Email Workflow: What It Is, How to Create One, Best Practices
Email workflow can help you engage with your subscribers, know more about them, and send relevant emails. All of these factors make an automated flow of emails a smart way to convert as many leads into customers as possible.
But simply setting it up won’t do the work. You need to have engaging emails and implement thoughtful strategies to achieve the desired results.
To help you craft the best email workflow for your business, we combined all the information — from the basic understanding of an email marketing workflow creation to implementing the best practices.
What is an Email Campaign Workflow?
When a subscriber triggers an action by clicking on a link, downloading a digital asset, or subscribing, a series of automated emails is sent to them in an email sequence — and this series is what we call an email workflow or email campaign process flow.
Here’s an example.
When someone subscribes to your email, they trigger an email sequence, typically a Welcome email campaign. First, they will receive a Welcome email with details about the company. The follow-up email can ask subscribers about their interests and preferences or require other information to instigate engagement. The email after that will depend on the answer the subscriber gave. After this, you can have more emails in the series, depending on where subsequent triggers your subscribers activate.
In this example, subscribing to the email list was the trigger that initiated a series of emails. Defining the trigger is one of the critical steps in building successful email workflows complementing email campaigns.
The Difference Between an Email Workflow and an Email Campaign
Some sources use the terms “email work flow” and “email campaign” interchangeably; there is a significant difference between the two.
An email workflow is a sequence of emails. It describes the logic between those emails and is closely related to the triggers. It’s a technical term.
An email campaign has a broader meaning and encompasses your business’s marketing objective concerning the target audience and email list segments.
It’s pointless building an email workflow without a bigger objective.
It’s only possible to build a successful email campaign with a well-designed workflow.
To understand more about the nature of email workflows, let’s see how they relate to their mother campaigns.
Types of Campaign Workflow
Different email workflow types are designed to promote products, offer special deals, announce events, or engage subscribers, depending on the campaign you’re building. They can be time-specific or evergreen, short or extended, but always in line with the email marketing strategy of your business. Types of email workflow content will closely relate to your email list segments, as you will not send every email to everyone. Using intelligent email segmentation strategy and targeting, decide between a successful and a flimsy email campaign.
To create smarter email workflows, you need to be practical. For instance, a customer who has been a subscriber for over a year won’t be interested in knowing about the brand from scratch. They might want a product similar to what they bought or are inactive, which can prompt you to remove them from the list. Similarly, a new subscriber won’t like to be pressured into buying a product immediately and may open up to the idea by receiving stimulating offers and engaging information. The key is understanding the campaign objective and defining the message and the number of emails for each iteration.
Therefore, your workflows should only reach the customers they are for, depending on your email campaign.
Most businesses will send the following types of email campaigns with unique campaign workflows:
- Promotional emails,
- Educational,
- Informational,
- Newsletters,
- Press releases,
- Product updates,
- Special offers,
- Limited-time sales,
- Events invitation or announcements.
Mind that each of these workflows has a different goal and targets a different group, and its timing and sequence should be determined separately.
Email Workflow in Email Campaigns
Each email workflow serves a different purpose, and it’s designed according to the primary goal of the email campaign in which it’s being used. Some campaigns will have only one or two emails in a workflow, delivering a simple message. In contrast, others may have multiple emails and branches in the customer journey, driving the prospects to convert.
Depending on the nature of the email campaign, an email workflow can be:
- Welcome campaign workflow: A series of emails sent when someone subscribes to your email, submits a form, or downloads something from the website. It’s usually short.
- Email nurture campaign workflow: An email series for those who often visit your website but have been hesitant to buy anything thus far.
- Promotional campaign workflow: These emails are sent to your list when promoting specific products.
- Event announcement campaign workflow: This workflow notifies the subscribers that an event is coming up and sends reminders as the date approaches.
- Purchase campaign workflow: This workflow sends purchase confirmation, shipping details, and updates to customers.
- Abandoned cart email campaign workflow: A series of emails reminding a lead of the abandoned cart and encouraging them to follow through with the purchase.
- Birthday or anniversary email workflow: Birthday or anniversary is an excellent trigger for a workflow, supporting the campaign to send custom special offers.
- Free trial email workflow: When a subscriber opts in for a free trial, they will receive tutorials, how-tos, and other information related to the product.
- Special offer campaign workflow: This workflow is often for the whole email list, informing them about your special offers. It’s typically time-limited and short.
- Customer milestone email workflow: This workflow tracks customer anniversaries within your business, sending them special offers every 6 or 12 months. It nurtures appreciation and helps build brand loyalty.
These are the most typical examples of workflows, but you can get creative in building one for your business. What’s important is that you know how to set it up.
Email Newsletter Workflow
Email marketing newsletters are a wonderful way to develop customer relationships and establish your brand’s voice and credibility. Creating an email newsletter workflow involves several steps to ensure you send them to the right audience for maximum email engagement.
Here’s a general workflow for an effective newsletter campaign:
- Define the purpose and key metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, or conversion rates.
- Segment email marketing subscribers based on their behavior or past purchases.
- Plan different types of email content centered around your value proposition.
- Use proper email branding and sophisticated campaign templates.
- Choose a reliable email marketing platform and automate your newsletters.
- Preview and check links to avoid spam traps.
- Send and monitor newsletter performance.
- Iterate and improve your email performance.
How Do I Create the Best Email Workflow?
As you know by now, every email workflow is different. First, you need to figure out what campaign you are launching, then define triggers and identify email list segments you’re targeting. Then, you will start building an actual workflow.
Let’s use the free trial email workflow as an example:
Say, you are a software company with a new prospect who subscribed for a free trial. With the sales in mind as your goal, you will want to support them through the process with a focused email sequence.
Emails you should pre-write and automate are:
- Confirmation email: It confirms their sign-up.
- Tutorial email: It provides educational information about the product, including how-to guides.
- Pro tip email: It includes more information with tips and hacks on how to use the product more effectively, showing the potential of your software and creating a sense of curiosity and excitement.
- Free trial notification: It should remind the subscriber that their trial will end soon, offering the chance to purchase immediately.
- End of trial email: When the free trial ends, an email should remind subscribers about the end and encourage them to purchase the software.
- Second notification: With a small time distance, another notification should remind the subscriber of the benefits of the software and encourage them to buy it.
- Special offer: The last email in the workflow should make a special offer — a bundle or a discount — to the subscriber. It targets those still deciding, and a good deal should help them convert.
The number of emails in a workflow depends on the nature of the campaign and your business, product, and trigger actions the prospects will make. Monitor your email metrics to learn if you should include more or delete certain emails from a workflow.
Email Workflow Examples and Templates
Below, we’ll review the email workflow for different types of email campaigns.
1. Welcome Email Series
Trigger: New subscriber joins your email list.
Goal: Introduce your brand, build rapport, and encourage engagement.
Template 1: Welcome Email
Subject: welcome to the [Brand] family!
We’re thrilled to have you onboard. Our only mission is to take your skincare to the next level and we cannot do it without your support.
As a welcome gift, here’s 15% off on your first order.
CTA: Browse our latest products
Best,
[Company name]
Template 2: Brand story
Subject: How did [Brand name] come to life? A sneak peek
Hi [Recipient Name],
[Brand name] started out as a homemade cake shop and grew into a multichain bakery because of the love we get from people like you. All our cakes are freshly baked without maida, which gives our cakes the unique flavor and of course, it’s healthy, too!
CTA: Learn more about our brand
Best,
[Company Name]
Template 3: Engagement Email
Subject: what’s your favorite thing about [Brand name]?
Dear [recipient name],
We noticed you browsing, and we’d love to know what’s your favorite product category?
Respond with an answer to win exciting offers.
CTA: Spin the wheel here (But send us your answer first)
Best,
[Company name]
2. Abandoned Cart Workflow Series
Trigger: Customer adds item to cart but does not complete the purchase.
Goal: Remind the customer about the abandoned cart items and encourage them to complete the purchase.
Template 1: Reminder Email [1 hour after cart abandonment]
Subject: You left items in your cart
Hi [Recipient name],
We noticed you added items to your cart but haven’t completed the checkout yet. Our items are selling fast and it’s best to complete the order before they’re gone.
CTA: Checkout now
Template 2: Offer a discount or incentive [after 24 hours]
Subject: We have an extra 10% off just for you
Hi [Subscriber name],
To help you complete the purchase, here’s 10% off from [Brand name].
Complete your order before [Date and time] to make use of the coupon.
CTA: Claim your discount now
Template 3: Urgency Email (After 3 days)
Subject: Limited-time stock – make the most of it now
Hi [Recipient name],
This is the last reminder email about the items waiting in your cart. The deal lasts for [Mention timeline] – get 10% off on all items in your cart.
CTA: Grab your savings now
Best,
[Your name]
3. Post-purchase follow up
Trigger: Customer makes a purchase.
Goal: Thank the customer and build loyalty.
Template 1: Thank you email with order details [Day 1]
Subject: Thank you for being our valuable customer
Hi [Recipient Name],
We at [Brand] honor the commitment of our employees and customers like you. Thank you for being a part of a life-changing project.
CTA: Learn more
Best,
[Your brand name]
Template 2: Product usage tips or unboxing guide [Day 5]
Subject: Checking in
Hi [Recipient name],
We’re checking in to see how our new product has been working for you. Please let us know if you have any concerns or queries.
CTA: Learn more about [Product name]
Best,
[Company name]
Template 3: Request for review or feedback [Day 10]
Subject line: Would love to know how you’d rate us
Hi [Recipient name],
We’d love to know how you’d rate our product on a scale from 1-10. This would help us improve our products and give you a better experience in the future.
CTA: Submit review/feedback
Best,
[Company name]
Do I Need Email Workflow Automation?
Creating an effective email campaign without a well-crafted email workflow is impossible. So, you can’t decide not to have one; it’s an integral part of your email marketing strategy. Automated email workflows are the only reasonable way to use it because hand-monitoring trigger reactions is unfeasible, especially if you’re a large-volume sender.
Here are a few reasons why your business needs an email automation workflow:
- You are manually sending the emails, spending too much of your time.
- Your leads are not converting.
- You are not sending specific emails to targeted leads but the same ones to the entire list.
- You are not in touch with the leads who haven’t purchased anything from you.
- You are not following up in the situations where you need to.
Setting up an email workflow will resolve these issues and help your email marketing operations thrive.
Benefits of Email Workflow Automation
Setting up an automated email workflow saves time, enables smooth metric monitoring, helps increase open and click rates, and nurtures engagement with your subscribers.
Here are the most valuable advantages you get with email automation:
- It increases productivity,
- It reduces human error,
- It saves time,
- It increases click-through and conversion rates,
- It converts more leads to customers and increases revenue,
- It helps build relationships with customers,
- It helps improve your email marketing strategy.
Setting up an automated email series is not only a smart thing to do, it’s the only right way to go about your strategy. You can’t cover too much ground on foot, and if you want your business to thrive, you should tune in and follow the best email automation practices for the best results.
How Do I Set Up an Automated Email Workflow?
To set up an automated email workflow, you will need an email service provider for businesses. Following your platform, you will create the steps in your email sequence, see how they connect, and then automate it.
Here are several basic steps you should make:
- Select a workflow platform.
- Decide which campaign you are launching.
- Set up workflow triggers such as webpage visits, content downloads, form submissions, purchases, cart abandonments, clicks, or milestones (anniversary or birthday).
- Design the workflow email sequence according to the audience segment.
- Set an email frequency.
- Do the email workflow testing or A/B testing to know if it works.
- Initiate the workflow!
- See how the workflow performs.
Automate Your Email Workflow with Campaign Refinery
Setting up your first email workflow can be overwhelming: will it work? Are there enough emails? Is this too much? Is my language off? Are my targets appropriately set? What if the automation fails?
We at Campaign Refinery have been in the email game for a while, so we know the anxiety the process can bring.
That’s why our team designed a super-slick user interface to help our clients create their workflows quickly and without fuss. Our campaign library offers customizable templates for every purpose, while our software automatically cleans your email list, maintaining email list hygiene. Our automations run smoothly, and the results are superb. We also provide expert support every step of the way — your success is our goal, and it’s our pleasure to guide you to it!
We know our high-performance email solutions work and want to collaborate with the best senders. That’s why our service is exclusive, catering to the finest email marketing operators on the market.
Email Workflow Best Practices
Let’s recap the best practices for creating an email workflow:
- Provide value in every workflow: Target your audience right and implement email personalization whenever possible.
- Create different workflows for different leads: Iterations are crucial in segment targeting. Create different emails for different people.
- Focus on qualified and warm leads: Qualified leads are better than low-engagement leads. But existing customers are the best!
- Create email templates: Templates will help you save time in the future. For example, Campaign Refinery’s Campaign Library offers a wide range of templates for every purpose!
- Don’t keep sending emails daily: In other words, check your email cadence and don’t spam your prospects. Mind the timing of your workflow sequence.
- Implement A/B Testing best practices: Test is with your test list; test all iterations, triggers, and outcomes. Then launch.
- Keep analyzing workflow results: Watching the engagement metrics will show you where to improve and how to build better campaigns.
Now, copy and paste this list as a reminder because every step ensures your workflows will run smoothly.
Mistakes While Setting Up Email Workflows
To be clear, email marketing mistakes are inevitable, even if you set everything just right. They might be contextual, and you will learn that through metrics.
To help you avoid technical errors, we’ve compiled a short list of mistakes businesses often make:
- Working without a proper automation tool.
- Delaying workflows.
- Not tracking workflow results.
- Doing manual, time-consuming tasks.
- Getting low engagement and high complaint rates due to unappealing emails or domain neglect.
- Engaging in cold emailing practices.
- Writing generic emails without personalization.
- Working without a clear strategy.
- Not setting goals.
While essential, some of these points are frequently overlooked. Remember that your path can be better, and your results will show it.
Create Perfect Automated Workflows with Campaign Refinery
Campaign Refinery is a powerful marketing automation platform that can help you streamline your marketing efforts. One of our key features is the ability to create and manage your automated workflows.
Our integrated automations enable sleek email workflows, clean data overview, and, best of all — regular automatic email list cleaning! We remove all suspicious addresses from our clients’ lists, ensuring maximum deliverability.
You can add/edit tags in campaigns, customize sender details, apply tags to bulk contacts, set automation rules for various triggers and actions, and effortlessly manage your audience segments.
Our clients report open rates growth from 2x to 6x since signing up with us!
Want to join us? Smooth out your operations, check out our offer, and apply to become a customer.
Meanwhile, watch expertly take on using upsell and downsell workflows.
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FAQ
Automated email meaning
An automated email is automatically sent to recipients based on specific triggers, such as a welcome email after signing up for your email newsletter.
What is a marketing campaign workflow?
A marketing campaign workflow is a structured outline that lays out the steps to how a marketing campaign is planned and executed. It ensures all necessary tasks are completed on time and in the right order.
Email flow meaning
An email flow is a series of emails sent to recipients based on their specific actions.
