HubSpot SMS Drip Campaign - An Easy Setup Guide

SMS drip campaigns, also known as automated text campaigns , are a powerful tool in the world of SMS marketing. Text message drip campaigns are a set of automated marketing text messages that are sent out on a schedule or based on triggering events. Generally, drip marketing campaigns will send new messages every few days.

Based on the customer’s interaction with the message, different actions can be taken based on a set of predefined rules.

Now, creating an SMS drip campaign might seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Let us guide you step-by-step on how to craft an effective text message drip campaign in HubSpot using Sakari from the ground up.

For this, you’ll need a HubSpot account and a Sakari account. Don’t have Sakari yet? No worries, you can kickstart your SMS marketing success with a free trial of Sakari today.

Step 4: Name Your Workflow

Give your workflow a name that resonates with its purpose, like “HubSpot Drip SMS Campaign”. Next, click the “Set enrollment triggers” button.

Step 6: Craft Your First Message

Now we’re ready to configure the first drip text message. Click the orange “+” Add an action icon in the workflow timeline. This will open the Choose an Action window. Scroll to the bottom and select the Sakari Send SMS integration button.

Step 7: Personalize Your Message

Now we will define what field will be used as the send-to phone number. This is generally going to be your contact’s “Mobile phone number” field in HubSpot.

Phone Number Selection

This is the phone number that the drip text message will be sent to.

You can either manually type a phone number, which we don’t recommend, or use a contact token. By selecting the “Contact Token” button in the top right, you can then have the contact phone number automatically populated.

If you choose to use a contact token phone number, there are two default phone attributes in HubSpot: Phone Number and Mobile Phone Number. Select the option based on where your company/team populates customer mobile phone numbers.

The phone number field used must correspond with your HubSpot Sakari integration phone number.

Message Creation

Now we’ll configure the text message that will be sent. You can use a combination of static as well as token (dynamic) fields. The token fields will automatically insert contact attributes into your message.  This allows you to create a personal text message using a single SMS template.

In our example, we will select “First name” from the contact token drop-down field list.

Completed SMS Message Template

This template will automatically insert the contact name into each message.

Step 8: Design Your Campaign Flow

Now that you’ve set up the first text message, we will create the drip text messaging flow. A typical structure for a drip texting flow is: message, delay > conditional statement > message.

Here is how we’ll structure our HubSpot drip SMS workflow:

• Text message #1: Send the first text message.
• Delay: Add a delay of whatever duration you desire. This delay can be specified in days, hours or minute increments.
• If/then: Add a conditional if/then statement. This will stop the drip campaign if a contact replies.
• Text message #2: Send the second text message. Another round of delay and if/then rules will then follow any additional messages.
• Delay: Add a delay of whatever duration you desire. This delay can be specified in days, hours or minute increments.
• If/then: Add a conditional if/then statement. This will stop the drip campaign if a contact replies.
• Text message #3: Send the second text message. Another round of delay and if/then rules will then follow any additional messages.
  

Step 9: Implement Delays and Conditions

Between messages, set delays to ensure your contacts aren’t overwhelmed. Use if/then branches to adapt the campaign based on responses.

The delay will be applied between each message so that the messages will not be received simultaneously. We will add a delay measured in some days. After the first drip message is sent, the contacts will be queued until this delay has been completed.

Click the “+” icon below the “Send SMS” step to add your delay.

Select “Delay” as a building block.

Define your delay duration (usually measured in days).

The drip workflow with delay was added.

Step 10: Finalize Your Workflow

Continue adding messages, delays, and conditions, following the structure to create a comprehensive and responsive SMS drip campaign.

Now we will add a conditional “If/then” branch. This step is not required but is recommended. By adding a conditional branch, we can stop sending text messages to anyone who has replied to our messages.

Add If/then Branch

After selecting “If/then branch” as a building block, we need to define what our branch will be based on. In our example, we want to stop sending drip messages to anyone that has replied, so we will select “SMS Received property.”

We will select where the Message is known.

The drip messages flow with the first message, the delay and a conditional if/then statement added.

Step 11: Activate Your Campaign

Using the steps defined above, we will continue to add the rest of our drip text messages to the workflow. The structure is SMS message, delay, conditional statement, repeat. In each case, we will follow the “No” path in the workflow, where contacts have not replied to our text messages.

The completed HubSpot drip text messaging workflow is displayed in the image below. The workflow will begin based on manual enrollment, which we will discuss in Step #9 below.  Each of the steps are outlined by day in the bullet points below. It’s important to note that multiple contacts can be in a workflow at once, each at different steps of the flow.

Drip SMS Steps by Day

• Day 1: Contact(s) are added to the workflow and will immediately receive drip text message #1

• Day 5: A delay of 4 days occurs. Contacts that received the first message will reviewed in the “if/then” statement.  If they have responded to the drip message, they will be removed from the workflow and no longer receive any more text messages. If they haven’t responded then they will receive send second drip text message.

• Day 9: A second delay of 4 days occurs. All contacts that received the second text message will be reviewed. If they respond to the second text message then they will be removed from the workflow and no longer receive any more text messages. If they haven’t responded to any texts, then they will receive the third and final drip message.

Step 12: Enroll Contacts

Now we’re ready to add some contacts to our workflow. Choose how you’ll add contacts to this campaign – either enrolling them from a list or selecting individuals manually.

Manual Workflow Enrollment Options

First, select the “Enroll” button in the top right. Because we selected manual enrollment when we first set up our drip messaging campaign, we have two options: enrolling from a list or choosing contacts.

Enrollment options:

• Enroll from a list: use a dynamic or static list to enroll contacts in the drip SMS campaign.
• Choose contacts: select one or more contacts individually to enroll in a workflow.

In our example, we will choose the “Choose contacts” option. This will allow us to manually assign contacts to our workflow.

Add Drip Messaging Contacts

Select the contact(s) you want to enroll in your HubSpot drip text messaging campaign. Click the “Enroll” button and your messages will begin to send out.

And there you have it – your guide to creating a dynamic and effective HubSpot Drip SMS Campaign, designed to keep your audience engaged and informed at every step.

Unlock the Power of Automated SMS Campaigns in HubSpot with Sakari

With Sakari's integration with HubSpot, you can enhance your marketing strategies by automating your text message campaigns. Start your free trial with Sakari now, get a free phone number, and use your 10 texts to explore the effectiveness of SMS drip campaigns.