Article Topics
- Introduction
- Before you begin
- Step-by-step
- Frequently asked questions
Automations are ideal for creating automatic communication flows with customers, such as sending a welcome message after subscription.
What is an automation?
Automations in E-goi are a powerful tool that allows you to establish an automatic communication flow with your target audience. Whether it's welcoming new subscribers with a welcome message or building a complex sales funnel, automations help make your marketing strategy more efficient and personalized.
Before you begin
Requirements
- Make sure you have a contact list created in E-goi.
- Check that all the necessary contact data is correctly entered in the platform, particularly if you are using specific triggers, such as birthdays.
- Think carefully about your automation sequence strategy: what are your goals, what type of actions you want to automate, and what results to expect.
Triggers and actions
An automation is triggered by triggers that can start actions.
Triggers are what starts the automation (e.g. subscription to the contact list). Actions are the subsequent steps you define to happen automatically, such as sending a campaign or adding a tag.
The triggers and actions you can use to build your flow in automation are as follows.
Triggers
Subscription: It'll kick your automation off every time a contact subscribes to the list via landing page or sign-up form.
You can also choose which specific form will enable the trigger, if any.
Contacts you add manually or via our API to the same list will enable this trigger as well.
It's a popular choice for follow-up series!
Subscription edit: Kickstarts your automation whenever someone in your list updates the data in their subscription (by clicking the "Edit subscription" link which E-goi adds to your emails and then saving their profile).
Perfect for progressive profiling!
Campaign open: Runs the automation whenever someone in your list opens a specific campaign.
How about auto-tagging your email openers or rewarding them with a special offer? This trigger makes it a doddle!
Clickthrough: This one activates the automation whenever someone in your list clickthrough a specific campaign.
You can choose the specific link which will act as a trigger.
Referral: Sets off your automation for any contact who uses E-goi's send-to-a-friend link to share your email.
Conversion: If one of those friends that received a referral then signs up for your list (ie, becomes a conversion), this trigger allows you to reward the original influencer or do anything else you fancy.
Great for member-get-member campaigns!
Unsubscribe: Did someone just opt out (oh dear)?
You can make this set your automation in motion (eg. tagging the unsubscriber or notifying your sales reps).
Date: Use this one to trigger an automation on a certain date.
This can be a specific date, your customer's birthday, their list sign-up date, their medical appointment, the date of their last purchase, an upcoming event or any other date of your choice.
If you choose a date such as the date of their most recent purchase, you'll need to add a date field in your list.
Choose whether to trigger it on the exact date and time or a couple days before or after.
It's perfect to send a birthday gift to your customers!
Condition: If you'd like for something to happen whenever a specific segment in your list has contacts, this trigger will do it for you daily, weekly or monthly. Any action it triggers will apply to all contacts in that segment.
This is a great way to automate sending special discounts to your most engaged customers - all you have to do is ensure your customer segmentation is on point.
Track & Engage: Got an online store? Track & Engage automates shopping cart recovery and win-back campaigns!
Just use this trigger, activate Track & Engage across your site and choose which goal (eg. visitor browsed page X) will enable your automation.
You'll need to set up and enable Track & Engage across your site to use this trigger.
You'll need to set up and enable Track & Engage across your site to use this trigger.
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You'll need to set up and enable Track & Engage across your site to use this trigger.
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Reply: If you've enabled the "Store replies" option in your email campaign, you can make something happen whenever someone answers your email (eg. auto-replying or notifying your sales reps).
Tag added: Tags are perfect to easily slice-and-dice your contacts into segments.
Say you've used E-goi to tag people who attended your physical store as part of an event. This trigger can push a thank-you campaign out there for them at the touch of a button.
Tag removed: This trigger sets off the automation when the tag you choose is removed from any contact. You can use this to stop another automation or adjust a contact's score, among other actions
Actions
Condition and workflow actions
Wait: Essential for any timed follow-up sequence.
Use this to set delays (minutes, hours, days, etc.) between triggers, campaigns or anything else. You can stand by for a day of the week, even down to a specific time!
Wait actions may also wait until contacts meet special conditions, such as being added to a segment.
Keep in mind that an automation with no "Wait" at all in it will funnel contacts straight away from start to finish as soon as it's triggered!
Condition: Conditions split your sequence into two series of actions; one for contacts matching a segment (it'll be marked as "YES") and another for contacts who don't match it (marked as "NO").
This allows you to do some nifty segment-fu easily, such as emailing a voucher to whoever clicked through the previous email in the sequence and tagging anyone who didn't as "cold lead".
Conditions are always based on segments, so all you need to do is select the segment that the condition will apply to. We've added a couple automatic segments (eg. "everyone who clicked the last email in the sequence") to get you started, but you can use any segment or tag you create yourself.
A/B test: Allows you to split-test anything in your funnel to find out what works best (eg. an email-only onboarding versus an email+SMS combo)
Jump to: Jumps to an action of your choice in a different automation you previously created. For those of you building highly complex nurturing pipelines, you'll love this to bits!
If the other automation isn't in the same contact list, you'll need to choose which field E-goi will use to match up contacts (usually their email address).
Also keep in mind any actions you add after "Jump to" will apply to contacts even if they jumped over to the other automation!
End another automation: Also useful if you're using multiple automations. Any contact landing here will stop being affected by another automation (eg. you've got two sweepstakes running but contacts can't enroll both at the same time).
The automation to stop can even be from a different list! You'll need to choose which field E-goi will use to match up contacts in this case (usually their email address).
Webhook: Sends the contact's information over to an external URL, so you can parse it. An easy way to quickly integrate E-goi with your CRM or online shop in case none of our integrations suit you.
Message sending actions
Send campaign: If you're setting an auto-responder, this is what your automation will actually dole out.
Just drag-and-drop this action into the automation workflow. You can choose what to send and create your campaign straight from the automation itself or pick a previously created campaign which hasn't been sent out yet.
If you go for an existing campaign, don't worry about hitting "Publish" when you're done! It won't get sent out right then, but rather wait until the automation does it. Also, the original campaign outside the automation will be unaffected.
Notify: Self-explaining really. Use this to email or text a brief notification to any user in your E-goi account (say, your sales people).
Contact management actions
Subscribe: Adds the contact to a different list. If you work with multiple lists, this action has you covered.
Edit contact: Use this to change anything in a contact's profile, including any extra fields you've added. If one of those fields is of type "number", you can increase or decrease that number by the amount you set. Great for prospect scoring!
Unsubscribe/disable: Quite handy to automate your list clean-up. You can choose to render unengaged subscribers inactive instead of removing them altogether (which would have you losing them for good!).
If you're unsubscribing people from a different contact list, you'll need to choose which field E-goi will use to match up contacts (usually their email address).
Add tag: An easy way to tag contacts anywhere in your sequence (eg. "vip customer", "cold lead", "remember to call").
Untag: Similar to the above, but the other way round (eg. remove the "cold lead" tag upon an email open).
Add to suppression: Got anything in your funnel requiring the contact not to be mailed ever again (not even be imported to another list)? Just use this action.
Step by Step
Automate welcome messages
1) Go to the Engage menu, then head over to Automations and hit Create.
2) Choose the contact list the automation will be triggered on. Select our Welcome series template and click Next.
3) You'll be taken to the automation editor. It's already set to trigger on subscription (which is why you'll see the welcome email connected to the Subscription trigger). This means everyone who subscribes (say, using a sign-up form) will receive your welcome email! If you'd like to customise it, just click the email's three dots, choose Edit and click the Edit button to modify it to your heart's content it using our Email Builder.
4) Need to add extra email messages to build a follow-up sequence (eg. sending a second email a day later)? Easy-peasy! Go the automation editor's left-hand panel. Under Conditions and sequences, drag the Wait action into your workflow and drop it over the welcome email to connect them. Set it to wait for 1 day and save it.
5) Now drag the Send campaign action (under Messages) from the same left-hand panel and drop it over the Wait action you've just added. They'll connect to each other! Choose the type of message you want to send as a follow-up (email, SMS, voice call, etc.). You can create it from scratch or choose an already-existing one. Save your changes when you're done.
6) Your first automation is just about ready! To enable it, click the button on the upper left corner to switch it on or off. From then on, it'll be triggered every time someone subscribes to your contact list.
Automate birthday messages
You'll find a Birthday Automated Workflow in E-goi, ready to use.
1) Go to the Engage menu, hover the mouse pointer over Automation and hit Create.
2) Choose the Mailing List you want to send your campaign to.
3) Then select the Birthday workflow: Click Nurturing, select Birthday and hit Next.
4) And you're almost done. Just enable it or tweak it according to your needs.
A/B testing your automation
1) Start by ensuring your E-goi automation includes an "Add tag" action which labels anyone who reaches your goal (in our case that tag would be something like "got ebook").
2) Create the whole email series. This will be path A. Then, right next to it, create an alternate email series (with perhaps fewer emails, punchier content, etc.). This is your path B.
3) Head over to the left-hand panel and drag "A/B test" onto whatever kickstarts your A and B paths. In our case, since the email series is triggered right after a subscription, we'd drag-and-drop the "A/B test" action over the "Subscription" trigger.
4) E-goi will auto-connect "A/B test" to the "Subscription" trigger and then ask you when the test ends. Choose "Until a number of contacts are split", enter the amount of contacts to test and pick the segment which will decide the winning path. In our case, that would be "got ebook" - which means the email series driving more contacts to "got ebook" wins. If there is a tie, path A is always the winner. Hit "Done" to finish the test setup.
5) Now connect the A/B test's left circle to the first action in your email series. It'll be marked with "A". Then connect the A/B test's right circle to the first action in your alternate emails series. It'll be marked with "B".
6) You're ready to roll! After the test splits the amount of contacts you selected, E-goi will check which path brought more people to the "got ebook" segment. From then on, every new contact shall be routed through the winning path.
Other ways for the test to end
- Until a specific date and time: Similar to "Until a number of contacts are split" above, except the test ends on the date and time you select.
- Forever, don't stop it: Whatever happens, the test always runs. Any contact funneled into it will be randomly taken to path A or B.
Examples of A/B tests in your automation
- Test major changes in your marketing pipeline (eg. comparing an email-only series against an SMS or webpush-powered funnel).
- Create control groups for small changes (eg. split-testing a different subject line in your welcome email).
- Run a sweepstake (use the "Forever, don't stop it" option under "The test will run..." to randomize your contact split).
Manually triggering automations for specific contacts
An automation will set off whenever your contacts trigger it. Say you've created an email follow-up series - any contact subscribing to your list using an opt-in form will trigger that sequence.
However, if you already imported contacts to your list and you'd like them to trigger your automation as well, you can enable it manually for those contacts only:
1) Go to the "Contacts" menu, head to the list your automation has been associated with and click "Contacts". If you don't find your list there, click "View all" (on the left-sided menu).
2) A page will come up with all contacts in that list. Simply tick the checkbox to the left of each contact you want to add to your automation and hit "Actions" in the lower left corner of the page (if you'd rather have a whole segment triggering your automation, just load that segment and hit "Actions for this segment").
3) Click "Enable automation", select your automation and save your changes.
4) All actions you set for that automation will now run for the contacts you've chosen here.
Sharing and importing automations
1) Go to the Engage menu, head over to Automations and hit View all.
2) Click the options button of the automation you want to export, choose Share and copy the link we provide.
3) Log out from your account and sign into the E-goi account you want to import the automation to (if you'd rather keep logged in, just open a private browsing window and log into the other account).
4) Go to the Engage menu, head over to Automations and hit Create.
5) Pick the contact list the automation will be assigned to, choose Import from link and paste the sharing link you've copied. Then hit Next to edit your imported automation.
Keep in mind the automation's campaigns will only be exported and imported if they are email campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check the automation is up and running as expected?
Double-check the following.
Is your automation enabled?
You can enable it in the automation listing (go to the Engage menu, then Automations and hit View all), by clicking the Inactive button (which will switch to Active).
You can also do the same while editing the automation, using the top-left corner button, which will switch from Stopped to Running.
Did you check the automation settings?
Be sure the automation has been assigned to the correct contact list, as you can't change this once you first set it.
The Funnel a specific nr of contacts only and Funnel contacts more than once settings can intentionally block the automation from accepting contacts. Be sure you've set them properly.
To change them, go to the Engage menu, then Automations and hit View all. Click the automation's settings button (right-hand side) and then Options.
No loose ends on your workflow logic?
You should set the automation's sequence to run tightly and exactly as you want it. Double-check that action is triggered by an overarching trigger.
Also, if you have a Wait action in your pipeline, be sure it's not waiting for too long.
Did you check the trigger settings?
If the trigger's Apply to segments only or Trigger it for a specific form or landing page only setting is enabled, the trigger (and any of its actions) will run only for the segments or forms you selected.
Did you check the campaigns can be sent?
Campaigns you add to your automation will only be sent out if you completed all their send-ready steps and ensured its senders are confirmed and authenticated.
Did you check the contact's status?
Most triggers and actions in your automation will only funnel contacts in Active status.
Where in the automation is your contact?
To see where a contact is currently in the automation pipeline:
1) Go to the Contacts menu and click on Contacts for the list assigned to your automation.
2) Locate the contact and click its Edit button.
3) In the contact profile, click the Automations tab on the right.
4) You'll see all automations the contact has been funneled into. Click the options button for the automation you need and choose View contact's journey in this automation.
5) The automation's pipeline will be shown in full, with the contact's current path highlighted.
Can I make a trigger from the automation be activated only by a segment of my contact list?
Yes. Edit the trigger (click on the pencil icon on top of it), choose the segment, and save your changes. From that point on, only the contacts from that segment will be able to activate the trigger.
Can my automation funnel contacts just once?
Yes. When setting up your automation, go to the automation's settings, untick Funnel contacts more than once and save your changes. Any contacts funneled into your automation won't be able to re-enter it anymore.
If you'd like to stop contacts from re-entering the automation from a specific trigger onwards, edit the automation and then edit the trigger you want. Untick Funnel contacts more than once and save the trigger. Contacts won't re-enter it anymore.
Keep in mind the automation's global setting (under the automation options) overrides everything. So, if you set it to funnel contacts just once, the automation and all its triggers will not allow re-entering, even if a trigger has been set otherwise.
What should I do if I want to test two communication strategies in my email automation?
Use the A/B test in your automation. Set up the two sets of messages and determine the success criteria. E-goi will automatically direct new contacts to the winning sequence after the test.
Does E-goi offer ready-made automation templates?
Yes. E-goi offers a number of templates for multiple use cases to quickly put your automation together.
How can I improve the results of my automations?
A successful, bulletproof automation pipeline usually doles out a set of engaging messages enticing people to do something over time (say, buying an item, completing a course, using a tool, etc.). It's all about:
- Planning: Put the time to map out your strategy, send frequency and what happens at every stage of your workflow. Be sure each message or landing page is hyper-targeted to what people need. Design your flow so it covers all bases (whether people open your message, click through or reply to it, etc.), keeping in mind that different audiences should be nurtured differently. Check out our full guide.
- Personalisation: The more your content meets people's expectations, the more they'll be eager to journey along your flow (eg. if someone uses a form to tell you they love runnnig, your next email should be all about running shoes and trainers). E-goi's merge codes work wonders to make it seamless! Take a look at our tips
- Battle-testing: An automation flow is never really done - there's always something you can do to have it perform better. Look for drop-off points and split-test multiple paths. For example, will leads convert better over a 4-email series or just a single email&SMS combo? How to A/B test your automation.
- Business fit: Don't just swipe and paste funnel templates off the web. Each business is different - a perfume shop won't use the same sales flow as a car dealer or a dentist. Even something as vanilla as a welcome sequence needs your personal touch. See our sales funnel tips.
- End-to-end customer lifecycle: If your online store includes a shopping cart system, E-goi's Track & Engage just became your automation's best friend! This powerful combo will automatically prevent abandoned carts and do re-engagement campaigns. Learn all about Track & Engage..
- Timely: Getting the right message at the right time is half the battle. Birthdays, for example, are ripe for turning leads into lifelong fans. Pro tips.