Annual Subscription Renewal Notices

[Kim_Gandy1]

Setting up an email campaign for annual subscription renewals, and thinking I'm overcomplicating this. Would someone mind reviewing my smart campaign and sharing any tips? Thanks!

Smart Campaign #1

Smart List:

• (trigger) Data Value Changes
• Attribute: Subscription Type
• New value is paid

Flow:

• Wait until 30 days before {{lead.subscription expire date}} at 9am
• Send email
• Wait until 14 days before {{lead.subscription expire date}} at 9am
• Send email
• Wait until 1 days before {{lead.subscription expire date}} at 9am
• Send email
• Wait until 7 days after {{lead.subscription expire date}} at 9am
• Send email

Smart Campaign #2

Smart List:

• (trigger) Data Value Changes
• Attribute: Subscription Expire Date
• Previous value in future 30 days
• New value in future after 365 days

Flow:

• (trigger) Remove from Flow
• Campaign is smart campaign #1

[Amanda_Thomas6]

Hi KIm Gandy

We have a similar use case, emailing people for renewals. Our set up is similar to Greg's second comment. It's 2 mini campaigns one at 60 days before the account will renew and one at 30 days.

[Amanda_Thomas6]

KIm Gandy​. We found that it was pulling all of ours within today and 90 days from now. (ooops). We just decided to send email alerts through salesforce. Not all the way set up, yet. When it is I can show you how it works! Should be done in the next week-ish.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

HI Kim,

This should work but this will drive you to have a campaign with leads in wait step for very long times. Not good as you can hardly control it (it is not possible to get  a smart list of leads in a wait step for instance). Also, the second SC will exclude the lead forever if the renewal date is set to be in more than 1 year. Is there any reason for this?

I would rather use a batch smart campaign, to run every day and a static list named "In renewal process"

Smart list:

• Subscription renewal date in future 30 days
• member of list is NOT in "In renewal process"

Flow

• Add to list "In Renewal Process"
• Send email
• Wait 16 days
• Send email
• Wait 15 days
• Send email
• Wait 8 days
• Send email
• Wait 1 day
• Remove from list "In renewal process"

Then another SC, triggered

Smart List:

• (trigger) Data Value Changes - Attribute: Subscription Expire Date - New value in future after 30 days
• filter : member of list "In Renewal Process"

Flow:

• Remove from Flow - Campaign is smart campaign #1
• Remove from list "In Renewal Process"

-Greg

[Grégoire_Miche2 · Accepted solution]

HI again Kim,

Second thoughts: even with the structure I wrote, there are some flaws: what if someone has his data updated with the renewal date set to be in 14 days?

So in the reality, I would create 1 small batch campaign for each for email.

SC#1:

Smart list:

• Subscription renewal date in future 30 days
• Subscription type is paid

Flow

• Send email #1

Qualification rules

• Each lead can run through the flow once every 31 days

SC#2:

Smart list :

1. Subscription renewal date in future 14 days
2. Subscription type is paid

Flow

• Send email #2

Qualification rules

• Each lead can run through the flow once every 15 days

SC#3:

Smart list :

1. Subscription renewal date in future 1 days
2. Subscription type is paid

Flow

• Send email #3

Qualification rules

• Each lead can run through the flow once every 2 days

SC#4:

Smart list :

1. Subscription renewal date in past 1 day
2. Subscription type is paid

Flow

• Wait 6 days
• Send email
  • choice: if Subscription renewal date in past 7 days -> send email #4
  • default : do nothing

-Greg

[Kim_Gandy1]

Hi Grégoire Michel​,

This is the campaign that keeps on giving, haha. The campaigns have a handful of leads receiving the same email on back to back days (primarily SC #4). What qualification rule or other tactic should I use to avoid this?

SC#4:

Smart list :

1. Subscription renewal date in past 1 day
2. Subscription type is paid

Flow

• Wait 6 days
• Send email
  • choice: if Subscription renewal date in past 7 days -> send email #4
  • default : do nothing

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Kim,

Normally, the qualification rule should be once per 25 hours ( a little more than 1 day, to account for campaign execution delay). If some leads receive the email many times, check first you do not have duplicates in the DB and chekc the activity log to see if indeed the same lead has received the email from the same campaign.

-Greg

[Kim_Gandy1]

On second thought, I'm going to test drive adding "NOT delivered email (name) in past 2 days" to my smart lists.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

HI Kim,

Yes, that's a way to go as well.

-Greg

[Kim_Gandy1]

Thanks Greg, I'll give 25 hours a try.

[Kim_Gandy1]

Hi Greg,

Doing some testing with your recommended campaign and flow, but see a few bugs. I'd like to email leads at exactly 30, 14, and 1 day until expiration, but by using "in future x days" the qualified leads have a range of dates. Any tips on how to resolve?

Thanks!

Kim

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Kim,

This is where the qualification rules comes in. They prevent the to enter more than once. and as you will run the batchs every day, leads will be caught at exactly 30 and 14 days.

You could also use static lists there as well. When the lead run through the flow add it to a static list. And test on that same flow smart list that the lead does not belong to the static list.

-Greg

[Kim_Gandy1]

Hi Greg,

Building an addition campaign around this series to email leads who let subscription expire +30 days. If I build around SC #4 from your above recommendation,

SC#4:

Smart list :

1. Subscription renewal date in past 1 day
2. Subscription type is paid

Flow

• Wait 6 days
• Send email
  • choice: if Subscription renewal date in past 7 days -> send email #4
  • default : do nothing

I'll be waiting 29 days for the first email in this new campaign to send. Also, I thought too long of a wait step would bog down my system. Any suggestions?

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Kim,

No that should work. You could also just use 2 filters:

• renewal date in past before 30 day
• renewal date in past 32 days

And send the email. Run it every day and let lead qualify only once per 2 days.

That would avoid the wait.

-Greg

[Kim_Gandy1]

For SC #4, would the qualification rule be:

• Each lead can run through the flow once every 366 days

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Kim,

Not sure. What if someones renew for 6 months? You will need to run the series again in 180 days and you would be stuck.

SC4 has a "date in past 1 day" meaning the lead can only qualify for it during 24 hours, so no risk that it qualifies twice in 2 days, unless someone has changed the date.

You can also use a static list to mark leads in the process.

One static list will be necessary. Call in "in Renewal Process".

Add an "add to list" -> In renewal Process" to SC 1 to 3. And a "remove from list" in SC4. in SC4, you will also add a "member of list -> In renewal process" to the filters. It will guarantee that no one can enter the SC4 without having been into the 3 first.

-Greg

[Kim_Gandy1]

Also, by using "Subscription renewal date in future 30 day," could a lead be added to the campaign at any point within the 30 day window of their renewal? Or would this only send to leads exactly 30 days from renewal?

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Kim,

It could enter any point in time in the 30 days. But the "Each lead can run through the flow once every 31 days" criteria would make sure it enters there only once in the 30 days.

If you feel you may have some case in which the lead is suddenly set a date in 10 days, then you may have an issue since it would enter simultaneously in the -30 days and the -14 days. In this case, you just need to add a couple of smart lists to control this.

• Smart list "Renewal in less than 14 days": filter : Subscription renewal date in future 14 days
• Smart list "Renewal in less than 1 days": filter : Subscription renewal date in future 1 day

The 2 first SC would become

SC#1:

Smart list:

• Subscription renewal date in future 30 days
• Subscription type is paid
• Member of smart list IS NOT in "renewal in less than 14 days"

Flow

• Send email #1

Qualification rules

• Each lead can run through the flow once every 31 days

SC#2:Smart list :

1. Subscription renewal date in future 14 days
2. Subscription type is paid
3. member of smart list IS NOT "renewal in less than 1 day"

Flow

• Send email #2

Qualification rules

• Each lead can run through the flow once every 15 days

-Greg

[Kim_Gandy1]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for these options. All of our subscriptions are set for annual renewals, so would you still say your second solution is best? If so, is your "remove from flow" smart campaign the same as first solution? I'd like to automate the process and avoid static lists/uploads.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Kim,

Static lists are just for control, there is no upload. Marketo will add leads to the list and remove them from the lists.

and in the second scenario, you do not need a "remove from flow" since each mini batch is a one of.

Just make sure that the batches are all set to "run every time", so that each lead can requalify each year.

-Greg