You may be asking, what in the world is email automation? And why does your insurance agency need it?

For starters, email automation is the act of using email marketing software to automatically send emails when a trigger occurs with the goal of perfecting the right time, right message dilemma. These messages can range from action-based emails that go out when a person performs an action, such as visiting a website; or event/date-based emails that are automated to send out on holidays, birthdays and other dates; and even engagement-based emails that go out to contacts based on how they interact with your emails, such as clicking an email or even declining to open an email.

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According to Heather Cherry, AgencyBuzz product manager at Insurance Technologies Corporation (ITC), email automation can generate 70.5% higher open rates and 152% higher click-through-rates, ultimately producing positive long-term effects for an insurance agencys marketing efforts. When considering its efficiency and around the clock interaction, email automation essentially does the work for you. So how do you start?

Cherry offers three points of advice when creating these targeted campaigns.

Gather your data, she says. Before you can trigger campaigns automatically, find out what triggers are available. Look at the information on your contacts to see what types of campaigns you can implement.

Next, Cherry says to map out the campaign flow and logic.

Take a moment to map out the flow of your campaign, she explains. Dont be afraid to use a dry erase board or blank sheet of paper to draw things out.

Finally, create the content.

You know your audience, flow, and number of emails for your campaign, Cherry says. Its time to sit down and write your content.

Cherry also shares her best practices when it comes to email automation, starting with monitoring results frequently and making adjustments to your campaign when necessary. In addition, updating data often and utilizing email personalization techniques are a few ways elevate your automated campaign.

Finally, Cherry reminds insurance agencies to remember the big picture.

You engage with your database in many ways at different times with different messages. Before you get overly excited and create tons of new automated campaigns, take a step back. Consider all available automated campaigns you can run and prioritize to avoid over-saturation for your audience. Nobody likes a cluttered inbox, she concludes.

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A beginner's guide to email automation - Insurance Business