Setting Up Your First Email Automation Workflow

Email automation is one of the most powerful tools a small business can have. It allows you to automatically send a series of targeted and timely emails to your subscribers based on their actions, saving you a huge amount of time and helping you to build a stronger relationship with your audience.

The best place to start with automation is by creating your very first workflow: the welcome sequence.

A welcome sequence is a pre-written series of emails that is automatically sent to every new subscriber right after they join your list. It's your chance to make a great first impression, to deliver on your promises, and to introduce new leads to your brand.

This guide will walk you through the simple steps of setting up your first email automation workflow.

The Prerequisite: Choose an Email Marketing Platform

To do this, you need an email marketing service that has automation features. Most modern platforms, like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or Klaviyo, offer this.

Step 1: Define the Trigger for Your Workflow

An automation always starts with a trigger. This is the event that will cause a subscriber to be entered into your automated sequence.

• For a welcome sequence, the trigger is almost always "Subscribes to a list" or "Joins a group/segment."
• For example, you can set your trigger to be "when a person signs up through the 'E-book Download' form on my website."

Step 2: Map Out Your Email Sequence

Before you write anything, plan out the flow of your emails. For a simple welcome sequence, a 3-email series is a great starting point.

• Email 1 (Send Immediately): The Welcome and Delivery.
• Email 2 (Send 2 Days Later): Provide More Value.
• Email 3 (Send 4 Days Later): The Soft Pitch / Next Step.

Step 3: Write the Content for Each Email

Email 1: The Welcome

• Goal: Deliver the lead magnet they signed up for and welcome them to your community.
• Subject Line: "Welcome! Here's your free guide."
• Content:
  • Start with a warm, personal welcome.
  • Provide a clear and obvious link to download their free resource.
  • Briefly introduce yourself and your brand.
  • Let them know what they can expect from your future emails.

Email 2: Provide Value

• Goal: Build trust by being helpful. Do not sell anything in this email.
• Subject Line: "A little something extra for you..."
• Content:
  • Share a link to one of your most popular and helpful blog posts or videos.
  • Provide a quick, valuable tip that they can use right away.

Email 3: The Next Step

• Goal: To guide the subscriber towards a potential next step in their relationship with your brand.
• Subject Line: "Ready to take the next step?"
• Content:
  • Briefly talk about a common problem your audience faces and how your main product or service helps to solve it.
  • Include a customer testimonial for social proof.
  • End with a clear, low-friction call-to-action, such as "Would you be interested in a free 15-minute consultation to see if we can help?" or "Learn more about our services here."

Step 4: Build the Automation in Your Email Platform

Now, you can go into your email marketing tool and build the workflow.

1. Create a new "Automation" or "Workflow."
2. Select your trigger (e.g., "When a subscriber joins the 'E-book' list").
3. Create your first email and set the delay to "send immediately."
4. Add a "wait" or a "delay" step (e.g., "Wait 2 days").
5. Create your second email.
6. Add another delay.
7. Create your third email.

Step 5: Activate Your Workflow

Once you've reviewed everything, you can turn your automation on. Now, every single new subscriber who meets your trigger condition will automatically receive your perfectly crafted welcome sequence, without you having to lift a finger.

Conclusion

Setting up your first email automation workflow is a powerful step towards building a more scalable and efficient marketing system. A welcome sequence ensures that every new lead has a consistent and valuable introduction to your brand, which is the foundation for building a long-term, profitable customer relationship.