An automation does exactly what the name suggests — something happens automatically.
By replacing manual processes with automated ones, you save time, increase efficiency, and take advantage of the opportunities that Marketing Automation opens up. You can read more about what marketing automation is here. In Rule, you can send both automated SMS and emails.
How to Create an Automation
Click on "Automations"
Then click on "New automation"
Edit Automation
Give your automation a name.
Choose what should trigger your automation — Tag or Segment.
Choose whether the send-out should be Marketing or Transactional.
Click "Add message" to create an email or SMS.
You can also add a Tag that all members are assigned once they have completed the entire automation.
Message Type
Select Email or SMS.
Sender Information
Enter Sender Name (this can be a name, company, or organization) and Sender Address.
Enter your Subject.
You can preview your message by clicking the "Preview" button.
Any update to an email is automatically saved but we recommend that you always use Save and exit when you're done editing an email.
Edit Automation
After creating and saving your email, you’ll see your first message appear in your automation overview.
Click the three dots to the right of the message to access four options:
Edit – return to the editor to make changes.
Statistics – view how many times the message has been sent and to which members.
Create copy – create a copy of the message within the automation flow.
Delete – remove the message completely from the automation.
Delay
Click the clock icon to set a delay for your message.
Keep in mind that messages in Automations are sorted chronologically when using a simple delay. However, if you add a custom delay, they are displayed in the order they were created instead.
This is because a custom date value for a member can occur before, at the same time as, or after another date value, depending on the available member data.
Activate the Automation
Once your flow is set up as you want it, double-check that every step in the flow is marked as Active.
When you’re completely satisfied and ready to start sending, click "Activate" for the entire flow.
It will then move from "Inactive" to "Active".
