Automating emails can be a huge time-saver, not to mention provide more relevant messages to the recipients. In addition to the standard automated emails sent when people sign up for your list or after a transaction, you can use date-based emails to reach your audience at the right time with the right message without having to lift a finger.
Let’s take a look at 3 date-based automated emails you can set up today:
Membership Renewals
If your organization has memberships, you should be automating your renewal emails. All you need to do is be sure you import the membership expiration date as a custom field so that you can use it as a criteria for the automation.
This will allow you to set up an automated email series that will send emails before the expiration date as well as after. Make sure you have clear calls to action in the email providing an easy way for recipients to take action.
Lapsed Donors
If you already send emails to LYBUNTS and SYBUNTS, why not automate them? As long as you are importing donors and their last contribution date into your email software, you can easily set up a series of emails to deploy when they lapse.
Make a compelling case for support and provide an easy way to make a contribution to drive email engagement.
Lapsed Visitors
Whether you’re a museum that has visitors or a performing arts organization that has ticket buyers, you can automate emails to patrons who haven’t attended in a while. Content for these emails could include links to upcoming events or programs, or even a discount or other incentive to come back. (Anyone who knows me knows that I am generally anti-discount, but this is one of those times where it would be targeted and useful.)
Each email software handles date-based automations slightly differently, so you may need to consult the support docs to get everything set up, but you’ll be glad you did!
Pro Tip: If you use MailChimp, take a look at this quick tutorial post about how to set up a date-based automation.
