Further to an earlier post on "re-engagement", it is also possible to focus your content based on a particular step in a sales lifecycle. This allows you the opportunity to both build anticipation and possibly cross-sell or up-sell other related services. This is done in a series of time-based automatic emails, and is a frequent tactic employed as part of an on-boarding or cross-sell experience.
The below example from airline "Aer Lingus" is a clear cross-sell automated message that is sent at a certain point after you have booked, but before your departure date:
The key takeaway here is that a good on-boarding process, or cross-sell proposition, benefits from automation only when you have a clear insight into when in the sales lifecycle you should communicate your message.
In the final part we will look at 3 further areas to focus on when generating content for automated campaigns.