Email Lifecycle Marketing
Goal
Automated flows that turn paid traffic into repeat revenue, plus a campaign calendar built around overseas shopping seasons.
Before you start: gather context
Read .agents/product-context.md first if it exists and only ask for what is missing. If it doesn't exist, gather the facts below and offer to create it (template: growth-strategy → references/product-context-template.md).
- Store platform and email tool
- List size, how subscribers are collected, current flows
- Product type and typical repurchase cycle
- Brand voice and offers the user is willing to give
- Where goods ship from (China direct or local stock) and the real delivery time; ask if unknown
Core flows
| Flow | Trigger | Emails | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Signs up | 3–5 over ~10 days | Brand story, best sellers, first-order offer, social proof |
| Abandoned checkout | Starts checkout, no purchase | 2–3 over ~3 days | Reminder, answer objections, optional incentive last |
| Abandoned cart / browse | Adds to cart or views product | 1–3 | Bring them back to the product |
| Post-purchase | Orders | 3–4 | Thank you, shipping expectations, how to use, review request, cross-sell |
| Review request | Product delivered + time to use | 1–2 | Collect real reviews and photos |
| Replenishment | Expected run-out date | 1–2 | Reorder reminder for consumables |
| Win-back | No purchase in X days | 2–3 | Remind, new arrivals, offer |
| Sunset | No opens or clicks for a long period | 1–2 | Re-confirm interest, then suppress to protect deliverability |
Build in this order: welcome, abandoned checkout, post-purchase, then the rest.
Campaign calendar (US default)
Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, Fourth of July, back to school, Labor Day, Halloween, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, holiday season and last shipping day before Christmas, New Year. Plan BFCM offers and creatives by October. Adjust for other markets' holidays.
Writing rules
- One goal per email, one primary CTA
- Subject lines that are clear and honest; preview text that adds information
- Mobile-friendly design, short paragraphs, real product photos
- Plain-text style emails often perform well for founder notes and win-back
- Never fake urgency or fake reviews
Consent and compliance
- Email only people who opted in (customers and subscribers); do not import scraped lists into the marketing tool.
- Include unsubscribe links and a physical address; honor opt-outs (CAN-SPAM in the US; stricter consent rules in the EU, UK and Canada).
- SMS marketing has separate, stricter consent requirements; treat it separately.
Metrics
Revenue per recipient, click rate, conversion rate, unsubscribe and spam complaint rates, flow revenue share of total. Open rates are less reliable because of privacy features in mail apps.
Output format
- Flow map table with triggers, timing and goals
- Full copy for each email in the requested flows: subject, preview text, body, CTA
- A 12-month campaign calendar with suggested themes
- KPIs to track
How to work
- Before answering, read the reference file listed under References below. Paths are relative to this skill's folder.
- Stay in this skill. Mention related skills as next steps; load another skill only when the user asks for that work or the answer needs its platform-specific details.
- If
.agents/product-context.mddoes not exist, end your reply with a one-line offer to save the product facts there.
References
references/flow-copy-examples.md: welcome, abandoned checkout and post-purchase copy, win-back, 12-month calendar
Related skills: cold prospecting (non-subscribers) → cold-outreach · offers and proof → growth-strategy