Advice Wanted: Recurring Email Program for New Members

[thonesrl]

I'm building an email program and wanted feedback where and if I can set things up better. 

In an attempt to minimize the number of email sends we have in our instance, I've been attempting to build an email program that new members cycle through and exit every month while the content stays the same. This way, cloning this email program is no longer necessary. 

This is a series of three emails that go out one month apart from the last. The recipient list is sourced externally and sent to me as a .csv. Since the content in the emails stays the same (the emails themselves are perfectly static), I want to upload the .csv into a static list, have the series of emails run for each of the members, and then have these members are removed from the program so they cannot run through again. 

The way I have things set up at the moment is this: 

Smart Campaign 1: 

1. Member of List: Static List Import

2. Member of Program: false, program is: this program

/ 

1. Send Email: Email 01

2. Change Program Status: Sent

3. Wait: 3 Weeks

4. Request Campaign: Smart Campaign 2

Smart Campaign 2: 

1. Campaign is Requested

2. Member of Program: true, program is: this program, program status: is sent

/ 

1. Send Email: Email 02

2. Wait: 3 Weeks

3. Request Campaign: Smart Campaign 3

Smart Campaign 3: 

1. Campaign is Requested

2. Member of Program: true, program is: this program, program status: is sent

/ 

1. Send Email: Email 02

3. Remove From List: Static List Import

I'm wondering if this is a safe way to have this set up. I've set SC2 and SC3 up as trigger campaigns so coordinators only have to schedule this once per execution. Coordinators would add new leads to the "Static List Import" list every month, and then schedule SC1 to run. The goal is to have this program run for only new members without knocking members already flowing through the program out of their cadence. 

Thanks in advance for any feedback and peer review! I'm an open book! 

[Michael_Florin · Accepted solution]

Hello - and sorry if that sounds like nitpicking, but what you're describing is not an "Email Program". An Email Program is a very specific program type in Marketo, but what you are using here is a default program.

About your program: I have the feeling your setup is a little over-engineered. You don't really need three Smart Campaigns to send three emails. And you don't need to remove people from lists, as there are other Marketo-intrinsic mechanisms that help you achieve what you want.

First idea: Just have one Smart Campaign, set it to "Can run only once" (which is also default for a Smart Campaign), and just use this setup:

1. Smart List: Member of List

2. Flow: Send Email 1, wait three weeks, send Email 2, wait three weeks, send Email 3

Even if people appear on next week's list upload again, they won't enter the flow again.

Second idea: Use an Engagement Program (which is what I would most likely do). Engagement Programs are Marketo's approach to nurtures, and their main concept fits perfectly here: Same content for an always changing audience. Create an Engagement Program, have just one Stream, place your emails underneath each other, set the schedule to run every three weeks. Same base concepts apply: Returning people won't be added to this nurture a second time.

Google something like "marketo engagement program variable cadence" if you want to make the sending schedule more flexible. (I'm not allowed to link my own blog posts here).

[thonesrl]

Thanks for the response, Michael! 

Yes, I understand this is a default program- however, because as an organization (and this is above me) we haven't began using the Nurture channel, I've been nesting what is practically a Default Program under an Email Program to access our "Email Send" channel. It's weird, but it is how it is. I'll have to get around to figuring that out. 

Well understood on the two options. I'll go with your first idea here to make things simpler. Big appreciate you! 

[SanfordWhiteman]

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Yes, I understand this is a default program- however, because as an organization (and this is above me) we haven't began using the Nurture channel, I've been nesting what is practically a Default Program under an Email Program to access our "Email Send" channel. It's weird, but it is how it is.

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OK, but you don’t have a Default Program under an Email Program. You have a set of Smart Campaigns — no reason to try to re-label it as it’s just confusing for everyone. So many things are different with a Default Program that don’t apply here.

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Yes, I understand this is a default program- however, because as an organization (and this is above me) we haven't began using the Nurture channel, I've been nesting what is practically a Default Program under an Email Program to access our "Email Send" channel.

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Not sure why the Channel is the decision maker? You could have a Channel with the same statuses that works w/Default Program.