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How to Create a Drip Campaign

Learn how drip campaigns work in Smart Marketing and how to build them step by step. Learn when to use drip campaigns and covers creating a campaign, choosing a segment, building multi-email sequences with delays, and scheduling automated sends.

Michelle Carone avatar
Written by Michelle Carone
Updated yesterday

Drip campaigns send a series of emails to each contact over time, with delays between messages. Each contact moves through the sequence individually.

Use drip campaigns for lead nurturing, follow-ups, and structured communication.


Step 1: Go to Smart Marketing

From the Campaigns tab, click New Campaign.


Step 2: Create a New Campaign

  1. Select Drip Campaign

  2. Enter a campaign name and optional description

  3. Click Create Campaign


Step 3: Choose or Create a Segment

Select the segment that determines who enters the drip campaign.

Important notes:

  • Each drip campaign uses one segment only

  • Contacts enter individually as they qualify


Step 4: Build Your Email Sequence

Add the First Step

  • Choose a template

  • Enter a subject line

The first email:

  • Has no delay

  • Sends the day the contact enters the segment, at the campaign’s scheduled send time


Add Additional Steps

For each additional email:

  1. Click Add Step

  2. Choose a template and subject line

  3. Set how many days after the previous step it should send

You can:

  • Reorder steps

  • Edit content

  • Adjust delays before scheduling

Limits:

  • Up to 10 email steps per drip campaign

  • Up to 999 days between steps


Step 5: Set Schedule Details

Choose:

  • Start date (when the campaign becomes active)

  • Send time (time of day all steps are sent)

All steps send at the same time of day.


Step 6: Review and Schedule

  • Review the full sequence and delays

  • Confirm how many contacts currently match the segment

  • Click Schedule


Done!

New contacts will automatically enter the drip campaign when they qualify and move through the sequence until:

  • All steps are completed, or

  • They no longer meet the segment criteria


Drip Campaign Setup | 2:26

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