Automation Actions
What is an Automation Action?
An Automation Action is the action that takes place as a result of triggers in an Automation. Once a trigger starts an Automation, actions can send messages to Contacts, update Contact Profiles, update Automations, or pass information using a webhook.
In This Guide
This guide explains what each Automation action is and how to use them.
Send Message
Use Send Message actions to send email or SMS messages to your Contacts, or to send simple notification emails.
Click the + icon to add a new node to your Automation. Click Send Message under Actions, then select the type of message to send.
Add an Email
Click Email under Send Message to add an email node to your Automation. You can create a new email by clicking Create New Email or duplicate an existing email within the Automation by clicking the Select Email dropdown.
Enter or edit a name to identify your email. Select any advanced features you'd like to use, then select a Sender Profile. Click Next: Content to build your email. Check out our guide to Sendlane's email builder!
Click Activate at the bottom of the left-hand sidebar when you're ready to start sending. Emails will not send until you click Activate.
Add an SMS
Click Send SMS under Send Message.
Review the SMS Content section of the How to Send an SMS Campaign guide for detailed instructions on creating effective marketing SMS messages.
🚨 Important Note
SMS messages will only be sent to Contacts once per day
Add a Notification
Notifications can be used to send simple email messages when Contacts reach certain nodes of an Automation. Notifications are most commonly used for internal purposes. For example, use a Beacon event to trigger an Automation with a notification node to alert your sales team that someone has viewed your pricing page!
Click Send Email Notification under Send Message. Fill out From name and From email with the sender information that should appear in recipients' inboxes. Fill out the Send to field with the email address that should receive the notification (separate multiple email addresses with commas.) Enter a Subject and Message for your notification, then click Done to save!
Update Contact Property
Use the Update Contact Property actions to make edits to a Contact's profile
| Subscribe to List | Add the Contact to a specified List |
| Unsubscribe from List* | Remove the Contact from a specified List |
| Add Tag | Add the specified Tag to a Contact's profile |
| Remove Tag | Remove the specified Tag from a Contact's profile |
🚨 Important Note
If your Automation unsubscribes Contacts from a List that triggers the Automation, make sure the Unsubscribe from List action is the last action in the Automation
Update Automation
Use the Update Automation actions to change Automations
| End & Start New | End the current Automation and begin another specified Automation |
| End Other | End another specified Automation |
Webhook
Use a Webhook action to pass information to Sendlane when Contacts reach a node in your Automation.
Check out our Webhook guide for detailed instructions on using Webhooks in Automations!