ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a powerful marketing automation tool that combines email marketing, CRM, and advanced automation features. It’s designed for businesses that need more than just basic email campaigns.

Strong automation and personalisation

ActiveCampaign excels in trigger-based workflows, multi-step automations, and conditional logic, making it ideal for businesses looking for highly customised customer journeys.

Integrated CRM for lead nurturing

Unlike standalone email marketing platforms, ActiveCampaign includes a built-in CRM that allows sales and marketing teams to collaborate more effectively, making it a good fit for businesses with longer sales cycles.

Steeper learning curve for beginners

The extensive feature set means that new users may face a learning curve. Smaller businesses looking for simpler automation may find Brevo or Mailchimp easier to use.

Best for:

• Companies needing advanced automation and CRM integration.
• Businesses managing multi-step customer journeys.
• Mid-sized to enterprise-level teams looking for data-driven marketing workflows.

When starting with ActiveCampaign, the sheer number of features can be overwhelming. To help you streamline your setup and maximise efficiency, here are seven essential tips to optimise your workflow and make the most of the platform.

Organise your tags with a clear naming convention

Tags are the foundation of segmentation, allowing you to label contacts based on their behaviour and interests. However, an unstructured approach can quickly lead to confusion and inefficiency.

Why a naming convention is essential:

• Clarity – A well-structured system ensures tags are easy to find and understand.
• Efficiency – Saves time when building automations and segmenting audiences.
• Scalability – A clear structure supports future growth without chaos.

A recommended format includes:

• Category – The broad area of activity.
• Action – The specific event that occurred.
• Context – The object or subject of the action.
• Optional metadata – Additional details for further refinement.

Using brackets, colons, or dashes can help maintain visual organisation. Document your naming rules and tag structure to ensure consistency.

Keep your lists simple for better management

Many new users make the mistake of creating multiple lists for different lead magnets and events. This can lead to duplicate contacts, complicating segmentation and unsubscribes.

A simpler approach:

• Main list – For all general contacts.
• Customer list – For paying customers.

Use tags and custom fields for further segmentation instead of creating unnecessary lists. This will keep your database cleaner and more manageable.

Maintain a clean email list to improve deliverability

A large email list is not always beneficial. Inactive contacts can harm deliverability and increase costs. Regular maintenance ensures your emails reach engaged subscribers.

Steps for better list hygiene:

• Track inactivity – Monitor subscribers who haven’t engaged in a set period.
• Re-engagement campaigns – Attempt to win back inactive users.
• Regular pruning – Remove unresponsive contacts to maintain quality.

By keeping your list engaged, you improve open rates, maintain strong deliverability, and reduce costs.

Use message variables to streamline email updates

Message variables allow you to update multiple emails quickly by modifying a single element in one place. This is a time-saving feature that ensures brand consistency across campaigns.

Examples of message variables:

• Email signature – Keep your sender details consistent across all emails.
• Greeting lines – Personalise greetings dynamically.
• Unsubscribe text – Maintain consistent opt-out messaging.

By using message variables, you ensure consistency while reducing manual work when updates are needed.

Keep email templates simple for better engagement

While elaborate templates may look appealing, plain text or minimally designed emails tend to perform better. They feel more personal and have fewer deliverability issues.

Benefits of simple email templates:

• Personal touch – Mimics a direct email from a colleague.
• Higher deliverability – Avoids spam triggers linked to excessive images and code.
• Ease of management – Simplifies creation and editing processes.

A straightforward design ensures your emails focus on the message, not unnecessary visuals.

Use if-else automations to track user interests

ActiveCampaign allows you to personalise interactions based on user behaviour. Using if-else automations, you can tag subscribers according to their activity, ensuring they receive the most relevant content.

How it works:

• Enable site tracking – Monitor which pages users visit.
• Set if-else conditions – Create rules based on activity.
• Apply tags dynamically – Segment users for targeted messaging.

This method ensures contacts receive content aligned with their interests, increasing engagement and conversions.

Enhance personalisation with conditional content

Beyond basic personalisation, conditional content enables you to tailor messaging based on user data. This keeps emails highly relevant to each recipient.

Examples of conditional content:

• Different greetings – Adjust based on whether a first name is available.
• Tailored intros – Customise opening lines for new versus returning subscribers.
• Dynamic content blocks – Show different sections based on tags or custom fields.

Leveraging conditional content ensures subscribers receive information that resonates, improving engagement and response rates.

By implementing these seven strategies, you can significantly improve your ActiveCampaign workflow, enhance deliverability, and create a more personalised experience for your audience. Start optimising your setup today for better automation, engagement, and results.