Marketing Automation

Introduction

Marketing Automation is a versatile tool to help you to communicate with your customers and create series of automated emails fast and easy – structured and timed as you like. To make the best use of its potential, before designing and building automations, it is worth doing extensive marketing research on exactly what processes are needed. Start building the automation when all the data fields, contact filters, and email content are available in place. This interface is perfect to put it all together, modify at any point and achieve the best results.

Note 1: Although the content of the process can be changed, the logic is fixed.
Note 2: The same process can be implemented in several ways.

Use this feature e.g. after purchases, in cart abandonments, for welcome or reactivation campaigns. As with other Maileon features, the drag and drop method helps you to set up the elements of your automation.

Step Zero

To run the process, the first step is to click on the Trigger Drafts box in the Mailings tab to activate the automation at the Type of the Mailing Logic. This step is not required for building the Marketing Automation, but necessary to run the process, because it allows to send trigger mailings from the system.

Please click the button activate Trigger Mailing in the bottom right corner.

Function overview

The Marketing Automation function is on the second tab in the right corner on the top of the page. Please note: If you do not see the Marketing Automation tab when you log into Maileon, this feature is probably not yet activated for you. In this case, please get in contact with us.

Before you start, please take a look at the menu bar on the left, which is similar to the Mailing templates:

• You are currently on the Program drafts Start to create new drafts or modify existing drafts in this area.
• A draft can be activated after the editing is completed and the program validation was successful. Your draft will then be moved to the area Active programs.
• The Program history shows information about all historical automation programs in this account.
• The Program templates contain your previously created automations. It serves as a Media Library.

The number of created automations is limited to 10 items. If you need more, please contact us.

Start building your Marketing Automation by clicking on the Create program button.

To create the program, please enter the name of your automation and – optionally – tag it with keywords, each separated by a space. The keywords help you to build a contact filter of those who are included in your automation.

For GDPR compliance, it is important to tick Unsubscribe handling. This stops the automation process immediately for those contacts who unsubscribe from the newsletter.

Fill in all the details in this window, make sure to tick Unsubscribe handling, then click on Create program.

A new window pops up indicating that the draft version has been saved.

The Marketing Automation interface

After closing the window, you are redirected to the Marketing Automation editor.

On the left side you find the same menu bar as before. Your program draft is now open and ready for editing.

At the top of the editing interface, there is a row with several command symbols. Their functions are (from left to right):

• Folder: Load program template
• Two overlapping pages: Export program as template
• Floppy disk: Save program
• Wrench: Edit program
• Ticked data sheet: Validate program
• Magnifier: Optimized view
• Green triangle: Active program (Activation button)

The icons in the top menu bar (tooltips) also show their functional description on mouseover. You can see an example below.

On the right side of the editing interface four menu blocks are arranged vertically in various colors.

These blocks contain the Marketing Automation elements that make up your process. Build your automation process by dragging and dropping the desired elements into the area in the middle. See the content of the blocks in order.

Orange box

Here are the Start Nodes. Start your automation by choosing only one:

• Confirmation by DOI mail: automation build up by subscription.
• Funnel: automation set based on Contact Filter.
• Bell: Contact Event-based automation, the most commonly used starting point.
• API call: Any process can be built using API call. This is not triggered when an event is run on the contacts in the contact filter at that time, but when the API call starts.
• Flag: Passing program end – the automatism is triggered by another automatism that has already been completed.

 

Blue box

Here you find the Action Nodes, the steps of the automation process. The tooltip shows the description of the node icons on mouseover. The most common use of Action Nodes will be examined in more detail through concrete examples in the following sections. There’s no upper limit to using icons, although overuse slows down the process. Utilize Action Nodes thoughtfully and in line with the desired processes to maintain transparency and ease of management. Each step can be employed multiple times.

 

Green box

This is the box of the Branch Nodes, which helps you to decide the direction and the logic of the automation process at any point. The options of branching are:

• by Contact Field Value (map and branched arrows)
• by Contact Preference Value (like symbol and branched arrows)
• by Contact Event Value (bell and branched arrows)
• by Contact Event Existence (bell, tick mark and branched arrows)
• by Random Split (branched arrows)
• by Split Test (clock and branched arrows)

 

Pink box:

You find only one icon in this box: The flag marks the end of the process. Each automation ends with it. Several processes can be connected to it, but only in one direction. No automation outwards from here is possible.

 

General Settings and Specifications of the elements

These are the elements that make up the Marketing Automation process. What to consider when you start building your own automation? By dragging a node from the boxes into the middle section a corresponding menu bar appears on the right side. Please add the General Settings (name and description) here and specify the information related to the node. Please find the examples below for each box.

1. Start Nodes

In the first example, we have chosen the Contact filter-based automation from the Start Nodes box. In the General Settings the Name of the process is automatically generated, but editable. It is useful but not mandatory to fill in the process Description field.

The next step is to select the Contact filter (which should be included in the process) and the Interval of the automation.

The time interval setting also varies depending on the type selected. The example shows the time range of the Weekly execution.

After selecting the day, hour and minute of the interval, please click Save settings.

Note: Not all Start Nodes require a time interval. For instance, it is not required when building a DOI-based automatism.

Start Nodes will be discussed in more detail in the following examples.

1. Action Nodes

Select the steps for your process through Action Nodes.

Decide which action you want to link the Marketing Automation process to. This could be

• wait for duration or time,
• wait until date, contact event, response event or contact event value.

Decide how to manage your contacts: unsubscribe, add to blocklist or delete. Action Nodes also give the opportunity e.g. to change the contact field or preference value (this allows you to extend or modify the data stored in the system), send multiple messages, set up a webhook or trigger mails during the process.

Example 1

Please follow the process below, which shows a trigger mail series via a Shopify purchase.

The first step is to drag and drop a Contact event icon from Start Nodes.

Next, name the process and add a description in the General Settings on the left. Select or create the appropriate Contact event (Shopify orders) and save the process.

Please note: For further explanation of building of such a Contact event visit this page.

Drag and drop a letter icon from the left menu. Click on the icon to add name and description (optional) and select the trigger mail you desire to use (which should have been previously activated).

Note: The options in the example may not fully represent all choices, which are available in your account.

Connect the dots in one simple movement. Draw the line starting at the contact event to ensure the correct direction of the automation process. The arrow should now point in the direction of the process step Newsletter.

Please set the time interval in the process by clicking once in the empty space of the process window to return to the Nodes, then click on the hourglass icon that represents the Wait for duration. After dragging and dropping the icon, customise its parameters. Perform this again on the right side as before. Rename the icon, add a description, and set the appropriate time interval.

In this example, the interval is configured to two days, indicating the automation will trigger an email two days after the dispatch of the initial email. The system also provides the option to choose whether the specified time interval includes weekdays only or weekends as well.

After saving the process, connect the dots. Make sure to draw the line in the correct direction.

After the two-day waiting period, add a trigger letter to the process. Provide attention-grabbing content that will prompt the customer to react, (e.g. “Long time no see” or “We miss you”). Leave the settings as before or make some minor changes. E.g.: add three days to Wait for duration.

This process can continue with these elements as desired. Please note: Dispatching too many trigger mailings is counterproductive. In this example two trigger mailings have been sent in the system until the process ends.

Note: Don’t use the same trigger mail twice but use the same settings as before.

To close the process (Flag icon) you no longer need to specify a date or select a type. Simply add an end description.

Please note: The connection points on the elements link to the shortest way for the connecting line, as soon as you change the position of the elements.

This is a simple trigger mailing Marketing Automation process without Branch Nodes.

Here you can see the complete process from start to finish.

The process can be taken in any other direction.

Example 2

In the example below we demonstrate a Contact-filter based automatism for contacts with active status for One-time execution, e.g. an event or a short campaign.

General settings of Contact-filter based automatism.

Wait until date.

Connecting the steps.

End of process.

Example 3

A simple cart abandonment process can also be built in a few steps, as shown below.

When the system indicates that a cart abandonment has occurred, it is convenient to configure the process not to send a trigger mailing immediately. In this example the Wait for duration is set to 2 hours after the customer has added the product to the basket without completing the purchase.

Please specify a timeout control in the Contact event.

This Contact event has two outcomes: a red and a green one.

Outputs of a Contact event.

The green output indicates when the purchase is completed. Then the process ends with the flag icon.

Once the purchase is completed, the process ends with a flag icon.

The red output indicates a timeout: if the purchase is still not completed after the Wait for duration has expired, the automation sends a trigger mailing, which can be selected in the menu.

When the timeout occurs, the system sends the pre-selected trigger mailing.

After sending the trigger mailing, please set the Wait until response event option to which you can also assign a time interval. In this case the event response is the opening of the mailing, while the timeout control interval is two days – i.e. the system waits two days for the customer to complete the purchase.

After sending the trigger mailing you can set the Wait until response event with an assigned time interval.

The Wait until response event indicates two outputs again. In the case of purchase (green button) the process ends.

If the response is positive, the program ends.

If the purchase has still not been completed after the waiting interval has expired, the process can be continued by sending a new trigger mailing (red output), either in combination with a coupon or an offer.

In the case of an unsuccessful response, another trigger mailing can be added to the process.

The process can be built with several more trigger mailings, but too many mailings are counterproductive in certain cases. In this example, the process ends here.

End of a cart abandonment process.

Please note: In the Marketing Automation multiple solutions are possible for a given process. The construction and extension of it can be flexibly designed, constructed and continued, according to your specific requirements and preferences.

1. Branch Nodes 

Establish logic points in the system by using branching nodes. This tool can extend the process across multiple pathways. The elements allow segmentation, A/B testing, comparing e-mail opening rates, etc. Please select the branching options by Contact Field value till Split Test from the green elements on the tool bar. After adding a branch node to your automation by drag and drop, you can set it up more precisely by clicking on the element.

For the use of Branch Nodes, it is particularly important to

• know your customers,
• specify which segments of your costumers you would like to know even better,
• have enough mailing history about your customers in your account to set up proper selections.

 

Please note:

• Not all processes and data need branching.
• The possibilities for branching are wide but specific at the same time – depending on your campaigns, your data, your product, etc.

Please see some general examples below.

 

Example 1

Creating a DOI-based, gender-branched welcome letter automation.

Start the process by adding a DOI Subscription. Select the type of subscription and add name and description to it in the menu.

At the beginning of the process please select the type of subscription and add name and description to it.

Segmentation filters recipients according to a specific field. The Branching by Contact Field Value element segments the contact field of the first (welcome) mailing. Select one of all available contact fields from the drop-down list.

Several segmenting options can be implemented by Branch Nodes.

In the example, the recipients of the welcome mailing segmented on a gender basis. In this case specify the branching conditions:

1. Go to the Section
2. As first condition choose the operator Equals and select female as value.
3. Then set up the second condition in the same way, only now select the value male.

Please create a category for customers who did not want to mark their gender, or for whom no data are available. For them, select operator is empty.

As there are multiple branching conditions in the automation, there will be an output corresponding to each condition, along with one additional output for cases that do not fit into any category. This will be marked in red.

After configuring the Branch Node, a corresponding trigger mailing can be assigned to each segment. Name and select the trigger mailings. Then connect the node to them. Draw a connecting line from the Branch Node to each trigger mailing. Pay attention to the correct direction of the line: the arrowhead must point to the trigger mailing.

Please note: The first connecting line belongs to the first condition and is automatically labelled with the corresponding letter/term (f=female, m=male, is empty). The second line belongs to the second condition, and so on.

The letters on the arrows (=m, =f, is empty) indicate the specific conditions defined in the Branch Node.

After dispatching multiple mailings according to the defined conditions, the automatism will be terminated.

After dispatching gender-segmented trigger mailings, you can establish a delay period before sending reminders.

In this case, each group receives a new trigger mailing after a two-day period.

In these mailings you can even include personalised coupons tailored to the interests of your target groups – one for each group.

Once the reminder mailings have been sent, the process ends.

Example 2

In this subscription-based welcome mail sequence the Branch Node is based on whether the contact is a B2B partner.

The process starts with a subscription event, then it dispatches the first mailing.

The branching comes directly afterwards. The automation splits the process into B2B and non-B2B partners.

For this purpose, create and use a Boolean contact field for B2B partners. The operator should be Equals, the value is True.

If the contact is a B2B partner, the automation sends one more email two days later, after that the process ends.

The non-B2B partners receive two additional mailings, timed for three days later. Like in the previous examples, these trigger mailings have the capability to contain offers and coupons tailored to the target audience’s interests.

After dispatching the second email to the non-B2B partners, this part of the process is complete.

Example 3

In the third example we built a Contact event-based automation with a sneaker webshop order as the contact event.

The Branch Node is a contact event, based on genders.

There is an extra condition specified for customers who indicated interest in children’s shoes.

In the example the automation starts with a pre-defined date (Wait until date), which is two weeks before the 1st of September – e.g. as an autumn or back to school campaign.

Once you have created the branching conditions and set the date, please connect the outputs and add the corresponding trigger mailings to the automation.

As the deadline approaches, you have the flexibility to send additional emails within the automation. Close the process at a predetermined stage.

The process can be extended by resending the same trigger mailing after a few days to those recipients who did not open the initial one.

The settings for the Wait until response event are as follows. The timeout control is simple to set.

For recipients who have already opened the email, the process ends – as well as for those who did not provide relevant information about themselves at the time of subscribing.

Those who have not opened this mailing can be targeted with a segmented or a general one. In this example the process ends for these recipients as well.

Example 4

This example contains a Contact preference-based branching. Please follow the Marketing Automation model of a bookshop specializing in historical books.

The Start Node is a subscription-based contact event, where the subscribers have specified their book preferences.

Once the trigger mailing for historical books has been sent to the targeted segmented group of recipients, the process concludes for them. Additionally, the process also terminates for recipients for whom no data is available.

In conclusion, a mailing will be sent to individuals who have expressed interest in books but have not indicated a special preference for historical books. This concludes the process in this area.

Example 5

Our last example is based on Random Split.

The automation starts from a contact filter membership basis. The random test in the example is about deciding whether a percentage or a price discount is the better deal for the best customers.

The first step in constructing the process is to establish a contact filter for the top-tier customers. In this case, these buyers have already made purchases over 4999 euros.

In the Start Node settings please select One-time execution.

Please integrate Random Split into the process. This allows you to specify the desired number of tests. In this instance, the example contains two tests.

Configure two trigger mailings with different discounts. The automation will send them to two randomly selected groups – within the group of top-tier customers.

After sending the mail we recommend waiting at least a week to examine which action works better.

Once the waiting period has expired, a follow-up mailing may be sent to individuals who have not placed an order at all. Subsequently, the process ends. Those recipients who have already placed an order will not receive a trigger mailing.

Please note: The same automation can be modelled with Split Test. In this case, a pre-defined time interval can be specified in the Branch Node settings and is required to select a minimum of two Test Paths.

Summary

Marketing Automation enables the development of streamlined and easy-to-use workflows within the Maileon system. These carefully constructed examples demonstrate the most frequently occurring processes and showcasing how to use this helpful and practical tool versatility. In case of any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.