Email marketing can make waves in your overall digital marketing strategy. With the right tools and planning, you can create an effective email marketing campaign that creates the pathway from lead to conversion.
Lifecycle email marketing takes this approach to the next level. Here are effective lifecycle email marketing strategies to help achieve your revenue goals.
What Is Lifecycle Email Marketing?
Lifecycle email marketing is when you target your email campaigns for specific phases of the customer lifecycle. While the groupings sometimes vary, the basic stages of the lifecycle include:
- Lead – A lead is someone who is gaining awareness of your business and what you have to offer. Someone can become a lead by implementing the best SEO strategy for your goals.
- Prospect – a lead becomes a prospect when they start to become engaged in your business. They’ve learned a bit about who you are, and sign up for your opt-in or lead magnet and given you an email address to continue communication. As a prospect, they’ll continue to research as you work to build trust.
- Customer – once a purchase is made, a prospect becomes a customer. This is when the real work begins. While it’s more affordable to retain a customer than attract a new one, you have to prove your value, time and time again.
Leads, prospects, and customers can be at very different places within their stage of the lifecycle. A prospect who is just diving into your lead magnet is at a different place than one who has looked at your product page multiple times. A customer who made their first purchase is different than a customer who has been with you for years.
This is where lifecycle marketing comes in: creating targeted emails to speak to the prospects and customers at their unique part of the customer journey.
Lifecycle Email Marketing Strategies by Stage
When it comes to lifecycle email marketing, the main focus is on prospects and customers. The main reason for this is because you haven’t yet collected an email address to target a lead. For leads, the focus will be more on SEO, social media, and advertising.
Lifecycle Marketing for Prospects
The main goal with a prospect is to help them make the transition to paying customer. A prospect may stay in this category for some time, cycling through various campaigns.
Email marketing can be used at this stage to help reduce friction and encourage a purchasing decision. Here are some effective examples of lifecycle marketing for prospects.
Browse Abandonment
Browse abandonment takes place when a customer looks at a few items then leaves without adding anything to their cart. By having automation put in place with your sales software, you can detect a repeat visit and generate a marketing email that says, “This shirt would look great on you. Here’s 10% off if you purchase within the next 24 hours.”
Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment occurs when someone puts one or more items in their cart, then doesn’t complete the transaction. Sending a targeted email at this point can help override the indecision that’s resulted in abandonment.
With cart abandonment, it’s ideal to have two automated follow-ups. The first should take place within 24 hours, to strike while the iron is hot. The second should take place a week later, to retarget any prospects who re-thought the expense but reached payday a few days later.
An example would be, “Hey, you forgot something!” It’s optional to include a small incentive to help encourage the purchasing decision, like 5% off or free shipping. In most cases, this reduction is well worth the new customer acquisition.
Lifecycle Marketing for Customers
Once someone becomes a customer, the two goals of a business are to prove the value of their first purchase and encourage them to buy again. Here are some lifecycle email examples.
Product Review
After the initial purchase sequence thanking them for their order and letting them know about shipping or access, set up a follow-up email asking for a review. This is an opportunity for your customers to provide valuable feedback and address any concerns. They will appreciate the support, and you can use the data for future marketing.
Come Back Soon
A come back soon email is meant to help your customers make their second purchase, and their third, and so on.
Many businesses choose to do an immediate follow up with a discount off their next order when placed within a certain time. Another approach is to have automated emails triggered for set intervals between purchases, such as a month, three months, and six months, offering an incentive to come back.
There are many options for lifecycle email marketing. Start with these beginner strategies, and you’ll see your conversion rates increase right away.