3 Ways to Use SendGrid Automation
Wondering what types of use cases are served with SendGrid's Automation beta? This guide offers a few starter ideas for how you can use SendGrid Automation to create engaging, automated experiences for your recipients—all in the time it takes to create your usual 1-to-many emails.
Introduction
For each of the three idea starters provided here, imagine you’re the marketing guru at a fitness company. You offer an application that users download to power their home workouts as well as special in-person events across the country.
We’ll orient you in the business goal, who to send to, and ideas for message content.
Up Next
Welcome Series
Chapter 2
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Welcome Series
Business goal: Ensure new, hard-earned, signups stick by providing a warm welcome and tips to get started.
Send to: New contacts or subscribers
Message ideas:
- Signup confirmation and welcome
- Introductory overview
- Tips, how-tos, or resources
• Do you have a compelling sender profile that makes sense for this automation?
• If a user wants to opt out of this type of content, do you have an Unsubscribe Group that will let them tailor their preferences?
• Do you have the right categories in place for tracking this automation?
Step 1: Name your automation
App Signup Welcome Flow
Step 2: Define your entry criteria
Set your entry criteria to “The first time a contact” “Is added to a list” and create a new list called “New App Signups”.
Step 3: Define your exit criteria
For now, leave this step as is: recipients who enter the automation will receive all emails in your series. You’ll want recipients to receive each welcoming email in the series!
Step 4: Assign your Unsubscribe Group and assign categories
Create a new Unsubscribe Group for “App Signup Welcome Flow” so your recipients can choose to opt-out of this particular automation.
Add a category for “App Signup Welcome Flow” and any other categories that will help you track the performance of this automation.
Step 5: Build the email experience for your contacts
Craft three messages (Tip: we recommend no more than three emails in a welcome series):
- A simple, on-brand, signup confirmation with a warm thank you.
- An overview of the value of your fitness app, including a motivating user testimonial.
- Tips for how to get started by adding their fitness baseline and goals.
- Looking for some examples of some winning welcome emails? Check out 4 Effective Welcome Email Campaigns.
Decide when to send each message in your series:
- Welcome: Send immediately
- Overview: Send 1 day later
- Tips: Send 3 days after your overview message
Step 6: Trigger your automation
Towards the end of each day, export a list of new users from your database.
The next morning, add your batch of new users to your “New App Signups” Automation list.
Up Next
Event Promotion
Chapter 3
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Event Promotion
Business Goal: Drive attendance to an upcoming live yoga event in Chicago
Send to: Chicago contacts who love yoga
Message ideas:
- Announcement
- Agenda highlight
- Promotion (discount code etc.)
Step 1: Name your automation
Chicago Fall Yoga Event
Step 2: Define your entry criteria
Set your entry criteria to “The first time a contact” “Is added to a list” and create a new list called “Chicago Fall Yoga Event”
Step 3: Define your exit criteria
For now, leave this step as is: recipients who enter the automation will receive all emails in your series.
Step 4: Assign your Unsubscribe Group and assign categories
Create a new Unsubscribe Group for “Chicago Fall Yoga Event” so your recipients can choose to opt-out of this particular automation.
Add a category for “Chicago Fall Yoga Event” and any other categories that will help you track the performance of this automation.
Step 5: Build your series of messages
Craft four messages:
- A special email promotion announcing your pop-up event
- A reminder email unveiling your headlining instructor
- An exclusive VIP access offer
- A final invitation with an incentive to refer a friend
Decide when to send each message in your series:
- Announcement: Send immediately
- Reminder: Send 7 days later
- VIP access: Send 5 days after your reminder
- Final invite: Send 5 days after your VIP access email
Step 6: Trigger your automation
Export a list of all of your Chicago app users and contacts who are yogis.
When you’re ready for your automation to begin sending, add your contacts to your “Chicago Fall Yoga Event” list.
Up Next
Content Download
Chapter 4
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Content Download
Business Goal: Follow-up with contacts who have recently shown interest in your content and convert them to paid application users
Send to: Contacts who recently downloaded a free hotel-friendly travel workout plan.
Message(s):
- Confirmation with download link
- Encouragement email with cross-sell
- Referral offer
Step 1: Name your automation
Travel Workout Download
Step 2: Define your entry criteria
Set your entry criteria to “The first time a contact” “Is added to a list” and create a new list called “Travel Workout Download”
Step 3: Define your exit criteria
For now, leave this step as is: recipients who enter the automation will receive all emails in your series.
Step 4: Assign your Unsubscribe Group and assign categories
Create a new Unsubscribe Group for “Travel Workout Download” so your recipients can choose to opt-out of this particular automation.
Add a category for “Travel Workout Download” and any other categories that will help you track the performance of this automation.
Step 5: Build your series of messages
Craft three messages:
- A congratulatory email with their link to download
- An email cheering them on to work out on the road, plus a discount offer to enjoy workout videos as a paid user
- Bonus tips for nutrition while traveling, plus a referral incentive to share the travel workout plan with a friend
Decide when to send each message in your series:
- Download: Send immediately
- Reminder and discount offer: Send 5 days later
- Nutrition tips: Send 3 days after your reminder
Up Next
Takeaways
Chapter 5
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Takeaways
Of course, after you set your automation live, you’ll be eager to measure its performance!
With SendGrid Automation, you’ll enjoy real-time metrics that show you the aggregate performance of your automation as well as the stats for each individual email in your series. All in an easily scannable layout.
See an email that’s out performing—or underperforming—compared to others in the series? You can take those learnings and make content or subject line changes to optimize.
With these examples in hand, you’re ready to create your own compelling, automated email experiences for your contacts!
