Triggered campaigns help you deliver highly personalized experiences by sending automated emails based on specific actions your subscribers take or data stored in their contact profiles. Rather than sending one-size-fits-all emails, triggered campaigns allow you to reach each subscriber at the right moment with content that matters most to them.

These campaigns not only save time but also drive stronger engagement compared to traditional email blasts.

What Is a Triggered Campaign?

A triggered campaign is an automated email that is sent when a subscriber meets specific criteria. These triggers might include subscribing to your list, making a purchase, celebrating a birthday, or any other behavior or data point you choose.

By delivering emails exactly when they are relevant, triggered campaigns often see higher open and click rates compared to standard marketing campaigns.

How to Create a Triggered Campaign in Delivra

Setting up a triggered campaign involves two main steps:

1. Build a Triggered Segment in the Contacts dashboard.
2. Create a Triggered Campaign in the Campaigns dashboard.
   

For information on creating a Triggered Segment, see this article: Triggered Segments

Create a Triggered Campaign

1. Navigate to the Campaigns Dashboard
   
1. Click Create Campaign in the top right corner.
   
2. Setup
   
1. Name your campaign.
   
2. Choose Automated Email as the campaign type, then select Triggered as the subtype.
   
3. Optionally assign the campaign to a folder for organization.
   
3. Design
   
1. Choose your design starting point: a template, a blank canvas, or an HTML upload.
   
2. Use the drag-and-drop editor to design your email with layout, content, and action elements.
   
4. Email Setup
   
1. Choose your Sender Name and Sender Address.
   
2. Enter your Subject Line and optional Preheader Text.
   
3. Select the appropriate Footer or create a new one if needed.
   
5. Contacts
   
1. Select the triggered segment you created and move it to the right-hand box.
   
2. Only triggered segments will appear for selection during this step.
   
6. Preview
   
1. Review the From and Subject lines.
   
2. Check the contact merge and overall file size.
   
3. View the browser version of the email.
   
7. Test
   
1. Send test copies to review rendering, image loading, and link functionality.
   
2. Optionally request a spam analysis report.
   
3. Set the start and end date range for testing.
   
8. Schedule
   
1. Configure when the trigger should run and how frequently.
   
2. Options include sending immediately or before/after a specific date.
   
3. Set an optional expiration date to end the campaign.
   

Understanding the Scheduling Options

1. Send Date and Time
    - This is the date and time when the Triggered Campaign will start looking for contacts that meet the Trigger criteria of the selected Triggered Segment(s). This will also determine the starting point for your recurring schedule.
2. How far back do you want to check for recipients?
    - This tells the system how far back it should look for contacts that meet the starting criteria. This ONLY affects the initial send - all subsequent sends will automatically look back to the last time the campaign ran.
   
3. How frequently do you want the trigger to run?
    - This is the schedule of your campaign. You can set the campaign to run on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis. You also have the options to put restrictions on the days or times the campaign can send. For example, you can set your mailing to send daily but only on weekdays.
   
4. When the trigger runs, how soon should the recipient receive the message?
    - This has has two options
1. Immediate: Contacts should receive the email as soon as possible, which is the first scheduled send after meeting their trigger event date
   
1. Example: A contact attends an event at 9pm.If your mailing is set to run hours then they will receive the mailing at 10pm. If your mailing is set to run daily at 9am, then they will receive the mailing at 9am the next morning. 
2. Scheduled: Send your message a specified amount of time before or after the contact's event. This will send the email to the contact on the first scheduled send after the adjusted time.
   
1. Example: A contact has an event scheduled at 9pm Friday. Your mailing is scheduled to run daily at 9am and send 2 days before the trigger event. The contact will receive the mailing at 9am Thursday, as that is the first scheduled send after 2 days before the event (Wednesday 9pm)
5. When should the trigger run for the last time?
    - Automatically stop your triggered campaign from sending at a specified date and time. This is useful if you have a time-limited event so your email does not continue to send after your event has concluded.
   

1. Send Date and Time - Monday morning at 9am
   
2. How far back do you want to check for recipients? - Previous Friday at 9am
   
3. How frequently do you want the trigger to run? - Every 1 day. We want this to send every day, so no need to set any limitations.
   
4. When the trigger runs, how soon should the recipient receive the message? - Immediately
   
5. When should the trigger run for the last time? - October 31st at 9am
   

Best Practices and Tips

• Use Clear Triggers: Select trigger events that align with your campaign goals.
• Personalize Thoughtfully: Add dynamic content to tailor the email to each subscriber.
• Test Before Launch: Always preview and test your campaign before going live.
• Monitor Campaign Performance: Regularly check reports to see how your triggered campaigns are performing and make improvements.

Practical Use Cases

• Welcome Series: Greet new subscribers based on their signup date.
• Post-Purchase Follow-Ups: Thank customers and suggest related products.
• Event Reminders: Send timely reminders based on event dates.
• Birthday or Anniversary Messages: Celebrate special milestones with personalized emails.

If you have any questions or need help setting up a triggered campaign, feel free to reach out to our Support team by emailing us at support@delivra.com.