Marketing Automation Playbook

Use when

• Designs automated lead nurturing sequences triggered by prospect actions — form submissions, content downloads, WhatsApp opt-ins, webinar attendance, and purchase events. Invoke when a client needs to replace manual follow-up with a systematic, always-on nurture system that converts leads without requiring human intervention at every step. Sources: Pidsley (2023); Zahay et al. (2024); Hanlon and Tuten (2022).
• Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.

Do not use when

• Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
• Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.

Workflow

1. Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
2. Follow the section order and decision rules in this SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
3. Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
• Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
• Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.

Outputs

• A structured markdown document, plan, playbook, or strategy ready for client-facing or internal use.

References

• Use the inline instructions in this skill now. If a references/ directory is added later, treat its files as the deeper source material and keep this SKILL.md execution-focused.

Required Inputs

Ask for the following before generating any output:

1. Business name — trading name of the client
2. Industry — sector and niche
3. Country / city — default is Uganda/East Africa
4. Primary goal — what automation must achieve (convert leads to enquiries, nurture to first purchase, re-engage lapsed customers, onboard new clients)
5. Current follow-up method — how the business currently follows up with leads (manual calls, sporadic emails, nothing formal)
6. Primary communication channel — email, WhatsApp, or both
7. Technology in use — any CRM, email platform, or automation tool already deployed
8. Sales cycle length — how long from first enquiry to purchase on average

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What Marketing Automation Is

Marketing automation is a system that sends the right message to the right person at the right time — automatically, triggered by that person's behaviour. The alternative — manual follow-up — is inconsistent, does not scale, and depends on the availability and memory of individual team members. Automation does not replace human relationships; it ensures that no lead falls through the gaps between human touchpoints.

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The Four Trigger Categories

Map the client's business against all four categories before designing any sequences. A trigger event that is skipped now becomes a gap in the nurture system later.

1. Acquisition Triggers

Events that create a new contact in the system.

Trigger	Response
Form submission (website, landing page)	Immediate confirmation + lead magnet delivery
Lead magnet download	Welcome sequence begins
First WhatsApp message	Greeting message + sequence entry
Webinar or event registration	Registration confirmation + pre-event nurture
Referral introduction	Personalised welcome acknowledging the referral source

2. Engagement Triggers

Events that indicate the contact is active and interested.

Trigger	Response
Email opened but not clicked	Follow-up within 48 hours with a different angle on the same topic
Link clicked in email	Send deeper content on the specific topic clicked
Webinar attended	Post-event follow-up sequence (within 24 hours)
Webinar registered but did not attend	"You missed it" sequence with recording access
Pricing page visited (if trackable)	High-intent follow-up — offer consultation or next step

3. Purchase Triggers

Events that confirm a transaction has occurred.

Trigger	Response
First purchase	Onboarding sequence — confirm order, set expectations, introduce the relationship
Repeat purchase	Loyalty acknowledgement — thank the customer and reinforce the relationship
Abandoned cart / lapsed enquiry	Re-engagement sequence — 3 messages over 7 days with decreasing urgency
Subscription or retainer signed	Welcome + onboarding pack delivery

4. Lifecycle Triggers

Events triggered by the passage of time rather than an action.

Trigger	Response
30 days of inactivity (no opens, no clicks)	Re-engagement sequence
90 days since last purchase	Win-back sequence
Anniversary of first purchase	Relationship moment — thank the customer, share what has changed
Subscription renewal approaching	Renewal reminder sequence (14 days, 7 days, 1 day before)

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Sequence Architecture

Apply this timing structure to all new sequences. Adapt the content for the specific trigger and audience; hold the timing model constant.

Stage	Timing	Purpose
Trigger event	Immediate (within 5 minutes)	Welcome / confirmation / deliver the promised resource
Early value	Day 1–3	The lead magnet, the follow-up resource, or the post-event material
Deeper value	Day 4–7	A related insight, case study, or practical tip — no promotion
Soft introduction	Day 8–14	Introduce the next logical offer — not a hard sell; a signpost
Direct offer	Day 15–30	A specific invitation to take the next step; clear CTA
Steady-state	Day 31 onwards	Educational content, product updates, community content — see playbook-email-funnel

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WhatsApp Automation for EA Clients

For most clients in Uganda and East Africa, WhatsApp automation runs alongside or instead of email automation. Design both paths wherever possible; allow the contact to self-select their preferred channel.

WhatsApp automation requires one of:

• WhatsApp Business App with manual quick replies (suitable for low-volume, single-operator businesses)
• WhatsApp Business API via an approved Business Solution Provider — required for automated sequences, broadcast scheduling, and multi-agent inbox management

Approved platforms for EA context:

• Twilio (WhatsApp API)
• Vonage (WhatsApp API)
• 360dialog (API access, used by many African businesses)
• Brevo (combined email and WhatsApp automation)

WhatsApp sequence structure: Trigger → Auto-reply confirmation (within 5 minutes) → Day 1 value message → Day 3 follow-up → Day 7 soft offer → Day 14 direct ask. Keep WhatsApp messages shorter than emails: 50–150 words per message, one clear point, one link or CTA.

Note: broadcast automation at scale requires the WhatsApp Business API. The free WhatsApp Business App does not support scheduled broadcasts or automated sequences beyond the three built-in messages (greeting, away, quick replies).

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Message Timing Rules

Apply without exception. Automated messages that arrive at 2am or during weekends feel intrusive and increase opt-out rates.

1. Business hours only — all automated messages must be queued for delivery between 8am and 8pm in the recipient's local time zone (EAT for Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania)
2. Minimum 24-hour gap — no two automated messages in any sequence may be sent within 24 hours of each other
3. Human handover on reply — if the contact replies to any automated message at any point, remove them from the automated sequence immediately and assign the conversation to a human within 2 hours. Automation that continues after a human reply is experienced as disrespectful and robotic.

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Personalisation Tokens

Use merge fields to personalise every automated message. Minimum personalisation for every sequence:

• First name (required — never send an automated message addressed to "Hello there" if the first name is captured)
• Company name (B2B sequences)
• Specific product or content engaged with (referencing what the contact actually did)
• Location / city (where captured)

Personalised subject lines increase email open rates by 20–40% (Zahay et al., 2024). In WhatsApp messages, beginning with the first name increases read rate and reply rate.

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Quarterly Sequence Review

Automation sequences are not "set and forget." Review every active sequence quarterly.

Review checklist:

• Remove or update any offer that has expired or changed
• Update case studies and client examples with more recent results
• Check all links — broken links in automated sequences create poor first impressions at scale
• Review open rates and click rates for each message in the sequence — a message with consistently low engagement should be rewritten or removed
• Compare sequence conversion rates quarter on quarter

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Output: Marketing Automation Brief

Generate the following for the client:

1. Trigger map — all four trigger categories mapped against the client's business model; mark which triggers are in scope for the first phase
2. Sequence architecture — one fully written sequence per in-scope trigger, following the timing model above
3. WhatsApp sequence — parallel WhatsApp version of the primary sequence (if the client uses WhatsApp as a primary channel)
4. Personalisation token list — all merge fields required for each sequence; confirm which are captured in the current sign-up flow
5. Platform recommendation — one recommended tool with setup notes
6. Quarterly review schedule — dates for the first four quarterly reviews

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Quality Criteria

Output meets the standard when:

1. Trigger events are fully mapped before sequence content is written — the automation logic is confirmed before a single message is drafted
2. All four trigger categories are assessed for relevance to the client's business; sequences are designed only for triggers that are actually in use
3. WhatsApp automation path is designed alongside email path for all EA clients — do not default to email-only
4. All automated messages are timed for delivery within local business hours (8am–8pm EAT)
5. Manual handover protocol is in place for contacts who reply to any automated message — the team knows the process before the first sequence goes live
6. Personalisation tokens are tested and confirmed functional in the chosen platform before any sequence is activated
7. Quarterly review schedule is booked and confirmed — sequences without a review date will decay and go stale

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References

Hanlon, A. and Tuten, T. (2022) The SAGE Handbook of Social Media Marketing. SAGE Publications.

Pidsley, R. (2023) Social Media Marketing for Business: Scaling an Integrated Social Media Strategy Across Your Organisation. Kogan Page.

Zahay, D. et al. (2024) Digital Marketing Management: A Handbook for the Current (or Future) CEO. 3rd edn. Business Expert Press.