Email Marketing Automation: How to Build Workflows That Sell 24/7

Written By brandon avance

In today’s digital economy, time is money and email marketing automation is one of the most efficient ways to maximize both. By building automated email workflows, also called sequences, businesses can deliver the right message to the right audience at exactly the right time. Create an "always-on" sales machine that nurtures relationships and drives conversions 24/7. Whether you're running an eCommerce store, a SaaS business, or a service-based company, mastering automated email workflows can help you scale faster and smarter.

This guide explores how to build intelligent email marketing automation workflows that sell while you sleep, from the foundational strategy to real-world examples that increase engagement and revenue.

What Is Email Marketing Automation?

Email marketing automation is the process of using technology to send emails to your audience based on predefined triggers, behaviors, or schedules. Rather than sending a one-time blast to your entire list, you set up workflows through automated email triggers that respond to customer actions or life-cycle stages.

This lets you build scalable, personalized marketing campaigns that:

  • Welcome new subscribers

  • Recover abandoned carts

  • Re-engage inactive users

  • Upsell and cross-sell products

  • Celebrate milestones and anniversaries

  • Nurture leads into paying customers

All of this happens automatically, meaning you can generate revenue even while you're away from your desk.

Why Automated Workflows Are Crucial for Growth

Manual email campaigns require constant attention and yield diminishing returns. Automated workflows, on the other hand, let you:

  • Increase Revenue: Automated emails often see 2–5x higher open and conversion rates than manual email campaigns. We’ve seen automated workflows account for more than 25% of total email revenue for well-performing eCommerce brands.

  • Enhance Customer Experience: Personalized, timely emails feel more relevant and helpful to the recipient.

  • Save Time: Once set up, automations work around the clock without requiring ongoing input.

  • Reduce Churn: Strategic nurture flows can re-engage inactive users and extend the customer lifecycle.

Core Automation Workflows That Every Business Needs

Here are the essential automation flows to build first:

1. Welcome Series

  • Trigger: New subscriber joins your list

  • Goal: Introduce your brand, set expectations, and drive the first conversion

  • Structure:

    • Email 1: Thank them, share your brand story and how to engage with your brand

    • Email 2: Highlight your bestsellers or content

    • Email 3: Offer a discount or incentive to convert

Welcome series emails generate 4x higher open rates than promotional sends and set the tone for the rest of the customer relationship.

2. Abandoned Cart Flow

  • Trigger: User adds product to cart but doesn’t complete checkout

  • Goal: Recover the sale

  • Structure:

    • Email 1 (1 hour later): Gentle reminder with product image

    • Email 2 (24 hours): Address objections (reviews, FAQ, shipping)

    • Email 3 (48 - 72 hours): Offer discount or urgency ("Limited stock")

Abandoned cart emails can recover 10–30% of lost sales when executed well.

3. Post-Purchase Flow

  • Trigger: Customer completes an order

  • Goal: Increase satisfaction, build loyalty, and promote repeat purchases

  • Structure:

    • Email 1: Order confirmation and thank you

    • Email 2: Product usage tips or unboxing content

    • Email 3: Ask for a review or referral

    • Email 4: Recommend complementary products

These emails are critical to driving lifetime value (LTV) and turning one-time buyers into loyal advocates.

4. Win-Back Series

  • Trigger: Customer hasn’t interacted in 60 - 90 days

  • Goal: Re-engage dormant subscribers

  • Structure:

    • Email 1: “We miss you” with a compelling hook

    • Email 2: Highlight new products or customer favorites

    • Email 3: Offer a special discount or freebie to return

Done right, win-back emails can reactivate 15–25% of lapsed customers.

5. Browse Abandonment Flow

  • Trigger: User browses product pages but doesn’t add anything to cart

  • Goal: Re-capture attention and convert browsers into buyers

  • Structure:

    • Email 1: Personalized product recommendation

    • Email 2: Customer testimonials or reviews

    • Email 3: Time-sensitive offer or social proof

Tips to Make Your Automation Workflows Smarter

Automation is more than scheduling, it’s about intelligence. Here’s how to make your workflows more effective:

1. Segment Your Audience

Avoid sending every email to everyone. Use behavior and data based segmentation (e.g., VIP customers, first-time buyers, inactive users) to tailor messages for relevance and better performance.

2. Use Conditional Splits

Leverage decision trees in tools like Klaviyo to customize email paths based on actions (e.g., whether someone clicked or purchased). This creates dynamic experiences that feel personal.

3. A/B Test Your Content

Subject lines, send times, CTAs, and even email lengths can affect performance. Test and iterate regularly to find the best combinations.

4. Incorporate SMS or Push Notifications

Consider layering in SMS for key workflows like cart abandonment or post purchase follow ups. Multi-channel automation increases response rates and engagement.

5. Set Goals and Monitor Metrics

Each workflow should have a KPI (conversion rate, open rate, revenue per recipient, etc.). Regularly review performance and optimize accordingly.

Real-World Example: eCommerce Brand Using Klaviyo

One of our DTC supplement brands using Shopify and Klaviyo set up a robust automation framework including:

  • A welcome series

  • Product flows for key products including product viewed, product trial, and product education campaigns

  • Replenishment and Upsells both from product purchase to subscriptions and to similar products

  • Subscription Winbacks

With these strategic automated flows, the brand generated over $310,000 in annual automated revenue alone.

Conclusion

Email marketing automation is not just about efficiency—it’s about building deeper customer relationships and unlocking sustainable, predictable revenue. By designing thoughtful workflows that meet your audience at every stage of their journey, you transform your email list into a full-time sales force.

Once set up, your automations work quietly in the background—welcoming, nurturing, selling, and delighting—24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It’s time to stop chasing every single sale manually and start letting smart automation work for you.

Contact GoodJooJoo for an email automation buildout.

brandon avance
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