Automation
Automation tests whether you can build reliable workflows that nurture contacts and route them at the right moment. Expect enrollment triggers, delays, branches, goals, suppression, and testing.
Core rules
- A workflow starts with enrollment criteria. Define who enters, when they can re-enter, and who must never enter.
- Use if/then branches for behavior, not just time. Example: opened email? send follow-up; not opened? send an alternate subject or wait.
- Set a goal (for example, demo request) and unenroll contacts who meet it so they stop receiving nurture emails.
- Suppression lists prevent sends to unsubscribed contacts, competitors, current customers, or open opportunities.
- Delays should respect time zones and business hours; personalization tokens need fallback values.
Worked example
A pricing guide download triggers a three-email nurture. Enroll when the form is submitted. Day 1: value email. Day 3: branch on email engagement; if opened, send a case study; if not opened, resend with a different subject. Day 6: invite to a demo. Goal: demo request; any contact who books is unenrolled. Suppress current customers and unsubscribed contacts. Reasoning: branches respond to behavior, the goal prevents over-mailing, and suppression protects deliverability and brand.
Traps
- Enrolling on a property change that the workflow itself edits, creating loops.
- No unenrollment when a contact converts.
- Overlapping workflows that send duplicate emails.
- Testing on live contacts instead of a test list.
- Treating a static list as a live audience; it will not update.