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It might sound counterintuitive, but yes, you can build customer relationships via email—and you can even do it automatically. It’s all about delivering value in each email—and knowing your audience.

Here’s an easy blueprint for setting up an automated series of emails that will help you strengthen customer relationships.

Understand your goals

What do you want to have happen at the end of this series of emails? What action do you want your prospect to take? Once you can answer that question, you can map your own customer journey in a way that moves customers seamlessly toward the final step—whether that’s giving you a call, making a purchase, or clicking on a link.

Think about your customer’s decision-making process

What thought process does your customer have to go through in order to take the step you want them to take? What questions will they ask before making a purchasing decision?

Sit down and map out those questions. For insurance, it might involve questions like “how much will premiums cost?” or “what’s covered under a standard policy?” or perhaps “Do I need this insurance in the first place?” Sit down and write out all the questions your prospects ask before making a decision to purchase, and map out an email series that answers them all.

Start off with a welcome email

When a prospect signs up to receive your emails, you want to start off on the right foot. Welcome them into your circle with an email that introduces your brand and tells a compelling story about why you’re in this business and what you hope to achieve. This can get them emotionally engaged from the start.

Provide value to the prospect

What keeps your prospect up at night? What do they struggle with when it comes to making decisions about a product like yours? What can you do to make the process easier for them?

A strong email nurturing campaign considers what the prospect wants to know, and provides information that can help them make decisions. Consider what the highest friction points are for customers in deciding to purchase insurance, and craft emails around their most urgent questions.

Customize it

Customization goes beyond including the customer’s name in an email—although studies do show that including the customer’s name can boost open rates as much as 35%.

However, that’s just the beginning. Consider customizing your email series based on your prospects’ demographics, interests, concerns, and situation in life. The more personalized your email series, the better results you’re likely to get.

A solid email nurturing series can strengthen customer relationships, encourage prospects to buy, and boost your retention rates. Consider designing a few customized campaigns based on prospect and customer demographics, and see your results soar.