What is email automation?
Email automation is the most powerful tool to send emails that would target the right person at the right moment. Save the extra time and effort you invest in managing your email marketing.
Mailercloud’s email automation individually targets and sends relevant emails to each customer.
What should you know before starting?
Understand your audience.
Prepare email content for the automation series.
How to automate your emails with Mailercloud?
Login to your Mailercloud account.
Hover along the left side of your dashboard and select “Automation.”
Click on “Create Automation” from the page that appears.
4. Enter the Automation details, i.e. the name of the automation.
5. Click on Choose your audience. You can select lists or segments or webforms of customers you want to target.
Lists: You can apply automation to up to 150 lists. This can include the new contacts only, existing contacts only, or both.
Segments: You can apply automation to 1 segmentation list, which includes the existing contacts only.
Webforms: You can apply automation to upto 150 webforms. This will be applicable to the new contacts only.
6. Set the Start and End times of your automation series.
7. Click Continue.
8. Create an email campaign that is the first in the series. It is also known as the Starting Sequence. Hereby, it is important to note that the first delay will be applied to the new contacts only. For example, if you set the first automation rule as "wait for 2 days", then the automation will trigger for the new contacts, after the period of 2 days is completed. In case you want to set up the delay for existing contacts, you need to set the start date for automation accordingly.
9. Click on Add Campaign.
10. Select Create a Campaign.
11. Create a campaign name.
12. Add the subject line.
13. Enter the Sender's name.
14. Select your valid and verified From ID and reply ID
15. Add a campaign tag to your email. Campaign tags let you filter/segment your contacts based on their interests.
16. You can add email preheaders and permission reminders according to your preference.
17. Choose a Template from our Template Gallery or create a new one with our Drag and Drop editor.
18. Click Continue.
19. Select the Automation rule for managing your automation flow.
You can trigger your emails based on how a customer reacts to the previous emails in the series. You can set the trigger as-
Opened: When a customer opens one of your emails in the series. The trigger for sending the next email can be set as immediately, or you can specify the number of days by selecting wait.
Not opened: When one of your emails remains un-noticed in your customer’s inbox. The trigger for the next email could be set as wait and can be sent only after 1 day by default or you can specify the number of the days
Clicked: When a customer contributes a click to one of your emails in the series.
Not clicked: When one of your emails is opened but not clicked by the customer.
If you are looking forward to sending emails to everyone, select All.
20. After applying the automation rule and adding email content for all the emails in the automation series, click on Continue and then Publish.
Note: Hereby, it is very important to know that automation will not be applied to the imported contacts. Also, one must ensure that they have an adequate number of contacts in their existing subscription plan, for which they are setting automation. This means, no contacts will be added through webforms/API or any other mode and no automation will apply if you do not have the available number of contacts under your existing plan. For instance, if you have 100 contacts available under your subscription plan, which you have not imported, then the automation will be applied to these contacts only. Similarly, the automation will work for the available number of emails, under your subscription plan and not beyond that.
How to track your automation reports?
Mailercloud gives you insights on deliverability and engagement of your automation as well as campaign-wise reports.
You can track all the delivered emails, queued emails, hard bounces, and soft bounces of your automation series.
Measure your overall automation engagement with the open rates, click rates, spam complaints, abuses, and unsubscribes.
Get real-time campaign-wise reports based on deliverability and campaign performance.
What are some additional options?
You can filter your Automations concerning the date, automation status, automation name, etc.
You can send a Test mail of the created automation from the automation list page
For duplicating your already created automation, select Duplicate from the drop-down list
To deactivate an ongoing campaign, choose Deactivate from the drop-down list. This campaign can be activated by selecting Activate from the list.
Important FAQs
How many webforms, segments and lists can be set for automation?
You can apply automation to 150 webforms, lists and 1 segment.
Can I set automation to the contacts that I have imported?
No, our automation feature is not intended for bulk emailing. You cannot apply automation to the contact list that you have imported.
What happens when I set the first delay during automation?
When you set the first delay during automation, it applies to the new contacts only. For example, if you set the first automation rule as "wait for 2 days", then the automation will trigger for the new contacts, after the period of 2 days is completed. In case you want to set up the delay for existing contacts, you need to set the start date for automation accordingly.
What more should I know before setting automation?
You must ensure that you have an adequate number of contacts in their existing subscription plan, for which they are setting automation. This means, no contacts will be added through webforms/API or any other mode and no automation will apply if you do not have the available number of contacts under your existing plan. For instance, if you have 100 contacts available under your subscription plan, which you have not imported, then the automation will be applied to these contacts only. Similarly, the automation will work for the available number of emails, under your subscription plan and not beyond that.
