Marketing Automation

---
name: marketing-automation
description: Marketing automation workflows, lead nurturing, segmentation, and lifecycle marketing.
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep
---

# Marketing Automation

> Scale personalized marketing through intelligent automation.

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## 1. Automation Strategy

| Level | Focus | Examples |
|-------|-------|----------|
| **Basic** | Time-based triggers | Welcome series, drips |
| **Behavioral** | Action-based triggers | Cart abandonment, browse |
| **Predictive** | AI-driven | Churn prevention, recommendations |

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## 2. Lead Lifecycle Stages

| Stage | Definition | Automation |
|-------|------------|------------|
| **Subscriber** | Email opt-in | Welcome series |
| **Lead** | Showed interest | Nurture sequence |
| **MQL** | Marketing qualified | Score + handoff |
| **SQL** | Sales qualified | Sales notification |
| **Opportunity** | In pipeline | Sales support |
| **Customer** | Converted | Onboarding |
| **Advocate** | Loyal | Referral program |

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## 3. Lead Scoring

### Scoring Criteria

| Category | Factors | Points |
|----------|---------|--------|
| **Demographic** | Job title, company size | +10-30 |
| **Firmographic** | Industry, revenue | +10-30 |
| **Behavioral** | Page views, downloads | +5-20 |
| **Engagement** | Email opens, clicks | +2-10 |
| **Negative** | Unsubscribe, bounce | -10-50 |

### Score Thresholds

| Score | Status | Action |
|-------|--------|--------|
| 0-25 | Cold | Nurture |
| 26-50 | Warm | Educate |
| 51-75 | MQL | Sales alert |
| 76+ | SQL | Immediate handoff |

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## 4. Common Automation Workflows

### Welcome Series

| Email | Timing | Content |
|-------|--------|---------|
| 1 | Immediate | Welcome, deliver promise |
| 2 | Day 2 | Best resource |
| 3 | Day 4 | Your story |
| 4 | Day 7 | Social proof |
| 5 | Day 10 | First offer |

### Lead Nurture

| Email | Timing | Content |
|-------|--------|---------|
| 1 | Trigger | Related to action |
| 2 | +3 days | Educational |
| 3 | +7 days | Case study |
| 4 | +14 days | Demo offer |
| 5 | +21 days | Limited offer |

### Cart Abandonment

| Email | Timing | Content |
|-------|--------|---------|
| 1 | 1 hour | Reminder |
| 2 | 24 hours | Benefits |
| 3 | 48 hours | Urgency/discount |

### Re-engagement

| Email | Timing | Content |
|-------|--------|---------|
| 1 | 30 days inactive | "We miss you" |
| 2 | 45 days | Best content |
| 3 | 60 days | Special offer |
| 4 | 75 days | Last chance |
| - | 90 days | Sunset from list |

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## 5. Segmentation Strategies

### Segmentation Types

| Type | Examples |
|------|----------|
| **Demographic** | Age, gender, location |
| **Firmographic** | Industry, company size |
| **Behavioral** | Purchases, page views |
| **Psychographic** | Interests, values |
| **Lifecycle** | Lead stage, tenure |

### Dynamic Segments

| Segment | Criteria |
|---------|----------|
| **Highly engaged** | Opened 3+ emails last 30 days |
| **At risk** | No opens 30 days |
| **Power users** | 10+ sessions/month |
| **High value** | LTV > $1000 |
| **Trial users** | On trial, < 7 days left |

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## 6. Trigger-Based Automation

### Behavioral Triggers

| Trigger | Automation |
|---------|------------|
| **Form submission** | Thank you + nurture |
| **Page visit** | Related content email |
| **Product view** | Browse abandonment |
| **Cart add** | Cart abandonment |
| **Purchase** | Onboarding + upsell |
| **Milestone** | Celebration email |

### Time-Based Triggers

| Trigger | Automation |
|---------|------------|
| **Signup anniversary** | Celebration + offer |
| **Last purchase +30 days** | Win-back |
| **Trial ending** | Conversion push |
| **Contract renewal** | Renewal sequence |

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## 7. Personalization

### Personalization Levels

| Level | Example |
|-------|---------|
| **Basic** | Name, company |
| **Behavioral** | Based on actions |
| **Predictive** | AI recommendations |

### Dynamic Content

| Variable | Use |
|----------|-----|
| **{{first_name}}** | Greeting |
| **{{company}}** | Reference |
| **{{last_product}}** | Cross-sell |
| **{{industry}}** | Relevant examples |
| **{{stage}}** | Stage-specific content |

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## 8. Multi-Channel Automation

### Channel Orchestration

| Channel | Best For |
|---------|----------|
| **Email** | Nurturing, detailed info |
| **SMS** | Urgent, time-sensitive |
| **Push** | App re-engagement |
| **In-app** | Contextual guidance |
| **Retargeting** | Re-engagement |

### Cross-Channel Workflow

```
Trigger: Cart abandonment
→ Wait 1 hour
→ Email: Cart reminder
→ Wait 24 hours
→ If no purchase: SMS reminder
→ Wait 48 hours  
→ If no purchase: Retargeting ad
```

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## 9. Automation Metrics

### Flow Metrics

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| **Completion rate** | >60% |
| **Conversion rate** | Varies by goal |
| **Unsubscribe rate** | <0.5% per email |
| **Revenue attribution** | Tracked to flow |

### Email Metrics

| Metric | Benchmark |
|--------|-----------|
| **Open rate** | 20-30% |
| **Click rate** | 2-5% |
| **Unsubscribe** | <0.5% |

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## 10. Automation Platforms

| Platform | Best For |
|----------|----------|
| **HubSpot** | All-in-one, B2B |
| **Klaviyo** | E-commerce |
| **ActiveCampaign** | SMB automation |
| **Marketo** | Enterprise B2B |
| **Customer.io** | Product-led growth |
| **Braze** | Mobile-first |

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> **Remember:** Automation should feel personal, not robotic. Use data to deliver the right message at the right time.