How to run a batch looking back exactly 7 days ago

[Matt_Rodriguez]

Hello Marketo community,

We are trying to set up a drip email campaign (using a default program type) that looks at the date of an activity, and then sends an email exactly one week after that activity took place. We're currently using the 'in past before = 7 days' operator on the filter but it's not quite what I'm looking for because in past before is an open window that looks back to everyone who did an activity 7+ days ago. Is there anyway to structure the smart list in order to look back exactly 7 days ago? For example, activity happens on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. On Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018, we'd like to send them an email. If the activity happens on Thursday, 8/16/18, then we'd want to send them an email on Thursday 8/23/2018 etc. Because in past before is looking at anyone who did an activity on 8/15/18 or before, it's grabbing too many people.

Thanks.

[Jim_Thao7]

Idea: If you set this to run on a recurring daily basis, you can just add a wait step for 7 days in the flow and the email to send after that.  They will qualify on their first day, but have to wait 7 days before the email is sent.

[Matt_Rodriguez]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for responding! While I totally understand the approach you took, I think the issue lies with the smart campaign and not necessarily with the flow action. Marketo doesn't have an operator that looks at "activity happened x number of days ago" and so you either grab everyone who took an action 0-7 days ago or you grab everyone who took an action 7+ days ago.

[SanfordWhiteman]

In Jim's scenario, the SC filters on interesting actions that occurred that day, then the email goes out to those folks 7 days later, so the effect is the same.

[Matt_Rodriguez]

Thanks Sanford, I see what Jim is saying. This solution wouldn't work for my particular situation as the filter I'm using is based off of a custom object field and the way the data gets populated has limitations.

[SanfordWhiteman]

Not to belabor the point, but what limitations does your CO Date field have so that after-before constraints work, but the in-today constraint doesn't work? 

Also, if you're using two separate filters on Added to Custom Object/Has Custom Object, bear in mind that they aren't guaranteed to be checking the same CO entry. This can lead to hard-to-track problems.

[Matt_Rodriguez]

So the filter I'm using is 'Has "Custom Object"' with a constraint of Creation Date_Time and the operator of in past 7 days (thanks to the suggestion of Devraj). I have to include some kind of creation date time stamp or it'll include anyone who has the custom object which is way too many for this campaign. That seems to be where the sticking point is as Marketo doesn't have an operator for 'created x days ago'. I'm not sure if that answers your question though.

[SanfordWhiteman]

In past 0 days means today.

That's all you'd need to use the Wait method.

[Matt_Rodriguez]

Gotcha, that makes sense now! If the other method gets too complicated or I'm not seeing the correct number of leads getting pulled I definitely try this out. Thank you

[Devraj_Grewal]

This solutions works as well, but I tend to avoid long wait steps since after 7 days the smart list for that smart campaign could disqualify someone and they would still be in the flow.

Ex. smart list has filter for person status: client

flow: wait 7 days > send client newsletter

But if in those 7 days the person status changes, they would no longer qualify but they would still run through the flow.