Automation comes in all shapes and sizes as individual businesses require individual setups that work for them. But when we look at automation as a principle in the general sense; best practice should really come in the form of predicting rather than responding.

Quite a lot of automation systems are designed to spring into action when something triggers them to do so. For example, a website visitor may spend over ten minutes looking at the sunglasses section of a website but not make a purchase. Automation may then kick in to send this visitor an e-mail with a discount code on sunglasses to spur them to make a purchase. But in this instance, the visitor had to log ten full minutes on the sunglasses webpage and then not make a purchase for this automatic e-mail to trigger and send to them. Surely that ten minutes would be better spent adding items to the online cart rather than simply browsing?

Therefore it could be argued that automation itself has to become automated. Instead of waiting for x, y, and z to align, it would be more effective if it sprang into action all by itself. This can be achieved and set up quite simply (and without the need for various parameters to interlink and correlate to trigger automation). Here are some basic, but effective, examples:

• Website visitor signs up to your newsletter = welcome e-mail sent to them
• Somebody visits your website twice in two different sessions = e-mail about your business and how it can help them
• Via your online advertisements, a person arrives in a particular landing page = e-mail specific to the subject of this landing page is sent to them

But this can be taken a step further by predicting things a step further. If someone signs up for your newsletter they obviously have an interest in what you have to offer. Therefore why not send them an e-mail not only welcoming them but explaining how your business can help fulfill their (perceived needs). Seal the deal by including a discount code/coupon off their first order. Doesn’t this seem like a more effective automatically sent e-mail than a simple welcome e-mail?

Automation is a very effective way to not only gain leads but also convert warm leads into customers. For assistance with setting this up and driving sales to your business, contact the expert digital agents at Ireland Website Design.