In the digital age, email marketing continues to be one of the most powerful tools for businesses to connect with customers. However, with the rise of marketing automation tools, a popular mantra has emerged — “Set it and forget it.” While automated email marketing offers convenience and scalability, is it really wise to set up a campaign and walk away? Or does true success require a more hands-on approach?
This blog explores the pros, cons, and best practices of automated email marketing, diving into whether this strategy should be left on autopilot or continuously refined for best results.
What is Automated Email Marketing?
Automated email marketing refers to the use of software to send emails automatically based on predefined triggers, schedules, or customer actions. Instead of sending a one-size-fits-all message to an entire mailing list, businesses can personalize and time their messages to align with each user’s journey.
Examples of automation include:
- Welcome emails sent after someone subscribes.
- Abandoned cart reminders.
- Birthday greetings or seasonal offers.
- Post-purchase follow-ups.
These campaigns help maintain engagement without manual effort for every individual email.
The “Set It” Advantage
The biggest appeal of automated email marketing is efficiency. Once a workflow is built and set up, it can run with little oversight. Here are some key advantages:
1. Time-Saving
Once your workflows are live, they work in the background — nurturing leads, converting prospects, and engaging customers while you focus on other tasks.
2. Personalization at Scale
Automation tools can segment your audience and send targeted messages based on user behavior or preferences, increasing engagement.
3. Consistency
Automated systems ensure that no contact is left behind. Every new subscriber gets the right message at the right time, ensuring a consistent customer experience.
4. Higher ROI
Since automated email marketing campaigns are timely and relevant, they typically enjoy higher open rates, click-throughs, and conversions compared to generic campaigns.
The “Forget It” Trap
Despite its many benefits, automated email marketing should never be completely forgotten after the initial setup. Here’s why:
1. Stale Content
What worked six months ago may not work today. Industry trends, user expectations, and brand messaging evolve, and so should your emails.
2. Neglected Segments
Your audience segments might change over time. Ignoring these shifts can lead to irrelevant content being sent, damaging your open rates and brand image.
3. Technical Glitches
Broken links, formatting issues, or integration errors can go unnoticed if you don’t regularly test your emails.
4. Missed Opportunities
A set-it-and-forget-it strategy can lead to missed trends or sales events. Manual adjustments often outperform stale automated campaigns when urgency or creativity is needed.
Striking the Balance
So, what’s the ideal strategy? Think of automated email marketing as a powerful machine — but like any machine, it needs regular tuning.
Here’s how to keep your automation fresh and effective:
1. Audit Regularly
Schedule monthly or quarterly audits of your automated workflows. Check if content, subject lines, and links are still relevant and engaging.
2. A/B Testing
Continuously test different subject lines, call-to-actions (CTAs), and layouts to find what resonates best with your audience. Automation should still be flexible.
3. Monitor Analytics
Track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates. Use these insights to optimize performance.
4. Update Based on Behavior
Use dynamic content that adapts to customer behavior. For example, show product recommendations based on recent browsing or purchasing habits.
5. Stay Human
Avoid sounding robotic. Even in automated sequences, infuse your brand personality, storytelling, and empathy. People want to connect with people — not machines.
Case in Point: Brands That Do It Right
Several companies have mastered the art of automated email marketing without falling into the “forget it” trap.
Amazon, for example, uses automation to send personalized recommendations and reorder reminders, but constantly updates algorithms and messaging for relevance.
Airbnb keeps travelers engaged with tailored suggestions, experience highlights, and reminders — all dynamically generated yet regularly reviewed for freshness.
Conclusion
Automated email marketing is a game-changer for modern businesses. It saves time, drives engagement, and delivers results — when used wisely. However, automation is not a license to become complacent. The most successful campaigns are those that strike a balance between consistency and creativity, automation and adaptation.
In the end, “set it and forget it” may work for your slow cooker, but when it comes to your email marketing, think more “set it, watch it, and tweak it.”