There are countless organizations sending monthly e-newsletters through an email service provider or marketing automation platform to their massive list of subscribers. These businesses throw all news, information, photos, updates, and more from the past month into these newsletters. And, when asked if they leverage email marketing as part of their marketing mix they reply “Yes!”

Everyone should want to be using email in the right way to grow their business. After all, email is now considered one of the most direct methods to cut through the noise and deliver a message to a buyer - despite all the talk in the last couple of years that email is dead.

However, the reality is that while technically a monthly e-newsletter being sent every 30 days is a form of email marketing, it’s not always the path to a significant return on the time it takes to execute. It's not enough to be blasting the emails out without targeted content and a thoughtful delivery strategy.

For a scalable and lasting email marketing strategy, there are three types of emails you’ll want to set up in replacement of or on top of a monthly e-newsletter.

Automated Lead Nurture Emails

Lead nurturing is a crucial component of your overall marketing strategy and a savvy means of engaging, nurturing, and converting leads. These email campaigns are comprised of strategically positioned email communications created with the intent of propelling a lead through the purchase journey to ultimately result in the desired outcome.

When thinking about how to structure a lead nurturing email campaign, take these initial steps to get started:

1. Identify the purpose of the email series. Say to yourself “when this series ends, I want the recipient to _______________” and fill in the blank.
2. Make a list of all the information that person might need to know before being able to take the desired action from step #1.
3. Start creating an email communication for each piece of information on your list from step #2.

Behavioral Triggered Emails

Triggered emails are designed to meet your buyers where they are at the right time to drive micro-conversions. Behavioral email adopts a user-focused approach to sending email. It is the actions of your website visitors that dictate which emails they receive, not a decision made by the marketer.

Actions taken by a lead that could be leveraged as effective trigger points include:

• Form submission
• Webpage view
• Gated content download
• Reading a blog post

It’s imperative to remember that the email communication you set up to be triggered on one of these actions must be relevant and act as a value-add to the recipient. If a person reads a blog post on your website, is there an additional piece of information complementing what they just read that you could supply in your triggered email?

Calendar-Based Emails

Customers interact with brands who engage, inspire, and provide relevant content straight to their inbox. These communications are tailored to unique audiences and have very specific purposes. These emails allow you to leverage timely information about your audience, market, industry, and/or brand.

Calendar-based emails could include:

• Event invitations
• Registration deadlines
• Monthly newsletters
• Customer anniversaries
• Customer birthdays
• Holidays