Which automations should a small business set up first?
The ones closest to money, in roughly this order. A welcome series for new subscribers, because interest is highest in the first few days. An abandoned cart reminder, for any business that sells online. A message after purchase that asks for a review or suggests the next thing, and a reminder timed to when the product runs out or the service falls due again. Then a win-back message for customers who have gone quiet.
Each of these is a flow, and the entry on email flows covers how they are built. The longer guide linked from this page covers doing it all without an agency.
What do three flows earn an online skincare maker? (example figures)
A skincare maker in Armidale sells online, with 2,400 email subscribers and an average order of $68. It sets up three flows in its email tool.
| Flow | Who gets it each month | Orders | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abandoned cart, two emails | 300 people who left a cart | 30, or 10 percent | $2,040 |
| Welcome series, three emails | 150 new subscribers | 18, or 12 percent | $1,224 |
| Reorder reminder on day 50 of a 60-day moisturiser | 200 customers | 40, or 20 percent | $2,720 |
| Total | 88 | $5,984 |
The reorder reminder earns the most because it reaches people who already like the product, just before they run out. The flows took about two days to write and switch on. From then on they run every day without anyone touching them, and that is the whole case for automation: it does the follow-up an owner means to do and never gets to.
What rules apply to automated emails and texts?
The same rules as any other marketing message. The Spam Act 2003 treats an automated email or SMS like a newsletter, so consent, a clearly named sender and a working unsubscribe all apply, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces it. An abandoned cart email to someone who gave their address at checkout is common practice, but whether you have consent depends on what your checkout said, so read ACMA's guidance on consent rather than assuming.
When does automation go wrong?
When nobody looks at it after it is switched on. A welcome email lands on a customer of six years because a list was re-imported. A birthday discount arrives the day after a complaint. A reorder reminder pushes a product that has been discontinued, with a code that expired in March. Automation is set and check, not set and forget: read every flow once a quarter as a customer would, and switch off anything that no longer fits.
Will CoraVision set up your flows for you?
No, CoraVision teaches you to build your automations yourself, through the specialists for the email tools you use: Mabel for Mailchimp and Kai for Klaviyo. Their CoraVersity lessons take you through each step, and in pill mode Cora points at the next step on your screen while you set the flow up. CoraVision does not send your marketing for you. You make every change yourself, so every flow that goes live is one you have read.
Questions
Is marketing automation the same as AI?
Mostly not. Most automation is rules you set (when this happens, send that), which email tools have offered for many years. AI is now used to draft the messages or pick send times, but the trigger and the decision to send are still yours.
Do I need expensive software for marketing automation?
Usually not. Email tools many small businesses already use, such as Mailchimp and Klaviyo, include automations, and Shopify has its own for online shops. Check which flows come with your plan before buying anything new.