Five email automations every business should set up
Automated emails keep working in the background. These five flows cover the moments that matter most.
Most businesses think of email marketing as the newsletter they send when they remember. The real value is in automated emails that go out at the right moment, every time, without anyone pressing send.
These are the five automations we recommend setting up first.
1. Welcome sequence
When someone joins your list, they are paying attention. A short sequence of two to four emails over the first week should introduce your business, explain what makes you different, share your most useful content, and make a clear next step easy.
2. New enquiry follow-up
When a lead submits a form, send an immediate confirmation that sets expectations: who will contact them, when, and what happens next. If your team cannot reach them, a follow-up email or two over the next few days keeps the conversation alive.
3. Abandoned cart or abandoned form
For ecommerce, an email reminding shoppers about items left in their cart recovers sales that would otherwise be lost. For service businesses, the equivalent is a reminder when someone starts a booking or quote form but does not finish.
4. Post-purchase or post-service
After a sale or completed job, send a thank you, helpful guidance on getting the most from what they bought, and a request for a review. Timing matters: ask for the review when the customer is most likely to be happy.
5. Re-engagement
Some subscribers stop opening your emails. A short sequence that checks whether they still want to hear from you, perhaps with a special reason to return, either wins them back or tells you to remove them. A cleaner list improves deliverability for everyone else.
A few rules that apply to all of them
- Write like a person, not a brochure
- Keep one main message and one clear call to action per email
- Make unsubscribing easy and honor it promptly
- Review results every few months and improve the weakest email
Once these five are in place, your email list starts producing enquiries and sales in the background. Regular campaigns then build on that foundation.
If you would like these automations built for you, talk to us.