Tips & Tricks Best Practices: Effective Automated Emails for Community Management
Automated emails are a powerful tool for engaging community members and ensuring they stay connected and informed. Here are some best practices to guide you through setting up effective email communication for managing your community:
1. Onboarding Reminders: Prompting Users to Complete Their Setup
A well-timed reminder to complete onboarding can significantly boost user engagement. It’s easy for members to sign up and then forget to follow through. A reminder email with a clear call to action helps users complete their profiles and explore the community. Highlight the benefits of fully onboarding, such as access to exclusive features or tailored content.
Benefit: Onboarding emails drive user retention by ensuring they take full advantage of the community’s offerings right from the start.
2. Welcome Email: Guiding Users Through the Platform
Once a user completes onboarding, send a welcome email that gives them a "lay of the land." Introduce key features, menus, and Spaces they can explore, ensuring they feel familiar with the platform. Including a suggested "next step," such as joining a discussion or browsing popular content, can give them direction for immediate engagement.
Benefit: A welcome email sets the tone for future interaction, providing a clear path to engagement and reducing confusion about how to navigate the community.
3. Interaction Emails: Keep the Engagement Going
Interaction emails, such as notifications about new connection requests, messages, comments on posts, and @mentions, keep the community alive and active. These emails ensure users never miss an important interaction and feel valued by the network.
Benefit: Interaction emails foster engagement by encouraging timely responses and continuous communication, which strengthens relationships within the community.
4. Transactional Emails: Confirmations That Build Trust
When a user RSVPs to an event or makes a purchase, send a confirmation email right away. These transactional emails offer immediate feedback that their actions were recorded, providing a sense of assurance and professionalism.
Benefit: Transactional emails instill confidence and reduce anxiety around event participation, increasing user satisfaction and trust in the platform.
5. Reminder Emails: Keeping Users Informed on Upcoming Events
Event reminders and deadline notifications are crucial for keeping your members on track. These emails should include a clear timeline, such as an event happening in 1 day or an RSVP deadline approaching, ensuring they don’t miss out.
Benefit: Reminder emails help boost attendance and participation rates by keeping events top of mind for community members.
6. Admin Notifications: Ensuring Approvals are Not Missed
For communities requiring admin approval for posts, event creation, or group access, sending notifications to the admin team ensures that nothing slips through the cracks. Keeping administrators informed allows for quick, seamless management and avoids user frustration due to delayed approvals.
Benefit: Admin notifications streamline workflows, preventing bottlenecks in community operations and maintaining smooth user experiences.
The ScaleGrowth team has prepared a convenient Best Practice Email Template library for you. These templates are designed to help you streamline your communication with your community and ensure that your emails drive engagement and build lasting relationships.
To see the recommended Default Email Templates, simply:
- Enter Admin if you aren't already
- head to Email > Email Automation
- select Workflow Emails and click Next
In here, look for emails that have the ScaleGrowth preset badge on them.
You can either modify these, or Create a new Workflow Email by cloning one of them at the bottom:
For example, let's say you want to add an additional reminder for the users to Finish Onboarding that goes out 2 weeks later. You can create a new template starting with the ScaleGrowth preset of Workflow – Finish Member Onboarding Day 4 and change it accordingly.
By implementing these strategies, you can ensure that your community stays connected, informed, and engaged at every step of their journey.
Please refer to the Email Templates section of our Knowledge Base to learn more.
Bonus – Digest Emails: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly Content Updates
Giving users the ability to receive digests of community activity – Daily, Weekly, or Monthly – allows them to stay connected in a way that fits their preferences. These digests can include summaries of new content, trending discussions, upcoming events, and more, giving users an overview without overwhelming their inbox.
Benefit: Digest emails keep users informed in a low-pressure way, allowing them to re-engage with the community at their own pace.
Please refer to AI-generated Personalized Digests for your Members to learn more
