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Answers To Common DirectLync Questions
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On this page, we’ll show you how to execute a drip campaign in DirectLync as well as a brief rundown on what a drip campaign is, and when and why to use them. For more detailed information on drip campaigns as well as key terms, please visit our Buzzword Breakdown on drip campaigns. 
 

What is a drip campaign?

A drip campaign is a series of automated emails that allow you to nurture your contacts based on certain actions, behaviors, and triggers. 

 

Why should I use a drip campaign? 

Here are a few reasons to use drip campaigns in DirectLync:

  • Save time in the long run by automating emails
  • Send a predetermined, consistent schedule of automated emails
  • They are highly targeted emails that allow you to communicate with specific customers
  • Boost important metrics like open rate, CTR, and conversion
  • Engage new & existing customers & re-engage dormant customers

For more reasons to use drip campaigns, check out our Buzzword Breakdown on drip campaigns.

 

When should I use a drip campaign?

Here are a few scenarios in which you could use a drip campaign: 

  • When moving customers through a specific journey such as a welcome series, onboarding process, or a 14-day free trial
  • When customers perform a certain behavior or habit: purchases & repeat purchases or signing up for a newsletter like Small Talk 😉
  • To celebrate milestones such as birthdays or customer anniversaries

 

How do I create a drip campaign?

  1. From your email marketing module, click the small + next Email Campaigns at the top of your screen
     
  2. The following pop-up will appear. Click Email Automation > then Drip Campaigns


     
  3. To set up your drip campaign, enter your campaign’s name and end date. Next, select the desired category or add a new one. Finally, select your drip campaign type.


     
  4. When you’ve finished, click Save & Next. You are now on the page where you will map out your drip campaign. You can edit the details from the previous page at any time by clicking the edit icon next to your campaign name.

 

Static vs. Dynamic (Existing & New) vs. Dynamic (New Only)

There are three types of drip campaigns that you can build in DirectLync: static, dynamic (existing & new), dynamic (new only).

Static: Your drip campaign will only go to contacts that exist in a group prior to your campaign start date. Contacts added to that group after the campaign start date will not receive your drip campaign.

Dynamic (Existing & New): Your drip campaign will go to contacts that exist in a group prior to your campaign start date as well as to contacts added to that group over time. 

Dynamic (New Only): Your drip campaign will only go to contacts that are added to a certain group after your campaign start date
 

Some vocab to look out for:

Before we get into building out your first drip campaign, let’s go over a few key terms that you’ll encounter:

  • Action— Something that you want DirectLync to do with a subscriber like send an email, add them to a group, or remove them from a group
  • Trigger— A targeted action that tells us to send the next email. A this or that situation.
  • Wait— A predetermined amount of time in between sending emails in your series
  • Stop— Stop brings your drip campaign or a path in your drip campaign to an end


For further explanation of these important terms, click here.

 

What types of triggers can I add to my drip campaign?

There are 5 different types of triggers you can choose from: opens email, clicks email, submits a contact form, event registration, makes a purchase. Based on your DirectLync plan, some of these triggers won’t appear in your trigger options.

  • Submits a Contact form (Website Customers Only)
  • Event Registration (Event Customers only)
  • Makes a Purchase (eCommerce Customers Only)

Triggers can never follow another trigger and the next action. After a trigger is selected, you must follow with an action or stop step. 

 

How do I build my drip campaign?

  1. Map out a draft of your drip campaign outside of DirectLync before building it in our editor. 
     
  2. Start building out your drip campaign in DirectLync by selecting the grey ‘+’ beneath start. This is where you will select your initial action (send email) and choose the group to which the drip campaign will be applied. 


     
  3. Click Save. From this point, you have the option to either continue building out your drip campaign or to create the first email in your series. We suggest building out your entire campaign first using your external draft as a map (see step 1).
     
  4. To continue building out your drip campaign, click the grey ‘+’. You will be given the option to select a trigger for the next email or to select a wait time before the next email is sent out. 


If You’ve Selected A Trigger:

  1. If you’ve selected a trigger, you will have the options to choose your trigger (opens email or clicks email) and to set the time that DirectLync will take to send the next email once a recipient performs that trigger.


     
  2. Click Save. Your drip campaign will now split into two paths each corresponding with your selected trigger. 


     
  3. Next, for each of your newly split groups, you can either select the action that will be performed to that group or you can end the drip campaign for that group. **Note: you cannot start sending your drip campaign until all pathways have come to a stop.


If You’ve Selected A Wait:

  1. If you’ve inserted a wait time, input the amount of time that you would like DirectLync to wait before performing the next action(s). 


     
  2. Click Save. You are now ready to choose your next action(s) by clicking the grey ‘+’: Send email, Assign to a group, or Remove from a group. You can choose more than one action by clicking Add another action. 


     
  3. After you’ve added your next action, click the grey ‘+’ to add your next trigger, insert a wait time, or to end the drip campaign.  **Note: you cannot start sending your drip campaign until all pathways have come to a stop.


How do I delete steps in my drip campaign?

Click the step that you wish to delete > click Delete. **Note: You can only delete steps in the reverse order that you’ve created them in. You can not delete steps from the middle of the campaign unless the steps below it have been deleted. 


How do I create emails for my drip campaign?

  1. Click Create Email under the action for which you would like to design an email. This will open the email compose module window containing the details, templates, and content steps.


     
  2. Fill out all the content that needs to be included in the general info and compose section.
     
  3. Click Save & Next to continue. You can either pick from a template, build your email from scratch, or save time by cloning a previously composed email.


     

 How can I edit an email in my drip campaign?

  1. In your drip campaign, find the email you wish to edit.
  2. Click the edit email icon.
  3. Click Save & Next to continue.