But it doesn’t have to be this way. Abandoned cart automation can be a powerful tool to win back those would-be customers and drive more sales. Our research shows that accounts running cart abandonment campaigns recover an average of $41,807 monthly. That’s a staggering amount of revenue that’s up for grabs.

The good news is, that there are seven proven strategies you can implement to minimize cart abandonment and maximize your conversions. Let’s dive in.

1. Perfect your timing

Timing is absolutely critical for recovering abandoned carts. The longer you wait to re-engage a customer who has abandoned their cart, the lower your chances of returning them.

Data from Dotdigital shows that 45% of all cart recoveries occur within the first two hours. This initial window after a customer abandons their cart is a prime opportunity; it’s essential to act quickly to take advantage of their intent and desire to complete the purchase.

To leverage this advantage, consider setting up default timings for abandoned session follow-ups. With the Dotdigital tag, you can enroll customers in abandoned cart recovery programs almost in real-time. This feature allows you to set default timings for follow-ups that range from just 30 minutes to 12 hours. This flexibility helps you engage customers while their interest is still high, especially during peak shopping periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

It’s also worth noting that higher cart values often have longer conversion windows. When a customer is considering a significant purchase, they will naturally take more time to think it over. For more expensive items, you might want to extend your initial follow-up to the 6-12 hour range.

The key is to test and optimize your timing based on your unique customer data and purchasing patterns. Analyze your historical abandoned cart recovery rates by time interval and use that information to refine your strategy. You may discover that certain customer segments respond better to quick outreach, while others may require more time.

2. Personalization is everything

Once you have your timing dialed in, the next step is to make sure your abandoned cart messaging is as personalized and relevant as possible. Generic “you left something behind” emails just don’t cut it anymore.

Your abandoned cart campaigns should feel tailored to the individual customer and their specific browsing and purchase history. Start by using their first name in the subject line and body copy. Reference the exact products they had in their cart. And leverage data like their engagement level via eRFM modeling to adjust the tone and offers accordingly.

Dotdigital’s eRFM modeling allows you to categorize customers based on their Engagement, Recency, Frequency, and Monetary value – giving you a rich understanding of each individual’s buying behavior and preferences.

You can then use this intelligence to trigger different abandoned cart campaigns. For your highly engaged, high-value customers, you might lead with a strong call-to-action and limited-time offer. But for less engaged segments, you may want to take a softer, more educational approach to gently nudge them back.

AI-powered product recommendations can also be a game-changer for boosting relevance. By analyzing the specific items a customer is interested in, you can surface alternative or complementary products that may better suit their needs or desires. This could be the key to getting them off the fence and completing their purchase.

3. Leverage cross-channel messaging

Today’s shoppers move easily between different platforms and devices, making it essential to use a cross-channel approach for recovering abandoned carts.

Research shows that combining email, SMS, and social media can increase recovery rates by up to 45%. Each channel has its strengths for bringing back customers who have left items in their carts. By using Dotdigital’s unified platform for a cross-channel strategy, you can reach more customers and boost engagement.

SMS is highly effective, with an impressive open rate of 98%. It allows you to quickly send time-sensitive offers and reminders. A simple text like, “Your cart misses you. Complete your purchase in the next hour to save 15%,” can prompt immediate action.

Dotdigital also integrates seamlessly with social media retargeting to keep your products visible as customers browse platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Dynamic ads that show the exact items left in the cart, along with messages that create urgency, can encourage shoppers to return and complete their purchases.

To implement an effective cross-channel strategy with Dotdigital:

• Segment your audience: Use Dotdigital’s tools to group customers based on their preferred communication channels.
• Automate messaging: Set up automated workflows to send coordinated messages across different platforms for a seamless experience.
• Target by device: Adjust your messaging based on how customers interact with your brand on various devices.
• Monitor performance: Use Dotdigital’s analytics to track how well your campaigns are doing and make improvements.

By taking advantage of Dotdigital’s cross-channel features, you can create multiple ways to re-engage customers and guide them back to complete their purchases. This not only helps recover lost sales but also enhances the overall shopping experience.

4. Remove friction

A big part of minimizing cart abandonment is reducing any lingering doubts or concerns a customer may have about completing their purchase. Shopping online still feels like a gamble for many people, especially if it’s their first time buying from your brand.

Use your abandoned cart campaigns as an opportunity to address these potential friction points and build trust. Highlight your returns policy, free shipping offers, customer reviews, industry awards – anything that can help customers feel confident in moving forward.

According to Dotdigital’s research, accessible and comprehensive customer service is also key. If a customer has a specific question or hang-up, make it easy for them to connect with a sales rep or support agent. Dotdigital customers can take advantage of the platform’s live chat functionality, for example, to enable real-time interactions.

These direct conversations don’t just help clinch the sale at the moment – they can also provide valuable intel to optimize your abandoned cart campaigns over time. You’ll start to identify the most common queries and pain points, allowing you to proactively address them in your messaging.

5. Use push notifications

Push notifications offer a powerful way to re-engage customers who have abandoned their carts. By delivering timely notifications directly to their devices, you can remind them of their unfinished purchase and entice them back to complete their order.

One of the key benefits of using push notifications is their immediate impact. These notifications bypass email filters, ensuring high visibility and a direct line to the customer. By personalizing the message with specific product details, you can create a more compelling and relevant call to action.

To maximize the effectiveness of your push notification campaigns, consider timing your messages strategically. Sending notifications a few hours after cart abandonment or during peak shopping hours can increase the likelihood of conversions. Additionally, using clear and concise language, along with strong calls to action, can further boost engagement.

By testing different messaging, timing, and frequency, you can refine your strategy and optimize your results. By leveraging the power of push notifications, you can significantly increase your chances of recovering abandoned carts and driving more sales.

6. Offer discounts strategically

A well-timed discount can be the final nudge a customer needs to complete their purchase. However, it’s essential to deploy these incentives strategically.

Generate unique discount codes and include them in your abandoned cart emails. This not only adds a sense of exclusivity but also allows you to track redemption rates and measure the effectiveness of your offers.

Consider using tiered discounts based on customer engagement or cart value. For high-value, highly engaged shoppers, a more substantial discount, such as 20% off, may be appropriate. For less engaged segments, a smaller discount, like 10%, might be sufficient to encourage action.

The goal is to strike a balance between enticing customers to convert and protecting your profit margins. By testing different discount thresholds and monitoring their impact on abandoned cart recovery rates, average order value, and overall profitability, you can optimize your strategy for maximum effectiveness.

7. Create a sense of urgency

A powerful way to encourage abandoned cart customers to return is to create a sense of urgency. This can be achieved by highlighting the limited-time nature of the offer or emphasizing product scarcity.

For instance, include a countdown timer in your abandoned cart emails, visually representing the time left to claim the items. Alternatively, highlight that certain products are selling out quickly, urging customers to act fast to secure their desired items.

Dotdigital simplifies the process of dynamically incorporating this time-sensitive messaging into your campaigns. By leveraging real-time data on product inventory levels, pricing changes, and other relevant triggers, you can craft compelling narratives that motivate customers to return and complete their purchases.

Remember to balance urgency with a respectful approach. Avoid overly aggressive or manipulative tactics, as this can negatively impact customer perception. Test different approaches to determine the most effective way to create a sense of urgency for your audience.

Boost your abandoned cart recovery today

By mastering abandoned cart recovery, you can convert lost sales into revenue and drive significant growth for your ecommerce business. Utilizing these strategies allows you to re-engage abandoned shoppers and turn them into loyal customers.

To streamline your abandoned cart recovery efforts, consider using a marketing automation platform like Dotdigital. With Dotdigital, you can automate personalized email, SMS, and push notification campaigns to re-engage customers at the right time.

Remember, the key to success lies in continuous testing and optimization. Experiment with different approaches, analyze your results, and refine your strategy over time. With the right tools and techniques, such as those offered by Dotdigital, you can significantly reduce cart abandonment and boost your bottom line.

In this blog post, we will explore strategies for win-back programs that focus on optimizing timing, content, and personalization in both email and SMS campaigns. We will also provide relevant industry statistics to demonstrate their effectiveness.

The importance of a win-back programs

A well-planned win-back automation campaign has two main goals:

Goal 1: Drive repeat purchases

Customers who have made a purchase in the past are more likely to buy from you again compared to first-time shoppers. Nurturing these relationships through personalized marketing efforts can significantly enhance customer lifetime value. In fact, a study by Bain & Company found that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%.

Goal 2:  Foster long-term loyalty

The primary goal is to cultivate long-term loyalty, ensuring that customers prefer your brand over competitors and consistently choose your products or services. Implementing effective customer retention strategies—such as win-back automations—can generate up to seven times more sales compared to customer acquisition efforts.

Timing considerations for win-back campaigns

Timing is everything when it comes to win-back campaigns. Reaching out at the right moment can significantly increase your chances of re-engaging customers and driving repeat purchases. Here are some key timing considerations:

1. Analyze customer purchase patterns 

The foundation of effective timing lies in a thorough analysis of your customer purchase patterns. By examining your customer data, you can determine the average time between consecutive purchases. This will help you pinpoint the ideal moment to re-engage.

While your specific data is crucial, industry benchmarks can provide valuable insights. For example, a study by MarketingCharts found that sending a win-back email between 21 and 45 days after the last interaction resulted in the highest open rate at 12.7%. 

2. Utilize predictive analytics

Modern win-back campaigns greatly benefit from the power of predictive analytics. By using predictive analytics, you can analyze past behavior to identify patterns that predict what’s next. In other words, you can predict the future from today’s data.

These data-driven profiles help identify at-risk customers before they completely disengage. The key is to utilize these insights to develop personalized messaging that resonates with each customer’s specific situation and needs.

3. Consider seasonal factors

Seasonal considerations play a vital role in win-back campaign timing. Understanding your industry’s natural business cycles helps determine the most effective moments for re-engagement. For instance, a winter sports retailer might find success reaching out to dormant customers during the off-season, generating excitement about upcoming products or early-bird sales opportunities. 

However, timing these campaigns requires careful consideration of broader market conditions. Avoiding periods when customers are overwhelmed with marketing messages, such as major holidays or industry-wide sale events, can significantly improve campaign effectiveness.

Email content in win-back campaigns

Crafting compelling email content is essential for successful win-back campaigns. Your emails should be well-thought-out, relevant to your audience, and tailored to drive re-engagement. Pay close attention to the following aspects:

Tone

The overall tone of your win-back email should resonate with your brand message and address your customers’ interests. Depending on your audience, product type, and other factors, your tone can vary:

1. Replenishment: If your products need to be replenished (e.g., cosmetics, supplements), adopt a tone that gently reminds customers it may be time to reorder.
2. Upselling: In cases where there is an opportunity for upselling or cross-selling (e.g., tech gadgets, clothing), communicate with a tone that highlights the benefits of complementary products or promotions.

Product recommendations

Customize product recommendations for each customer based on their purchase history, browsing habits, and preferences. Personalizing these recommendations can increase open rates by 14% and click-through rates by 10% compared to generic emails.

Personalization

Studies have shown that personalized emails can deliver six times higher transaction rates. This shows personalization is a critical element in win-back emails. Ensure your campaigns are personalized, addressing customers by name and showcasing content that suits their interests. This approach enhances the customer experience and improves the likelihood of re-engagement.

Provide incentive

Encouraging customers to reconnect with your brand can be an effective strategy. One way to do this is by offering limited-time promotions, discounts, or exclusive deals. These incentives can motivate customers to engage with your brand again and remind them of the value you provide. According to MarketingSherpa, win-back emails that include an offer have a redemption rate of 2.09%, compared to just 0.51% for those without an offer. This clearly highlights the effectiveness of incentives in encouraging customer return.

Highlight loyalty program benefits and redeemable rewards

If your business has a loyalty program or rewards system, take advantage of these benefits in your win-back automation. Remind inactive customers of the perks they might be missing out on, and encourage them to redeem any accumulated rewards before they expire. This approach can rekindle their interest and motivate them to shop again.

A study by Accenture found that 75% of consumers say they would switch brands if offered real-time discounts and promotions tailored to their preferences. This underscores the importance of loyalty programs and personalized offers.

Create successful win-back automation campaigns today

In conclusion, crafting effective win-back automation campaigns requires a strategic approach that combines precise timing, engaging content, personalized messaging, and compelling loyalty program incentives.

By implementing these strategies and leveraging industry insights, you can reignite customer interest, drive conversions, and foster long-term brand loyalty. Win-back campaigns are not just a reactive measure but a proactive component of a comprehensive marketing strategy that complements your customer acquisition and retention efforts.

I’m Tristan Glenat, Group Product Manager for Connectivity at Dotdigital. I specialize in enhancing our platform’s integration capabilities. I work to seamlessly connect Dotdigital with essential business tools like CRMs and ecommerce platforms, streamlining data flow and improving overall efficiency.

The evolving landscape of ecommerce marketing

The way customers discover and interact with brands has changed dramatically. While paid advertising was once the primary channel for customer acquisition, we’re now seeing a significant shift towards organic discovery, word-of-mouth, and curated content experiences. This shift, combined with increasingly complex data management requirements and rising customer expectations, creates new challenges for marketers.

Some key challenges are:

1. Rising customer expectations

• Personalization has become a fundamental requirement, with customers expecting tailored experiences based on their preferences and behavior
• Cross-platform consistency is essential for maintaining brand integrity
• Real-time responsiveness has become a critical factor in customer satisfaction

2. Shifting customer discovery patterns

• Traditional advertising effectiveness has declined
• Social commerce platforms show engagement rates up to 300% higher than traditional channels
• Community-driven content is increasingly influential in purchase decisions

3. Data management complexities

• Regulatory compliance requirements continue to evolve
• Multi-platform data integration presents significant challenges
• Maintaining data consistency across touchpoints requires sophisticated solutions

Integrating with Dotdigital

At Dotdigital, we’re committed to helping marketers overcome the challenges of the evolving ecommerce landscape by delivering relevant, timely, and personalized experiences at scale. Our comprehensive integration ecosystem is the key to making this possible.

We’ve developed native integrations with leading ecommerce platforms such as Shopify, Adobe Commerce (Magento), BigCommerce, Shopline, Shopware, and WooCommerce. These seamless connections ensure a smooth flow of data between your ecommerce platform and our marketing automation platform, allowing you to:

• Synchronize customer data effortlessly, ensuring your marketing campaigns are always up-to-date.
• Automate workflows based on customer behavior and preferences, delivering highly personalized experiences.
• Measure and optimize the performance of your marketing campaigns to drive better results.

Expanding beyond ecommerce

Our integration capabilities extend far beyond traditional ecommerce platforms. We’ve forged connections with a wide range of marketing and technology tools to empower you with even more comprehensive marketing automation capabilities.

Retargeting tools

Reconnect with website visitors who didn’t complete a purchase using retargeting tools like Facebook Ads and Google Ads. By integrating these tools with Dotdigital, you can drive them back to your site and increase conversions.

Loyalty and inventory management systems

Ensure your marketing campaigns are always relevant and timely by synchronizing customer loyalty data and inventory levels. This prevents promoting out-of-stock items and allows for personalized rewards, enhancing the customer experience.

POS (point-of-sale systems)

Integrate your POS system with Dotdigital to capture customer data at the point of purchase. This enables you to personalize marketing messages and offer targeted promotions based on in-store behavior.

UGC platforms

Leverage user-generated content from platforms like Trustpilot or Yotpo to build trust and credibility. Incorporate customer reviews into your marketing messages to personalize your communications and demonstrate social proof.

Personalization that makes a difference

At Dotdigital, we understand that effective personalization is the key to creating memorable customer experiences and driving conversions. Our integration ecosystem enables sophisticated, journey-based personalization that adapts to each customer’s unique path to purchase.

As soon as you acquire valuable zero-party and first-party data, our platform empowers you to create highly personalized interactions across multiple touchpoints:

• Cross-channel consistency: Deliver cohesive, personalized messages across email, SMS, social media, and other channels, ensuring a unified brand experience.
• Dynamic web experiences: Utilize Fresh Relevance to tailor on-site content based on factors such as location, browsing behavior, purchase history, and customer preferences.
• Behavioral triggers: Set up automated campaigns that respond to specific customer actions, like abandoning a cart or browsing a particular product category.

Introducing our hybrid prediction recommendation engine:

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our hybrid prediction recommendation engine. This innovative feature combines the power of machine learning with your unique business rules to deliver hyper-relevant product suggestions at scale. By leveraging both data-driven insights and human expertise, this engine will help you:

• Increase sales by recommending products that customers are most likely to purchase.
• Reduce cart abandonment by offering personalized product suggestions at the right time.
• Deepen customer relationships by providing tailored recommendations that demonstrate you understand their preferences.

With our hybrid prediction recommendation engine, you can take your personalization efforts to the next level and deliver truly exceptional customer experiences.

The power of automation

One question I often get is how automation can improve customer engagement. The answer lies in achieving scale without sacrificing personalization. Our automation features allow marketers to:

• Craft sophisticated triggered campaigns: Deliver targeted messages at the right time based on customer behavior and preferences.
• Construct diverse journey branches: Tailor campaigns to individual customer personas, ensuring a personalized experience throughout the customer lifecycle.
• Implement effective abandoned browse and cart recovery programs: Reconnect with customers who didn’t complete their purchases, increasing conversions and revenue.
• Launch loyalty and win-back campaigns: Nurture customer relationships, reward repeat purchases, and re-engage lapsed customers.

But what truly sets our automation capabilities apart is their seamless integration with other platforms in your tech stack. You can send custom webhooks to trigger promotions, add leads to your CRM, or even automate sending gifts to your VIP customers. This interconnectedness creates a unified customer experience and streamlines your marketing efforts.

By leveraging our automation features, you can:

• Save time and resources by automating repetitive tasks.
• Improve customer satisfaction by delivering personalized experiences at scale.
• Drive conversions and revenue by optimizing your marketing campaigns.

Getting ready for Black Friday Cyber Monday

As we approach major shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I can’t stress enough the importance of having your integrations and automations properly set up. Here’s what I recommend:

• Define clear, measurable objectives: Establish specific goals for the shopping season, such as increasing sales, improving conversion rates, or growing your email subscriber list.
• Review historical data: Analyze data from your previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns to identify trends, successful strategies, and areas for improvement.
• Set up time-sensitive automations: Implement abandoned browse recovery automations within 30 minutes to re-engage potential customers.
• Implement on-site personalization: Utilize Fresh Relevance to create personalized banners and blocks that showcase relevant products, promotions, or content based on visitor behavior.

By following these guidelines and utilizing our abandoned browse and on-site personalization features, you can effectively engage your audience, drive conversions, and maximize your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

What’s the future of ecommerce?

The future of ecommerce is shaped by exciting trends, including the rise of social commerce and a shift toward headless and composable commerce. Dotdigital’s commitment to integration empowers ecommerce businesses to embrace these emerging trends and stay ahead of the competition.

Social commerce

As shopping becomes more social, we are actively investing in social integrations, particularly with TikTok. You can sync your Dotdigital contact lists with TikTok audiences to enhance your retargeting efforts and capture leads directly from TikTok lead forms into Dotdigital. These integrations, along with TikTok’s shoppable features, allow you to create engaging and immersive shopping experiences that resonate with younger audiences.

Headless commerce

We are witnessing a growing trend toward “modern commerce,” where brands seek the flexibility to choose best-in-class tools that seamlessly connect through APIs. This headless and composable approach enables businesses to create personalized and scalable ecommerce experiences.

AI-powered tools

The future of ecommerce is being transformed by artificial intelligence (AI), which is changing how we shop. From personalized product recommendations to advanced chatbots, AI is enhancing the customer experience.

You can utilize WinstonAI to automate tasks, gain valuable insights, and save time. As AI continues to progress, it will become increasingly important in shaping the future of ecommerce.

Final thoughts

Here’s what I’ve learned in my time at Dotdigital, ecommerce success isn’t just about having fancy tools – it’s about making them work together seamlessly. Whether you’re just starting on Shopify or running a massive enterprise operation, we’re here to help you create those personalized experiences your customers are looking for.

The future of ecommerce is connected, personalized, and automated. With the right integration strategy and tools in place, you will not only meet but exceed customer expectations while driving sustainable growth.

1. Top-notch support

A lot of other marketing automation platforms offer nothing more than basic customer support. We provide a comprehensive support package tailored to empower your marketing team and drive your growth.

At its core, our package includes industry-leading 24/7 phone support with an average response time of 20 seconds, as well as live chat support within one minute. This ensures that you receive prompt assistance whenever you need it.

But that’s just the start. We also offer additional services, including specialized training, creative support, and access to a network of top-tier service partners. These services are designed to enhance your marketing efforts and maximize your return on investment with Dotdigital.

Depending on your package, you may be assigned a dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM). Your CSM will act as a trusted advisor, collaborating closely with you to understand your unique business goals and ensure that you fully capitalize on Dotdigital. They will provide ongoing guidance, training, and support to help you harness the full potential of the Dotdigital platform and achieve your marketing objectives.

This comprehensive approach sets Dotdigital apart from the competition. We don’t just offer reactive support; we provide proactive guidance tailored to your specific needs.

Jessica Fox, CRM Manager at premium organic beauty brand Neal’s Yard Remedies, recommends Dotdigital’s support:

“I work very closely with our account managers to develop and execute new trigger campaigns and have used the implementation team to build out two very successful automations, abandon cart and replenishment. The support at Dotdigital is excellent. I haven’t ever come across a barrier using the platform.”

– Jessica Fox, CRM Manager – Neals Yard Remedies

2. Complex tech stacks made simple

We understand that managing marketing across multiple platforms can be complicated. That’s why Dotdigital offers an all-in-one solution designed to streamline your daily workflow.

Dotdigital seamlessly integrates with your existing CRM and ecommerce platforms, eliminating the need for frustrating data silos. Our robust integration capabilities have been praised by clients across various industries. For instance, Youngevity, a multi-level marketing company, found great success with our platform:

“We found Dotdigital to be the perfect email marketing platform. Dotdigital offer data insights, integrations, and a user-friendly interface. The Dotdigital team’s expertise and guidance have helped us grow email revenue significantly.”

– Aliyah Hassan Kent, Director of Digital Product – Youngevity

For businesses operating in multiple markets, our multi-currency capabilities ensure smooth transactions and reporting across different regions. This feature, combined with our ability to manage multiple child accounts, makes Dotdigital an ideal choice for companies with complex, multi-brand structures.

Ken Holden, Digital Marketing Manager at Sportif USA, highlights the importance of these features:

“Having multiple brands within our company created the need to move to a more reliable and secure platform like Dotdigital.”

– Ken Holden, Digital Marketing Manager – Sportif USA

Our platform is built to handle the complexities of your business, so you can focus on what matters most – creating exceptional customer experiences. Whether you’re managing multiple brands, operating across various currencies, or need to integrate with specific tools, Dotdigital simplifies your tech stack without compromising on functionality or performance.

3. A unified and powerful platform

Dotdigital offers a comprehensive and powerful platform that goes beyond basic marketing automation. It provides a complete 360-degree view of customers across all touchpoints, including website visits and email interactions. 

The platform includes powerful analytics and segmentation tools that help in creating highly targeted and effective marketing campaigns. With Dotdigital, you can unify your data and personalize the customer journey at every step without the need for complex integrations with external personalization tools.

Sara, a satisfied Dotdigital customer, shares how the platform’s comprehensive automation capabilities transformed their marketing strategy:

“We have been able to automate 75% of our communications, we can segment our audience to provide bespoke emails and SMS. We have been able to integrate into our website and CRM with little problems.”

– Sara 

4. Built to scale

As your business grows, so will your marketing needs. Dotdigital’s scalable platform is designed to keep pace with your ambition and offer seamless integration capabilities.

Dotdigital’s open API and an extensive list of webhooks allow you to connect and sync your data from any source. Our Developer hub provides helpful guides to simplify the process of extending your marketing stack. This developer-friendly approach enables you to build custom integrations tailored to your business growth needs.

Leverage Dotdigital’s API to deliver personalized, on-brand experiences in your essential transactional messages. Implement a cross-channel strategy for crucial, timely updates that add value and inspire loyalty throughout the customer lifecycle. With a dedicated and protected IP address, you can be confident that your messages will always reach their destination.

Our webhooks offer the flexibility to integrate Dotdigital with any future tools or platforms, ensuring that your marketing automation scales seamlessly regardless of your brand’s direction. With a transparent public product roadmap and a dedicated partner integrations team, Dotdigital is well-equipped to serve as the foundation of your evolving marketing technology stack.

5. User-friendly AI features

Dotdigital enables every marketer to utilize AI, regardless of their technical expertise. The platform’s AI capabilities, including actionable predictive analytics, AI-driven product recommendations, and the revolutionary WinstonAI, are designed to be user-friendly. 

WinstonAI is part of the Dotdigital email builder, offering suggestions for subject lines and copy. It supports cross-channel marketing, enabling users to easily convert an email campaign to SMS with just a single click, and much more.

Jess Dunn, Email Marketing Assistant at Mountain Warehouse, shares their experience with WinstonAI:

“Before Winston AI, we struggled with crafting engaging subject lines and preheaders for our email campaigns. This difficulty in generating engaging subject lines and preheaders had a noticeable effect on our open rates. By adopting Winston AI, we could diversify our messaging and improve engagement with more dynamic and innovative content.”

– Jess Dunn, Email Marketing Assistant – Mountain Warehouse

6. Deliverability expertise

Dotdigital’s in-house team of deliverability experts works diligently to protect your sender reputation. This includes providing multiple dedicated IP addresses for transactional emails, ensuring your messages land in the inbox and not the spam folder. What’s more, the team is always on hand to provide strategic advice and best practices to optimize your email deliverability.

Ken Holden, Digital Marketing Manager at Sportif USA, shares his thoughts on Dotdigital’s deliverability support:

“One of the biggest advantages of onboarding with Dotdigital was that there was always someone by our side. They took the time to walk us through their process. They wanted to ensure deliverability from the very get-go.”

– Ken Holden, Digital Marketing Manager – Sportif USA

7. Powerful SMS marketing

Email and SMS go together like two peas in a pod. That’s why we’ve made it easy to incorporate our powerful SMS service into your marketing strategy. Dotdigital utilizes tier-one aggregators to ensure reliable SMS delivery with accurate reporting. With advanced SMS functionality, global coverage reaching over 220 countries, and in-house SMS expertise, Dotdigital is a strong choice if you’re serious about SMS.

8. Advanced reporting

Data is essential for successful marketing campaigns. Dotdigital’s advanced marketing reporting provides comprehensive insights to help you make informed decisions and drive better results. Our reporting suite includes:

Customer dashboard with RFM analysis

Understand your customer base through dynamic RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) modeling that automatically categorizes customers into actionable personas like Champions, Loyal, and High Potential. This data-driven segmentation helps identify at-risk customers and those with growth potential, enabling targeted marketing strategies.

Opportunities dashboard with eRFM

Track purchase intent through our enhanced eRFM model, which combines traditional RFM metrics with engagement data. Updated daily, this intelligent system analyzes customer interactions across email and web behaviors within customizable decision windows, helping you identify and act on revenue opportunities at the right moment.

Revenue attribution

Measure campaign effectiveness with flexible attribution modeling:

• Direct tracking for last-touch attribution within a 1-hour window
• Advanced multi-touch attribution that recognizes multiple campaign touchpoints, with customizable conversion windows for up to 30 days
• Automatic multi-currency support with real-time exchange rate conversion

All reporting updates dynamically and integrates seamlessly with our segmentation tools, allowing you to turn insights into action immediately. This data-driven approach helps optimize campaign performance and maximize ROI across your marketing initiatives.

9. Unmatched cross-channel reach

Dotdigital provides a comprehensive suite of cross-channel marketing tools all under one platform. This allows you to seamlessly integrate email marketing with an intuitive editor and dynamic content, utilize SMS messaging for direct mobile engagement, create personalized website experiences, and implement social media retargeting through Facebook and Google. 

Additionally, you can engage with over 2 billion users worldwide via WhatsApp, leverage real-time live chat supported by customer insights, and send targeted push notifications in your campaigns.

By connecting with your audience on their preferred channels, you can create memorable experiences that resonate with them. This personalized approach not only increases conversions but also strengthens relationships and fosters lasting loyalty.

“I can’t speak highly enough about Dotdigital – an intuitive platform with endless features and capabilities. It makes customer communications across multiple touchpoints(email, SMS, Facebook and Google) as easy as possible.” 

– Amy Goodsell

10. Sustainable choice

As the world’s first carbon-neutral marketing automation platform, Dotdigital is leading the way in environmental sustainability. Since 1999, we’ve focused on empowering marketers to connect with customers online, and now we’re extending our innovation to help protect the planet.

Powered by 100% renewable energy, we’ve transformed our business practices to minimize environmental impact. This includes carefully selecting suppliers, vendors, and service providers who share our commitment to sustainability. But we’re not stopping there – we’re committed to becoming net-zero by 2030, pushing beyond carbon neutrality to make a more significant impact on global climate change.

For businesses looking to reduce their environmental impact, Dotdigital is more than just a marketing platform – it’s a partnership in sustainability. By choosing our platform, you’re automatically reducing your digital marketing footprint while maintaining powerful automation capabilities. Our commitment to the environment means your marketing activities contribute to a greener future without compromising on performance.

Our approach begins with a thorough customer journey analysis, which serves as the foundation for all our work. This analysis ensures that every message is not only well-timed but also contextual, giving automated communication a natural flow. By doing so, we avoid the pitfalls of the traditional, one-size-fits-all approach—like the standard abandoned cart emails that can often feel repetitive or intrusive.

We structure our work into three phases: basic, advanced, and optimization and expansion. This phased approach stands apart from the conventional project-based or static retainer models. Unlike traditional methods that focus on short-term outcomes or a flat monthly fee, our model is flexible and evolves with a company’s changing needs. This ensures continuous improvement and long-term success in marketing automation.

The importance of structured marketing automation

Mapping the customer journey is crucial for delivering exceptional experiences. It compels brands to consider every touchpoint and the context driving each interaction. The more effectively you understand your customers’ context, the better you can communicate with them in a relevant and meaningful way.

Context is everything. Take, for example, a major online retailer we work with that offers home delivery. In this case, ensuring customers are home at the time of delivery is crucial. If the delivery isn’t received, the company must either reschedule (resulting in an extra fee for the customer) or leave the package outside, which might work fine for suburban customers but can be problematic for those living in urban apartment complexes.

Initially, the retailer sent evening delivery notifications on the same day, but exclusively through email. Customers who didn’t open the email were often unaware they needed to be home. By understanding the context of this touchpoint, we enhanced the customer journey by sending an SMS reminder to those who hadn’t opened the email within the first hour. This small, context-driven adjustment resulted in a significantly improved customer experience, fewer missed deliveries, and higher satisfaction.

Poetype’s three-phase marketing automation framework

At Poetype, we’ve developed a structured approach to marketing automation that unfolds in three distinct phases: basic, advanced, and optimization and expansion. Each phase builds on the last, ensuring that companies establish a solid foundation before scaling and refining their customer journeys.

1. Basic phase: This phase is all about laying the groundwork. We start by analyzing the automations and messaging that are necessary for the business. Through fast-paced sprints, we set up core automations like welcome series, transactional emails, behaviour-based and essential triggers across all mapped customer touchpoints.
2. Advanced phase: Once the foundational automations are in place, we shift our focus toward advanced segmentation. At this stage, we implement a more segmented approach that includes macro segmentation and scale micro segmentation. Macro segmentation encompasses broader customer categories that need different communication across all automations such as RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) groups, product types (e.g., Mountain bike vs. Racing bike), or customer origin (store vs. webshop). Micro-segmentation captures meaningful segmentation based on recent customer interactions. This approach enables highly personalized interactions that align with individual customer behaviors.
3. Optimization and expansion phase: The final phase focuses on optimizing the existing setup and continually refining automations for greater personalization. This is where testing, A/B experiments, and ongoing improvements become crucial. Expansion involves scaling automations to new segments or channels, ensuring the strategy grows alongside the business. This can include integrating new channels like SMS, implementing new customer journeys based on updated data, or expanding the scope to support new products and services.

By continuously aligning automations with evolving customer behaviors, businesses can ensure their strategies remain flexible, relevant, and effective.

Creating effective customer journeys

At Poetype, our customer journey model consists of six core phases:

1. Awareness: This is where potential customers learn about the brand for the first time.
2. Consideration: Customers evaluate options and do their research.
3. Conversion: Customers make their purchasing decision.
4. Service: The phase after purchase, where customers receive their product and support.
5. Retention: Retention focuses on bringing customers back to consideration after their purchase through continuous communication, which hopefully results in improved brand recall and retention rates.
6. Ambassador: Ambassador status is achieved when customers are so satisfied that they begin recommending your brand to others. This generates more awareness and completes a flywheel of retention that drives growth.

Each of these phrases includes numerous touchpoints, each with its own set of contexts, challenges, and opportunities. At every touchpoint, we evaluate the following:

• Customer activity or context: What is the customer doing at this point?
• Customer obstacles and goals: What is the customer trying to achieve, and what might be standing in their way?
• Business objectives: What is the brand’s goal at this touchpoint?
• Key performance indicators: How do we measure success for both the customer and the business?
• Marketing automation and performance indicators: How do we at Poetype measure the success of the automation at this specific point?
• Data and triggers: What data do we have to inform our actions, and how can we use triggers to optimize the experience?

Building the future of customer journeys

Creating meaningful customer experiences requires more than just quick fixes or one-off campaigns. At Poetype, our framework ensures that businesses can structure their marketing automation in a way that fosters long-term success. By partnering with Dotdigital and adopting a phased, flexible approach, businesses can ensure that they remain relevant, agile, and customer-centric as they grow.

Looking ahead, the future of marketing automation will be driven by deeper personalization and smarter use of data, but it falls flat if let alone and not based on a continuous refinement of the contextualized customer journey. Now is the time for businesses to embrace this opportunity and make every customer interaction count.

Think of it as your personal assistant, helping you manage everything from email campaigns to fan loyalty programs. With the right tools, you can personalize your marketing, automate repetitive tasks, and drive better results.

In this blog, we’ll dive into why marketing automation is important in the sports and entertainment industry and 10 essential programs you can use to level up your game.

Why marketing automation matters in sports and entertainment

The sports and entertainment industry faces unique challenges that can be addressed effectively through marketing automation. These include:

• Changing demand: Sometimes, there’s more interest in sports or entertainment events at certain times, like during a season or a big event. Marketing automation can help you adjust your marketing efforts to match this changing demand.
• High competition for fan attention: There are many businesses competing for fans’ attention. Marketing automation can help you stand out by sending personalized messages that fans will find interesting.
• Wanting personalized experiences: Fans like to feel special and want businesses to understand their preferences. Marketing automation can help you collect information about fans and use it to create personalized marketing campaigns.
• Pressure to maximize revenue: Sports and entertainment businesses often rely on multiple revenue streams, like selling tickets, merchandise, or sponsorships. Marketing automation can help optimize these streams by automating tasks like email marketing and customer segmentation.

By streamlining tasks, personalizing communications, and enhancing fan engagement, marketing automation can help sports and entertainment businesses overcome these challenges and achieve their marketing goals.

10 marketing automation programs

Here are some core strategies that can help you effectively engage with your audience and enhance their overall fan experience.

1. Fan onboarding and welcome series program

Welcome new fans with open arms through personalized email campaigns designed to create a lasting first impression. Your welcome series is an opportunity to engage fans right from the start, laying the groundwork for a strong relationship.

By sending tailored welcome emails, you can extend a warm greeting and introduce fans to your brand. Consider including exclusive content, special discounts, or merchandise deals to encourage early engagement and excitement.

Furthermore, collecting zero-party data will provide the necessary information to segment fans. This segmentation can be based on their specific interests, ensuring that the content delivered is relevant and engaging to each individual. This personalized and targeted approach not only enhances the fan experience but also sets the stage for ongoing loyalty and interaction.

By investing in a thoughtful onboarding process, you can transform first-time visitors into lifelong supporters of your sports or entertainment brand.

2. Lead nurturing

Engaging new fans is just the first step in a comprehensive fan experience strategy. To convert these potential customers into loyal supporters, a robust fan journey optimization program is essential.

This approach focuses on nurturing fan relationships at every stage of their interaction with your brand. By delivering personalized content, such as exclusive game highlights, player interviews, or behind-the-scenes footage, you can cultivate deeper connections with your audience.

This tailored approach not only enhances fan satisfaction but also increases the likelihood of conversion to paying customers. You can use lead scoring or eRFM to prioritize high-potential supporters and tailor your outreach efforts. By focusing on the most promising prospects, you can maximize your marketing efforts and drive conversions more effectively.

This data-driven approach allows you to:

• Identify fans most likely to purchase tickets or merchandise
• Personalize offers based on individual preferences and behaviors
• Time your communications for maximum impact

In the sports and entertainment industry, every fan interaction is an opportunity to strengthen loyalty and drive revenue. By optimizing the fan journey, you’re not just nurturing leads – you’re creating lifelong brand advocates.

3. Boost ticket sales with targeted campaigns

A well-structured ticket sales program is essential for effectively promoting upcoming events and driving ticket sales. By leveraging automated and targeted email campaigns, you can generate awareness and excitement among your fan base, ensuring that your events are front and center in their minds. 

To boost ticket sales, be sure to include the following elements:

• Create compelling incentives: Offer early bird discounts or exclusive ticket packages to encourage purchases. These limited-time offers create urgency and reward loyal fans.
• Personalize for maximum impact: Tailor ticket offers based on individual fan preferences, showcasing their favorite teams or past attendance. Personalization increases conversion likelihood.
• Leverage urgency and social proof: Use countdown timers for early-bird offers to prompt immediate action. You can also use social proof to highlight ticket sales or testimonials to motivate fans to secure their spots.

4. Maximizing merchandise revenue through smart automation

A well-crafted merchandise program can significantly boost your revenue while enhancing fan engagement. By leveraging automation and data-driven insights, you can create a compelling shopping experience that resonates with your audience and drives sales. To create an effective merchandise program, be sure to include the following elements:

• Create urgency with limited-time offers: Showcase new merchandise with a sense of urgency by leveraging limited-time offers. This strategy taps into fans’ fear of missing out (FOMO) and can prompt quicker purchasing decisions. For example, launch “24-hour flash sales” or “exclusive pre-order windows” for new product lines to generate excitement and immediate action.
• Personalized product recommendations: Enhance the shopping experience by providing personalized product recommendations based on fans’ previous purchases or browsing history. This tailored approach not only makes fans feel understood but also increases the likelihood of additional purchases. You can also use predictive analytics to plan and suggest complementary items or highlight new products that match individual preferences.

5. Loyalty program

Loyalty programs are a powerful tool for cultivating deep connections with your most passionate fans. By offering exclusive benefits and perks, you can reward their unwavering support and encourage continued engagement.

Create tiered loyalty programs to incentivize fans to spend more and unlock even greater rewards. This gamification approach adds excitement and a sense of accomplishment.

Utilize personalized communication across various channels to foster a stronger fan-brand relationship. By tailoring your messaging to individual preferences, you can deliver experiences that resonate and deepen their emotional connection.

Ultimately, a well-designed loyalty program can lead to increased customer loyalty, higher revenue, and a stronger brand reputation.

6. Event reminder program

Keep your fans informed and engaged with a robust event-based program. Timely notifications, including event reminders and essential details, ensure they never miss a beat.

Enhance attendance and create excitement with last-minute ticket deals. This strategy not only fills empty seats but also generates buzz around your events.

Continuously improve the fan experience by collecting post-event feedback. Gain valuable insights into their preferences and use this information to enhance future events.

A well-executed event-based program fosters loyalty, strengthens your brand, and creates unforgettable memories for your fans.

7. Cross-selling and upselling program

Maximize your revenue and improve fan satisfaction with an advanced cross-selling and upselling program driven by data insights. 

Recommend premium upgrades for tickets, such as VIP experiences or better seating, and highlight exclusive or limited-edition merchandise that matches individual tastes. This tailored approach not only boosts average order value but also delivers a more engaging and relevant shopping experience. 

By understanding fan needs and preferences, you can drive additional purchases while building stronger customer loyalty and satisfaction. 

Ultimately, this smart cross-selling and upselling strategy turns routine transactions into opportunities for fans to deepen their connection with your brand, resulting in increased revenue and stronger fan relationships.

8. Customer win-back program

Re-engaging inactive customers is essential to maintaining a healthy and active fan base. A well-structured customer win-back program can help revive lost relationships and drive repeat business.

You can offer exclusive welcome back promotions, behind-the-scenes content, or VIP experiences to reignite their passion for your brand. Personalize your outreach based on their past behavior and interests to create a more compelling experience.

Analyze customer data to understand the reasons for churn. By identifying the root causes, you can address underlying issues and implement strategies to prevent future attrition.

A successful customer win-back program not only brings back lost customers but also demonstrates your commitment to providing a positive and memorable experience.

9. Post-purchase program

Creating a post-purchase program is essential for maintaining fan engagement and loyalty after they’ve made a purchase. This program focuses on nurturing the relationship with fans beyond the initial transaction, ensuring they feel valued and connected to your brand. 

To create an effective post-purchase program, be sure to include the following elements:

• Personalized thank-you messages: Send automated, heartfelt thank-you emails immediately after purchase. This simple gesture reinforces a positive experience and sets the stage for future interactions.
• Order updates: Keep fans informed about their order status, including shipping notifications and delivery confirmations. Transparency builds trust and enhances satisfaction.
• Tailored recommendations: Use purchase history data to suggest related products, upcoming events, or exclusive content. These personalized recommendations can drive additional engagement and sales.
• Feedback requests: After the purchase or event, solicit feedback through surveys. This shows you value their opinion and provides insights to improve your offerings.
• Exclusive offers: Reward returning fans with special discounts or early access to new products and events. This strategy encourages repeat purchases and fosters loyalty.

10. Birthday program

A birthday program is a powerful way to engage fans and create memorable experiences that foster loyalty. Celebrating fans’ special days not only makes them feel valued but also strengthens their emotional connection to your brand.

To create a birthday program, be sure to include the following elements:

• Personalized birthday messages: Send automated emails or messages wishing fans a happy birthday. Personalization can include their name and a special note that reflects their relationship with your brand.
• Exclusive birthday offers: Provide fans with exclusive discounts, free merchandise, or special access to events during their birthday month. This not only incentivizes purchases but also makes fans feel appreciated.
• Birthday event invitations: Host special events or promotions around fans’ birthdays, such as a birthday party at a game or a meet-and-greet with players. This creates unique experiences that fans will cherish.
• Social media recognition: Highlight fans’ birthdays on your social media platforms. A simple shout-out can enhance their connection to your brand and encourage them to share their experiences with friends.

Transform your fan engagement with marketing automation

It’s important for any sports or entertainment organization aiming to thrive in a competitive environment to utilize effective marketing automation programs. The strategies discussed in this blog can help you engage fans more effectively, increase revenue, and foster long-term relationships. 

As you explore these programs, keep in mind that understanding your fans’ needs and preferences is key to success. With the right approach, you can enhance your marketing initiatives and provide memorable experiences for your audience.

In this blog post, we’ll break down everything you need to know about webhooks – what they are, how they work, and most importantly, how you can leverage them to supercharge your marketing strategy. So, let’s dive in and get started.

What are webhooks?

In a nutshell, webhooks are automated messages sent by one application to another in response to specific events. Think of them as a personalized digital courier – they relay essential information, in real-time, allowing you to react promptly and make data-driven decisions.

For instance, when a new customer creates an account on your ecommerce website, webhooks help sync data from your ecommerce platform to your marketing automation software. 

The notification contains valuable information such as the new subscriber’s email address. This real-time exchange enables you to respond quickly by triggering a welcome email series or personalizing future marketing messages.

How do webhooks work?

Imagine you have two online tools you use for marketing: a signup form and an email marketing platform. Webhooks act like a messenger between them, automatically sending information whenever someone signs up on your form. Here’s how it happens in four steps:

1. Something happens (event trigger): Someone fills out your signup form. This triggers the “event” that starts the webhook process.
2. Data gets packed (payload creation): The signup form gathers information like the user’s name and email address. This data is bundled into a contract we refer to as a “payload” to transfer the relevant details.
3. The message is sent (webhook delivery): When the signup form is submitted the system creates and sends the payload (relevant details) to a specific web address, which is called the “webhook endpoint”. It’s like the delivery address for the information.
4. Action time (receiving application): Your email marketing platform receives the payload (relevant details) and extracts the user’s name and email address. It can then take action, like automatically sending a welcome email to the new subscriber.

By automating this process, webhooks save you time and ensure that your marketing tools always have the latest information.

How you can use webhooks?

Webhooks are surprisingly versatile tools with a wide range of applications in digital marketing. Here are some key ways you can leverage webhooks to enhance your campaigns:

Seamless customer journey 

If you run an ecommerce store, you can utilize webhooks to send customized emails to customers who have abandoned their shopping carts. Imagine a customer browsing your website, adding items to their cart, and then leaving without completing the purchase. 

Normally, you might not know when they will return. However, with webhooks, it can trigger your marketing automation platform to send an email to the customer reminding them about their abandoned items and offering them a discount to encourage them to finish their purchase. This real-time exchange allows you to respond immediately.

CRM and marketing automation

To keep your contact database up-to-date and deliver targeted marketing messages, you can use webhooks to sync user data from your website or application to your marketing automation tool, Dotdigital. This ensures that you always have the latest information.

Lead scoring and segmentation

Use webhooks to track user engagement, automatically update lead scores, and segment users based on their behavior. You can then use this information to create tailored marketing campaigns for each segment.

Social media monitoring

Leverage webhooks to gather real-time data on brand mentions and sentiment on social media platforms. With this information, you can respond to customer feedback and capitalize on new opportunities at the right moment.

Customer surveys

You can distribute customer surveys, such as NPS or satisfaction surveys, based on specific user actions or milestones. Webhooks can be used to trigger these surveys, collect feedback, and use the insights to improve your marketing strategy.

Enrich your customer profiles

By using webhooks, you can send important customer data from your marketing automation platform to other systems in your marketing stack. This helps to create a more comprehensive customer profile, allowing you to have a complete view of your audience.

Track message replies and delivery updates

Webhooks can provide you with real-time updates on customer interactions. By using webhooks, you can track the customer’s replies to your messages and receive updates on the delivery status of your messages.

Why use Dotdigital program webhooks

Dotdigital’s latest integrations allow you to connect more of your tech stack to feed actionable insights into the platform. Using webhooks, you can push your data from Dotdigital into any other platform, giving you complete flexibility to create bespoke personalized customer journeys. With Dotdigital’s webhooks, you can:

1. Create hyper-targeted cross-channel experiences

Program webhooks let you programmatically push customer data from Dotdigital to other platforms within your marketing ecosystem. For instance, you can automatically send abandoned cart data to your CRM, trigger a personalized direct mail campaign based on a recent purchase, or initiate loyalty program updates whenever a customer interacts with your brand.

2. Integrate effortlessly with key players

Dotdigital has pre-built integrations with popular ecommerce platforms and direct mail campaign providers. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures that your customer information is always synchronized across your martech stack. You can leverage these integrations to personalize your marketing messages based on past purchases or website behavior.

Deliver seamless cross-channel experiences with webhooks

Webhooks help you create seamless and personalized experiences for your customers. By automating data flow and allowing for real-time communication between your marketing systems, webhooks can help you stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions with agility. So, if you’re looking for a way to streamline your marketing workflow, enhance customer experiences, and increase your competitive advantage, webhooks are worth exploring.

The hospitality landscape is fiercely competitive, with a vast array of choices. To stand out, you need a personalized and efficient approach.

This is where marketing automation comes in. By automating repetitive tasks and leveraging guest data, marketing automation empowers you to personalize the journeys streamline operations, and ultimately boost your bottom line.

The advantages of marketing automation in hospitality

Let’s delve into the key advantages of using marketing automation in your hospitality marketing:

• Personalized guest experiences: With marketing automation, you can customize your communication to your guests based on their preferences, booking history, and past interactions. You can send automated emails to welcome new guests, upsell to your customers, or send special offers for birthdays or anniversaries.
• Increased efficiency: By automating repetitive tasks such as sending follow-up emails, SMS messages, or ad retargeting, you can free your team’s time and resources, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives.
• Data-driven marketing: You can gather valuable insights into guest behavior and preferences using a marketing automation platform. It allows you to track guest interactions, identify trends, personalize campaigns further, and optimize your marketing efforts for maximum impact.
• Improved revenue generation: Targeted marketing campaigns with relevant offers can significantly boost conversions and direct bookings. You can automate abandoned cart emails to capture lost sales and upsell additional services or packages.
• Enhanced guest engagement: You can stay connected with guests throughout their journey. Automated pre-visit emails provide important information and build excitement, while post-visit feedback requests help you continually improve the guest experience.

By embracing marketing automation, you can transform your guest interactions, foster loyalty, and elevate your brand within the competitive hospitality industry. In the following sections, we’ll explore specific ways to leverage marketing automation for different stages of the guest journey.

How to use marketing automation in the hospitality industry

Now that you’ve seen the potential of marketing automation for your hospitality business, it’s time to dive into practical applications. Here’s how you can leverage this powerful tool throughout the guest journey:

Inspire bookings

In the early stages of the guest journey, potential customers are looking for inspiration to decide on their next move. Marketing automation plays an essential role in sparking their interest by showcasing alluring content, personalized to every prospect. 

Email and SMS automation collaborate to drive bookings. Our tools facilitate sending the appropriate message at the right time through the right channel. Let’s take a closer look at how to inspire bookings:

Use your customer data

Capitalize on customer data to develop hyper-targeted campaigns that truly connect with each guest. You can use eRFM dashboards gives you a comprehensive understanding of your audience. This empowers you to build targeted segments and design personalized campaigns that cater to your guests’ desires.

For instance, if your hospitality business includes a luxury spa, analyze customer data to identify guests who have shown interest in spa services during previous visits or online interactions. Tailor your campaigns to target this segment with enticing spa package deals or limited-time discount offers. 

Similarly, if your property hosts a renowned gourmet restaurant, identify food enthusiasts among your guests and present them with exclusive dining experiences or promotions.

By leveraging customer data and offering personalized hospitality experiences, you’ll drive higher conversion rates, encourage bookings, and foster lasting relationships with your guests.

Geo-targeting and personalization

With Dotdigital, you can segment your audience based on their location. Customize email and SMS content based on geographic preferences to offer them deals on local activities.

Take your personalization a step further by incorporating product recommendations that align with your guests’ preferences and interests. You can suggest relevant excursion packages, or complementary services to create a holistic and memorable guest experience. 

By prioritizing geo-targeting and personalized recommendations, you will foster increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, drive more business.

Cross-channel messaging

As a hospitality business, you can use both email and SMS to personalize customer journeys and ensure that your messages are timely, effective, and capable of prompting action from potential guests. 

For instance, if you own a beachfront resort, you can leverage cross-channel messaging to target potential customers during peak travel seasons. Use a series of emails to showcase your resort’s unique features such as the stunning ocean views, relaxing pool area, or beachside dining options.

At the same time, you can run SMS campaigns to share time-sensitive promotions or last-minute booking incentives to attract customers to your property for their upcoming vacation.

With Dotdigital’s seamless email and SMS integration, your hospitality business can effectively engage your audience and inspire them to not only make a reservation but also create unforgettable memories at your establishment.

Incomplete booking follow-ups

Remember to follow up with guests who haven’t completed their booking process by setting up automated emails or SMS messages. This can help encourage them to finish booking and potentially recoup lost revenue for your hospitality business.

For instance, if a guest started booking a stay at your boutique hotel but didn’t complete the process, you can send them a personalized follow-up email highlighting the room they selected, the attractive amenities, and a gentle reminder of the unique experiences your establishment offers. 

You should also consider offering a limited-time incentive, such as a discounted rate or a complimentary room upgrade, to motivate the guest to complete their booking.

Enhance pre-arrival experience

After a guest books their visit, marketing automation can help you build excitement and anticipation by offering value-added services and experiences that cater to each guest’s preferences. First impressions matter, so kick off your guests’ experience with a series of automated emails packed with enticing information. 

Personalized promotions and deals

Segment your audience and serve up personalized promotions tailored to their preferences. For instance, when a guest is celebrating their birthday at your establishment, go the extra mile to make them feel valued and appreciated.

Surprise your birthday guests with a personalized coupon, granting them a complimentary service or an exclusive discount on amenities such as a spa treatment, a meal at one of your restaurants, or a special in-room treat. 

By taking the time to recognize and celebrate your guests’ milestones, you’ll create lasting memories, foster brand loyalty, and enhance their overall experience at your business.

Triggered campaigns

Marketing automation excels at transforming customer actions into conversions through its ability to analyze and respond to user behaviors in real time. Implement automation to display tours or activities based on a guest’s location or upgrade a room for free to celebrate a guest’s anniversary. 

This will be based on their booking details and preferences. By engaging with potential guests during moments of high intent, you can foster favorable decisions and drive conversions effectively

Dynamic content 

You can showcase nearby attractions using dynamic content based on the guests’ interests and preferences.

For instance, if your hotel is located in a bustling city, use dynamic content to highlight popular tourist attractions, shopping districts, or must-visit dining experiences in the area, curated specifically for the recipient. 

Alternatively, if your venue is a serene countryside retreat, present recommendations for nearby picturesque hikes, wine-tasting tours, or relaxing local experiences.

You can create irresistible hospitality emails effortlessly with our intuitive email builder. Use dynamic content blocks to turn every email into a unique guest experience. 

By using marketing automation to enhance the pre-arrival experience, you can build anticipation for their visit and set the stage for an unforgettable visit to your hospitality venue.

Elevate the customer experience

When you have a guest in your care, marketing automation can be your secret weapon to deliver seamless, personalized experiences that leave a lasting impression.

Personalized upsell opportunities

By tapping into guest data, you can introduce dynamic pop-ups during the booking process, recommending room upgrades or extra services tailored to their interests. This strategic approach results in customized upsell opportunities that enhance and elevate their visit.

Personalized welcome messages

Send a friendly email or SMS upon check-in to welcome the guest, providing essential information about your amenities, on-site services, and the best ways to contact the hotel staff.

By leveraging marketing automation during your guests’ on-site experience, you can ensure their visit is comfortable, engaging, and unforgettable—leading to loyal customers and increased positive reviews.

Strengthen post-stay relationships

Nurture long-lasting relationships with your guests even after their visit by using marketing automation to maintain contact and encourage future bookings. Once the visit is over, don’t let the conversation end. Show your appreciation and maintain a stellar reputation for your hospitality business by following these steps:

Thank you emails and online reviews

Send automated thank you emails to show your appreciation and invite guests to share their positive experiences through online reviews. This helps cultivate a strong online reputation, bringing more prospects to your property.

Remarketing and loyalty

Leverage data from your guests’ visits to create targeted email campaigns that feature reasons to return, such as upcoming events, special promotions, or a loyalty program that rewards repeat guests.

Lifecycle marketing

Continue engaging with guests long after their visit by sending personalized email campaigns centered around important milestones such as anniversaries, birthdays, or during peak travel times.

By focusing on post-visit communication, you not only show guests your appreciation for their visit but also keep your hospitality business top of mind for their future travel needs.

Elevating hospitality through marketing automation

Marketing automation is a highly effective tool that can transform the way your hospitality business interacts with and keeps guests. This technique allows you to personalize experiences and maintain consistent communication throughout the entire guest journey, resulting in unforgettable guest experiences that foster loyalty and boost revenue.

The advantages of marketing automation in the financial services industry

Marketing automation is not just a strategy, but an important tool for financial services marketers of all scales. With marketing automation platforms, you can enhance your marketing campaigns to attract new clients, retain the existing ones, and grow your business. 

Here’s how marketing automation helps the financial services industry:

1. Deliver timely messages

The right message at the right time is crucial. With marketing automation, you can create workflows that ensure emails reach your subscribers at the most receptive times. You can even set reminders for important events, such as loan payments or insurance policy renewals. Triggered messaging can also be used when prospects fill in forms or make inquiries. This saves your team time while keeping clients and prospects engaged.

2. Build trust and credibility

Being transparent and reliable is essential in the financial services industry. Consistent and coherent communication across all channels can help establish trust in your brand. Landing pages, forms, retargeting ads, emails, and other elements are all part of a single customer journey. Delivering consistent experiences across all channels can boost customer engagement.

3. Drive loyalty and retention

Whether converting prospects or turning investors into brand advocates, loyalty and retention are key to sustainable growth. Marketing automation empowers you to target high-value prospects and long-term clients. Leverage lead scoring and social sharing buttons to encourage them to share your content with their network. Additionally, build personalized loyalty programs that incentivize every interaction and keep customers engaged.

4. Engage and educate audiences

By leveraging preference centers, web insights, and lead scoring, you can gain valuable insights into your customer base. This information can help you identify important topics and trends within your audience. You can then use this data to develop educational content that resonates with your subscribers and keeps them engaged with your brand. 

Additionally, you can use chat widgets to answer any questions your customers may have, which helps build trust and establish your brand as a reliable source of information. By taking these steps, you can create a more meaningful connection with your audience and drive long-term loyalty.

5. Understand customer needs

By having a comprehensive understanding of your customer’s preferences and needs, you can guarantee that you only send appropriate messages to the correct customers. Segmentation allows you to send personalized offers to customers at the ideal moment to convert them. By monitoring your target audience, you can gain a better understanding of your customers and meet their needs before they consider turning to a different firm.

6. Reach clients and prospects anywhere

Cross-channel marketing is crucial in today’s marketing landscape. Marketing automation platforms allow you to reach customers on their preferred channels. Deliver seamless experiences, whether retargeting prospects on social media or answering queries via live chat.  With adaptive design, all your marketing channels are mobile-ready, and AI-powered tools ensure emails land in inboxes, not spam folders.

7. Send with confidence

To safeguard your brand reputation, it’s important to use branded templates that include all necessary information for the recipients. These templates can be customized to add legal disclaimers, privacy policies, terms and conditions, and unsubscribe buttons that help you comply with national and international laws and regulations. Moreover, our dedicated deliverability team makes sure that your emails are delivered directly to the recipient’s inboxes.

How the financial services industry can put marketing automation into action

Marketing automation is a constantly evolving field, and platforms are becoming increasingly sophisticated. This means that when it’s time to scale up your marketing efforts, you’ll be equipped with the tools you need to succeed.  

Here are specific examples of how the financial services industry can leverage marketing automation.

Asset management

Asset management involves communicating with a large number of people in a highly personalized way. Asset managers need to strike a balance between personal and promotional communications to gain customer trust. Marketing automation can help build this trust.

• Segmentation: Segmentation is great for targeting specific groups of people. Using a lead scoring or RFM model, you can create highly specific audience segments to guarantee you’re delivering the right content to the correct audience.
• Personalization: Using dynamic personalization blocks you can create multiple variations of a single email. This will allow you to deliver one-to-one communications that will delight your customers as you demonstrate just how well you know them.
• API: Whether it’s plug-and-play or a custom-built solution, you can pull in content such as stock exchange rates or specific contact details to create a hyper-personalized experience for your subscribers.
• Nurture campaigns: When a prospect registers interest in your offerings, you can auto-enroll them in nurture automation campaigns. This will help you discover what specific services they’re interested in and, depending on how in-depth your information gathering goes, you’ll be able to discover how much they’re likely to invest with you.

Commercial banking

Commercial banks serve a wide and diverse customer base with a range of services. Each customer has a unique relationship with the bank, requiring multiple parallel campaigns. Marketing automation makes this possible.

• Triggered automation campaigns: If you offer multiple services you should run multiple nurture campaigns. By creating multiple forms across your website, you can target prospects with specific nurture campaigns designed to highlight the USPs for each of your services.
• Newsletters: A mortgage customer will have very different interests compared to a customer with a student account. But, by creating engaging and educational newsletters for key segments, you’re going to create the kind of relationship that puts you at the top of their list when it comes to opening new accounts or taking out new loans.
• Cross-selling and upselling campaigns: Again, you can use audience segmentation to target customers. Using your segments, you can deliver campaigns about account upgrades or additional services, based on their current relationship with your brand.
• Loyalty reward schemes: Customers are more likely to turn to a brand they already know if their experience with them is a positive one. By rewarding customers based on their account activity or the number of services they use, customers will naturally choose your firm when they need to set up a new account or take out a loan.

Insurance

Insurance clients can include individuals, firms, and organizations who want to protect themselves from specific risks. As an insurance provider, you need to cater to a diverse audience, each with its own unique needs depending on the services you offer. Fortunately, marketing automation can help you easily engage with this diverse audience and provide them with the services they require.

• Live chat: Live chat is a great tool to provide real-time support to your clients. By having a live chat widget on your website, your agents and brokers can quickly and efficiently address queries as they arise. This significantly improves the customer experience, and if they’re a potential customer, it can help to convert them. For existing clients, it demonstrates your firm’s commitment to creating a positive experience.
• Rewards programs: We’ve already mentioned the importance of loyalty programs – they’re a powerful tool for customer retention. Rewarding loyalty to retain customers is a foolproof tactic. When customers have more policies, they receive greater rewards, once again putting you at the top of the list.
• Auto-responders: Set up auto-response campaigns when customers and prospects submit queries or pricing requests. This will help manage expectations and support your teams’ workloads.

Wealth management

Wealth management, like asset management, is all about trust. You need to build trust while delivering one-to-one conversations to create the interactions that convert and drive growth.

• Lead scoring: Lead scoring empowers you to rank prospects and customers based on their suitability and levels of engagement. This makes it easier to target hot prospects and nurture leads through the funnel.
• Segmentation and personalization: Use customer insights to ensure everyone on your marketing list feels valued. The more you demonstrate how well you know your audience, the better their overall experience will be. Whether they’re a VIP client or a brand-new prospect, you can deliver one-to-one marketing that builds trust and drives retention.

The future of financial services marketing is automated

In today’s dynamic digital landscape, financial services must build trust and cultivate long-lasting client relationships. Marketing automation emerges as a powerful tool, empowering financial services companies to achieve sustainable growth. By enabling targeted communication, personalized experiences, and efficient outreach, automation unlocks the potential to acquire new clients, retain existing ones, and foster deeper connections.

However, the future of financial services marketing isn’t solely about automation. It’s about leveraging technology to create a personalized human touch. By strategically integrating automation with the irreplaceable value of human interaction, financial institutions can deliver an exceptional customer experience across all touchpoints. This winning combination will not only solidify brand loyalty but also position them as frontrunners in a competitive marketplace.

What if you could create a personalized journey for each prospective student? Imagine seamlessly guiding them from initial interest to enrolled learner, while nurturing a lifelong connection with your institution. This is the power of marketing automation.

By leveraging automation, universities can personalize their communication, nurture potential students effectively, and ultimately convert them into enthusiastic learners and future alumni.

Studies show organizations using marketing automation see a 14.5% productivity increase. Why? Because automation streamlines workflows, freeing up valuable time for staff to focus on what matters most – creating a thriving learning environment for their students.

In this blog, we’ll explore how marketing automation can benefit higher education and provide ways to implement it. We’ll cover how to build stronger relationships with students, improve efficiency, and ultimately achieve your enrollment and student engagement goals.

The advantages of marketing automation in higher education

Attracting and retaining students in today’s competitive landscape requires a smart strategy. Marketing automation empowers higher education institutions to achieve this by fostering stronger student connections, streamlining internal processes, and ultimately boosting enrollment. Let’s explore how.

1. Improved recruitment and enrollment processes: Marketing automation can streamline the enrollment process by automating time-consuming tasks such as email marketing, lead scoring, and prospect tracking. This not only saves valuable time for admissions personnel but also ensures that no prospective students are ignored, which can result in improved overall enrollment rates.
2. Enhanced student retention: By closely monitoring students’ online behavior and interaction patterns, marketing automation can help institutions identify valuable insights into potential retention risks and enable them to address these issues proactively.
3. Increased efficiency: Marketing automation eliminates the need for manual tasks like sending individual emails or scheduling social media posts. This frees up valuable time for staff to focus on more strategic initiatives.
4. Improved personalization: By leveraging student data, higher education institutions can tailor messaging to specific needs and interests. For example, institutions can send targeted emails highlighting programs relevant to a student’s academic background or showcasing campus life for those interested in extracurricular activities.
5. Enhanced lead nurturing: Marketing automation facilitates the creation of automated email drip campaigns that nurture leads throughout the enrollment journey. This keeps your institution top-of-mind and guides prospective students seamlessly through the application process.
6. Measurable results: Marketing automation platforms provide valuable analytics that track campaign performance. Institutions can gain insights into open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement, allowing for data-driven decision-making and campaign optimization.
7. Streamlined communication: Marketing automation fosters consistent and timely communication with students. Automated responses to inquiries, application updates, and deadline reminders ensure efficient information flow and a positive student experience.

Now that we understand the benefits of marketing automation in higher education, let’s dive into strategies and programs that can help you put these advantages into practice.

How to use marketing automation in higher education

Marketing automation isn’t just about sending emails; it’s about creating a personalized and engaging experience for students throughout their entire journey with your institution. Here’s how you can leverage its power in higher education:

Nurture leads with personalized cross-channel communication

Marketing automation is a powerful tool that can help higher educational institutions create personalized cross-channel communication with their students. With Dotdigital’s cross-channel automation tools, nurturing leads has never been easier. You can tailor your emails, SMS, push notifications, and other forms of communication-based on your students’ interests, demographics, and engagement levels. 

For example, you can send a welcome email to a prospective computer science student highlighting upcoming coding workshops, or a text message to a current student reminding them about upcoming financial aid deadlines. These personalized messages make your students feel valued and help to build a strong relationship between your institution and your students.

Streamline the admission process with automation

The admissions process can be a lengthy task, both for the admissions staff and the applicants. However, with the help of automation, this process can be streamlined and made much more efficient. 

By automating tasks such as sending updates on application status, delivering acceptance letters, or prompting students to submit required documents, admissions staff can free up their time and focus on more important tasks. 

Additionally, automation ensures timely communication with applicants reducing the risk of errors or delays. This not only improves the overall experience for applicants but also helps to create a smoother and more effective admissions process for the institution.

Identify fundraising opportunities with alumni segmentation

Fundraising is a crucial aspect of any higher educational institution or non-profit organization. However, identifying potential donors and rekindling relationships with alumni can be a challenging task. That’s where alumni segmentation comes in. 

By utilizing segmentation templates within your marketing automation platform, you can categorize alumni based on factors like graduation year, major, or giving history, which allows for targeted outreach and personalized fundraising campaigns.

One tool that can help you with this process is Dotdigital’s intelligent segmentation tools. With intuitive student contact dashboards powered by WinstonAI, you can identify quick wins and see the bigger picture at the same time. 

Dotdigital’s unified view and eRFM tools can help you target the right student audience with the right message every time, giving you an edge when it comes to fundraising. By utilizing these tools, you can create campaigns that resonate with your alumni and inspire them to support your organization’s mission.

Deliver real-time course updates with SMS and push notifications

Institutions can use triggered SMS and push notifications to deliver real-time course updates to their students. This allows them to instantly send important information such as course cancellations, schedule changes, and registration reminders. 

As a result, students are always informed and up-to-date, which helps them keep track of their schedules and assignments. Additionally, this helps students feel more connected to their institution and faculty.

Furthermore, SMS and push notifications are highly personalized and can be customized to meet individual students’ needs and preferences. For instance, some students may prefer to receive notifications via SMS, while others may prefer push notifications. By offering multiple communication channels, institutions can ensure that they reach their students in the most effective way possible.

Leverage lead scoring and reporting for strategic insights

Marketing automation platforms play a crucial role in helping higher educational institutions gain valuable insights into their student pipeline. One of the key features of these platforms is the ability to assign scores to specific actions taken by prospective students. This process, known as lead scoring, helps identify high-potential students, allowing for targeted outreach efforts.

Lead scoring is typically based on a set of predefined criteria that indicate a student’s level of engagement and interest in the institution. For example, a student who downloads a brochure or attends a webinar may be assigned a higher score than someone who simply visits the website. By assigning scores to these actions, institutions can prioritize outreach efforts and focus on the most promising leads.

In addition to lead scoring, marketing automation platforms also provide automated reporting on campaign performance. These reports provide valuable insights into which campaigns are working and which are not, allowing you to refine your strategy for better results. By analyzing this data, institutions can identify trends and patterns in student behavior, allowing them to adjust their marketing efforts accordingly.

Boost event attendance with personalized invitations

Boosting event attendance is often a challenging task, but it can become easier with personalized invitations. Whether you’re organizing a career fair or a sporting event, sending personalized invitations based on the interests and preferences of potential attendees can significantly increase participation.

If you’re looking for an effective tool to help you boost your event attendance, you can try Dotdigital’s Eventbrite integration. This integration allows you to send personalized invitations to potential attendees based on their interests and preferences. It can help you showcase relevant events and highlight how attending can benefit them academically or professionally.

With Dotdigital’s Eventbrite integration, you can also create custom event pages, manage event registration, and track attendee engagement. This way, you can better understand what’s working and what’s not, enabling you to refine your approach and improve your results over time.

Automate onboarding and orientation for a seamless transition

Automating the onboarding and orientation process can greatly benefit both new students and your institution. By implementing automated workflows, you can ensure a seamless transition for new students, providing them with the necessary information and support they need to succeed. 

Automated workflows guide new students through the entire onboarding process, from submitting their applications to registering for classes. With automated emails, you can keep new students informed about campus resources, upcoming events, and deadlines. This not only helps new students feel more comfortable and supported but also helps them stay on track and avoid missing important deadlines.

Personalized check-ins are also an effective way to ensure that new students feel welcome and supported during their first few weeks on campus. These check-ins can be automated as well, allowing you to easily track new students’ progress and identify any areas where they may need additional support.

Enhance your engagement with artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool in marketing automation, revolutionizing the way you can engage with students. AI-powered tools like WinstonAI can analyze vast amounts of student data and behavior to identify key moments for engagement. With predictive analytics, you can anticipate student needs and personalize your communication at the right time, thereby increasing engagement and boosting sales.

WinstonAI is a tool that can assist you with your emails. It provides grammar and spell checks, as well as generates subject lines, to ensure that your emails are professional, impactful, and free of errors. This feature saves you time and enhances your credibility and authority among your audience.

By implementing these strategies, marketing automation can empower your institution to build stronger relationships with students at every stage, ultimately leading to a thriving learning environment and a successful student body.

Elevating higher education through marketing automation

Marketing automation transforms the way higher education institutions communicate with their students. It enables institutions to personalize their communication, address student needs proactively, and focus on providing a superior educational experience. By embracing marketing automation, institutions can ensure the success of their students and position themselves for long-term growth and success.