Jessica Lerner

Jessica Lerner

Marketing Automation

Creating Customer Journeys with Marketing Automation

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Higher conversions and strong brand loyalty come from mapping, building, and optimizing automated customer journeys. This ensures the right message is delivered to each person at the right time. Create journeys using “if this, then that” logic.

Workflow Components:

  1. Define the Trigger: The specific customer action that starts the automation (e.g., downloads an ebook, abandons a cart).
  2. Set the Action: The immediate response to the trigger (e.g., Send a “Thank You” email or assign a lead score).
  3. Add Decision Points: Use conditional logic to personalize the path based on behavior or data. For example: IF the prospect opens the email THEN wait 2 days; ELSE send a different follow-up.
  4. Establish Goals: Define the successful completion of the workflow (Goal) and the point at which contacts should be removed (Exit).

Testing and Quality Assurance (QA)

A successful workflow is a flawless workflow. Thorough testing ensures a smooth, non-frustrating customer experience.

  • Internal Testing: Validate content, links, and personalization tokens using internal accounts.
  • Logic Simulation: Use your platform’s “Test Workflow” feature to simulate contacts taking different paths through the decision points.
  • Timing: Confirm delays between steps respect the customer’s pace.
  • CRM Integration: Verify that lead scores and activity data are accurately syncing with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

Measuring and Optimizing for Success

Optimization is a continuous cycle driven by data. Your marketing automation tool provides critical metrics to guide refinement.

  • Goal Conversion Rate: The percentage of contacts who complete the final, desired action (e.g., book a demo, make a purchase).
  • Email Open Rate and Click-Through Rate: These metrics measure engagement with individual steps in your automated flow.
  • Drop-Off Rate: The Drop-Off Rate identifies the specific step where contacts exit the journey without completing the final goal.
  • Time to Conversion: This measures the average time it takes a contact to move from the starting trigger to the final goal.
  • Lead Score Velocity: Lead Score Velocity tracks how quickly a contact’s lead score increases as they move through the journey.
  • Unsubscribe Rate: A rising Unsubscribe or Opt-Out Rate is a red flag.

Refinement Actions:

  • A/B Test: Continuously test subject lines, CTAs, and the sequence.
  • Segment: Break down workflows into hyper-targeted journeys based on the data you collect (e.g., industry, past purchases).
  • Drop-Offs: If the drop-off rate is high after a specific email, restructure the content or introduce a new, more compelling offer at that stage.

Customer journeys designed with marketing automation scale personalized engagement. With logic-driven features, continuous testing, and metric-based refinement, you transform your funnel into a highly engaging growth engine.