The Email Events Workflow Trigger is a powerful tool that allows businesses to automate processes based on specific email interactions. Whether it’s an opened email, a clicked link, or an unsubscribed contact, this trigger ensures timely follow-ups and improved engagement. In this article, you’ll learn how to set up and configure this trigger, explore key benefits, and review practical use cases to make the most of your email marketing efforts.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is Email Events Workflow Trigger
- Key Benefits of Email Events Workflow Trigger
- Configuring Email Events Workflow Trigger
- Name Your Trigger
- Set Up Filters
- Event Filter
- In Workflow Filter
- Use Cases
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is Email Events Workflow Trigger
The Email Events Workflow Trigger activates a workflow whenever a specific email event occurs. These events can include when an email is opened, a link is clicked, a customer unsubscribes, or an email bounces. By using this trigger, businesses can automate responses based on real-time interactions, helping to maintain customer engagement and ensuring that actions are taken promptly when needed.
Key Benefits of Email Events Workflow Trigger
Here is how the Email Events trigger enhances your email marketing by automating actions based on recipient interactions :
- Timely Follow-Ups: Automate immediate responses after key interactions like clicks or opens, ensuring better customer engagement.
- Unsubscribe and Complaint Handling: Automatically manage contacts who unsubscribe or mark emails as spam to protect your email sender score.
- Streamlined Automation: Track important events across multiple workflows without manual intervention.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Create a more personalized and engaging customer journey by reacting quickly to customer actions.
Configuring Email Events Workflow Trigger
Follow this steps to set up the Email Events Workflow Trigger:
Navigate to Workflow Triggers
Access the "Automation" section in your platform. Create a new workflow or select the existing workflow where you wish to apply "Email Events" workflow trigger.
Choose the Trigger Type
To begin setting up your workflow, click on the ”+ Add New Trigger” button and select “Email Events” from the list of available triggers.
Name Your Trigger
Enter a descriptive name for the trigger. This way, you can ensure that anyone reviewing or editing the workflow quickly understands its purpose.
Set Up Filters
Filters play a crucial role in refining when the Email Events Trigger activates, ensuring that your workflows are only triggered by relevant email interactions. The two primary filters—Event and In Workflow—allow you to define specific conditions under which the trigger should run.
Event Filter
The Event Filter enables you to choose specific email events that will activate the trigger. These events represent key interactions or outcomes of your email campaigns. You can select one or multiple events depending on your workflow requirements.
Here’s a breakdown of the available events:
- Clicked: The trigger activates when a recipient clicks any link in the email.
- Opened: The trigger activates when an email is opened by the recipient.
- Bounced: The trigger activates when an email bounces (i.e., it couldn’t be delivered).
- Unsubscribed: The trigger activates when a recipient unsubscribes from your email list.
- Complained (Spam): This event triggers the workflow when a recipient marks your email as spam. This is a critical event to track, as it directly affects your email deliverability and sender reputation. When too many complaints are received, email service providers (ESPs) may start flagging your future emails as spam or even block your domain.
In Workflow Filter
The In Workflow Filter allows you to restrict the trigger to specific workflows. This filter ensures that the trigger only activates when the email event occurs within a designated workflow, adding another layer of precision to your automation.
Save and Publish
Once the configuration is complete, click on the "Save" button and "Publish" your workflow.
Use Cases
1. Follow-Up on Clicked Emails
- Scenario: A sales team wants to follow up with leads who clicked on a promotional email link for a free consultation.
- Trigger Setup: Use the Email Events trigger with the event filter set to “Clicked” and the workflow filter set to “Consultation Promo.”
- Outcome: When a lead clicks on the email link, a follow-up workflow is triggered, sending an email with a booking link and notifying the sales team for further engagement.
2. Managing Bounced Emails
- Scenario: A marketing department wants to ensure that bounced emails are handled appropriately by removing invalid contacts.
- Trigger Setup: Use the Email Events trigger with the event filter set to “Bounced.”
- Outcome: When an email bounces, the contact is automatically tagged as “Invalid,” removed from active mailing lists, and added to a suppression list to prevent future email attempts.
3. Re-Engaging Contacts After Email Opens
- Scenario: A business wants to re-engage customers who open a promotional email but take no further action.
- Trigger Setup: Use the Email Events trigger with the event filter set to “Opened” and the workflow filter set to “Holiday Promo.”
- Outcome: If a customer opens the email but doesn’t click on any links, the system waits a day and sends a follow-up email with a special discount offer to encourage engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How can I stop workflows for unsubscribed contacts?
You can use the “Unsubscribed” event filter in the Email Events trigger to automatically remove contacts from all active workflows and add them to a suppression list.
Q2: What happens if a contact marks my email as spam?
When a contact marks your email as spam, the “Complained” event can trigger an automation to remove them from all workflows and mark them as DND to prevent future emails.
Q3: Can I trigger different workflows based on the same email event?
Yes, you can create multiple workflows using the same event trigger but apply different filters, such as workflow-specific filters, to target distinct groups or actions.
Q4: How do I track email engagement using this trigger?
By using the “Clicked” and “Opened” event filters, you can track customer interactions and trigger workflows that log these events in your CRM, helping you analyze engagement trends.
Q5: Is it possible to set reminders for unopened emails?
Currently, this trigger only works for opened, clicked, bounced, or unsubscribed events. You can create a separate workflow to send reminders if no engagement is detected after a certain period.