24 Proven Marketing Automation Examples & Workflows

John Cronin Oct 4, 2025 8 min read

Looking for practical marketing automation examples you can put to work right now? This guide gives you 24 field-tested workflows, complete with triggers, messages, and KPIs. Whether you run a B2B SaaS, an ecommerce brand, or a services company, you will find examples you can adapt to your stack and audience without guesswork.

What Marketing Automation Is and Why It Matters

Marketing automation uses software to deliver timely, personalized messages across channels based on user behavior and lifecycle stage. Done right, it improves conversion, reduces manual work, and makes your pipeline more predictable. The best programs combine clear goals, accurate data, consent management, and content that genuinely helps the buyer.

How to Plan Your Automation in One Afternoon

Define the goal: acquisition, activation, expansion, or retention.
Map the journey: awareness, consideration, decision, post-purchase.
Audit data: identify reliable triggers (e.g., pricing page views, cart adds, trial starts).
Inventory content: landing pages, case studies, guides, offers, and promos.
Set rules for consent, frequency caps, quiet hours, and channel preferences.
Choose primary KPIs and guardrails (opt-out rates, deliverability, complaint rates).

24 Marketing Automation Examples You Can Deploy Today

Each example lists goal, trigger, audience, channels, a quick workflow, and KPIs. Use merge tags like {{first_name}} and dynamic fields to personalize content.

1) Lead Magnet to Demo Nurture

Goal: Convert content downloaders into demo requests.
Trigger: Form submit on a high-intent guide or calculator.
Audience: New leads on relevant ICP lists.
Channels: Email, retargeting ads.

Day 0: Deliver asset and set expectations.
Day 2: Problem framing email + 1 case study.
Day 5: Invite to short demo; include calendar link.
Retarget visitors who click but do not book.

Copy snippet: 'Here is your resource. If reducing manual reporting is priority, a 15-minute walkthrough shows how teams like yours ship reports in minutes.'

KPIs: Demo rate, reply rate, CTR, MQL to SQL conversion.

2) Webinar Registration and Follow-Up

Goal: Turn registrations into pipeline and meetings.
Trigger: Webinar sign-up; attendance status from your event tool.
Channels: Email, calendar invites, ads.

Pre-event: Reminder series with calendar file and speaker highlights.
Post-event attendees: Recording + next step CTA and resource pack.
No-shows: Short replay and a 2-line ask to share their challenge.

KPIs: Show-up rate, post-webinar meeting rate, influenced revenue.

3) Interactive Quiz Nurture

Goal: Capture segmented leads with tailored follow-up.
Trigger: Quiz completion with score thresholds.
Channels: Email, SMS (optional), on-site personalization.

Instant result email with tailored tips based on score.
3-part sequence addressing gaps surfaced by the quiz.
Offer a checklist or assessment call if score is low.

KPIs: Click depth, checklist downloads, consult bookings.

4) Pricing Page Intent Follow-Up

Goal: Engage high-intent visitors anonymously or known.
Trigger: Multiple pricing page views within 7 days; chat starts; contact known via cookie or email capture.
Channels: Email, live chat, retargeting.

Send a short note offering a cost calculator or ROI sheet.
Route to sales if company matches ICP via enrichment.
Retarget with pricing explainer video.

KPIs: Reply rate, qualified meetings, assisted conversions.

5) 7-Day Educational Mini-Course

Goal: Build trust and move leads from awareness to consideration.
Trigger: Opt-in to course or topic hub.
Channels: Drip email, optional SMS nudges.

Day 1: Lesson 1 and promise of outcomes.
Day 3: Lesson 2 with template or worksheet.
Day 5: Lesson 3 + case study; soft CTA.
Day 7: Recap, next steps, and demo or trial invite.

KPIs: Completion rate, template downloads, demo requests.

6) Lead Magnet Completion Reminder

Goal: Increase consumption of high-value content.
Trigger: Downloaded but no page scroll or video play logged.
Channels: Email.

Reminder with a 2-sentence summary and anchor link to the section they missed.
Offer a 3-minute summary video for skimmers.

KPIs: Re-engagement rate, average time on page, assisted demos.

7) Industry-Specific Case Study Drip

Goal: Provide social proof aligned to vertical.
Trigger: Lead tagged with industry via enrichment or self-select.
Channels: Email, dynamic content blocks.

Send a customer story with 1 metric that mirrors their use case.
Follow up with a one-click reply: 'Want the playbook we used to achieve this result?'

KPIs: Reply rate, meeting acceptance, influenced pipeline.

8) Sales Handoff and SLA Alerts

Goal: Ensure fast follow-up on hot leads.
Trigger: Lead score crosses threshold or demo requested.
Channels: Internal alerts via Slack or CRM tasks, email.

Instant alert to owner with context and talking points.
If no action within 2 hours, escalate to manager.
Lead receives confirmation with self-scheduling link.

KPIs: Speed to lead, first-touch time, conversion by response time.

9) SaaS Trial Onboarding Series

Goal: Drive activation and paid conversion in trial window.
Trigger: Trial signup; product events for checklist complete.
Channels: In-app guides, email.

Day 0: Welcome and 3-step checklist.
Day 2: Nudge for key feature not adopted with short video.
Day 5: Social proof plus upgrade incentive.
Day 10: Expiry reminder and extension offer if low activity.

KPIs: Activation rate, feature adoption, trial to paid.

10) Feature Gap Nudge

Goal: Get users to adopt sticky features linked to retention.
Trigger: Account hit value aha but not feature X within 7 days.
Channels: In-app message, email.

Show a contextual tooltip and send a 2-minute tutorial.
Offer a 1:1 walkthrough for high-value accounts.

KPIs: Feature adoption, session frequency, expansion likelihood.

11) Ecommerce Welcome Series

Goal: Convert new subscribers to first purchase.
Trigger: Newsletter opt-in or account creation.
Channels: Email, SMS (opted-in).

Email 1: Brand story and top sellers.
Email 2: Social proof and user photos.
Email 3: Limited-time incentive with clear value, not just discount.

KPIs: First-order rate, revenue per recipient, unsubscribe rate.

12) Post-Purchase Cross-Sell

Goal: Increase average order value and LTV.
Trigger: Order confirmed with SKU categories.
Channels: Email, on-site recommendation blocks.

Day 0: Order confirmation with care tips.
Day 7: Complementary product bundle based on category.
Day 21: Replenishment reminder if consumable.

KPIs: Attach rate, repeat purchase rate, LTV growth.

13) Renewal Reminder Series

Goal: Increase on-time renewals.
Trigger: Contract end date approaching; health score.
Channels: Email, in-app banners, CSM tasks.

T-60 days: Health review and value summary.
T-30 days: Renewal options and incentives for early commit.
T-7 days: Priority support and final reminder.

KPIs: Renewal rate, churn, expansion on renewal.

14) Stalled Deal Re-Engagement

Goal: Revive quiet opportunities.
Trigger: No activity for 21 days; stage unchanged.
Channels: Email, LinkedIn task for rep.

Send a simple check-in with new insight or recent product update.
Offer to pause and follow up later with a quick yes or no poll.

KPIs: Reply rate, meetings revived, deals reactivated.

15) Customer Health Score Outreach

Goal: Prevent churn with proactive help.
Trigger: Low health score or drop in usage week over week.
Channels: CSM email, in-app survey, help center recommendations.

Automated note with link to troubleshoot guide.
Offer a quick configuration session.

KPIs: Usage recovery, support tickets resolved, saved accounts.

16) Win-Back for Churned Customers

Goal: Recover lost customers cost-effectively.
Trigger: Subscription canceled or 120 days since last purchase.
Channels: Email, SMS (if opted-in), ads.

Offer to learn why they left via 1-click survey.
Present a comeback offer tied to the reason selected.

KPIs: Win-back rate, margin after incentive, re-churn rate.

17) Abandoned Cart Recovery

Goal: Rescue near-purchases.
Trigger: Cart created, no checkout within 1 hour; known email or SMS consent.
Channels: Email, SMS, push.

Hour 1: Reminder with image of products.
Hour 24: Answer common objections (shipping, returns).
Hour 48: Limited incentive; cap frequency to avoid overuse.

KPIs: Recovery rate, revenue recovered, complaint rate.

18) Browse Abandonment

Goal: Re-engage high-intent browsers.
Trigger: Multiple views of a category or product without add-to-cart.
Channels: Email, ads.

Send a short note: 'Still comparing backpacks? Here are top-rated picks and a sizing guide.'
Include top reviews and a fit quiz link.

KPIs: CTR, product views per session, add-to-cart rate.

19) Price Drop or Back-in-Stock Alerts

Goal: Convert wishers into buyers.
Trigger: Wishlist or out-of-stock sign-up; inventory or price change.
Channels: Email, push, SMS.

Instant alert with scarcity messaging and size availability.
Follow up with user photos for social proof if no purchase.

KPIs: Conversion rate, time to purchase, opt-out rate.

20) Event Promotion and Post-Event Nurture

Goal: Maximize registrations and turn interest into pipeline.
Trigger: Event created; attendee status; session interests.
Channels: Email, calendar, LinkedIn retargeting.

Segmentation by role and topic, dynamic invites.
After event: Session-based follow-ups with slides and next actions.

KPIs: Registration rate, show rate, meetings booked.

21) Loyalty Tier Milestone

Goal: Increase repeat purchases and referrals.
Trigger: Points thresholds or tier upgrades.
Channels: Email, SMS, on-site banners.

Celebrate milestones with early access or exclusive items.
Invite referrals with double-sided rewards.

KPIs: Repeat purchase rate, referral share, tier retention.

22) Dynamic Content Personalization

Goal: Lift engagement with relevant blocks in campaigns.
Trigger: Segment rules like industry, lifecycle, and behavior.
Channels: Email, web, in-app.

Swap hero image and headline based on segment.
Show case studies aligned to the visitor profile.

KPIs: Click-to-open rate, time on page, conversion by segment.

23) Lead Scoring and Routing with Enrichment

Goal: Prioritize sales time and improve follow-up quality.
Trigger: Score exceeds threshold; ICP match via enrichment.
Channels: CRM tasks, Slack, email.

Score based on behavior and firmographics; decay over time.
Auto-assign to owner by territory; create SLA tasks.

KPIs: Acceptance rate, speed to lead, conversion by score band.

24) Multichannel Nurture Orchestration

Goal: Meet buyers where they are with coordinated touches.
Trigger: Lifecycle stage changes; ad audiences synced from CRM.
Channels: Email, SMS, push, paid social, display.

Email education on day 1; retargeting ad on day 2; SMS reminder on day 5 if opted-in.
Pause touches on meeting booked or goal completed event.

KPIs: Assisted conversions, multi-touch lift, cost per opportunity.

Copy and Offer Templates You Can Steal

Short demo CTA: 'Would a 15-minute walkthrough help you decide if this fits your workflow?'
Value-first nudge: 'Teams like yours cut reporting time by 62 percent using this 3-step checklist.'
Objection handling: 'Free shipping over 50 and 30-day returns apply to this item.'
Re-engagement: 'Should I check back next quarter or share a 2-minute summary now?'

Honor opt-in standards and local regulations. Capture explicit consent for SMS.
Set frequency caps and quiet hours; allow easy preference management.
Maintain list hygiene: suppress hard bounces, chronic non-engagers, and spam traps.
Authenticate sending domains and warm up new IPs; monitor spam complaint rate.
Be transparent about data use; provide clear unsubscribe links.

Measurement: KPIs and a Simple ROI Model

Track a leading metric per workflow plus a success metric tied to revenue. A simple model:

Volume: 10,000 leads enter a nurture.
Engagement: 35 percent click at least once.
Conversion: 3 percent request a demo; 25 percent of those close.
Revenue: 10,000 x 0.03 x 0.25 x average deal value.
ROI: (Incremental revenue minus costs) divided by costs.

Always compare cohorts exposed to the automation against a control where possible to separate lift from noise.

Implementation Checklist

Define goal and guardrail metrics.
List triggers and confirm event data accuracy.
Draft messages with one clear CTA per step.
Build segments with inclusion and exclusion logic.
Set frequency caps, time windows, and channel priorities.
QA with test users; verify links, merge tags, and tracking.
Start with smaller audiences and ramp up carefully.
Add path rules for key outcomes: convert, no response, unsubscribe.
Instrument KPIs; create dashboards in your analytics tool.
Document the workflow; include owners and SLAs.
Review weekly for the first month; then monthly for optimization.
Archive or iterate underperforming variants; keep a changelog.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Too many steps without a clear narrative.
Trigger misfires from unreliable events or duplicate records.
Channel overload causing opt-outs and complaints.
Not excluding converters, leading to awkward messages.
Ignoring deliverability; reputation damage is slow to fix.

Choosing Tools and Integrations

Pick a platform that supports your key triggers, channels, and scale. Ensure it integrates with your CRM, product analytics, ecommerce platform, and consent management. Prioritize ease of building journeys, robust testing, and reliable reporting over edge-case features you will not use.

FAQ

How many marketing automation examples should I launch at once?

Start with 3 to 5 high-impact journeys: welcome, lead nurture, cart recovery or trial onboarding, and a re-engagement. Expand after you have stable data and results.

How often should I refresh workflows?

Review quarterly. Update offers, case studies, and segments. Audit triggers and suppression lists to prevent drift and fatigue.

What metrics matter most?

Pick one leading indicator per journey plus a revenue metric. For example, trial onboarding focuses on activation rate and trial to paid. Nurtures focus on demo rate and opportunity creation.

Next Steps

Identify two examples above that match your current bottleneck. Draft copy, define triggers, and build them with tight guardrails. Measure weekly, iterate, and document learnings. Over time, your library of marketing automation examples will compound results across acquisition, activation, and retention.