Create an automation from scratch

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Create an automation from scratch in ActiveCampaign

In this article, we’ll cover the steps for creating an automation from scratch in ActiveCampaign. Automations are essential tools for marketers, allowing for personalized communication and efficient workflows. This feature is especially vital for nurturing leads, delivering welcome messages, and following up with contacts based on their interactions.

Creating an automation allows you to create a sequence of actions that will occur based on specific triggers. For instance, in this example, we'll show you how to build an automation that sends a welcome email after a contact joins a list. This workflow demonstrates how to tag contacts based on their interactions with the emails they receive, which can help in targeting future communications and gathering analytics.

How to Access This Feature

To start creating an automation from scratch, follow these steps:

1. Click Automations on the left menu.
2. Click Create an automation. A modal window will appear.
3. Click Start from Scratch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This section provides detailed instructions on setting up your automation.

Add a Start Trigger

To initiate your automation, you need to add a start trigger. We'll begin this automation whenever anyone is added to a list.

1. Click on the Add a start trigger action. 2. Select the Subscribes to a list trigger. 3. A modal window will appear. Choose the list from the dropdown that will begin the automation. In this example, we're choosing "Master List."

  * It's preferable to start this automation whenever someone is added to the list rather than having a separate trigger for each form.

4. Ensure this trigger action is configured to run Once. This means a contact will only enter your automation once through a specific trigger, regardless of how many times they meet the conditions. 5. Click Save to finalize the trigger configuration.

Add the "Send an Email" Action

Next, we will set up an action to send a welcome email to new subscribers.

1. Click the node (+) under the start trigger. 2. Click the Sending tab and select the Send an email option from the modal window. 3. Choose between Create a new email or Start from an existing email.

  * Create a new email allows you to generate an email with AI or a pre-designed template, or from scratch.
  * Start from an existing email uses a campaign (direct or automated) that you've previously created.

4. After selection, you'll be redirected to the campaign templates page. Use the dropdown menu under Or select a template to choose your preferred email designer. 5. Hover over your selected template and click the Select button that appears. 6. Configure the email details:

  * Create/edit the message name, subject line, preheader text, and sender information.
  * Enable/disable your email's tracking options by clicking on the Edit link in the Tracking section.

7. Click Done once you've made your selections.

Customize Your Welcome Email

To customize your email further:

1. Hover over the preview image and click Edit Design to open the email designer. 2. Click Blocks on the right pane to add new content blocks to your email layout. 3. To remove a block, mouse over it and click the ellipsis, then the trash icon that appears. 4. Click into a block to see various formatting options that will appear on the right pane or at the top of the campaign layout. 5. After customization, click the Next button at the upper right corner to go to the email's summary page.

Review the Email Summary Page

From the email summary, you can:

• Confirm that all information is accurate.
• Send test emails to yourself or team members.
• Preview your message.
• See notifications of potential issues with your campaign that might trigger spam filters.

We recommend enabling Reply tracking for emails that contain calls to action. This data can be crucial for gauging engagement levels.

Adding a "Wait" Condition

To wait for contacts to interact with your email, you will use a Wait condition.

1. Click the node (+) under the Send an email action. 2. Click the Workflow tab and select the Wait option. 3. In the Add a Wait Condition window, choose between waiting for a set period of time, Until a specific day and/or time, or until conditions are met.

  * Select Until specific conditions are met to check for actions like clicking a link in your email.

4. Specify the conditions, such as Actions > Has clicked on a link in your welcome email. 5. You can choose to continue automation if conditions are not met within a specific time period. 6. Click Save.

Add "If/Else" Conditions

To apply tags based on the contact's actions, add an If/Else condition.

1. Click the node (+) below the Wait until conditions are met action. 2. Click the Workflow tab and select the If/else option. 3. Specify conditions based on your needs, such as whether they clicked a link. 4. Depending on whether contacts match the set conditions, they will follow the Yes or No path. 5. For the Yes path, add the action to Add a tag and specify a suitable tag for contacts who clicked the link. 6. For the No path, repeat this step for contacts who opened the email but didn’t click, and further tag those who didn’t engage at all.

This segmented tagging can help you structure different follow-up automations or campaigns tailored to user behavior.

Improve This Automation

To enhance the automation, consider adding actions such as increasing contact scores based on interactions. Changes in messaging should reflect whether the contact engaged or not; continuous following up with disinterested contacts may lead to higher unsubscribes or spam complaints.

Configuration Options and Settings

While setting up your automation, you'll encounter various elements and settings:

• Add a start trigger – Defines when the automation begins.
• Send an email – Action that sends an email to contacts upon entry into the automation.
• Wait Conditions – Control how the automation proceeds based on contact responses or engagement.
• If/Else Conditions – Segment contacts into different paths based on their interactions.

These configurations will help you tailor your automation to fit your marketing needs.

Best Practices and Tips

• Consider building smaller, manageable automations instead of a single large one.
• Use descriptive naming conventions for tags to maintain organization.
• Test your automations by sending test emails before activating them.
• Allow sufficient time within Wait conditions to gather engagement data.

Troubleshooting

If you face issues while building your automation:

• Ensure your triggers and actions are correctly configured.
• Check that email tracking options are enabled if you don't see open or click data.
• Test the automation by subscribing with test email addresses to validate the workflow.

Related Features

• For more detailed automation strategies, check out the Automation article to understand the platform's full capabilities.

FAQ

What types of emails can I send through an automation?

You can either create a new email or start from an existing one through the platform.

How can I track engagement with my automated emails?

Enabling Reply tracking will help you gather insights on how contacts engage with your emails.

Can I segment my audience based on their interactions?

Yes, using If/Else conditions allows you to create segments based on contact engagement.

How do I prevent contacts from receiving the same email multiple times?

Ensure that your trigger is set to run Once to avoid repeated emails upon re-triggering.

What should I do if a contact doesn’t engage?

Adjust your following emails or consider removing them from your list if they consistently do not interact.

Is there a limit to the number of automations I can create?

The ability to create automations may depend on your ActiveCampaign plan; refer to your subscription level for specifics.

Where can I find pre-built automation recipes?

You can explore the ActiveCampaign Marketplace for a variety of pre-built automation recipes tailored to different marketing needs. ```