Online Advertising
Five messages written once that then work for years. For most firms this is the most profitable single building block in all of marketing.
An automated journey is a sequence of messages triggered by an action and running thereafter without intervention. The difference from a newsletter is timing: the person receives the message when it is relevant, not when you send.
Welcome messages reach open rates of 50 to 80 per cent; regular sends 20 to 35. The reason is the moment: the person has just signed up and remembers you.
That advantage decays quickly. A welcome message arriving only after three days loses a substantial part of its effect.
1. Welcome, three messages. Immediately: confirmation, the promised content, and one expectation set. Day 3: the most useful content you have, with no sales intent. Day 8: your offer, concrete, with one clear next step.
2. Abandoned cart or enquiry, three messages. After 3 hours: a plain reminder, no discount. After 24 hours: objection handling, so delivery, returns, payment methods. After 72 hours: a last reminder, with an incentive if appropriate.
3. After purchase, four messages. Day 1: confirmation and what happens next. Day 7: help with using the product, which measurably lowers returns. Day 21: a request for a review. Day 60 to 180: repeat purchase or servicing, depending on the product cycle.
| Trigger | Example | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up | newsletter | very high |
| Abandonment | cart, form | very high |
| Purchase | order completed | high |
| Behaviour | pricing page visited three times | high, but privacy-sensitive |
| Elapsed time | 12 months after purchase | medium |
| Date | birthday | low |
Behavioural triggers require a consent that also covers analysing usage behaviour. A plain newsletter consent does not cover that.
An automated message is not a bulk send. It should read like a personal note that happens to be well timed.
Automated journeys run for years and quietly go stale. Review each one every six months for four things: dead links, outdated prices, departed contacts, and statements about lead times.
A common finding when firms check for the first time: a welcome sequence has been promoting a product that no longer exists for two years.
The welcome sequence, always. It reaches people at the moment of greatest interest and is written in two days.
Three to five. Beyond that response falls so far that the effort outweighs the return.
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