7 Marketing automation sequences to build right now

Manual actions are for the birds.

We already wear too many hats. The point-and-click execution of inbound marketing already requires you to wear the hat of Marketing Manager, Account Manager, SEO Specialist, Content Writer, Social Media Analyst, and Business Intelligence.

There are obviously tools out there that make hat management easier, but still, that’s a lot of hats.

Enter marketing automation: a process, when applied appropriately, can lighten the load, remove manual tasks and reach desired outcomes in less time and less keystrokes.

Use this list as a reference — and if you see an automated workflow that is not currently built out in your software — add it to your to-do list.

Lead Nurturing

Chances are, you may be engaging with visitors and contacts at all stages of the sales funnel. With an automated workflow, establish an email sequence that nurtures leads in the top of the funnel through the middle of the funnel and at the desired end goal of a purchase or commitment.

If someone has downloaded a content offer of yours — like an ebook or white paper — have a series of automated follow ups that lead them to another offer outlining their options or potential solutions; present an offer that, when downloaded, upgrades them to marketing-qualified leads.

Are there contacts in the middle of your funnel? Again, have an automated workflow in place that will move them towards a decision. Make sure they understand the benefits of your free [consultation; assessment; demo].

Contact Record Maintenance

Whether you already have lead nurturing automation in place or not, do not miss the chance to also have a supporting sequence in place that updates leads’ status for you.

If someone downloads an offer of yours, they may now be a lead in your CRM or marketing toolkit. Whatever that next action is, set up an automated workflow that automatically assigns Action A with an upgrade to “MQL” status. Similarly, assign Action B and Action C to “SQL” if applicable.

Automating your leads’ location in your funnel maintains list integrity, keeps your performance data up to date, and keeps your sales team informed.

Internal Sales Notifications

If we’re going to nurture the leads in our funnel and update their lead status, we’re going to want to make sure our sales team is in the loop for any SQL’s that come through. If someone is ready for that no-obligation needs assessment, we better have a rep ready to go asap.

Just like the automated emails we send to our marketing contacts, set up internal email triggers that go to the team members that need them. If someone has committed to a decision-stage offer of ours, alert the necessary sales rep. If someone has filled out our job application for “Inbound Specialist”, alert the hiring marketing manager.

Job Application Follow-Ups

If you have multiple job postings open — each with their own unique landing page/conversion path — it can be helpful to alert each individual hiring manager when a form fill comes in.

But what about the applicant? Ensure their proactivity by following up after “Submit Application” with an email (or two). Introduce them to your Culture Code, important subpages or blog posts, and your social accounts.

If your software cookies users after form fills, this will also give your team insight into what they researched (or if they researched) prior to their interview.

Abandoned Shopping Cart

For companies with an e-commerce presence, set up an automated workflow that follows up with users who added product(s) to their shopping cart but failed to pull the trigger. Remind them of the last step, link them directly back to their cart, and ensure they finalize the purchase.

Try a series of emails where, if the user does not complete their purchase after an initial follow up, introduce a discount or promo code.

Pipeline Management

If your marketing toolkit is integrated with your CRM and sales tools, use automation to connect the dots between web engagement and high-value actions with opportunity (or deal) creation. Going back to the contact who requested your needs assessment, through automation, you can also have that request trigger a new sales opportunity in your CRM at the appropriate deal stage (like Early Qualification, for example).

Event Reminders

If you have a webinar, workshop, networking event, etc. that you are driving registrations towards, leverage automation that simplifies the follow-up process. Create an automated sequence that sends registrants the need-to-know information at critical dates leading up to the event.

For example, trigger a “Thank You!” email upon registration, event agenda two weeks before, parking information two days before, and last minute reminders the morning of.