But how does marketing automation nurture and prime leads to prepare them to be handed over to sales? How does it build interest and intrigue? It does so with a marketing automation workflow. Let’s dig a little bit more into what a workflow is.

Triggers and actions

A workflow consists of triggers and actions. Triggers are behaviors and things that leads, prospects, and customers do to interact and show interest in your brand. Actions are the automated responses to what they do. If someone downloads an ebook off  your website, you send them an email to notify them when the next ebook in that series is available. If someone signs up for a webinar, later on, you send them a related white paper. If someone subscribes to your newsletter, you send them an email invite to an event that your newsletter promotes.

Essentially, you provide relevant content and information to follow up on the interest that someone has shown. You entice them with valuable knowledge to engage them more and more with your brand and lead them down the marketing funnel to make them more and more interested in making a purchase.

A workflow can help convert a prospect into a lead, a lead into a customer, and a customer into a repeat customer.

How does someone become a prospect?

This doesn’t fit into the “trigger/action” sequence, but it remains important. A prospect is someone who has shown interest in your brand. They have business problems they think your content and thought leadership can help with.  

How can a prospect become a lead?

A prospect becomes a lead by showing even more interest in your brand by continuing to engage with it.

Possible triggers

Possible actions a marketer might then make

New subscriber signs up  

Send them how-to emails to get them onboarded and started

Someone downloads a gated asset

Show them related content and how to access it

Someone signs up for a webinar

Follow up with a thank you note and make them aware of related upcoming events and content

How can a lead become a customer?

Possible triggers

Possible actions a marketer might then make

Someone continually downloads your content, opens your emails, attends your events, or in some way engages with your brand

Notify sales to contact them

  How can a customer become a repeat customer?

Possible triggers

Possible actions a marketer might then make

Someone has already made a purchase and continues to engage with your brand

Send them more personalized content, special offers, and make them aware of product updates, new features, and information about upcoming events

Someone has been your customer for some time

Send them an email celebrating your relationship with them and let them know of any product renewals and updates coming up

A customer is experiencing difficulties with your products or services

Send content that offers potential solutions and tell them they are welcome to contact customer service

How do you reengage with a lead or customer who Has dropped off?

Possible triggers

Possible actions a marketer might then make

A lead or customer hasn’t stopped opening your emails or downloading your content within a certain timeframe (say, four to six months)

Send a personalized email to catch their attention and say you miss them and tell them about a special offer or event

Curious to learn more about marketing automation? Learn "5 Successful Keys to Automated Marketing." 

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