Welcome series emails generate 320% more revenue than promo emails.

They're your best chance at making a good (profitable) first impression.

Here's how to automate one for $0 🧵:

Earlier this week, we talked about how to automate a welcome series in Sendinblue:
https://twitter.com/PortageLabs/status/1513547447234035715

We've also explained how to do it with MailerLite:

Today, we'll explain how to use Zoho Campaigns for an email series.

Pros of Zoho Campaigns:

• Powerful automation canvas
• Big template gallery
• 6,000 emails/month

Let's go!

Create a free account and start building an automation workflow:

Zoho offers a template to get you started — we'll take full advantage:

Like the other platforms, you'll start by selecting a trigger. 

For a welcome series, it's whenever a customer joins your mailing list:

Zoho sets the first delay to one day, but feel free to lower the time.

Now let's work on the first message:

You can personalize the subject line to increase your conversions:

From there, you'll see the option to create the email content. 

You have several options — create your own template, use one from the Zoho gallery, etc.

We'll use a pre-designed template. 

To add personalizations into the text, you can use the 'Merge Tags' tab:

With this template, you don't need to add blocks — just modify them to your liking.

When you're done, activate your automation:

You'll get a prompt that your emails need reviewing before you can send them:


Once approved, you're good to go!

Found this thread useful? 

Follow us @PortageLabs for more tips, tricks, and case studies on how to supercharge your output with martech.

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/PortageLabs/8Ep9hHt

How to automate a welcome email series with Zoho Campaigns

Welcome emails can generate a 196% boost in unique click rate.

If your martech stack doesn't automate welcome emails, you're missing out.

Here's how to automate a welcome series for exactly $0:

Previously, we explained how to do this in Sendinblue. 

You can read that thread here:
https://twitter.com/PortageLabs/status/1513547447234035715

Today, we're talking about using MailerLite. 

Pros of MailerLite:

• In-depth email editor
• Comprehensive reports
• 12,000 emails/month

Create a free account to get started and make a new automation:


Name your automation and select a trigger. 

For a welcome series, a subscriber joining a group works best:

Hit 'Save' and start automating. We'll start by adding an email:

Name the email and define its subject line — add some personalization:

Tick off the tracking parameters — it's time to start designing:

MailerLite gives you several options. We'll start with a template for convenience.

With no specific welcome template, we recommend the Bookstore Shopping one for its big header and CTA:

You'll enter a drag-and-drop editor. 

From here, you can make changes to fonts, colours, and add personalization:

When you're done editing, head back to your canvas:

Add a second email and customize it accordingly:

In our next thread, we'll talk about how to create an automated welcome series using Zoho Campaigns 👀

If you enjoyed this thread, follow us for more tips, tricks, and case studies on how to supercharge your output with martech. https://twitter.com/PortageLabs

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/PortageLabs/HI3Y6ax

How to automate a welcome email series with MailerLite for free

B2B marketing is hard.

But the right tools can make it easy.

Here's a curated B2B #martech stack just for you 🧵👇:

Top email marketing tools:

@AWeber — Free - $150/mo

• Develop a subscriber base
• Create and send newsletters
• Track results and performance

@MailChimp — Free - $300/mo

• Build premium-quality newsletters
• Follow leading metrics
• Create robust automations

Top social media management tools:

@Hootsuite — Free - $130/mo

• Manage key social accounts
• Schedule posts and stories
• Access social messages from a central inbox

@SproutSocial — $89 - $250/mo

• Central message inbox
• Social listening tools
• Tasking and social CRM

Top landing page tools:

@LeadPages — $37 - $74/mo

• Free hosting + 1 yr domain
• Built-in analytics to track results
• A/B split testing

@Unbounce — $90 - $225/mo

• Drag and drop builder
• Custom scripting (HTML, CSS, JS)
• Auto-image optimization

Top campaign management tools:

@HubSpot — Free - $3,200/mo

• All-in-one marketing tool
• Landing pages, ABM, customer data management, email marketing, SEO, etc.
Good for smaller co's

@Pardot — $1,250 - $15k/mo

• A comparable suite of martech tools
• Lead nurturing, content management, advertising channels, contact databases
Ideal for premium B2B

Top SEO tools:

@Moz — $99 - $600/mo

• A comprehensive set of SEO services like keyword research, site audits, and link building.

@SEMrush — $120 - $450/mo

• A suite of professional SEO tools, including keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink tracking.

To see our recs for:

• Website creation tools
• Visual content creation 
• CRMs

check out our blog post!
https://portagelabs.io/blog/why-invest-b-2-b-market

If you enjoyed this thread, follow us @PortageLabs for more tips, tricks, and case studies on how to supercharge your output with martech!

Want to put your martech stack to work right away? 

Check out our tutorial thread on automating a welcome email series:

https://twitter.com/PortageLabs/status/1513547447234035715

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/PortageLabs/AMGNQ9x

Building a B2B martech stack in 2022

Welcome emails have an open rate of over 90%.

With the right automation in place, you could multiply conversions overnight.

Here are 1/3 ways to set up an automated welcome email series for $0:

In the next 3 threads, we break down how to do this with 3 different email services:

• Sendinblue
• MailerLite
• Zoho Campaigns

All have Zapier shortcuts to integrate with your current martech stack.

We'll start with Sendinblue.

Pros of Sendinblue:

• Intuitive and fast
• Plenty of templates
• Send 300 emails/day

After making a free account, head to the Automations tab from your dash:

Go ahead and create a workflow.

You can start with a template:

Pick the email list new subscribers/customers are added to:

Next you’ll have to pick an email template. Let’s create a new one:

Make sure you add some personalizations:


Next, you can design the email itself. 

You’re welcome to code your own — but to get up and running quickly, use a welcome template:


You’ll find yourself in a drag-and-drop editor:

You can add personalization in text boxes:

Now we can access the template from our canvas:

Since we’re creating an email series, we need more emails. 

Hit the plus and add a delay + second email (ideally with a new template):

Activate your workflow and you’re ready to go!

In our next thread, we'll explain how to do this with MailerLite — follow us @PortageLabs so you don't miss it.

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/PortageLabs/sPWfdjg

How to automate a welcome email series with Sendinblue

Here are 11 account-based marketing stats that could change how you do B2B sales:

(sources are at the end!)

70% of marketers used account-based marketing in 2021, up 15% from the previous year. (HubSpot)

In 2019, companies allocated nearly 30% of their marketing budget to account-based marketing. (Demandbase)

87% of marketers have seen account-based marketing activities outperform their other activities. (RollWorks)

A huge majority (80%) of marketers agree that ABM improves their customer lifetime values. (Terminus)

For companies with mature ABM strategies, 79% of opportunities and 73% of revenue comes from their account-based marketing efforts. (Terminus)

25% of companies using ABM report an average deal size increase of over 50%. (SiriusDecisions)

ABM can lead to a 70% increase in the number of your opportunities. (Gartner)

64% of ABM programs are relatively new — under 5 years old. Just under 70% of them take advantage of automation technology. (Salesforce)

Only 6% of marketers didn't have active account-based marketing programs in 2020. (Terminus)

Over half of marketers (53%) haven't started to measure their ABM metrics yet. (Salesforce Pardot)

The biggest challenge for companies (53%) with established ABM programs is data quality. (Demandbase)

https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing

https://your.demandbase.com/resources

https://www.rollworks.com/resources/blog/abm-metrics-for-your-abm-trial

http://resources.terminus.com/c/tei-of-terminus-abm-?x=j_sT6x&lx=4gmjDK%20https://resources.terminus.com/c/tei-of-terminus-abm-

https://terminus.com/blog/2020-state-of-abm-report-preview/

https://www.forrester.com/blogs/what-is-account-based-marketing/

https://blogs.gartner.com/marc-brown/b2b-marketing-can-increase-sales-qualified-leads/

https://www.salesforce.com/eu/blog/2020/06/sixth-state-of-marketing-has-changed.html

https://www.pardot.com/whitepapers/2019-abm-market-research-report/

https://www.demandbase.com/ebook/abm-market-survey-2020/

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/PortageLabs/JugPSAk


11 ABM stats to change your outlook on B2B sales

Direct mail marketing is an underused cheat code for businesses.

With the right automation tool, you can multiply your leads.

Here are 5 direct mail platforms you should know about:

1. Sendoso

> Inventory management.
> Drag-and-drop interface.
> Integration w/ Salesforce and HubSpot.

Ideal for: small businesses.

2. SnackMagic

> The No. 1 platform to send snacks, drinks, and treats.
> Integrates with many databases.
> Offers reporting metrics.

Ideal for: sending consumables + accurate reporting.

3. Reachdesk

> Templates for campaign creation.
> Offers segmentation tools.
> Built-in autoresponder triggers.

Ideal for: bigger teams + businesses that want to start direct mail quickly.

4. Alyce

> Integrates easily with spreadsheets.
> AI-powered personal interest research.
> Physical and digital gift automation.

Ideal for: B2B marketers with longer sales cycles and customer lifetimes.

5. Postal[dot]io

> Offers handwritten AI tech
> Plug-and-play customizations
> Broad suite of gifting tools

Ideal for: businesses adopting a wide array of direct mail and sending strategies.

To recap:

1. Sendoso - small businesses.
2. SnackMagic - sending food.
3. Reachdesk - big teams + speed.
4. Alyce - B2B marketers.
5. Postal[dot]io - in-depth direct mail strategy.

Still not sure which one to pick? We've got a list of criteria you should keep in mind:

[checklist thread]

Want more details? Read our full article on direct mail automation here:
https://portagelabs.io/blog/direct-mail-2022

Want to unlock your #martech stack to supercharge your daily output? 

Follow us for daily news, tips, tricks, and threads!
https://twitter.com/PortageLabs

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/PortageLabs/AYWSCGp

Maximize your leads with direct mail automation

More than 70% of consumers get frustrated with impersonal experiences while shopping.

Want to stay on their good side?

Here's how to start implementing #ecommerce personalization:

1. Know. Your. Customers.

Ecommerce personalization starts with data.

After all, you can't personalize without knowing your audience.

Info you need:

> Preferences
> Demographics
> Online behaviour

Here are some tools that can help you:

> Surveys: @DeepMarkit, @typeform
> Analytics: @GoogleAnalytics, @hotjar

A customer data platform is a critical tool here.

We've written a quick primer on them before:
https://twitter.com/PortageLabs/status/1458124965665021957

2. Instruments of personalization.

Once you have data, you can leverage it.

> Promote previously purchased products (say that 5x fast)
> Use location data to promote local specialties
> Reinforce buying history by selling accessory products

3. Content

Content is one of the pillars of a successful eCommerce personalization effort.

You can develop your content strategy in a few ways:

> Answer audience questions
> Curate helpful resources 
> Engage with your audience on social media

Tools to help you:

> Content planning: @Ahrefs, @GoogleTrends
> Audience research: @sparktoro, @Twitter

4. Promotions

You can use data to customize promotional offers in any number of ways.

Ex: Some customers always buy neckties and pocket squares together. 

Insight -> they like to accessorize. Offer an on-site discount if they add cuff links to their next order.

5. Emails

The avg. consumer gets 121 non-spam promo emails monthly. You want to be on that list.

Use personalized emails when you want to:

> Re-engage inactive past visitors.
> Enhance the post-purchase experience via custom thank you emails.

Note: in the second case, you can also suggest related products.

In our next thread, we're going to break down 5 essential eCommerce personalization tools.

Don't want to miss it? Follow us to stay in the loop!
https://twitter.com/PortageLabs

If you want to unlock your #martech stack to supercharge your daily output, check out the original blog post here:

https://portagelabs.io/blog/personalized-ecommerce

Sources: http://grow.segment.com/Segment-2017-Personalization-Report.pdf

How to start with eCommerce personalization

39% of consumers have tried a business for the first time because of direct mail marketing.

It might seem old-fashioned, but it works.

Here's what you need to look for in a direct mail automation platform:

First, a refresher on direct mail automation.

Typically, it involves:
> company-wide data management
> streamlined workflows
> sales + marketing synergy

Here's what you should look for in your automation software:

1. Integration with your chosen CRM system. 

#Martech is most useful in a stack — you’ll need a CRM for collecting customer data.

2. Database design tools. 

These will let you create targeted lists of customers based on interests, location, or other factors.

3. Segmentation tools. 

So you can divide your contacts into groups more easily handled by your workflow software. 

Eg. you might separate leads from high-value customers. 

Then, subdivide into people on and off your mailing list.

4. Direct mail automation functions.

Automate common tasks: 

>Printing out labels
> Verifying addresses against a database 
> Combining campaign lists
> Sending e-mail updates to customers

5. Automated response triggers.

Automatic software actions for when you get a particular response. 

For example, sending out an update after someone visits a target landing page.

6. Collaboration tools. 

This is a given for any modern, collaborative marketing team. Share resources, data, and creative.

7. Data security.

Your mailing lists and customer data must be stored safely and away from prying eyes.

Make sure you follow national and local data security standards, like GDPR or CCPA.

To recap:

1. CRM integration
2. Database design
3. Segmentation
4. Core automation features
5. Response triggers
6. Collaboration tools
7. Data security

We'll be talking about a few different direct mail automation platforms later this week —

Follow us for updates!

Can't wait? Read our full article on direct mail automation here:
https://portagelabs.io/blog/direct-mail-2022

Here's how to pick a direct mail automation tool

6 word-of-mouth marketing stats you can't ignore if you're a marketer, CMO, or business owner:

(sources at the end)

92% of consumers trust earned media from family members and friends over all other forms of advertising.

88% of buyers trust online reviews and personal recommendations equally.

1/4 people will avoid a brand altogether if they hear about a bad experience from a friend or family member.

If a customer has their issues resolved by a business, they'll tell 4-6 friends on average.

For Millenials, word-of-mouth is the number one factor in purchase decisions across 4 product categories 

(apparel, tech, high-ticket, financial products)

Word-of-mouth marketing brings in 5x more sales than paid ads. (SEMRush)

Here are our sources:

https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2012/consumer-trust-in-online-social-and-mobile-advertising-grows/

https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey-2014/

https://www.semrush.com/blog/word-of-mouth-stats/#general-word-of-mouth-statistics

https://www.marketingcharts.com/industries/retail-and-e-commerce-39207

Want more breakdowns on #marketing and #martech? Follow us to learn how to supercharge your marketing tech stack:

https://twitter.com/PortageLabs

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/u/PortageLabs/t/IJx6tmf/

6 word-of-mouth marketing stats you have to know

Kyle Scheele is a TikTok creator with over 3 million followers. 

Kum & Go is a convenience store chain popular in the US Midwest. 

It was an unlikely recipe for a viral word-of-mouth strategy, but it worked.

Here's the story:

Some context: 

In a TikTok, Scheele documents how he placed a cardboard cutout of himself inside of a Kum & Go location — a 'reverse heist'. 

The cutout promotes a fictional new meal: two slices of pizza and a Red Bull.

The video goes viral (more than 20 million views), and soon TikTok users are rallying for Kum & Go to make the Scheele Meale real. 

How does Kum & Go respond?

They made it happen!

The Scheele Meale sold for $5, with $2 going to No Kid Hungry with every purchase.

Now, what's the kicker?

Both parties later revealed that the whole incident was planned out in advance between the influencer and the brand. 

But how did they manage to pull this off?

There are three reasons:

It told a great story. 

TikTok creator pulls a prank. TikTok users urge the big corporation to respond. Big-corp follows through and makes it a reality. 

Come on, who doesn't love that story?

It was feasible. 

Scheele's brand as a creator is to engage in several strange and fun projects — this didn't seem out of the ordinary.

It was easy to root for. 

Some people may have felt betrayed that the whole incident was a planned campaign — but at the end of the day, it was for a good cause. 

Who’s going to complain about that?

What's the takeaway?

Most people are tired of traditional influencer marketing. SponCon usually feels fake, and consumers can see through it quickly. 

The Kum & Go campaign didn't focus on selling a specific product but on selling an image — a spontaneous and fun brand.

When you team up with influencers, make sure your brand fits theirs.

Think beyond traditional promo posts and collaborate with creators to dream up novel ideas like this one.

Here's the story:

https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/tiktok-star-launches-celebrity-meal-himself-kum-go-store-display/2380916

Did you enjoy this thread?

You might like this one on how to track your word-of-mouth marketing efforts:
https://twitter.com/PortageLabs/status/1496703944407482372

Want more tips, threads, and advice on how to unlock your martech stack and supercharge your output?

Follow us!
https://twitter.com/PortageLabs