Congratulations! Someone subscribed to your blog. Or signed up for your email newsletter. Or placed an item in the cart. Your new contact is moving along the buyers journey and is one step closer to becoming a loyal, excited repeat customer.

But what happens when the journey suddenly stops? Your new visitor doesn't return to your site, schedules a consultation, or finalizes their purchase. What then? Are they gone forever?

This issue is common! In fact, 4 out of 5 new leads never translate into sales. (99firms)

An automated email nurturing campaign can help. It's the simple solution to ensuring your brand keeps building the relationship with a lead. So where can you start constructing such a system? We have the guidance and resources to help.

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Why Email Nurturing Works

While the modern customer may increasingly rely on social media to communicate with brands, email is still king.

• There are 3.9 billion daily email users. This number is projected to climb to 4.3 billion by 2023. (Statista)
• 73% of millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email. (Hubspot)
• 59% of consumers say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions. (SaleCycle)
• 87% of B2B marketers say email is one of their top free organic distribution channels. (Content Marketing Institute)

When you have leads requiring more attention and personalization, email is the most effective medium!

Why Use Automated Email Nurturing?

Let's be honest as marketers. Right now - today - you barely have enough time to complete the tasks in front of you. Adding more could lead to burnout. Even worse, your email nurturing efforts will be substandard because you can't put in the quality time. Technology can help!

Using the power of marketing platforms like Hubspot, you can build a multi-step email communication series - and have it trigger based on the contact's behaviors.

A Fictional Scenario

Hector is a lead marketer at a roofing company.

He notices email newsletter subscribers have skyrocketed, but signups for free estimates are still low.

He decides to set up a 3-part automated email nurturing campaign focused on building relationships.

He sets up a trigger for an initial email to go out EXACTLY when an individual subscribes to the company's email newsletter.

Email #1 includes:

• A simple "thanks" to the individual for subscribing.
• Three blog post links providing answers to common questions about roof replacements.
• The email concludes with a call for the contact to schedule a free consultation (an offer they may have missed when first viewing your website!

Email #2 checks in with the contact.

• Hector lets them know a customer service member is available 24/7 on their Facebook page to answer any questions or concerns.
• The message concludes with an offer for 10% off installation if they schedule a consultation by the end of the month.

Email #3 establishes your concern for their success.

• Hector begins with a statement about the company's dedication to helping every homeowner find a solution to their roofing problems.
• He includes a link to a guide outlining 5 questions to ask every installer before hiring.

Keep in mind this entire series rolls out automatically. You just need to write the scripts, set the parameters, and let the robots do the rest!

Where to Start? We recommend Hubspot

In order to do email nurturing properly you'll need a worthwhile customer relationship management (or CRM) platform. While the choices are many, we recommend Hubspot. Why?

It's the best for automation.

Your company can scale your growth and spend less time on repetitive tasks. What makes Hubspot the best tool for starting your automated email nurturing?

• Use an entirely visual editor to build workflows. You'll have a clear view of each step as you map out the stages of your plan. Make a simple campaign series or complex, multi-stage workflow that ties into other efforts.
• You can build awesome-looking emails without any coding required. Their drag-and-drop interface makes the process quick and easy.
• Choose from dozens (dozens!) of triggers, conditions, and actions to send the right emails to contacts at the right time.

95,000 customers can't be wrong. Hubspot works. Trust us on that. You'll want to explore their pricing details before making a decision though. We offer a guide that provides a detailed overview.

So, What's Next?

You need to plan your email nurturing efforts! But to do so, you need an actual plan. Luckily for you, we have a FREE brainstorming activity to help you get started.

This activity will get you thinking about your email nurturing efforts, what content to include, and the overall goals related to your efforts.

What are you waiting for? Get started today!

And Remember! Test, Tweak, and Repeat!

Remember, starting an email nurturing initiative is a BIG task. Automating the process helps, so you're ahead of the pack already!

Just remember, your success in converting contacts into qualified leads (and eventually into customers) relies on how well you know your audience. Start with your buyer persona. Craft messages that speak to the issues important to your customer.

Then, adopt a growth mindset! Test different versions of your emails to see what's most effective. Constantly tweak your wording, resources, and offers within emails. Keep revising. Successful automated email nurturing is a continual process.

Overall, your success depends on how well you connect with the customer. Put them first, provide meaningful support and guidance, and the conversions will happen!