topic Re: Using a Marketing Mail as trigger to initiate workflow in Tips, Tricks & Best Practices

Using a Marketing Mail as trigger to initiate workflow

RLV2525 — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 13:28:54 GMT

Hi everyone,

I'm setting up a workflow and I would like to initiate the workflow by putting in a trigger that when a Marketing Mail is opened, the workflow will start.

However, when setting up a Marketing mail, it does not show in the Marketing Emails criteria until the mail is actually sent. But when the mail is already sent, the workflow does not start, whereas, when I automate the mail and put it in a workflow, it will not send the initial mail when turning on the workflow.

Am I doing something wrong or is it just not possible to have a workflow that sends a mail and starts when a mail is opened?

Re: Using a Marketing Mail as trigger to initiate workflow

Phil_Vallender — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 17:28:16 GMT

Hi @RLV2525

If you scheudle your email to send in the future, you should then be able to add it's opening to your workflow as enrollment criteria.

If putting the email in the workflow to be sent, on the other hand, then you most likely need to choose the option to enroll all contacts that already meet the startign criteria when you turn it on.

Hope this helps?

Re: Using a Marketing Mail as trigger to initiate workflow

karstenkoehler — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 05:45:53 GMT

Hey @RLV2525,

You can either create one workflow that sends your first email as an automated email, add a delay of 24 or 48 hours and then check (via if/then branch) whether a contact has or has not interacted with the email. Alternatively, you'd have to create two workflows. One that sends the first email, the marketing email. A second one that is waiting for contacts to open this email. It's not very intuitive, I'd agree, but basing workflow actions on regular emails that have not been sent yet isn't supported by HubSpot.

@Phil_Vallender, good idea. I've tested it and it doesn't seem to work (at least not for me). It won't show up under Marketing emails in workflow triggers or list filters.

Best regards!

Re: Using a Marketing Mail as trigger to initiate workflow

RLV2525 — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 09:51:17 GMT

Hi @Phil_Vallender & @karstenkoehler ,

Thank you y'all for your quick reply!

Indeed, I've scheduled a regular mail first, but it would not show in the workflow criteria until it was sent. When sent and set a workflow with the trigger: When contact opens Mail 1, the workflow is not activated.
I would like to test it by sending Marketing Mail, but I don't know how to send a Marketing mail in general nor within a workflow. How should I test it?

Thanks in regards!

Re: Using a Marketing Mail as trigger to initiate workflow

karstenkoehler — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 09:57:39 GMT

Hi @RLV2525,

Was the workflow reviewed and published? (Review button on the upper right of the workflow editor) Only then is the workflow active and contacts will be enrolled based on your initial criteria. If this is your first time using a workflow, I'd recommend this resource: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/workflows/get-started-with-workflows

If the workflow is active but it's not enrolling any contacts, you can check the History tab for any clues. Search for contacts that should've been enrolled and you'll usually see whether there was an error.

To summarize your options:

Option 1: Send a regular marketing email, update the workflow after the email has been sent so that you can use it in the enrollment criteria and publish the workflow.

Option 2: Create all emails for this campaign as automated emails. This allows you to plan everything at once and not having to wait for the first email to be sent. All emails are sent as automated emails within the workflow, see here: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/email/create-automated-emails-to-use-in-workflows

Best regards!