When discussing email and lifecycle marketing with clients, one of the first questions I ask them is, “What flows do you currently utilise?”. This is often met with confusion, 99% of the time anyway.
If they do have an answer, it’s usually, “We use the abandoned cart function”, but for the majority, automations are not a part of their practice. At eComOne, we have partnered with Klaviyo to offer and deliver a lifecycle marketing service. Automations are a huge part of the foundation we lay when starting our strategy.
For those of you who aren’t yet familiar with what a flow is, put simply, it is an automated sequence that commences when a customer performs a specific action. For example, if a customer signs up to the mailing list, the welcome series will trigger and the customer will receive an email or SMS message that aims to keep them engaged, rewarded and loyal.
Unsure of what flows are essential? Well here are the Top 5 flows that every business should build in Klaviyo.
1. Welcome Series
So a customer has opted-in to your mailing list, but how are you going to keep them subscribed? The welcome series will help to keep them engaged and will often be the first communication they receive from you following sign-up. If customers are signing up to receive a promotion, then the first message in the series will often contain a thank you message and a code for them to receive a discount, but have you considered the subsequent messages in the series?
Share your story! The second email or SMS should focus on your brand, allow your customers to discover who you are as a company, how you started, your values and your reason why. You can even direct them to your blog to allow them to explore further. Allow your customers to know that they made the right choice investing in your brand.
Encourage them to return. Do you have a system in place that rewards customers, such as Loyalty Lion? (There is a Klaviyo integration for this too). Inform customers that they are on their way to becoming a VIP and will receive further incentives. This can transform your customer from being a one-timer to a repeat customer or even an advocate for your brand.
2. Abandoned Cart
Have you added items to your cart, but for some reason, leave the website without following through with the purchase? I’m sure we’ve all been there. The abandoned cart flow sends the items a customer adds to their basket straight to their inbox. This friendly reminder is a huge revenue win for businesses as it’s an opportunity to deliver a personal message based on exactly what the customer intended to purchase from your website.
Did one nudge not work? Then how about a second? You can extend the abandoned cart flow by sending a second message a week after the first, as the customer’s circumstances may have changed which may enable them to checkout and will prevent them from starting their experience from scratch and potentially completing their journey with a competitor.
3. Abandoned Browse
The abandoned browse flow is very similar to the abandoned cart flow – with one difference – it’s based on the products consumers searched for on your website. With an abandoned browse email or SMS, consumers are given a chance to return to your website in hope of converting them to a customer.
With Klaviyo, the possibilities are limitless. Third-party software integrations can allow for stronger and even more powerful flows to be established. With the Klevu integration for example, you can create what has been dubbed Abandoned Browse 3.0. Not only can you populate campaigns and flows with products a consumer has browsed, but also products that are grouped together based on the search terms customers use when searching your website. In addition, Klevu’s AI technology will recommend products based on what customers have purchased.
4. Thank You Flow
A thank you goes a long way and that rings true even when building automations. Sending customers a thank you message once they purchase a product or service from you can be the catalyst that brings them back to your website and secures a second purchase, sometimes even before the first product is delivered to them. Building a thank you flow shows customers that you appreciate them and helps you to build that all important relationship.
With Klaviyo, your automations don’t have to be a linear flow. A conditional split can be implemented, so the messaging can be differentiated. One of the conditions can be set to send an email thanking customers for their first purchase, whereas customers making their second or above purchase will receive a different message. Personalisation matters.
5. VIP Flow
As mentioned previously, rewarding your customers is a great way to build customer loyalty and using Klaviyo to communicate this is another effective way of using the platform. A VIP flow should be established to acknowledge and recognise customers for their continued support and highlight their journey with the business.
For example, when a customer makes their fifth purchase with a company, an automation could trigger, sending them an email that houses a reward, this can be a discount code or reward product, or however you want to show your customers that you appreciate them.
Subsequent actions can also trigger the flow, with a customer gaining further rewards at other pivotal points on their journey with your brand. You should also let them know when they are close to a reward. Informing customers that they are just “one purchase away” from gaining a reward can be the driving factor that sees you gain another sale.
If you want to increase your revenue and create long lasting customer loyalty, book a discovery call with our team to execute your email marketing strategy.
