/bin/ftp -inv ftp.example.com <<ENDFTP
user fred mypassword
cd /remote/directory/mydata
lcd /some/local/directory
put example.txt
bye
ENDFTP

My particular ftp daemon automatically assumes PASV and TYPE IMAGE - which are not in this particular example.  Also, for large transfers, send the HASH command before doing PUT so you can see a progress indicator if you want.

FTP scripting example, without expect or named pipes

Bash