Marketing Automation Workflows Every Marketer Should Know

For every customer action, there should be an equal and instant marketing reaction.

Today, it’s possible for you to reach everyone from new leads to current customers — with relevant messaging customized to match their needs. Marketing automation allows you to react quickly to the actions that your diverse audience makes when interacting with your brand. It can also help you gain more sales-qualified leads, shorten the sales cycles, drive conversion and sales, and, best of all, measure your efforts.

Here we show how marketing automation workflows can help you move customers from leads to loyalists. Learn how you can match common triggers — specific actions taken by your audience — with an automated response that can help nurture prospects and retain customers.

Turn prospects into leads

According to Marketo’s benchmark report, on average 80 percent of marketers are running nurture campaigns to build relationships that keep customers coming back from day one. With this approach, Marketo has found that companies yield 50 percent more sales leads.

Greet new prospective customers:

“Welcome!”
Trigger: A new prospect signs up to receive your information.
Automated response: A series of emails with helpful resources.

Share related resources with new prospective customers:

“We think you’ll like this too.”
Trigger: A new prospect downloads your gated resource.
Automated response: An email offer for a related resource.

Create a content journey map to provide customers with content that will keep them engaged, which will turn them into warmer leads.

Turn leads into customers

How you respond to leads can make a big difference in revenue. In fact, Marketo research shows that nurtured leads make 47 percent larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. Targeting specific actions and audiences can help you track warm leads all the way to purchase.

Follow hot leads with fast responses:

“Ready to buy?”
Trigger: A new prospect’s score reaches “hot lead” based on increased interest.
Automated response: A sales representative is notified to reach out personally.

Send personalized content to ideal leads:

“We’ve got just the thing.”
Trigger: A lead from an ideal industry or target role fills out your online form.
Automated response: An email with content specific to their industry or role. Or, a sales representative is notified to reach out with special industry offers.

Recycle lost leads for future conversion efforts:

“Keep us in mind for later.”
Trigger: A lead is marked as closed or lost in your CRM system.
Automated response: The lead’s information is routed back to the nurture process.

Set up unique workflows for different loss reasons, such as “chose a competitor” or “no decision,” so the re-engagement campaign will be highly relevant to your lead.

Reengage leads who aren’t opening your emails:

“Are you still with us?”
Trigger: A lead hasn’t opened emails or visited your site in six months.
Automated response: An email with a personalized “we miss you” message.

Set up an additional automated response that will offer to remove a lead from the email list if they don’t respond to your re-engagement efforts.

Turn customers into highly engaged customers

Marketing automation gives you the opportunity to not just build new relationships, but to maintain long-term customer loyalty. Automation also makes it possible to have ongoing conversations with customers across the sales cycle, and to track audiences and behaviors across channels.

Onboard new customers instantly:

“Welcome aboard!”
Trigger: A new customer purchases your product or service.
Automated response: An email with a link to a beginner’s series of product guides, manuals, and tips.

Easily promote your special events:

“Let’s get to know each other.”
Trigger: A special company event is added to an internal calendar.
Automated response: Email invitations to the event that promote activities and special guests.

Add likely attendees to a special list, and set up an automated response that notifies sales representatives to follow up personally.

Drive “stuck” customers toward helpful resources:

“Ready to take the next step?”
Trigger: A customer has stopped using the product.
Automated response: An email with a personal invitation to try a new solution or to contact customer service.

Remind customers of upcoming purchases or renewals:

“Upcoming renewal: action is required.”
Trigger: A customer’s automatic payment or product license is set to expire in one month.
Automated response: An email reminder about how to update payment information or renew the product license.

Reward your most loyal customers:

“Thanks for your continued business.”
Trigger: A customer’s score reaches “loyalty” status based on a significant milestone.
Automated response: An email with a special offer or insider information.

Nudge customers to try unused product features:

“Ready to try something new?”
Trigger: A customer has left several product features untouched.
Automated response: An email about the benefits of the features they haven’t explored yet.