Link Actions are the best ActiveCampaign email feature you’ve never heard of and don’t know how to find or use, that will wow your customers, save you time, and make you look like a magician.
If you build ActiveCampaign emails, then of course you want to hear more about this… so read on and I’ll tell you how to turn a simple link click in an ActiveCampaign email into the beginning of a beautifully simple and fully automated series of events.
Adding or removing ActiveCampaign tags, and starting or ending Automations with an ActiveCampaign email link action is super-easy once you know how.
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Follow these steps to automate actions from link clicks in ActiveCampaign emails:
Watch Kay Peacey explain how to turn email link clicks into ActiveCampaign automation!
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Discover how to track and use link clicks in ActiveCampaign emails
Link tracking and link actions are the easiest but most powerful features in ActiveCampaign emails. Let’s start with what those things are…
What is Link Tracking in ActiveCampaign emails?
Every ActiveCampaign email (that has a link in it!) has a setting to turn link tracking On or Off.
When link tracking is turned on, ActiveCampaign sends the email link click via a special route that tracks which contact was sent that email.
And then ActiveCampaign records that email link click on the contact record. Nice.
What are Link Actions in ActiveCampaign emails?
A link action can be set for each unique link in any ActiveCampaign email with link tracking turned on.
Link actions can add or remove tags, start or end automations, and subscribe or unsubscribe from lists.
Right now you’re probably thinking “how the heck did I never hear about this ActiveCampaign feature?!” You’re not alone. And at Slick Business we are on a mission to un-hide all the greatest features of ActiveCampaign for users like you.
Start here with our free Accelerated ActiveCampaign training to discover more awesome ActiveCampaign goodies you didn’t evne know were there.
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Get set up to use a tracked link click action in ActiveCampaign
To use this awesome and easy feature you will need:
- A url link to use in your email, that leads to a website page or asset
- An automation or campaign email* in ActiveCampaign with Link Tracking turned on
How to choose a url to use with a tracked link click action in ActiveCampaign
The url link can be on some text, on a button, behind an image – anywhere you can get a link in an ActiveCampaign email.
The url could lead to anywhere at all – it could even go to a completely made up or broken url… but that would make you look pretty silly…
My advice is to choose something that makes sense for the person clicking the link. Even if it’s just a page on your site that says:
“Hooray, you just clicked a link in my ActiveCampaign email! Thanks dude!”
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Add a Link Click Action in your ActiveCampaign email
In the options for each unique url in your ActiveCampaign email (hint – to find the link options, look for a cog icon where the link goes) you will find the settings to add a link action (or even more than one… how exciting!)
The action you choose will happen for the contact when ActiveCampaign tracks them clicking the link.
What actions are available for link clicks in ActiveCampaign emails?
- Add or remove tags
- Subscribe or unsubscribe from lists
- Add to or end automations
How to select your link action for this email link in ActiveCampaign
Select the text, button or image that has the link, then look in the right sidebar for the Link Action settings
Choose from the tag or automation options, then select the tag or automation action you want to run when the link is clicked.
Simple – but very effective.
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Try three easy ways to use link actions in your ActiveCampaign emails
Tracked link click actions are the answer to many ActiveCampaign problems and use-cases. Here are three of the most common real life questions that are answered with a link action in your ActiveCampaign emails.
Can I tag a contact when they click a specific link in anActiveCampaign email?
The Click-Monitor Tag – use case for an ActiveCampaign email link action
Use a link action to add a tag to contacts when they click a specific link in any of a set of ActiveCampaign emails
Yes – use a Link-Click Action to Add Tag when the link is clicked!
Can I start an automation when they click a button in my ActiveCampaign email?
The Go Button – use case for an ActiveCampaign email link action
Use a link action to kick off any automation for the contact when they click a button in your ActiveCampaign email.
Yes – use a Link-Click Action set to Add to Automation!
Automation magic, right there under your nose, but well hidden in the ActiveCampaign email settings.
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Can I stop sending these automated emails without them having to unsubscribe?
The Stop Button – use case for an ActiveCampaign email link action
Use a link action to allow contacts to stop a series of ActiveCampaign automation emails, so they don’t need to hit the unsubscribe
Yes – use a Link-Click Action set to End Automation!
They click the link, land on the page that says OK dude we’ve stopped that for you, and ActiveCampaign ends the automation for that contact right away. Boom.
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Learn easy segmentation for contacts using ActiveCampaign email link clicks
Can I segment my contacts based on something they clicked in an ActiveCampaign email?
Yes – tagging contacts based on what they click in your ActiveCampaign emails is a huge win for segmentation (aka knowing somethign important about your contacts)
Add the tag using the ActiveCampaign email link action easy
Can I use ActiveCampaign email clicks to track what people are interested in?
Yes – stealth segmentation involves sharing a juicy link that will only appeal to them if they’re a fit.
Add your tag using a link-click action, or add them to an automation that populates a custom field (getting fancier now!)
Add a quick link-click survey to your ActiveCampaign email
This is a huge use-case for link actions in ActiveCampaign emails – here’s the enormously common question:
Can do I run a survey in an ActiveCampaign email?
Yes – a simple quiz or survey can be done in any ActiveCampaign email using link actions
Follow these easy steps to create a quick quiz in your ActiveCampaign email
Create a page (or pages) on your site for each option or answer
Then for each option, offer a link that adds the tag using link action.
Boom – instant quiz or survey in your ActiveCampaign email, right there, with no need to pay more for a survey tool.
We have lovely quick tutorials on exactly how to do this, with our expert support, in the ActiveCampaign Academy Essential level.
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Read 5 best-practice tips for link actions in ActiveCampaign emails
- Create tags first and set automations to active
- Keep a record of link actions used in your emails
- It doesn’t really matter what the link url is – but it helps if it makes sense to the user
- Always test it – but be aware that link actions don’t work in the Send Test email feature
- Remember to turn link tracking On in the settings of the email!
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FAQ how to use Link Actions in ActiveCampaign emails
What are link-click actions in ActiveCampaign?
- Automated responses triggered by a user clicking a link in your ActiveCampaign email.
- Add/remove tags, start/stop automations, and subscribe/unsubscribe from lists.
What are some simple uses of link actions for ActiveCampaign emails?
- Click monitor
Track link engagement across multiple emails. - Go button
Offer instant gratification by triggering immediate actions. - Stop button
Allow users to stop specific automations without unsubscribing.
How can I use link actions for advanced segmentation in ActiveCampaign?
- Overt segmentation
Clearly ask users to click links to show what they’re interested - Stealth segmentation
Craft links that specific segments are likely to click.
Pro tips for using link actions in ActiveCampaign emails
- Keep records
Document when, where, and why you use them. - Prepare landing pages
Use reusable pages for common actions like stopping automations.
Link-click actions are a powerful feature in ActiveCampaign that can make your email marketing a lot more effective. Start simple, keep good records, and gradually explore more advanced uses as you get comfortable.
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Get more help to track and use link clicks in ActiveCampaign emails
Now you know what link-click actions are you can use them to learn more about your contacts, and use email surveys and segmentation to grow your business.
You’ll have a ton of questions about exactly how to use link actions strategically, and how to get them working in ActiveCampaign. Our ActiveCampaign Academy members get access to Kay Peacey and the team super-fast for advice and all the juicy details, so come on in when you’re ready to leverage the super-powers of tracking ActiveCampaign email link clicks.
We’re expert in helping you get to the fastest, easiest way to build whatever you need or dream of using ActiveCampaign, so youi can get on with doing more of the fun stuff. See you in there 🙂
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