Automation functionality is widely available with most email software (MailChimp, Constant Contact, etc.) and will save your team lots of time.
These three automated emails are easy to set up and provide a hands-off way to increase engagement.
1. Welcome to our email list
An automated welcome email is a great way to introduce your organization to a new member of your email list.
The average open rate for welcome emails is 50%. This is 86% higher than the average newsletter. -MarketingSherpa
Welcome emails can be especially useful in gathering self-selected interest data. Let’s say your welcome email has a number of links to events or programs. By tracking who clicks on which links, you can segment them into different interest groups.
Here is an example of a welcome email from Four Freedoms Park (see the full email here):
2. After a visit or event
The perfect time to send a patron a follow-up email is after they have visited or attended an event. Patrons are more likely to engage with your content when you are fresh in their mind.
Surveys are a popular post-attendance way to gather feedback, but you can also prompt visitors to share photos of their experience on social media using your hashtag, provide a discount or other incentive for their next visit, or just offer a simple "thank you."
Take a look at this example from Seattle Pro Musica:
3. Membership Renewals
Automating membership or subscription renewal reminders will save your team tons of time and also provide timely communications to your patrons, especially if your renewal dates occur on a rolling basis.
Try sending a notice a couple of weeks before the expiration date, then again on the exact date, and then one after it has lapsed – all with a call-to-action to renew.
This example is from Great Lakes Science Center:
Would you like more ideas on how you can use automated emails for your organization? Connect with us and we’ll be happy to chat.
