Lifecycle email marketing for small businesses is an effective and cheap way to grow your company. In order to build lasting relationships with new customers, you must consider their individual stage in the lifecycle and then design your marketing content accordingly.
For small businesses, an important part of running a campaign is the ROI they plan to achieve. By using a lifecycle approach, they increase the possibility of attaining real value from their marketing budget.
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What are lifecycle emails?
Lifecycle emails are distinct because they focus on the journey a customer undertakes when they sign up for a campaign.
The intent is to deliver only certain types of content for the specific stages throughout the lifecycle.
This will ensure you don’t overwhelm prospective clients with too much information early in the relationship.
Lifecycle emails guide recipients during their journey with you.
To establish a lifecycle email system, you’ll need to group your recipients so that they can receive personalized content.
You can group them by events, demographics, and the kinds of previous interactions you’ve had.
By using this kind of data, you can create segments that then receive different emails at different stages, creating a more personalized experience.
As new subscribers sign up to your lists, you can automate onboarding emails. Once they’re familiar with your company’s products and services, you can get more specific with the content you’re delivering.
One of the primary reasons a campaign fails? When customers don’t feel they’re receiving value.
By using a lifecycle approach, you’re constantly fostering the relationship between you and your customers.
Compare this to sending out weekly price lists and product announcements with clients who don’t feel like they know you. The benefits are almost self-evident.
Ideally, you want customers to start the lifecycle and remain dedicated to your brand until the end.
The stages of the lifecycle journey
The stages can typically include:
- Awareness (e.g., learning about your services or products)
- Engagement (e.g., purchasing or using a service)
- Relationship building (e.g., returning for regular updates)
- Retention (e.g., becoming a regular customer)
- Advocating for your brand (e.g., telling their friends about you)
To run a successful lifecycle campaign, you need to complement the customer’s journey with messages that resonate with them.
How to measure a lifecycle email campaign?
Using key analytics will enable you to effectively set up and manage your lifecycle campaigns.
You need to welcome new subscribers once they’ve signed up. Additionally, you’ll want to notify existing customers of new products while rewarding brand ambassadors for their loyalty.
It costs five times more to attract new customers than to retain existing ones.
Checking for things like the email open rates and click-through rates will show you how recipients are consuming the content.
Using these metrics can help you shape any future communication, and metrics allow you to continuously improve the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Similarly, knowing how quickly someone unsubscribed from your list is a clear indicator of when you get things wrong.
KPIs will highlight where to make adjustments, and any historical data you collect will help you structure future campaigns.
Does it really matter?
Lifecycle campaigns have repeatedly proven to be one of the most effective email marketing strategies.
Not only do they foster trust with new customers, but they also create a personalized experience with clients that deliver longer relationships.
The alternative approach could lead to ignored emails. Keep content focused on each customer’s particular stage in the lifecycle, and you will improve the ROI of your existing and future campaigns.
What now?
Establishing a lifecycle campaign can seem daunting. However, by simply dividing the primary groups, you can quickly see where opportunities exist.
Subscriber lists aren’t static: They provide new insights every time a recipient interacts with the content. If you’re interested in lifecycle email marketing, consider reading this blog post with ten examples before you get started.