Marketing automation guide

What is email marketing automation?

Marketing automation refers to the use of software and technology to automate and streamline marketing tasks and workflows. The goal of marketing automation is to make it easier and more efficient for brands to reach and engage with customers and prospects, typically through email, SMS, social media, and other online channels.

Marketing automation helps brands:

• Target and personalise their marketing efforts
• Measure the effectiveness of their campaigns
• Improve their overall marketing performance

Some examples of marketing automation tasks include email marketing, social media retargeting, SMS marketing, customer segmentation, and campaign management.

Marketing Automation embodies the idea of ‘doing more with less’. By automating communications and responses to predictable events, the marketer can free up time to focus on important tasks, such as understanding their customers’ motives.

Simply put, an advanced Marketing Automation platform can improve the value of your business. Many brands are still only scratching the surface of what can be achieved.

There is a real shift taking place in how Marketing Automation platforms operate. AI, Customer Data Platforms, Predictive Analytics and Behavioural Data.

All factors brought to bear by Marketing Automation platforms that help the marketer create more relevant and timely campaigns, driving up performance, revenue, and the lifetime value of the customer.

What tools are used in marketing automation?

Marketing automation software typically includes a range of tools and features to support various aspects of the marketing campaign process. These can include the following:

• Email marketing
• SMS marketing
• WhatsApp marketing
• Social media
• Campaign management and workflow builders
• Dynamic content editors
• Customer segmentation
• Personalisation and loyalty systems
• Reporting and analytics

What are the main benefits of marketing automation?

Scale and time saving

One of the main benefits of marketing automation is that it enables brands to scale their marketing efforts by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks. This frees up time for marketers to focus on:

• More high-level, strategic work, such as analysing data
• Developing new campaigns
• Refining marketing strategies

Personalisation

Marketing automation also helps brands personalise their marketing communications by using customer data to create targeted and highly customised, dynamic messaging.

For example, a brand might use marketing automation to send personalised emails to customers based on their purchase history or to display targeted ads on social media based on a customer’s interests.

Brands can be confident that the prospect or customer is receiving an optimised communication that will guide them toward the marketer’s goal.

Saves resources as complexity builds

Over time, layers of automation are developed, and complexity builds up, constantly achieving more with unchanged resources and budgets.

In doing so, the marketer can deliver more targeted, timely communications to more prospects and customers. Invariably delivering improved engagement, conversion and revenue without spending a fortune to achieve this.

Tells you which campaigns are the most effective

Another benefit of marketing automation is that it can help companies measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.

Marketing automation software includes analytics and reporting tools that allow brands to track the performance of their campaigns and understand which marketing strategies, campaigns and channels are most effective.

Helps improve the customer experience

As a brand’s marketing automation strategy matures, the software increasingly controls its direct engagements with prospects and customers.

As it does, it plays an increasingly central role in the customer experience, with the relevance and value of those messages shaping the individual’s perception of the brand.

And that Customer Experience will have an undeniable impact on other critical factors, such as customer loyalty. Building a personal relationship with the customer is one of the foundation stones of brand perception.

Common email marketing automation examples

Welcome emails

Brands can set up an automated email campaign to send a welcome message or journey to new subscribers.

This could include information about the brand, its products or services, and any special offers or discounts.

Abandoned basket emails

If a customer adds items to their shopping cart but does not complete the purchase, brands can use marketing automation to send a follow-up email reminding them about the items in their basket and offering incentives to complete the purchase.

Re-engagement campaigns

A brand can use marketing automation to send targeted emails to inactive subscribers in an effort to re-engage them.

These emails could include special offers or discounts, or simply provide valuable content in an effort to re-establish a relationship with the subscriber.

Nurture campaigns

Brands can use marketing automation to send a series of emails over time to nurture leads and educate them about a product.

For example, a brand might send a series of emails introducing a new product, highlighting its features and benefits, and providing testimonials and customer reviews.

Back in stock campaigns

Brands can email customers who have expressed interest in a product that is currently out of stock, letting them know when it will be available for purchase again.

This encourages customers to complete a purchase when the product becomes available, and to maintain customer engagement and loyalty that may otherwise be lost if this task were undertaken manually.

Replenishment campaigns

Brands can use marketing automation to send out replenishment emails. This campaign sends an email to customers who have previously purchased a product, reminding them to reorder or purchase more of it.

These campaigns are often used for products that need to be regularly replaced, such as consumables or perishable items. The goal of the campaign is to encourage repeat purchases and to ensure that customers do not run out of the product.

Transactional emails

Marketing automation is often used to send automated emails in response to specific customer actions, such as making a purchase or booking.

For example, a brand might use marketing automation for the whole buying cycle, including purchase, dispatch, out for delivery, delivered, returns and returns received.

How does marketing automation help with customer segmentation?

Marketing automation uses segmentation to personalise multi-channel campaigns by dividing the customer base into smaller groups based on shared characteristics or interests.

This allows brands to create targeted marketing campaigns that are tailored to the specific needs and preferences of each customer segment. For example, a brand might segment its customer base by:

• Demographics (such as age, gender, or location)
• Behaviour (such as purchase history or engagement with the company’s website or social media channels)
• Interests (such as hobbies or lifestyle)
• Customer lifecycle stage (such as a VIP customer or lapsing customer)

Once the customer base has been segmented, brands can create targeted campaigns for each group.

For example, using a basic gender segment, brands can send campaigns with a product in the hero image that targets either the male or female segment, showing the relevant image.

By using segmentation to personalise, brands effectively engage customers, improving the campaign’s overall performance through increased click-throughs and conversions.

How does marketing automation work with customer data?

Marketing automation can bring together customer data from multiple sources of siloed data into a single platform. This is often named the single customer view (SCV).

A SCV is a holistic view of a customer that includes all of the data and information that a company has about that customer, including demographic data, purchase history, engagement with the company’s marketing efforts, and any other relevant information.

Marketing automation and its SCV then work together to create a more comprehensive and personalised marketing experience for customers.

For example, if a brand has a customer’s purchase history stored in its SCV, it can use marketing automation to send personalised product recommendations or cross sell emails based on that data.

What does good marketing automation look like?

Good marketing automation can be characterised by these key attributes:

Alignment with marketing goals

A good marketing automation strategy should be aligned with the overall marketing goals of the company.

This means that the marketing automation efforts should be focused on supporting the achievement of these goals, rather than being implemented for their own sake.

Personalisation

Good marketing automation is personalised and tailored to the needs and interests of individual customers.

This might involve segmenting the customer base and creating targeted marketing campaigns for different groups or using customer data to create personalised messaging and recommendations.

Ease of use

It should be easy for marketers to use and set up. This might involve having a user-friendly interface, clear documentation, and responsive customer support.

Integration with other systems

Integrating with other systems and tools the company uses, such as CRM, CDP, and analytics platforms, is a key requirement for effective marketing automation.

This will help ensure that data is being shared and used effectively across different departments and teams.

Data-driven decision making

Marketing automation should be based on data and insights, rather than relying on assumptions.

This might involve using analytics and reporting tools to track the performance of marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions about how to optimise and improve them.

How do customers expect brands to communicate with them these days?

Customers expect brands to provide a personalised, relevant experience. This might involve receiving targeted and customised messaging and recommendations based on their interests and needs, as well as the ability to easily interact with and engage with the company through various channels (such as email, mobile, social media, and the company’s website).

Customers also expect a seamless, unobtrusive experience when they share their personal details with brands.

This means they don’t want to feel bombarded with irrelevant or spammy messages, and they don’t want a brand to be disruptive to their experience.

Finally, customers expect brands to fully respect their privacy and data security.

This means that they expect their personal data to be handled in a responsible and transparent manner, and that their privacy rights are upheld and fully comply with GDPR.

How AI and marketing automation work together

Marketing automation saves time once a campaign is running. Getting it built can still take a considerable amount of work.

You need to find the right audience, write the content, build the emails, configure the journey and check everything before switching it on. For a busy marketing team, that is often where a good idea gets stuck.

AI can help with more of that process.

• Predictive AI helps identify opportunities in your customer data.
• Generative AI helps create the content.
• AI agents can use connected tools to carry out tasks.

Together, these capabilities can reduce the work between deciding what to do and getting a campaign ready to launch.

Generative AI: creating the content behind your campaigns

Generative AI, often shortened to GenAI, creates content in response to instructions. In marketing automation, that can include email copy, subject lines, images and variations for different audiences.

Practical uses include:

• Drafting a welcome series using your product information and brand guidelines.
• Adapting an email for customers at different stages of their relationship with you.
• Creating alternative subject lines and calls to action for testing.
• Turning an existing guide or article into a shorter nurture email.

The quality of the brief is of most importance. “Write a re-engagement email” leaves plenty of room for generic copy. Explaining who the audience is, what they previously bought, why they might return and which claims you can support gives the AI something useful to work with.

You still need to check the result. A convincing sentence can contain an incorrect product claim, an invented offer or wording that sounds nothing like your brand.

Predictive AI: identifying who needs attention

Predictive AI uses patterns in historical data to estimate what a customer or prospect is likely to do next.

That might mean identifying customers at risk of lapsing, prospects more likely to convert or shoppers approaching their next purchase. Marketing automation can then use those predictions to trigger relevant communications.

For example, a replenishment campaign could use predicted buying behaviour to vary the timing for each customer. Someone who usually reorders every three weeks may need a reminder sooner than someone who buys every two months.

These predictions need testing against actual results. Their usefulness depends on the quality, quantity and relevance of the data available.

AI agents: carrying out the work

An AI agent can work towards a goal by selecting and using available tools. Depending on its capabilities and permissions, it can carry out several steps, check the results and decide what to do next.

For marketing automation, imagine asking: “Find customers who haven’t purchased in the last 90 days. Create a segment, draft a win-back email and build a journey for me to review.”

In a suitably connected platform, the assistant could prepare the audience, email and journey. The exact actions available will depend on the software and the access you have granted.

The brief still needs marketing judgement. Ninety days without a purchase might signal a problem for a monthly subscription product. For a customer who books an annual holiday, it could be completely normal.

An agent can help execute your instructions. You need to decide whether those instructions make sense.

Marketing automation and MCPs

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard that allows AI applications to connect to external data sources and tools.

For marketers, its significance is practical: an AI assistant can potentially work with information and perform supported actions inside connected business software.

An assistant working on a campaign might need customer information, an approved email template and access to a journey builder.

An MCP connection can make relevant information and actions available to it through a common interface. Those actions might involve querying data or creating an item in another system.

This could also let marketers work through a compatible AI assistant they already use such as Claude or ChatGTP, bringing relevant campaign briefs and business context into the task.

However, MCP does not automatically connect every marketing automation feature available. Both the AI application and the connected software need suitable support. What the assistant can accomplish depends on the tools exposed and the permissions applied.

Asking questions about campaign performance

AI can also make reporting more accessible. Where the relevant data is connected, natural-language analytics lets marketers ask questions such as:

• Which welcome emails generated the most purchases?
• How did repeat purchases compare between these campaigns?
• Where have conversion rates fallen?

The useful next step is checking the explanation. A drop in conversion could reflect a different audience, an expired offer or a tracking problem. An AI-generated answer should help you investigate, with clear figures, date ranges and definitions behind it.

Getting started with AI in marketing automation

A practical starting point is to let AI prepare a campaign for review. Check the audience criteria, exclusions, content, links, timing and journey logic before activating it.

Measure the benefit against a clear baseline too.

• How much time did preparation take?
• How much editing was needed?
• Did the campaign improve conversions, repeat purchases or another meaningful outcome?

For many teams, the opportunity is to revisit the campaigns that keep getting postponed. A better welcome journey. A timely replenishment reminder. A follow-up that reflects what a customer has already done.

If AI reduces the work needed to build those campaigns, marketers have more room to improve the customer experience.

What kind of predictive models does marketing automation offer?

Predictive models can be used to address and alleviate concerns marketers need to overcome to meet their CRM objectives. The most common being…

I need to convert more prospects

What if you knew who was teetering on the brink of their first purchase? How would you change the way you targeted them? The first purchase conversion model informs you when your prospects are ready to buy and become your newest customer.

I need more repeat customers

A database full of one-off purchasers means a lack of loyal customers and a lack of profit. Brands tailor their messaging based on insights from the multi-purchase model, leading to more purchases.

I need fewer unsubscribes

Every brand loses money when a customer unsubscribes from their emails. Brands can greatly improve their unsubscribe rate using in-depth information about their customers with an unsubscribe model.

I need to reduce my churn rate

What would you do if you could find out which customers were likely to churn, even before they did? Brands can use this important information to target customers on the verge of lapsing. The results achieved from using a customer churn model are exceptional.

I need to increase my VIP segment

What would it mean for your marketing if you could predict who your VIP customers would be? An increase in your VIP segment means an increase in engagement. Brands using a VIP model will go along way by increasing their customer lifetime value.

I need to improve my deliverability

Brands need to continually analyse how customers interact with email campaigns to predict their future engagement. A frequency engagement model will tailor the frequency of campaigns to maximise engaged customers and reduce churn, unsubscribes and spam.

I need to identify my customers with the highest lifetime value

Brands can accurately predict which customers have the highest spending potential and secure or grow their future value through dedicated, personalised, multi-channel campaigns powered by a predicted cLTV model.

I need to know when my customers are ready to buy again

A Predictive Replenishment model can accurately predict each customer’s individual buying behaviour and target them at the optimal time to drive product replenishment.

How to get the most out of your marketing automation platform

Here are the key things to consider to find out if your brand is getting the most out of marketing automation:

Clearly define your marketing goal

Before you start using your marketing automation software, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts.

This will help you select the right software and features and ensure that your efforts are aligned with your overall business goals.

Integrate your marketing automation software with other systems

To get the most out of your marketing automation software, you’ll want to integrate it with other systems that you use, such as your CRM, ecommerce platform, and business analytics tools.

Using a provider that can also build custom integrations to the software you use is essential to getting the best out of marketing automation.

Use data and analytics to drive your decisions

Use this data to make data-driven decisions about how to optimise and improve your marketing efforts. A comprehensive reporting suite that lets you deep-dive into customer segmentation is crucial.

Keep testing and experimenting

Marketing automation allows you to test and experiment with different marketing campaigns and tactics. Keep testing and experimenting to see what works best for your business and your customers.

When is the right time to invest in marketing automation?

The right time to invest in marketing automation depends on several factors, including the size and complexity of your business, your marketing goals, and your available resources.

That being said, here are a few signs that it might be time to consider investing in marketing automation:

Your marketing efforts are becoming too time-consuming

If you find that you and your team are spending excessive time on repetitive, manual marketing tasks, it might be time to consider marketing automation to streamline your workflow.

You have a growing, diverse customer base

Marketing automation can be particularly useful for brands with a fast-growing, diverse customer base, as it allows you to segment your audience and personalise your marketing efforts for different customer groups.

You’re not seeing the results you want

If you’re not seeing the results you want from your marketing campaigns, marketing automation can help you optimise and improve their performance using many of the ideas discussed in this article.

You need to scale

Marketing automation can be a powerful tool for marketers looking to scale their efforts, as it automates repetitive tasks and allows you to focus on more strategic, high-level work.

The marketing automation RFP process

An RFP, or request for proposal, is a document that outlines the requirements and specifications for a product or service a company seeks to purchase.

Consider the following steps when looking to choose the right marketing automation provider for you:

Identify your needs

Before you start the RFP process, take some time to identify your brand’s specific needs and requirements for marketing automation. This might include:

• The essential features and functionality you need
• The size of your customer base
• Your budget
• The channels you need to send from
• What type of segments you need to build from your data
• Your martech stack and how the platform will interact
• Your customisation requirements
• The onboarding process
• The deliverability warm-up process
• Any other relevant factors specific to your brand

Write the RFP

Once you have a clear understanding of your needs, you can use this information to write the RFP. Be as specific as possible when outlining your requirements, and include any relevant details, such as your customer base size, budget, and implementation timeline.

Review the responses

Once you have sent the RFP to a number of different marketing automation providers (about 4-5 is a good number), review the responses to see which provider best meets your needs.

You may want to consider factors such as the provider’s reputation, the features and functionality of their software, their pricing, and their customer support.

Demo the software

Once you have narrowed down your options, it can be helpful to see the marketing automation software in action by requesting a demo from the shortlisted providers.

This will give you a better sense of how the platform works and whether it is a good fit for your business.

Make a decision

After reviewing the responses to the RFP, platform demos, and any other relevant information, it’s time to make a decision. Choose the marketing automation provider that best meets your needs, budget and organisation fit.

Above all else, you’ll need to feel confident in the support and service levels the provider can offer your brand to scale business growth and provide specialist marketing automation advice.

Making the right choice

While marketing automation can be a powerful tool for improving marketing performance, it’s important to use it in line with your brand’s overall marketing strategy and goals.

Not all marketing automation providers offer the same features, organisational fit, or flexibility to deliver integrations you need.

It’s important to carefully plan exactly what you need from your technology provider before signing up for a service that may not match your ambitions.

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