Pre-Built Drip Campaigns

Rather than create a drip campaign from scratch, you can start with a pre-built drip campaign. These campaigns provide editable templates that include a prewritten email message and content selected from the Content Library. Like other drip campaigns, pre-built drip campaigns automatically send a series of emails to one or more lists of contacts on a predefined schedule that you can modify. The system checks the lists associated to the campaign for changes in membership each day. Any contacts added to an included list after the campaign has started begin receiving campaign emails, starting with the first one. Any contact removed from an included list stops receiving campaign emails.

Before using a pre-built 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; you must manage all recipients through the membership of the list itself. Any changes you make to a pre-built drip campaign are saved automatically.

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 pre-built drip campaign's schedule after starting it. Drip campaigns run indefinitely until you end them manually or they reach their scheduled end date. You can end a pre-built drip campaign immediately or once all recipients have received the full series of emails.

You can edit an Active pre-built drip campaign to modify its settings and its existing content. The campaign will continue to distribute using its original configuration until you publish any changes. If you need to make other changes, you must end the pre-built drip campaign and create a new one.

This article explains how to set up a pre-built drip campaign and customize it if necessary. Sending a test email before starting your campaign is recommended to verify that all content displays as expected.

The following information is specific to pre-built drip campaigns. For information about the other types of campaigns available, see Campaigns.

Use a Pre-Built Drip Campaign

You can select a pre-built drip campaign from the Pre-Built Campaigns library and use it as it is or customize it to meet your needs. A Scheduled indicator displays on any pre-built drip campaigns you have already selected and scheduled. You can schedule and send the same pre-built drip campaign multiple times if you like (for example, to different lists).

Select a Pre-Built Drip Campaign

Locate a pre-built drip campaign to begin setting it up, customizing it, and scheduling it.

1. Do one of the following to access the Pre-Built Campaigns page:
• Click Campaigns or My Campaigns, then click the Pre-Built Campaign button.
• Click Campaigns > Pre-Built Campaigns.
2. From the Campaign Method dropdown, select Pre-Built Drip, then click the Filter button.
3. If necessary, enter keyword(s) or use the filter(s) to locate a specific pre-built drip campaign. Click on a campaign heading or title to access information about the selected campaign and a preview.
4. To preview each email in the campaign, click its tab. You can apply a Branding Profile to preview the email with your organization’s branding.

Configure Pre-Built Drip Campaign Settings

Once you select a pre-built drip campaign, you must configure its basic settings before customizing email messages in the series and scheduling the campaign.

1. From the detail page for the campaign you want to use, click the Set up this Campaign button to access the Drip Campaign Builder page.
2. If necessary, update the name in the Give your campaign a name field.
3. Use the Click here to select Lists link label to open the List Selection pop-up window.
   Note: You must create at least one list of recipients before completing the Select List section. If you will be sending content in different languages, make sure you create a separate list for each one, based on the contacts’ preferred language.
1. Select the checkbox beside each List of contacts you want to use for this pre-built drip campaign. You can select multiple lists if necessary. To locate a specific list, do any of the following:
• Enter a full or partial List Name and click the Search 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 pre-built drip campaign. Dynamic lists in Draft status are not available for selection; you must save them first.

2. Click the Select button to add the list(s) to the campaign. Click Cancel to discard your selection(s) and return to the Drip Campaign Builder page.

4. Click the Create Campaign button to continue building your campaign journey on the Drip Campaign Builder page.
1. 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.

2. 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:
• 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.
• 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.
5. Click Continue to view the email series and the Email Builder fields for the first email in the campaign.
6. If you do not want to edit any of the campaign settings or emails or add additional emails to the campaign, click the Continue button on the Email Builder page to proceed to the Drip Campaign Details page, where you can schedule and/or start your campaign.
   Note: If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, check for exceptions before starting the campaign. Although you can start a campaign with exceptions, the contacts with exceptions do not receive the emails.

Customize a Pre-Built Drip Campaign

If necessary, you can edit the premade campaign email messages to add additional Content Library pieces or create new content. You can also add additional emails or delete or reorder the emails in the series. However, the first email in the campaign cannot be deleted or moved. Each email displays in green when all required information is included. Any emails missing information display in orange. You cannot schedule a pre-built drip campaign to start until you have entered all required information for all email messages in the series.

If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, your dynamic servicer selections apply to all campaign emails by default. However, you can choose different options for individual emails if necessary.

Edit a Pre-Built Email

The Email Builder for each email message in the series allows you to customize the message. You can modify basic information (such as the name, subject line, or branding profile) and existing content or add additional content.

1. By default, the Email Builder displays for the first email in the series. If necessary, click on a different email to display its Email Builder instead.
2. If necessary, you can reorder a series of three emails or more by clicking any email other than the first and selecting Move up or Move down.
3. You can do any of the following for the selected email:
• Edit the Name of the email.
• To use a different Branding Profile on this email than the rest of the campaign, select it from the dropdown.
• Edit the Subject Line that will display to recipients. You can insert a merge variable if necessary. If you are using Dynamic 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. Use the Preview button to open the Email Preview pop-up window and test the merge variables by sending a test email. Select a Contact from the dropdown, enter an email address in the Test Email Recipient field, and click the Send Test Email button.
  4. Click the X to close the Email Preview pop-up window and continue creating your campaign.
• 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).
• Click Edit to update the look and feel of the email or the content included. See Email Builder for more information on building your design. Note that you can only use the drag-and-drop email builder in pre-built drip campaigns created with the drag-and-drop email builder. Pre-built drip campaign emails created with the legacy builder are only editable in the legacy builder.
4. Repeat this process for each pre-built email messages in the series.

Add an Email to the Series

In addition to modifying the existing email messages in the series, you can add new messages. Follow these steps to add a message to a pre-built drip campaign.

1. Click the Add button to add another email to the campaign.
2. The Email Builder displays for the new email. Complete all required fields and add content:
1. Edit the Name for the email.
2. To use a different Branding Profile on this email than the rest of the campaign, select it from the dropdown.
3. Edit the Subject Line that will display to recipients. You can insert a merge variable if necessary. If you are using Dynamic 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. Use the Preview button to open the Email Preview pop-up window and test the merge variables by sending a test email. Select a Contact from the dropdown, enter an email address in the Test Email Recipient field, and click the Send Test Email button.
   4. Click the X to close the Email Preview pop-up window and continue creating your campaign.
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 to open the Email Builder. See Email Builder for more information on building your design.
3. Repeat this process to add additional messages to the series.

Edit Settings and List Selections

Before the campaign is started, you can edit the settings and lists to be used from the Drip Campaign Builder page or the Drip Campaign Details page. However, you can only edit Branding Profiles settings from the Drip Campaign Builder page.

1. The way you edit the campaign settings and/or list selections depends on the screen you are accessing:
• From the Drip Campaign Builder page (with the campaign journey cards), click the Campaign Settings icon to edit the settings or click the Lists item to manage the list selections.
• From the Drip Campaign Details page (with the scheduling options), click the Back button.
2. Edit the campaign settings and list selections as necessary. See the Configure Pre-Built Drip Campaign Settings section above for detailed instructions.
   Before scheduling the campaign, you can review all settings and list selections from the Drip Campaign Details page except the Branding Profile and the From and Reply To email addresses. To review or change these settings, click the Back button to return to the Drip Campaign Builder page and select an email in the series to make your updates.

Send Test Email

You can send a test email to view it as a recipient would. Any merge variables display as entered until you select a specific contact in the Test Merge Variables for Contact dropdown menu.

1. Once you have selected an email, do the following:
1. Select a Contact from the dropdown menu. Any merge variables you have added populate based on your selection. If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, the From, Reply To, and/or signature of the email populate for the employee assigned to the selected Servicing Role on the contact's client account in Applied Epic.
2. To send a test email, do the following:
1. Enter the email address of the Test Email Recipient.
2. Click the Send Test Email button.
2. If necessary, select a different email and repeat these steps to preview it.

Schedule a Pre-Built Drip Campaign

Once you have configured the settings and customized the email messages as needed, you can schedule your pre-built drip campaign. You can let the campaign run indefinitely or schedule a specific end date. You cannot edit any part of a pre-built drip campaign or its schedule once the campaign has started.

1. Once all emails in the series display in green, you can click the Continue button to configure the schedule on the Drip Campaign Details page and start the campaign.
2. If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing and the campaign cannot send to a recipient, the Exceptions label displays with a link. Exceptions do not prevent you from scheduling or starting the campaign, but the affected contacts will not receive the campaign email(s).
   To view the contacts with exceptions and the reasons, click the link beside Exceptions. Click the Export to CSV button to export the exception list if necessary.
3. Once you have reviewed the email(s), update the Campaign name, Campaign type, Language, and Lists if necessary.
4. In the Delivery Schedule frame, specify when the first email will send by making selections from the calendar and the time dropdown. All subsequent emails are scheduled relative to this date and time.
5. If the campaign contains multiple emails, schedule each subsequent 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.
6. In the Scheduled End Date frame, you have two options:
• If you do not select a Scheduled End Date, the pre-built 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.
7. Review all details of the pre-built drip campaign to confirm that no additional changes are necessary. Then 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.
8. A Success pop-up displays. Click the X to close it. You can navigate away from the page and work in another area.

Edit a Pre-Built Drip Campaign

You can edit any part of a pre-built drip campaign in Draft status. If the campaign is in Active status, you can make changes to its Campaign Settings, Email Builder settings, and existing email content. The original campaign continues to send to recipients on the schedule already configured while you are editing it. When you publish your changes, new recipients will receive the edited campaign emails, but emails are not resent to recipients who have already received them.

Changes to Active drip campaigns are not saved until you publish them. Depending on the changes you need to make, it may be better to configure a new pre-built drip campaign than to edit an active one. Consider these limitations to guide your decision:

• An Active campaign’s schedule cannot be modified.
• You cannot add or remove lists from an existing campaign.
• You cannot add additional emails or reorder existing emails on an Active campaign.
• Once you publish changes to a campaign, you cannot undo them.

To edit the campaign settings or email content of an Active pre-built drip campaign, do the following:  

1. Locate the pre-built drip campaign from the list on the Campaigns or My Campaigns page. If necessary, you can sort or filter the list to help you locate a campaign:
• 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.
2. Click on the Campaign Name to open it.
3. On the Drip Campaign Details page, click the Edit Campaign button.
4. The Edit Active Campaign pop-up window displays. Click the Edit button. None of your changes will be applied until you publish them.
5. Make changes to the following:
• Campaign Settings

  Edit the campaign’s basic information as needed. If your campaign has already begun sending to recipients, these changes will only be applied to new recipients or future campaign email distributions (emails are not resent to recipients who have already received them).  

  1. Click the Campaign Settings icon and do any of the following:
  • Edit the Campaign Name to help you and other Marketing Automation users identify the content included or the purpose of the campaign.
  • Change the Campaign Type to the option that best matches the purpose of the campaign. 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.  

  • Select the Language in which any copyright and compliance text will display.
• Campaign Email(s)

  You can only edit the content of existing campaign emails. You cannot add, delete, or reorder emails. In the Email Builder, you can modify an email’s basic information (such as the name, subject line, branding profile, and From and Reply To addresses) and add, edit, or delete content. Remember, any changes you make to a campaign email apply only to that email, not the campaign as a whole.

  1. Click on an email to display the Email Builder frame and do any of the following:

  • Edit the Name of the email.
  • To use a different Branding Profile on this email than the rest of the campaign, select it from the dropdown.
  • Edit the Subject Line that will display to recipients. You can insert a merge variable if necessary. If you are using Dynamic Servicing, the contact name, contact email, and contact phone number 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 field, 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. Use the Preview button to open the Email Preview pop-up window and test the merge variables.

    4. Select a Contact from the dropdown to populate the merge variable(s). 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.

    5. For a preview of the email as a contact would receive it, enter your email address in the Test Email Recipient field and click the Send Test Email button.

    6. Click the X to close the Email Preview pop-up window and continue creating your campaign.

     

  2. Click Edit to update the look and feel of the email or the content included. See Email Builder for more information on building your design. Note that you can only use the drag-and-drop email builder in pre-built drip campaigns created with the drag-and-drop email builder. Pre-built drip campaign emails created with the legacy builder are only editable in the legacy builder.

  • 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. Merge variables populate as entered until you select a specific contact from the Test Merge Variables for Contact dropdown.

    1. Click on the email in the campaign journey to display the Email Builder for it.
    2. Select a contact from the Test Merge Variables for Contact dropdown to populate the merge variable(s). 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. For a preview of the email as a contact would receive it, enter your email address in the Test Email Recipient field and click the Send Test Email button.
    4. Repeat these steps to test the merge variables for a different email.

  • Send Test Email

    You can send a test email to see it as a recipient would. Any merge variables display as entered until you select a specific contact from the Test Merge Variables for Contact dropdown.

    1. If your drip campaign contains multiple emails, click the tab for the email that you want to test.
    2. Select a Contact from the dropdown. If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, the From, Reply To, and/or signature of the email populate for the employee assigned to the selected Servicing Role on the contact's client account in Applied Epic.
    3. Enter the email address of the Test Email Recipient.
    4. Click the Send Test Email button.

  3. Repeat these steps to make changes to other emails in the campaign.

   

6. If you are using Dynamic Branding and Servicing, check for any exceptions, which are problems that prevent certain contacts from receiving campaign emails.
• Click the Continue button to check for exceptions before scheduling the campaign. The Exceptions label only displays if exceptions exist.
• Click the link besides Exceptions to view the contacts with exceptions and the reasons.
• Click the Export to CSV button to export the exceptions list if necessary.
7. To save your changes and apply them to campaign emails sent to new recipients, click the Publish Changes button. Your changes will only be sent to new recipients. Edited emails are not resent to existing recipients. To discard your changes and return to the campaign to its previous saved state, click the Cancel link.

End a Pre-Built Drip Campaign

If necessary, you can end a pre-built drip campaign immediately or allow it to taper off. Selecting 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 pre-built drip campaign immediately without sending additional emails to any recipients.

You can only end a pre-built drip campaign with an Active status. You cannot restart a pre-built drip campaign once it has ended.

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.

Delete a Pre-Built Drip Campaign

You can only delete a pre-built drip campaign in Draft or Scheduled status. However, you can end a pre-built drip campaign to stop it from sending emails. You cannot reverse deletions.

You can hide Active or Completed campaigns that you no longer need to access regularly. Hiding campaigns removes them from the default Campaigns list, but you can display them by selecting the Show Hidden checkbox. Click the Show link to restore a hidden campaign to the default list. Hiding a campaign does not affect any scheduled distributions.

1. Click Campaigns or My Campaigns in the navigation menu.
2. Locate the campaign you want to delete. If necessary, you can sort or filter the results:
• Enter the Campaign Name or select a Campaign Type 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.
3. Click the Delete link beside the campaign you want to delete. You are prompted to confirm the deletion.