Curious about automations but don’t know where to start, or how to use them to save time & make money?

We’ve got you covered.

An Automation is a set-list of steps for Your email tech tool (eg ActiveCampaign) to do, in a set order, with a Contact, as it passes through.

Automations are the main moving part of the most powerful email tech tools, and you’re in the exact best place to learn how to leverage them, fast with Kay Peacey – world leading email strategist, and specialist ActiveCampaign consultant.

Contacts get put through Automations – like marbles being sent through a marble-run.

Automations are the auto-pilot that lets you step away from repetitive tasks

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Follow these steps to learn how to use Automations in your email tech

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Watch Kay Peacey explain what Automations can do in your email tech

NOTE: this video focusses on ActiveCampaign as the demo tool – check your email tech to see how much of this can be done. They’re sometimes called Flows, Series, or Workflows.

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Learn what an Automation is inside your email tech tool

An Automation is basically a set list of stuff for the tech will get done, in a set order, with a Contact, as it passes through.

Each Automation is like a marble run, and a Contact is like a marble, dropping down the run at its own pace.

A contact (aka the marble) can go through the same automation (aka marble-run) more than once – lots and lots of times in fact.

And a single Automation can have lots of Contacts running through at the same time, at different points on the run.

Thinking of Automations as marble runs is a really good way to get your head around how to use them.

The best thing about automations is that they run all by themselves, even when you are chilling in your hammock, or feeding your kid’s hamsters.

To see a worked example and try ActiveCampaign automation magic for yourself head straight to our world-leading free ActiveCampaign intro training.

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Find out what you can do with an Automation in your email tech tool

The building blocks for Automations are action steps, like these:

• Send an email
• Add a tag
• Wait a day
• Update a contact field

The exact action steps you have available will be different depending on which email tech tool you’re using. We use ActiveCampaign in Slick Business, so that’s the one we’re referring to for this blog post.

Just like a marble, dropping down a marble-run, a Contact goes through each step as it passes through the Automation.

For example, you could set your Automation so that each Contact goes through these steps, in order:

1. gets a tag on entering your automation
2. receives an email
3. waits 24 hours
4. receives a second email
5. gets an updated value in a custom field

You can also include decision points (these are called if/else steps) to send marbles down different paths.

So an Automation is simply Contacts dropping in at the top and working their way through the Automation, following the right path, all without you lifting a finger.

The marbles keep rolling, even though you’re at the dentist, or flying a kite… What’s not to like here?

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Discover advanced steps to use in email tech Automations

Like all the best marble runs, Automations can also use special blocks to do fancy stuff, like this:

• Send a notification email to the sales lead
• Create a Bonjoro task to close the sale
• Schedule an SMS text to remind them about the appointment
• Skip them to the end when they buy the product using a Jump To Step

As with standard automation steps, a Contact will go through these advanced steps one at a time, in the order you’ve set up – just like a marble dropping down a marble run. 

Fancy steps in Automations are very cool, and they keep you and your customers connected, efficienly served and completely up-to-date, 

And all this happens even though you’re actually asleep, or at the disco…

We deliver world-class support and training on how to use automations in our Academy – come join us to unleash wizard-level magic without breaking a sweat.

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Use Automations to craft unique personal experience for your customers

Email sending steps in Automations are really good for sending an email to a Contact at the exact right moment for that contact. 

Humans love getting the info they need, right when they want it. 

Automations, and the emails in them, are how we can make that happen for our people. But here’s the thing a lot of people miss out on…

Automations are about so much more than sending emails.

Automations are the hero-feature that lets us have the exact right things happen for our customers and leads at the exact moment they want or need it.

Automations allow for the fact that we’re all individuals, with individual needs and wants. 

And as we are not the same, we need to treat each marble on the marble run to its own special trip. 

So everyone gets to feel like they’re your number one most valued and treasured person….

Even though you’re actually at the shops, buying cat food, or maybe a beer…

Seriously, what’s not to like here?

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FAQ for Automations using email tech (eg ActiveCampaign)

What triggers can be used to start an automation in email tech tools?

• Manual entry
• Bulk Edit
• Start from another Automation
• Connected integrations

It depends which email tech tools you’re using – search their docs for start triggers or workflow triggers

Can a single contact be in multiple places within the same automation?

Yes, definitely in ActiveCampaign, and also in most other email tech tools. And you need to be careful with this. A contact can end up in an automation multiple times if the triggers aren’t set correctly.

How can I handle complex automations without making a mess in my email tech tool?

Kay suggests breaking down complex automations into smaller, modular ones.

Then, connect these smaller automations together to create a seamless workflow – like building out of Lego blocks.

What’s the difference between an automated email and a campaign email in ActiveCampaign?

In ActiveCampaign, an automated email is sent at the exact moment the contact reaches a certain point in the automation.

A campaign email, on the other hand, is a one-size-fits-all mass email sent at a scheduled time.

How do wait steps work in Automations in my tech tool?

Wait steps hold a contact at a specific point in the automation for a set amount of time before allowing them to move on to the next step. This is useful for timing your emails appropriately.

What is an if-else step?

This is a decision point where contacts are sent down different paths based on certain conditions.

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Get more help with how to use Automations effectively in your email tech tool

Want to hit the pamper-button for both you and your customers?

Of course you do – why would you not want to make your life easier and their experience better? Duh!

I have the exact thing you need…

Step on in to the Slick Business Academy and we will get you to the automation happy-place in super-quick time, with a lot less pain and far less stress.

Just one month in the Academy will make a world of difference in what you are able to set on auto-pilot, and free up your time to do more of what you love. Go on – you’re worth it.

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