Create a Drip Campaign

Create a drip campaign to send a series of emails automatically to one or more lists of contacts on a schedule you define. The system checks the lists associated to the drip campaign for changes in membership each day. Any contacts added to an included list after the drip campaign starts begin receiving campaign emails, starting with the first one. Any contact removed from an included list stops receiving campaign emails.

Before creating a drip campaign, make sure you have created at least one list of contacts who will receive it. You can only select existing lists during drip campaign creation, not create new ones. You can select multiple lists of the same type but you cannot combine client lists and employee lists on the same drip campaign. Additionally, you cannot manually exclude or opt contacts out of a list used on a drip campaign, as you can with standard or pre-built campaigns. You must manage all recipients through the membership of the list itself. Any changes you make to a drip campaign are saved automatically, so you do not need to worry about remembering to save them.

Follow a descriptive, consistent naming convention when creating drip campaigns to make identification easier. If the drip campaign you are creating is similar to an existing one, you can copy it to save time. You can also end a drip campaign, either immediately or once all recipients have received the full series of emails.

If your organization has performed the necessary configuration, you can use Dynamic Branding and Servicing to automatically personalize campaign emails with recipient-specific From and Reply To email addresses and signatures. To use Dynamic Branding, select a dynamic servicer in the From dropdown. To use Dynamic Servicing, select a dynamic servicer in either the From or Reply To dropdown. You can apply these options to the entire campaign or only specific emails.

You cannot edit a drip campaign's schedule after starting it. If you need to modify the schedule, you must make a copy of the drip campaign, delete the original drip campaign, and add the new schedule to the copied drip campaign manually. Drip campaigns run indefinitely until you end them manually or they reach their scheduled end date.

Notes: The Campaign Type you select applies to all emails included in the drip campaign. You cannot select different Campaign Types for individual emails. See Campaigns for information about the types of campaigns available.

To create a drip campaign, do the following:

1. Click Campaigns or My Campaigns in the navigation menu.
2. Click the + New Campaign button and select Drip Campaign from the dropdown menu.
3. The Drip Campaign Builder page displays. Enter a name for your drip campaign. The drip campaign name is for internal reference only; it does not display to recipients.
4. Click the Click here to select lists link to open the List Selection pop-up window.
5. Select the checkbox beside each List of contacts you want to receive this drip campaign. If necessary, you can do any of the following to locate a specific list:
• Filter the Lists by entering a full or partial List Name and clicking the Filter button.
• Sort the Lists by clicking on a column heading. Click the column heading again to reverse the sort order.
• Browse multiple pages of Lists by clicking the First, Previous, Next, Last, or page number links.

Note: You can select client lists or employee lists, but you cannot include both on the same drip campaign. Dynamic lists in Draft status are not available for selection; you must save them first.

6. Click the Select Lists button to add the list(s) to the drip campaign. The campaign inherits structure access from its associated lists. Only users with access to at least one of the structure combinations on the campaign’s list(s) can access it. Note that the system can only filter list and campaign visibility by structure access if your organization does not have Active Directory authentication enabled in Configure > Security > Logins in Applied Epic.
7. Click the Create Campaign button to continue building your campaign journey on the Drip Campaign Builder page.
8. Select a Campaign Type from the dropdown menu. Only use the Account Servicing campaign type to send important account-related communications.

   This campaign type sends to all contacts on the list(s) who are associated to active accounts (regardless of their subscription preferences or list exclusions), except for contacts on Prospect accounts, who are automatically excluded.  

9. The From, Language, Reply To, and Branding Profile default based on your user settings, but you can change these selections if necessary. Your selections apply to all emails in the campaign unless you manually select different options for a specific email. You must select a Branding Profile, even if you apply Dynamic Branding. The Branding Profile includes your company's logo, website, and contact information, including default contact information for any details missing from a dynamic servicer's user profile.
   To apply Dynamic Branding and Servicing to all drip campaign emails, select dynamic options for the From and/or Reply To address:
1. To enable Dynamic Branding and Dynamic Servicing for all campaign emails, select a dynamic servicing role in the From dropdown. The From email address on each campaign email populates dynamically with the employee in that servicing role on each recipient's Epic client account. The signature area on each email also uses that employee's name, job title, business phone, branch address, secondary phone (if entered in their Marketing Automation user profile), and email address.
2. To enable Dynamic Servicing for all campaign emails, select a dynamic servicing role in the Reply To dropdown. The Reply To email address on each campaign email populates dynamically with the employee in that servicing role on each recipient's Epic client account. If necessary, you can select a different servicing role for the From and Reply To addresses. If you only select a Dynamic Servicer in the Reply To dropdown, Dynamic Branding is not applied.
10. Click Continue to access the Email Builder fields for the first email in the drip campaign. The Branding Profile, From, and Reply To fields populate based on your selections in the previous step, but you can modify them for each email in the campaign if necessary.
    Note: While you can reorder a series of three emails or more, you cannot reorder the first email.
1. Enter a Name for the first email in the drip campaign.
2. To use a different Branding Profile on this email than the rest of the campaign, select it from the dropdown.
3. Enter a Subject Line that will display to recipients. You can insert a merge variable if necessary. If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, the contact name, contact email, and contact phone merge variables populate based on the selected dynamic servicing role. Refer to Merge Variables for a complete list and detailed information.

   Merge variables only populate for campaign emails sent to client contacts, not for emails sent to internal employees.

   To add a merge variable to the Subject, do the following:

   1. Place your cursor where you want to add the variable in the Subject field and then click the Insert Merge Variable button or begin typing the merge variable code. When you begin typing the code, a list of merge variables displays for selection.
   2. Select a merge variable from the list to insert it.
   3. Select a contact from the Test Merge Variables for Contact dropdown, enter an email address in the Test Email Recipient field, and click the Send Test Email button.
4. To use a different From and/or Reply To address on this email than the rest of the campaign, select them from the dropdowns.
   Note that changing the From address from a dynamic to a static option disables Dynamic Branding for the email signature area (as well as Dynamic Servicing for the From address).
5. To choose a template for the email or design your own email, click Get Started.
• To use an existing template, locate it in the Template Library and click Select.
• To create an email without a template, click Design Email. See Email Builder for more information on building your design.
11. When you are finished designing or modifying the email, click Save to close the Email Builder and continue creating your campaign.
12. Click the Add button to add another email to the drip campaign. Repeat the steps you performed to add the first email to add each additional email.
13. If you have added multiple emails, you can click the options button on any email except the first and do any of the following:
• Click Move Up or Move Down to reorder the emails in the drip campaign. The first email cannot be reordered, however.
• Click Delete Email to remove the email from the drip campaign.
14. To make changes to the options you have set up so far, click the Campaign Settings icon . Update the Campaign Name, Campaign Type, From, or Language if necessary. You can also click Lists to modify the lists of recipients for the drip campaign.
15. When you are finished adding emails and updating settings and lists, click the Continue button.
    Note: If the Continue button is disabled, required information is missing from an email in the drip campaign. Emails with missing information display in orange.
16. The Drip Campaign Builder page displays. You can do any of the following if necessary:
• View Exceptions (Dynamic Branding and Servicing only)

  If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing and the campaign cannot send to a recipient, an exception occurs. Click the link beside Exceptions to view the contacts with exceptions and the reasons. Click the Export to CSV button to export the exception list if necessary. Only contacts you have access to in Applied Epic display on the exception list.

  You can use this information to resolve each exception before starting the campaign, or start the campaign with exceptions. However, the contacts with exceptions will not receive any emails until you resolve them. The Exceptions label and link only display if exceptions occur.

• Edit Campaign Settings and List(s)

  Before starting your campaign, you can modify the Campaign Name, Campaign Type, or Language. Only use the Account Servicing campaign type to send important account-related communications. You can also add or remove lists if necessary:

  This campaign type sends to all contacts on the list(s) who are associated to active accounts (regardless of their subscription preferences or list exclusions), except for contacts on Prospect accounts, who are automatically excluded.  

  1. Click the Select Lists link to open the List Selection pop-up window. You can do any of the following:
  • Click the X beside an existing list to remove it from the campaign.
  • Enter a complete or partial List Name and click the Filter button to locate it.
  • Select the checkbox beside a list to add it to the campaign. You can only add lists of the same type (client or employee lists, but not both).
  2. Click the Select button to apply your changes.
     Note: Adding additional lists adds additional recipients. If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, click the link besides Exceptions to ensure that no new exceptions have occurred.
• Test Merge Variables

  If you have added any merge variables to a campaign email, you can preview them to see the email as a recipient would. Merge variables only populate for campaign emails sent to client contacts, not for emails sent to internal employees. The contact name, contact email, and contact phone merge variables populate dynamically if the are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing. Refer to Merge Variables for a complete list and detailed information.

  1. If your drip campaign contains multiple emails, click the tab for the email with the merge variables you want to test.
  2. Select a contact from the Test Merge Variables for Contact dropdown. Any merge variables populate based on your selection. If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, the From, Reply To, and/or signature populate for the employee assigned to the selected Servicing Role on the contact's client account in Applied Epic.
  3. Repeat this workflow to test the merge variables for a different email.
• Send Test Email

  You can generate a test email to see it as a recipient would. Any merge variables display as entered until you select a Contact from the dropdown.

  1. If your drip campaign contains multiple emails, click the tab for the email that you want to test.
  2. Enter the email address of the Test Email Recipient.
  3. Click the Send Test Email button.
• Add, Remove, Arrange, and/or Modify Emails

  If necessary, you can add additional emails, remove existing emails, reorder emails, and/or modify their content.

  1. Do one of the following:
  • Click the Back button to return to the Drip Campaign Builder page.
  • Click the title of an email in the Delivery Schedule frame to edit it.
  2. Follow the steps above to add, remove, reorder, or edit emails.
17. In the Delivery Schedule frame, specify when the first email will send by clicking the calendar  to select the date and the time dropdown to select the time. All subsequent emails are scheduled relative to this date and time.
18. If the drip campaign contains more than one email, schedule each email:
1. Enter the number of days, weeks, or months between emails in the Send field.
2. Select Days, Weeks, or Months from the dropdown.
3. Select the time when the email will send from the dropdown.
19. In the Scheduled End Date frame, you have two options:
• If you do not select a Scheduled End Date, the drip campaign will run indefinitely and send emails to any new contacts added to the list(s) at the intervals you selected, starting on the date they are added to the list. The system checks the list(s) for new contacts each day at the time you set for the first email in the campaign. It sends the first email to any new contacts at the same time the following day, and it sends subsequent emails at the intervals you defined.
• If you select an end date from the calendar , no new contacts added to the included list(s) will begin receiving campaign emails after that date. However, existing recipients will receive the remainder of the emails at the intervals you defined.
20. Review all details of the drip campaign to confirm that no additional changes are necessary. Once you are satisfied that everything is correct, click the Start Campaign button.
    Note: If you need to edit a scheduled drip campaign after it has been started but before it has been sent, click the Cancel Scheduled Delivery button on the Drip Campaign Details page to reset it to Draft status. Once it is in Draft status, you can edit any part of the campaign. If the campaign has already started, however (meaning it has been sent to at least one recipient and is in Active status), you cannot edit its schedule. Instead, make a copy of it, end the original campaign, and add the new schedule to the copy.
21. A Success pop-up displays. Click the X to close it. You can navigate away from the page and work in another area.

Copy a Drip Campaign

If the drip campaign you are creating is similar to an existing one, you can save time by copying it. Copying a drip campaign does not copy the delivery schedule or start the campaign; you must schedule and start it manually. Note that if you copy a campaign that uses the legacy email builder, the copy will also use the legacy builder. If you want to use the drag-and-drop email builder instead, you must create a new campaign.

If you need to edit a scheduled drip campaign after it has been started but before it has been sent, click the Cancel Scheduled Delivery button on the Drip Campaign Details page to reset it to Draft status. Once it is in Draft status, you can edit any part of the campaign. If the campaign has already started, however (meaning it has been sent to at least one recipient and is in Active status), you cannot edit its schedule. Instead, make a copy of it, end the original campaign, and add the new schedule to the copy.

1. Click Campaigns or My Campaigns in the navigation menu.
2. Locate the campaign in the list and click Copy. If necessary, you can sort or filter the list:
• Enter a full or partial Campaign Name and click the Filter button.
• Sort the Campaigns by clicking on a column heading. Click the column heading again to reverse the sort order.
• Browse multiple pages of Campaigns by clicking the First, Next, Last, or page number links at the bottom of the page.
• If you cannot find the campaign, it may be hidden (for example, if it has already completed and does not need to be accessed often). Select the Show Hidden checkbox to include hidden campaigns in the list. If you want to unhide a hidden campaign, click its Show link.
3. The Copy Campaign pop-up window displays. Enter the New Campaign Name and click the Create Copy button. Then select Structure Access options for the new list. Structure Access functionality is only available if your organization does not have Active Directory authentication enabled in Configure > Security > Logins in Applied Epic.
4. The copied drip campaign displays in the list. Click on the Campaign Name to edit the drip campaign details and settings (e.g., edit basic information, modify list selection, add and/or modify content, schedule delivery).

End a Drip Campaign

If necessary, you can end a drip campaign immediately or by allowing it to taper off. Choosing Taper Off sends the remaining emails to current recipients without adding new recipients and ends the campaign when the last recipient receives the last email. Selecting End Now stops the drip campaign immediately without sending additional emails to any recipients.

You can only end drip campaigns with an Active status. You cannot restart a drip campaign once you have ended it.

1. Click Campaigns or My Campaigns in the navigation menu.
2. Locate the campaign in the list and click End. If necessary, you can sort or filter the list:
• Enter  a full or partial Campaign Name and click the Filter button.
• Sort the Campaigns by clicking on a column heading. Click the column heading again to reverse the sort order.
• Browse multiple pages of Campaigns by clicking the First, Previous, Next, Last, or page number links at the bottom of the page.
• If you cannot find the campaign, it may be hidden (for example, if it has already completed and does not need to be accessed often). Select the Show Hidden checkbox to include hidden campaigns in the list. If you want to unhide a hidden campaign, click its Show link.
3. The End Drip Campaign pop-up window displays. Do one of the following:
• Click the Taper Off button to continue sending emails to the existing recipients but without adding any new recipients. Once the last recipient receives the last email, the drip campaign will officially end.
• Click the End Now button to end the campaign immediately without sending additional emails to any recipients.
4. A Success pop-up window displays. Click the X to close the window.