An Infusionsoft campaign can have lots of moving parts with multiple branches reaching out in different directions. Planning out all of the different steps before actually setting them up can save you time, effort and frustration.
Many of my Infusionsoft clients, and even myself sometimes, want to just jump right into the campaign builder and start building based on our ideas. But without a real plan, we’re just testing the waters to see what’s possible, which lends itself to potentially needing a ton of edits before it’s all done and published.
When we take the time to carefully plan out the campaign first outside of the campaign builder, when we do go in we go in armed with a process and then we can use the campaign builder to map it out, add content, and publish. Check check done!
If your impulse also is to just jump right in, I encourage you to consider using the steps below. Plan out your campaign steps and timing. Plan out deadlines for campaign deliverables and who will deliver them. This will pay off big when you can pull all the pieces together inside the Infusionsoft Campaign Builder quickly and efficiently, and launch your campaign successfully.
Sometimes we don’t realize how much time and effort is needed to launch a new campaign, especially when it contains a ton of email pieces or landing page/sales page design and text. Planning this way will help you see everything that’s needed, how it fits in, and when it will be ready to be added to your campaign. You’re able to plan your campaign building time accordingly and make the most of our time.
When using the Infusionsoft Campaign Builder, it’s helpful to remember that at the campaign level, all of the squares are traffic sources, the circles are goals/triggers, and the rectangles are sequences. This helps you quickly identify which pieces of the puzzle fit where. The campaign builder is ever evolving and these indicators could change in the future, but as of this writing, we’re looking at squares, circles and rectangles. The basic building blocks of your campaign.
Step 1: Identify the type of campaign
So many campaigns, so many choices. Each campaign should have a desired outcome. What is the goal or desired outcome of one of your campaign?
Another piece of helpful information to know is, who will be added to this campaign? Who is it for? (ex. existing prospects, new leads, previous customers, new customers, etc.). At the Campaign Level you will be working with Traffic Sources, Goals, and Sequences.
Traffic Sources are simply non-functioning placeholder images that help you remember where the traffic for your campaign is coming from. Some example traffic sources are a) your existing list, b) your website, c) your social media accounts, just to name a few.
Goals are where the real action happens. They stop and start sequences based on the programming you set up. They also track and help measure engagement level of the contacts in your campaign. Some example goals are a) a webform is filled out (either on your website or via a link in an email you sent them), b) a link is clicked in an email you sent them to indicate interest, answer a question, or fill out a form, c) a tag is applied to a contact record, just to name a few. 🙂
Sequences hold a string (or multiple stings) of processes/actions that occur based on timers that are set up inside the sequences. They are process and timing oriented. Some example process include a) sending an email, b) sending a voice message, c) assigning a task to a user, and d) applying a tag to the contact record.
At the sequence level the landscape looks a little different. What is happening and when are the questions to answer when building out your automated sequences/processes.
Answering these additional questions will help identify your target audience and set the tone for your communications and processes. Some other good questions are:
- What actions do I want the person to take? (ex. fill out a form, click a link in an email, order a product)
- If they take the action I want, what should happen next? And next?
- What do I want to do if they don’t take the desired action? (this is only applicable to existing contacts and not applicable to new leads visiting your website).
- How am I driving traffic to my campaign entry point (ex. Web form, landing page, order page)?
- What are my work flow processes, if any, for this campaign?
- How can I automate more processes without sacrificing customer delight?
Separate out different types of campaigns. It’s okay to have one lead capture campaign that contains all of your online traffic sources and lead capture forms (depending on how many “all” actually is), but start a new campaign when it comes times to create your new customer campaign or prospect long term nurture campaign.
Do you know your campaign type yet? Will it be a new lead campaign, a prospect short term or long term nurture campaign, or maybe a product purchased campaign? In the example below, I’m planning a video lead magnet campaign (same thing as a lead capture campaign). We’ll get to that it step 3.
Step 2: Identify the criteria that starts and stops the campaign
We have Who (who the campaign is for), right? :______________________________
Now need the How. How will they get into the campaign?
Knowing this will identify which campaign entry points (goals) need to be created.
Some additional automated Goals include:
- Fill out a landing page form
- Order a product
- Click a link in an email
- A task is completed by a user
Some common manual goals include:
- A user applies a note template
- A user applies a tag (or a tag is applied in another campaign or action)
- A user completes a task
Next, how and when will people be removed from the campaign? Or if not removed, how will they qualify to move on to other parts of the campaign? How do they move forward?
The same methods above can be used to stop a sequence for a contact. Think about how and when you will stop the sequences in your campaign.
For example, when a purchase is made would be a good time to stop a sales sequence. When a download link is clicked would be a good stop trigger for an ebook delivery sequence that reminds people to download the ebook.
In my free video lead magnet campaign, my stop goal/trigger is when someone clicks the download link in my “video delivery email” that I send them after they’ve given me their name and email address (via step 1 Fill Out Web Form).
Step 3: Identify the specific campaign steps
What are the campaigns steps? What are the sequence processes and timing?
Map it out! Use an excel spreadsheet, mind mapping software, a white board, or something as simple as my planning chart.
I’ve included some example first steps to show how using a charts can help the project feel more organized.
>>> Click here to download a blank copy of my planning chart. <<<
Example campaign steps for a free video lead magnet campaign.
This is a very important step and represents the majority of your campaign automation. Don’t forget to use processes like applying a note, assigning a task, applying a tag, and setting the contact’s owner to a specific user, in your sequences. Take time to make a list of your current manual processes and try to include an automated equivalent when building your sequences.
Besides using shapes as a visual indicator, the Campaign Builder also uses colors. Colors provide a visual indicator readiness of each individual piece as well as the sequences and campaign as a whole. These color indicators apply to all of the campaign pieces, not just the sequences shown below.
What’s Next? Check out my next article for help on getting started building your campaign.
Campaign Builder Best Practices (a work in progress)
Vania Clark-Butler is an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant (ICC) and self-proclaimed power user since 2005. Process oriented, she shares Infusionsoft best practices to help you get set up the right way to optimize your software. For fun, she enjoys cooking, kundalini yoga, business podcasts, and spending time outdoors with her husband and their two exuberant boxers exploring the Arizona desert. - See more at: http://www.automatingsuccess.com.
Visit www.automatingsuccess.com/consultation to request a free 30-minute consultation with Vania to discuss your Infusionsoft strategy.
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