This article shares a personal case study on improving the customer journey by leveraging Mailchimp’s automation tools and the dynamic updating of audience data through API integrations.
Overview #
The Company aimed for enhance its marketing efforts by employing Mailchimp to automate and personalize communication with potential customers at various stages of the customer journey.
The objective was to go far beyond simple email sending, aiming to engage customers with tailored messages that addressed their specific interactions with the company, from initial interest to post-purchase.
Note: Modern consumers expect personalised experiences. Traditional marketing approaches — blast emails, generic messaging — no longer stand out.
Goals #
The primary goals of the campaign were to:
Educate new customers about the simplicity and effectiveness of the company’s products.
Nurture leads by providing timely and relevant information based on customer actions.
Increase conversion rates by addressing potential customer hesitations and providing easy access to support and additional resources.
We started looking at the automated emails as one touchpoint of many that nurtured subscribers into making a purchase.
Cost and Investment #
Mailchimp’s email automation features are not available in the free platform version. These advanced functionalities come at a cost, so businesses must carefully evaluate the financial investment against potential returns.
It’s worth noting that Mailchimp’s multi-step automation workflows require a Standard Plan or higher. Below is a quick overview of the plans and automation capabilities:
|
MAILCHIMP PLANS |
FREE |
ESSENTIALS |
STANDARD |
PREMIUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-step automations (Autoresponders) | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Multi-step automation workflows | NO | NO | YES | YES |
To assist businesses in budgeting, Mailchimp provides a pricing calculator on their website. This tool helps users estimate the cost of their plan based on the number of contacts and additional features required.
In our case, we utilised the standard plan, to send up to 120,000 emails each month to 10,000 contacts, currently priced at £110.27/month.
Prerequisites #
Before implementing the email automation strategy, it was crucial to establish a robust customer data infrastructure. This involved setting up an audience in Mailchimp that could dynamically update, via API integrations, based on customer actions taken on the website, such as placing a sample, requesting a quote, or completing an order.
Accurate segmentation of the audience was key to triggering emails automation based on customer activity.
If you don’t have the right list to power your automation program, it’s not going to go well, […] The key takeaway with automation is that before you even start a campaign, you must strategize how you develop your list.
Implementation #
We launched a series of four targeted emails using Mailchimp’s automation campaigns feature, each tailored to different customer segments based on their interactions with the company:
- Automated Email Campaign 1:
Introduction to Services- Audience: All prospects.
- Content: The email featured an engaging header, “How to upgrade your home in a day” and included a video link to “5 Simple Steps to Perfectly Fitted Blinds”, showcasing the ease and quickness of the renovation process.
- Trigger: Automatically sent to new subscribers who hadn’t made an order.
- Automated Email Campaign 2:
Sample Follow-Up- Audience: Customers who had received a sample but had not requested a quote or completed a purchase.
- Content: Aimed to guide customers on how to estimate the cost of their new blind based on their chosen samples, while encouraging them to request a quote for further clarity.
- Trigger: Sent one week after a sample order was placed without a follow-up quote request or purchase.
- Automated Email Campaign 3:
Sample Encouragement- Audience: Customers who requested a quote but hadn’t ordered samples or completed a purchase.
- Content: Encouraged customers to order a sample to ensure their choice before purchase.
- Trigger: Sent immediately after a quote was provided without a subsequent sample order or purchase.
- Automated Email Campaign 4:
Reactivation of Cold Leads- Audience: Customers who hesitated due to price concerns.
- Content: Offered solutions for cost-effective blind updates and prompted to contact the sales team for further assistance.
- Trigger: Sent when no activity was detected post-quote or sample request.
Results #
The automation strategy proved highly effective:
Open Rates increased by 25%, demonstrating that the targeted content was well-received.
Engagement saw a 40% uptick in sample requests and quote inquiries, indicating greater customer interest and movement through the sales funnel.
Conversions ultimately rose by 15%, with a significant number of leads moving to purchase after receiving targeted follow-ups.
Conclusion #
The investment in strategic email automation proved worthwhile, as the Company not only enhanced customer engagement but also significantly boosted conversion rates.
This demonstrates that sending automated, targeted, timely, and relevant emails can deliver substantial value.