your overall Shopify Customer Lifetime Value.
Cart Abandonment Series
This are the mos usual workflows in the ecommerce landscape however they are also one of the most importants to have and to put in the hours.
Instead of the basic let’s jump in to common mistakes regarding cart abandonement workflows:
Only for Recovering Lost Sales
While recovering lost sales is certainly a major benefit of these workflows, they also serve a larger purpose in improving the overall customer experience and building brand loyalty.
Personalize your Message or your offer
Emails are a common form of communication, but they can often feel impersonal. To make your cart abandonment emails more effective, it's important to go the extra mile and add personal touches. Use custom properties to include personalized details in your messages, such as the customer's name, the specific items left in their cart, and other relevant information that can make the message feel more tailored to their needs.
Send the right amount of reminders to your customers
It's important to strike the right balance with your email reminders. While sending too few or no reminders at all can lead to missed opportunities for sales, bombarding your customers with too many can be even worse. Overwhelming your customers with frequent and irrelevant emails can lead to them unsubscribing from your marketing emails altogether. It's important to remember that once they unsubscribe, there's no coming back. That's why it's crucial to optimize the timing and frequency of your email reminders to ensure that they are relevant, personalized, and add value to your customer's experience with your brand.
Encouraging customers to complete purchase
While some customers abandon their carts at the edge of buying, others may be storing items for future purchases or simply forgetting about them. To encourage customers to complete their purchase, offering incentives can be a powerful strategy. These incentives can include discounts, free shipping, or limited-time offers. However, it's important to use these incentives carefully and not rely on them too heavily, as this can lead to customers expecting them every time and devaluing your products.
Overcomplicating your Workflow
Sending more emails and reminders may not always be the best approach for cart abandonment workflows. Overcomplicating the workflow can lead to a confusing customer experience. It's crucial to strike the right balance and keep the workflow simple and easy to follow. To ensure a clear and concise workflow, conduct a test at the end of the process.
| Metric | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Abandonment rate | The percentage of customers who add items to their cart but do not complete the purchase | Aim to minimize the abandonment rate |
| Recovery rate | The percentage of abandoned carts that are successfully recovered through follow-up emails | Aim to recover at least 10-15% of abandoned carts |
| Open rate | The percentage of customers who open the cart abandonment email | Aim for a minimum of 30% |
| Click-through rate | The percentage of customers who click on links within the cart abandonment email | Aim for a minimum of 10% |
| Conversion rate | The percentage of customers who complete the purchase after receiving the cart abandonment email | Aim for a minimum of 5% |
| Timeframe | The timing of the cart abandonment email | Aim to send the email within a few hours or up to 24 hours after abandonment |
| Personalization | The level of personalization in the cart abandonment email | Aim to include the abandoned items, personalized offers, and a clear call-to-action |
| Metrics to track | Abandonment rate, recovery rate, open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate | Monitor changes in these metrics to measure the effectiveness of cart abandonment emails |
| Potential risks | Email overload, customers ignoring or unsubscribing from cart abandonment emails | Ensure the cart abandonment email provides value, incentives, and a seamless shopping experience |
| Customer satisfaction | The overall satisfaction level of customers who receive the cart abandonment email | Aim for high customer satisfaction ratings through successful recovery and completed purchases |
Welcome Series
Creating a welcome email is a crucial step in building a strong relationship with your new customers. This email can take on many different forms and have various goals, but the key is to make your new customers feel welcomed and excited to shop at your store. It's important to personalize the message and include any relevant information or promotions that may interest the customer. With a well-designed and thoughtful welcome email, you can make a positive first impression and set the stage for a long and fruitful customer relationship.
| Metric | Descriptions | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | The percentage of subscribers who open the email. | Aim for a minimum of 25%. |
| Click-through rate | The percentage of subscribers who clicked on a link within the email. | Aim for a minimum of 10%. |
| Conversion rate | The percentage of subscribers who completed the desired action (e.g., made a purchase) as a result of the email. | Aim for a minimum of 5%. |
| Timeframe | The length of time between each email in the series. | Consider a timeframe of 2-4 days between each email. |
| Frequency | The number of emails in the series. | Aim for a series of 3-5 emails. |
| Metrics to track | Open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, unsubscribe rate, spam complaint rate. | Track these metrics to gauge the success of the welcome series and identify areas for improvement. |
| Potential risks | Overwhelming subscribers with too many emails, not providing enough value in the emails, or not properly segmenting subscribers. | Avoid these risks by carefully planning and executing the welcome series with a focus on providing value to subscribers. |
Product Reviews Requests
Asking for customer feedback can be a scary topic for businesses, as it involves directly asking customers for their opinions and potentially opening yourself up to criticism. However, it's important to gather feedback in order to improve your products, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction.
To incentivize customers to provide feedback, consider offering a discount or other exclusive offer in exchange for their time and commitment to your store. This shows your customers that you value their input and are willing to reward them for their efforts.
| Metric | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | Percentage of customers who opened the email | Aim for a minimum of 20% |
| Click-through rate | Percentage of customers who clicked a link | Aim for a minimum of 5% |
| Conversion rate | Percentage of customers who submitted a review | Aim for a minimum of 2% |
| Timeframe | Length of time to request a review from a customer | Within 7-10 days of purchase |
| Frequency | Number of times a customer is requested to review | No more than 2 requests per purchase |
| Metrics to track | Number of reviews received, average rating | Monitor trend of reviews over time |
| Potential risks | Negative reviews, review requests being ignored | Monitor customer feedback and respond accordingly |
Win-Back Campaigns
Winning back customers who have lapsed or stopped buying from your store is a crucial strategy for improving your Shopify Customer Lifetime Value. Not only is it typically easier and cheaper than acquiring new customers, but it also shows that you value their past business and want to continue providing value to them.
However, it's important to approach this task with care and consideration, as there may be various reasons why a customer has stopped buying from your store. In this article, we'll explore why winning back lapsed customers is important and provide some tips for how to effectively do it.
| Metric | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | The percentage of subscribers who opened the email | Aim for a minimum of 20% |
| Click-through rate | The percentage of subscribers who clicked on a link in email | Aim for a minimum of 5% |
| Conversion rate | The percentage of subscribers who completed the desired action (such as making a purchase) after receiving the email | Aim for a minimum of 2% |
| Timeframe | The amount of time since the subscriber's last engagement | Aim to reach out to inactive subscribers after 3-6 months |
| Frequency | The number of emails sent during the win-back campaign | Aim to send at least 3-4 emails |
| Metrics to track | Subscriber engagement before and after the win-back campaign, revenue generated from win-back campaign | Monitor changes in engagement and revenue |
| Potential risks | Unsubscribes, negative feedback, damage to brand reputation | Plan for potential negative feedback and have a strategy in place to address it |
Cross-Selling and Upselling
Cross-selling and upselling are two effective techniques for increasing the average order value of customers. Cross-selling involves offering additional, complementary products to customers who have already made a purchase, while upselling involves suggesting a more expensive or premium version of the product the customer is already interested in.
Email marketing automation can be an excellent way to implement cross-selling and upselling strategies. By tracking a customer's purchase history or browsing behavior, you can identify products that are likely to be of interest to them and send targeted offers via email.
For example, if a customer has purchased a camera on your Shopify store, you could send them an email promoting related accessories such as lenses, tripods, and camera bags. Similarly, if a customer is looking at a specific product page on your website, you can send them an email suggesting a more premium version of that product.
Implementing cross-selling and upselling workflows in your email marketing automation can help increase customer lifetime value, as well as enhance the overall customer experience by providing them with personalized recommendations and options to upgrade their purchase.
| Metric | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion rate | The percentage of customers who accept cross-selling or upselling offers | Aim for a minimum of 10% |
| Average order value | The average amount spent by customers who accept cross-selling or upselling offers | Aim for an increase of at least 20% |
| Timeframe | The period between the initial purchase and the cross-selling or upselling offer | Aim to present offers within 1-2 weeks of the initial purchase |
| Frequency | The number of cross-selling or upselling offers sent to customers | Aim to send 1-2 targeted offers per customer |
| Metrics to track | Conversion rate, average order value, revenue generated from cross-selling and upselling | Monitor changes in these metrics to evaluate effectiveness |
| Potential risks | Customer dissatisfaction, perceived pushiness | Ensure offers are relevant and customer-centric to minimize risks |
| Personalization | The level of personalization in the cross-selling and upselling offers | Aim for tailored recommendations based on customer preferences |
| Email engagement | The open and click-through rates of cross-selling and upselling emails | Aim for a minimum open rate of 25% and click-through rate of 5% |
Post-Purchase Follow Ups
While it may seem counterintuitive to send follow-up emails to customers who have just made a purchase, post-purchase follow-ups are actually an important part of improving customer satisfaction and encouraging repeat business. These emails can be used to thank the customer for their purchase, provide order confirmation and shipping information, and even offer personalized product recommendations based on their purchase history.
Post-purchase follow-ups can also be a great opportunity to ask for customer feedback, either through surveys or by encouraging them to leave a review of the product they purchased. This feedback can be used to improve your products and services, and also provides valuable social proof for future customers.
| Metric | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Open Rate | The percentage of customers who open the post-purchase follow-up email | Aim for a minimum of 40% |
| Click-through rate | The percentage of customers who click on links within the email | Aim for a minimum of 10% |
| Review/Feedback rate | The percentage of customers who provide feedback or leave a review | Aim for a minimum of 15% |
| Repeat purchase rate | The percentage of customers who make a subsequent purchase after receiving the follow-up email | Aim for a minimum of 10% |
| Timeframe | The timing of the post-purchase follow-up email | Aim to send the email within 1-3 days after purchase |
| Personalization | The level of personalization in the follow-up email | Aim to include personalized order details and product recommendations |
| Metrics to track | Open rate, click-through rate, review/feedback rate, repeat purchase rate | Monitor changes in these metrics to measure the effectiveness of follow-up emails |
| Potential risks | Email fatigue, overwhelming customers with too many communications | Ensure the follow-up email is concise, relevant, and adds value to the customer's experience |
| Customer satisfaction | The overall satisfaction level of customers who receive the follow-up email | Aim for high customer satisfaction ratings through feedback and reviews |
Best Techniques for Improving Email Marketing Automation in Shopify
Now that we have reviewed the most important flows to use in email marketing automation, let's focus on the techniques and small details that can make or break the results of your email marketing automation.
Segment your Audience
Segmenting your audience is a crucial step in email marketing automation for Shopify. By dividing your email list into smaller, targeted groups based on factors like past purchases, engagement, and demographics, you can tailor your communication and messages to each specific segment. This can lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, more conversions.
For example, in the image above, the email is targeted based on the customer's last purchase, with an attempt to cross-sell a related product. Segmentation also helps to avoid sending irrelevant messages to your audience, which can lead to higher unsubscribe rates and lower engagement overall. So, make sure to segment your audience effectively to maximize the impact of your email marketing automation.
A/B Test your Campaigns
A/B testing involves creating two different versions of a website or email campaign, with a single element changed between the two versions. The purpose of this test is to determine which version performs better in terms of achieving a specific goal, such as increasing conversions or click-through rates. By splitting the traffic evenly between the two versions, you can collect data on which version is more effective, and use that information to make informed decisions about future campaigns.
There are various theories on what to test and how much to test, as well as more complex topics such as multivariate testing and hypothesis building. However, our article "A/B Testing Your Campaigns" get into all these topics in detail, providing you with everything you need to know to start running successful A/B tests in your Shopify store.
Use Dynamic Content
Dynamic content is a powerful tool in email marketing automation that allows for customization of the content based on individual recipient's behavior, preferences, and other data. By tailoring the content to the recipient's specific interests, you can increase engagement and conversion rates.
One way to understand the impact of dynamic content is to compare two examples of email communications. On the left, there is an email with no dynamic content that appears to be a generic marketing email simply promoting a mobile app for your brand. On the right, there is an email that uses dynamic content to specifically target and sell the mobile app to a particular brand. As a customer, which email would pique your interest more?
When setting up your emails, put yourself in the shoes of your customers and consider what type of dynamic content would make you engage with the brand.
By using dynamic content in your emails, you can create a personalized experience for your customers that can lead to higher open and click-through rates, increased conversions, and customer loyalty.
Optimize your email frequency
Optimizing your email frequency may seem like a simple task, but it's actually quite complex and can be affected by multiple factors. For example, you need to consider the time zone of your audience and the best time of day to send emails, especially during holidays when people may have different schedules. Additionally, it's important to remember that email is not real-time communication, and it's essential to understand the average hours in B2C that a person reads emails after they are sent.
A good optimization strategy can lead to happier customers, less unsubscribes, and increased conversions. However, a bad strategy can be problematic if you are annoying your customers with too many emails or sending them at inconvenient times.
When it comes to frequency, even if you think you know the best approach, it's important to test different frequencies and analyze the results. Time and frequency play an important role in optimizing your email campaigns, and tracking metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates is key to determining the effectiveness of your current email frequency.
Monitor your metrics
Monitoring your metrics is a crucial aspect of email marketing automation. By tracking your metrics, you can identify what is working and what isn't, and make adjustments accordingly.
To optimize your email marketing automation, it's important to segment your audience and use dynamic content. However, even with these tactics in place, it's still important to track your metrics to ensure that your efforts are yielding the desired results.
The main key metrics to measure in email marketing include the open rate, click rate, reply rate, warm reply rate, and unsubscribe rate. While the open rate may not always provide an accurate representation due to recent updates on email platforms such as Apple Mail, it is still important to track it along with the other metrics to gain a complete understanding of your campaign's performance.
Moreover, it's essential to monitor metrics specific to your email campaign, such as click-through rates for individual links or buttons. By doing so, you can identify which parts of your email are most effective and make informed decisions about what to include in future campaigns.
But it's not just about tracking the numbers. It's important to analyze and interpret the data to gain insights into your audience's behavior and preferences. For instance, tracking the best time and frequency to send emails can help increase open and click-through rates.
To optimize your email marketing automation effectively, you should regularly review and adjust your email campaigns based on your metrics. Testing different frequencies and analyzing the results can help you determine the optimal frequency for your audience.
In conclusion, while segmentation, dynamic content, and frequency optimization are all critical to the success of your email marketing automation, it's equally important to monitor your metrics. By tracking and analyzing your metrics, you can make data-driven decisions to continually improve your email campaigns and achieve your desired results.
Retargeting Ads Automation: A Key Element for Successful Shopify Ad Campaigns
How Retargeting Ads Automation Works
Retargeting ads automation is a process that involves using data and technology to create targeted advertisements aimed at specific individuals who have previously interacted with a brand or website. This process is also referred to as remarketing.
The way retargeting ads automation works is by placing a tracking pixel or cookie on the user's browser when they visit a website or perform a specific action such as adding a product to their cart but not completing the purchase. The tracking pixel allows the brand or website to identify the user and gather data such as their browsing behavior, interests, and preferences.
Once the user leaves the website or takes a specific action, the data gathered from the tracking pixel is used to create targeted advertisements that are displayed to the user on other websites and social media platforms. These advertisements are designed to remind the user of the product or service they showed interest in, and encourage them to return to the website and complete the desired action, such as making a purchase.
Retargeting ads automation can be done manually, but it is often done using automation tools that allow marketers to create and manage retargeting campaigns across multiple platforms, such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads. These tools can help marketers optimize their campaigns by automatically adjusting targeting parameters and bid amounts to achieve the best results.
Retargeting ads automation can be a highly effective marketing technique, as it targets individuals who have already shown interest in a brand or product, and are therefore more likely to convert. It can also help increase brand awareness and drive more traffic to a website. However, it's important to ensure that retargeting ads are not overly aggressive or intrusive, as this can have a negative impact on the user experience and lead to a higher rate of ad-blocking or unsubscribing.
Setting up Retargeting Ads Automation
Retargeting Ads Automation is a powerful tool that allows you to personalize your advertising campaigns for specific segments of your audience. The benefits of setting up this type of automation are numerous, as it allows you to save time while delivering a more targeted message to your prospects.
When it comes to segmenting your retargeting ads, there are many options available. One popular method is to segment based on seen or added to cart products, as well as wishlist items. However, you can also segment based on age, demographics, sex, or even past purchase history.
By personalizing your ads, you can create a more engaging experience for your audience. This is especially true for retargeting ads, which take into account what your prospects have already shown an interest in. As a result, these ads are more likely to drive conversions and ultimately, revenue.
While the concept of retargeting ads automation may sound complex, it doesn't have to be. Many platforms offer easy-to-use tools that allow you to set up your campaigns quickly and efficiently. And if you're not sure where to start, there are plenty of resources available to help you get started.
Best Practises for Retargeting Ads in Shopify
Frequency Capping
Frequency capping is an important best practice for retargeting ads in Shopify. By limiting the number of times an ad can appear to the same person in a given time period, you can ensure that your ads do not become too intrusive and upset your customers.
This practice can also be improved by splitting testing to determine the optimal frequency for your audience. For example, if a person is close to buying a bikini in April for the summer but they opt for another brand, we don't want to continue showing ads for a long period of time when the person no longer needs the product. We can do another campaign for this segment in the next year.
Offer an Incentive
Offering incentives is a powerful way to bring customers back to your online store. Some of the best practices for offering incentives in retargeting ads include special discounts for a specific product or collection, highlighting product updates or launches, and letting customers know when a popular item is back in stock.
By offering these incentives, you create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to return to your store to take advantage of the deal. However, it's important to segment your retargeting efforts based on customers' preferences to ensure the incentives you offer are relevant to them. For example, if a customer has shown no interest in a specific collection, offering a discount on that collection is unlikely to be effective.
Another effective strategy is to offer bundle deals for items that complement each other.
Picture this: it's springtime and you're scrolling through your social media feed when suddenly, an ad pops up for a sweet summer outfit bundle deal. You think to yourself, 'Hmm, I could definitely use some new summer threads.' And just like that, the retargeting ad has done its job by offering you an incentive that's too good to pass up. So you click, you purchase, and you feel like you've got your summer wardrobe on lock. That's the power of offering a bundle deal at the right time and to the right person. It entices your customers and boosts your average order value.
Create Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency is a powerful marketing tactic that can help increase conversion and revenue. One way to create urgency is to notify the customer that the product they added to their cart or wishlist is in low stock. This can make customers feel the urgency to buy the product before it's sold out.
Another way to create urgency is by setting a deadline for a sale or promotion. Customers may feel more compelled to make a purchase if they know that the sale or promotion is ending soon and they will miss out on the opportunity.
It's important to ensure that the sense of urgency you create is genuine and not misleading. Misleading customers can negatively impact their loyalty towards your brand, which can ultimately hurt your bottom line.
Dynamic Products Ads
Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs) are a powerful form of retargeting on Facebook that uses the Facebook Pixel to display products to customers based on their past behavior. With DPAs, you can show customers the exact products they're interested in, making it more likely that they'll make a purchase.
DPAs are triggered by specific actions taken by customers, such as viewing a product, adding it to their cart, or making a purchase. By tracking these actions, DPAs can create a more personalized and effective advertising experience for customers. Other possible actions that could trigger DPAs include wishlisting a product or signing up for a waitlist.
Different Formats and Placements
Retargeting ads can be delivered in different formats and placements depending on the goal of the campaign and the devices used by the customers. Some of the most common formats include sponsored Facebook page posts, video ads, dynamic product ads, carousel ads, and photo ads. Each of these formats has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it's important to choose the right one for your specific campaign.
For example, video ads can be very effective for increasing engagement and driving brand awareness, while dynamic product ads are great for retargeting customers who have already shown an interest in a specific product. Carousel ads can be used to showcase multiple products or features, and photo ads can be effective for creating an emotional connection with the customer.
It's also important to consider the placement of the ads, such as in the news feed or on the right-hand column. The placement will depend on the devices used by your customers and the specific goal of your campaign. For example, news feed ads are great for driving engagement and increasing conversions, while right-hand column ads can be effective for increasing brand awareness.
Ultimately, the key is to experiment with different formats and placements and use data to determine which ones are most effective for your specific audience and campaign goals. By utilizing the right format and placement, you can improve the success of your retargeting ads and drive more conversions and revenue for your business.
Loyalty Marketing Automation
Loyalty programs have become increasingly important for businesses to retain customers and boost sales. While loyalty marketing automation can be a powerful tool for optimizing customer engagement and increasing revenue, it's important to remember that automation shouldn't mean sacrificing personalization and customization. By taking the time to segment your audience and tailor your communication strategy, you can create a more effective loyalty program that resonates with your customers and keeps them coming back for more.
Setting Up a Loyalty Marketing Automation
Step 1 - Define your Loyalty Program Goals
Before setting up your loyalty marketing automation, it's important to define the purpose you want to achieve with it. Do you want to encourage customers to refer others to your brand, gather more information from them such as their birthday date, collect product reviews, or boost interactions with your social media accounts? Clarifying the desired outcome will help you tailor your automation to achieve the desired results.
Step 2 - Choose a Loyalty Program
If you’re are here you probably already have a Loyalty Program and if so you can jump to the Step 4. If not let’s get into how to choose between the options the best Loyalty Program. The best you can is perform the search in Shopify App Store and see every options available and choose the most suitable for your regarding features and price. If you still can’t decide or you have some doubts you can check our article on “Choosing The Right Loyalty Program for Your Shopify Store”.
Step 3 - Set Up your Rewards and Point System
After choosing the platform or software to be used, the next step is deciding on the type of loyalty program to be implemented into the store. The platform chosen may have some restrictions on what can and cannot be done.
There are different types of loyalty programs that can be used:
- Points-based programs - In this type of program, customers earn points for purchases, which can be redeemed for rewards or discounts.
- Tiered programs - In tiered programs, customers can progress through different levels of membership based on their loyalty, with each level unlocking new benefits.
- Paid programs - This type of program requires customers to pay a fee to become a member and receive exclusive benefits.
- Coalition programs - Coalition programs involve multiple brands partnering together to offer a loyalty program that spans across all of their products and services.
- Punch cards - In punch card programs, customers receive a physical card that is stamped or marked after each purchase. A reward is given after a certain number of purchases are made.
Step 4 - Segment your Customers
I know I've mentioned segmentation multiple times already in this article, but it's worth reiterating just how important it is for the success of your loyalty program. Once you've chosen your loyalty program and set up your rewards and point system, it's time to segment your customers. By segmenting your customers, you can personalize your communication and tailor your rewards to their preferences and behaviors. This will increase their engagement and loyalty to your brand, ultimately leading to more repeat purchases and a higher customer lifetime value.
Step 5 - Determine the automation triggers
Well in order to be personalized and at the right timing our communicaiton needs to depend on triggers which will make sure the customers is at the right time to receive some type of communication. There are unlimited options for automation triggers it’s going to depend on type of business and loyalty program you have as a merchant but let’s review the most common and important for most brands.
- Sign-up - Upon a customer's registration for your loyalty program, it is crucial to send them an email expressing gratitude for their sign-up rather than just trying to sell your products. In this email, you can provide a summary of all the benefits that come with joining the program and offer a reward as a token of appreciation for signing up.
- Birthday - One of the most effective ways to incentivize your customers is to offer them special promotions or discounts on their birthday. However, it's important to not limit the offer to just their actual birthdate. Offering promotions throughout the entire birthday month gives customers more time to take advantage of the offer and encourages them to make a purchase without feeling rushed.
- Activity - Trigger-based on activity refers to an automated message or communication sent to a customer based on their activity or inactivity on a particular platform or service. In the context of loyalty programs, it refers to sending a reminder email to inactive members to encourage them to engage with the program.
- Referral - Referral automation triggers are automated messages or notifications that are sent to customers when they successfully refer a new customer to your business. These triggers are important because they encourage and incentivize your existing customers to promote your business to their friends and family, ultimately resulting in more customer acquisitions and revenue.
- Tier Upgrade - Tier upgrade is an important feature of loyalty marketing automation that allows customers to progress through different levels of membership based on their loyalty, with each level unlocking new benefits. The upgrade is triggered by various factors such as the customer's purchase history, amount spent, or other activities that show engagement with the brand.
Best Practices a Loyalty Marketing Automation
Focus on Customer Experience
When it comes to building marketing automation for loyalty programs, customer experience should be a top priority. The main goal of a loyalty program is to provide a better experience for customers and create a sense of loyalty towards your brand. To ensure a positive customer experience while automating your marketing for loyalty programs, it's important to follow some key rules.
Firstly, avoid over-communicating with your customers. While it may be tempting to send frequent emails or notifications, bombarding your customers with too many messages can be overwhelming and lead to annoyance rather than loyalty. Instead, focus on sending personalized and relevant messages at the right time.
Timing is also crucial in providing a positive customer experience. Make sure your triggers and automation processes are set up to send messages at appropriate intervals and when they are most likely to be well-received.
Multi-Channel Approach
A multi-channel approach is key to building a successful loyalty program. This means using a variety of channels to communicate with customers, such as email, social media, and SMS. By using a multi-channel approach, you can reach more customers and keep them engaged with your brand.
Clear Communication
Clear communication is crucial when it comes to loyalty marketing automation. Your customers need to understand the message you're trying to convey in order to avoid any confusion or frustration. Make sure to communicate in a simple and concise manner, and ensure that your customers understand the benefits and rewards you're providing. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that not all of your customers may be fluent in English, so be sure to use language that is easily understood.
Test and Measure
Continuously testing and measuring your loyalty program and marketing automation is essential for constant improvement. It is necessary to monitor and analyze the performance of your loyalty program and automation to identify what works and what needs to be improved. This approach enables you to make informed decisions and optimize your loyalty program to better meet the needs and preferences of your customers.
Social Media Marketing Automation
Social Media Marketing Automation in Shopify allows you to schedule and automate your social media posts across various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more. This feature allows you to plan and create content in advance and schedule it to be published at the optimal time for your audience, ensuring maximum engagement.
Benefits of Social Media Automation
Well there is a lot of benefits in using Social Media Automation but the main benefit is without any doubts the saving time and respectively money by automation all the repetitive tasks for your multiple social media accounts.
Types of Social Media Marketing Automation
Automated Post Scheduling
Automated post scheduling is a powerful tool for managing social media marketing. With the help of scheduling tools, you can plan out your posts in advance and schedule them to be published on different social media platforms at the optimal time for your audience. This not only saves you time, but also ensures that your posts are being seen by your followers when they are most active on each platform.
Additionally, by planning out your posts in advance, you can ensure that your content is consistent and aligned with your overall marketing strategy.
Automated Social Media Ads
As we previously discussed, automation is a game-changer for social media marketing. And one area where it can really pay off is with your social media ads. By automating your ads, you can save time and resources, while also improving the effectiveness of your campaigns through better targeting and segmentation.
For instance, let's say you want to run a social media ad campaign to promote your new product launch. With automated social media ads, you can set up targeting parameters, ad creative, and budget ahead of time and let the automation take care of the rest. The automation can optimize the ad placement, targeting, and bidding strategy to get the best results for your ad campaign, while freeing up your time to focus on other important tasks.
Automated Social Media Monitoring
Automated social media monitoring can involve using tools to automatically track and analyze social media activity related to your brand, such as mentions, hashtags, and comments.
For example, if you are a clothing brand, you can set up automated monitoring to track mentions of your brand name and relevant hashtags on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. This can help you stay on top of what people are saying about your brand and engage with your audience in a timely manner.
Automated Social Media Content Curation
An automated social media content curation tool for a cosmetics brand can be used to gather content related to makeup tutorials, skincare tips, product reviews, and other relevant topics. The tool can automatically curate content from various sources and schedule it to be posted on the brand's social media channels. For example, the tool can find and share popular makeup tutorials from YouTube or Instagram, featuring the brand's products or related items. This can help the brand to maintain an active presence on social media, while also providing value to their audience with helpful and informative content.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Marketing Automation for Shopify offers a range of benefits, from email campaigns to retargeting ads and loyalty programs. By implementing effective strategies and utilizing automation tools, Shopify merchants can optimize their marketing efforts, engage customers, and drive sales. Whether through personalized email workflows or targeted ad campaigns, mastering marketing automation techniques can significantly enhance the success of your Shopify store. Take advantage of the available tools, test and refine your strategies, and watch your business thrive in the competitive e-commerce landscape.
