Marketing Automation Expert
Deep expertise in marketing automation strategy and implementation across major MarTech platforms.
Core Platforms
Platform Comparison
| Platform |
Best For |
Price Range |
Complexity |
| HubSpot |
SMB to Enterprise |
$$$-$$$$ |
Medium |
| Marketo |
Enterprise B2B |
$$$$ |
High |
| Pardot |
Salesforce users |
$$$$ |
Medium-High |
| ActiveCampaign |
SMB |
$-$$ |
Low-Medium |
| Eloqua |
Enterprise |
$$$$$ |
High |
| Mailchimp |
Small business |
$-$$ |
Low |
Selection Criteria
platform_selection:
considerations:
budget:
- "License cost per user/contact"
- "Implementation costs"
- "Ongoing maintenance"
- "Training requirements"
technical_fit:
- "CRM integration capabilities"
- "API availability"
- "Data migration complexity"
- "Security requirements"
business_needs:
- "Email volume"
- "Workflow complexity"
- "Reporting depth"
- "Multi-channel needs"
- "Personalization requirements"
Lead Scoring Framework
Scoring Model Design
lead_scoring_model:
overview:
purpose: "Prioritize leads for sales follow-up"
threshold: 100 # MQL threshold
decay: "Reduce 10 points after 30 days of inactivity"
behavioral_scoring:
high_intent:
- action: "Request demo"
points: 50
category: "Bottom funnel"
- action: "Pricing page visit"
points: 30
category: "Bottom funnel"
- action: "Case study download"
points: 25
category: "Middle funnel"
engagement:
- action: "Email open"
points: 1
max_per_day: 3
- action: "Email click"
points: 3
max_per_day: 5
- action: "Webinar registration"
points: 15
- action: "Webinar attendance"
points: 25
- action: "Blog visit"
points: 1
max_per_day: 5
- action: "Content download"
points: 10
negative_signals:
- action: "Unsubscribe"
points: -30
- action: "Email bounce"
points: -20
- action: "Spam complaint"
points: -100
- action: "30 days no engagement"
points: -10
demographic_scoring:
company_size:
- range: "1-10"
points: 5
- range: "11-50"
points: 10
- range: "51-200"
points: 15
- range: "201-1000"
points: 20
- range: "1000+"
points: 25
job_title:
- level: "C-Level"
points: 25
- level: "VP"
points: 20
- level: "Director"
points: 15
- level: "Manager"
points: 10
- level: "Individual Contributor"
points: 5
industry:
- industry: "Target industry"
points: 20
- industry: "Adjacent industry"
points: 10
- industry: "Non-target"
points: 0
geography:
- region: "Primary market"
points: 15
- region: "Secondary market"
points: 10
- region: "Tertiary market"
points: 5
Lead Grading
lead_grading:
grades:
A:
description: "Ideal customer profile match"
criteria:
- "Decision maker title"
- "Target company size"
- "Target industry"
- "Target geography"
B:
description: "Good fit with minor gaps"
criteria:
- "3 of 4 ICP criteria met"
- "Or influencer at A company"
C:
description: "Moderate fit"
criteria:
- "2 of 4 ICP criteria met"
- "Or adjacent market"
D:
description: "Poor fit"
criteria:
- "1 or fewer ICP criteria"
- "Or disqualifying factors"
sales_routing:
A1_A2: "Immediate sales follow-up"
A3_B1: "Sales follow-up within 24 hours"
B2_B3: "Nurture then sales handoff"
C_any: "Continue nurturing"
D_any: "Exclude from sales"
Email Nurture Programs
Welcome Series
welcome_sequence:
name: "New Subscriber Welcome"
trigger: "Form submission - Newsletter signup"
duration: "2 weeks"
emails:
- email: 1
timing: "Immediately"
subject: "Welcome to [Company]! Here's what to expect"
content:
- "Thank you message"
- "What they'll receive"
- "Quick win resource"
- "Social proof"
cta: "Download [Quick Win Resource]"
- email: 2
timing: "Day 2"
subject: "The #1 challenge [personas] face"
content:
- "Pain point identification"
- "How you solve it"
- "Brief case study"
cta: "Read full case study"
- email: 3
timing: "Day 4"
subject: "How [Company] helps [target outcome]"
content:
- "Product/service overview"
- "Key benefits"
- "Customer results"
cta: "See how it works"
- email: 4
timing: "Day 7"
subject: "[First Name], here's your exclusive resource"
content:
- "High-value gated content"
- "Exclusive to subscribers"
- "Addresses key challenge"
cta: "Download now"
- email: 5
timing: "Day 10"
subject: "Questions? We're here to help"
content:
- "Invite questions"
- "Offer personalized help"
- "Contact options"
cta: "Schedule a call"
- email: 6
timing: "Day 14"
subject: "What would you like to learn about?"
content:
- "Preference center"
- "Topic selection"
- "Frequency options"
cta: "Update preferences"
exit_conditions:
- "Demo requested"
- "Sales conversation started"
- "Unsubscribe"
Lead Nurture Program
lead_nurture:
name: "MQL Nurture"
trigger: "Lead score reaches 50 but below 100"
goal: "Move to MQL (score 100+)"
tracks:
awareness:
qualification: "Score 50-69"
content_focus: "Educational, industry trends"
cadence: "2 emails per week"
sequence:
- "Industry trend report"
- "How-to guide"
- "Expert webinar invite"
- "Comparison guide"
- "Quiz/assessment"
consideration:
qualification: "Score 70-89"
content_focus: "Solution-oriented, use cases"
cadence: "2-3 emails per week"
sequence:
- "Use case deep dive"
- "ROI calculator"
- "Product webinar invite"
- "Customer case study"
- "Feature comparison"
decision:
qualification: "Score 90-99"
content_focus: "Conversion-focused"
cadence: "3 emails per week"
sequence:
- "Free trial offer"
- "Demo scheduling"
- "Competitive comparison"
- "Implementation guide"
- "Limited time offer"
personalization:
by_industry:
- "Industry-specific case studies"
- "Relevant statistics"
- "Industry terminology"
by_role:
- "Role-specific benefits"
- "Relevant features"
- "Peer testimonials"
by_behavior:
- "Recently viewed content"
- "Download history"
- "Website activity"
Re-engagement Campaign
reengagement_campaign:
name: "Win-Back Campaign"
trigger: "No email engagement for 90 days"
sequence:
- email: 1
timing: "Day 0"
subject: "We miss you, [First Name]!"
content:
- "Acknowledge absence"
- "Highlight what's new"
- "Compelling offer"
cta: "See what's new"
- email: 2
timing: "Day 5"
subject: "Is this goodbye?"
content:
- "Direct question about interest"
- "Easy opt-down option"
- "Best content highlight"
cta: "Stay subscribed"
- email: 3
timing: "Day 10"
subject: "Last chance: Special offer inside"
content:
- "Final outreach"
- "Exclusive offer"
- "Clear value proposition"
cta: "Claim offer"
- email: 4
timing: "Day 15"
subject: "Goodbye for now"
content:
- "Friendly farewell"
- "Easy re-subscribe option"
- "Social follow alternative"
cta: "Keep me subscribed"
outcomes:
engaged: "Return to regular nurture"
clicked_stay: "Reset engagement timer"
unsubscribed: "Remove from lists"
no_action: "Move to sunset list"
Automation Workflows
Lead Routing Workflow
lead_routing_workflow:
name: "New Lead Assignment"
trigger: "Form submission"
steps:
- step: 1
action: "Data enrichment"
details: "Enrich with Clearbit/ZoomInfo"
wait: "30 seconds"
- step: 2
action: "Lead scoring"
details: "Calculate initial score"
- step: 3
action: "Lead grading"
details: "Assign A-D grade"
- step: 4
action: "Check for existing account"
branch:
yes: "Route to account owner"
no: "Continue to territory routing"
- step: 5
action: "Territory assignment"
logic:
- condition: "Geography"
assignment: "Regional rep"
- condition: "Company size"
assignment: "SMB vs Enterprise team"
- condition: "Industry"
assignment: "Vertical specialist"
- step: 6
action: "Create task"
details: "Follow-up task for assigned rep"
sla:
A_grade: "15 minutes"
B_grade: "2 hours"
C_grade: "24 hours"
- step: 7
action: "Notification"
details: "Email + Slack alert to rep"
- step: 8
action: "Add to sequence"
details: "Start appropriate nurture track"
Lifecycle Stage Automation
lifecycle_automation:
stages:
subscriber:
entry_criteria: "Email opt-in only"
automation:
- "Welcome email series"
- "Newsletter enrollment"
exit_to: "Lead"
lead:
entry_criteria: "Additional form submission OR score > 20"
automation:
- "Lead enrichment"
- "Add to nurture program"
- "Sync to CRM"
exit_to: "MQL"
mql:
entry_criteria: "Score >= 100 OR demo request"
automation:
- "Sales alert"
- "Task creation"
- "Pause marketing emails"
- "Add to sales sequence"
exit_to: "SQL"
sql:
entry_criteria: "Sales qualified in CRM"
automation:
- "Update nurture track"
- "Trigger sales materials"
- "Notify customer success"
exit_to: "Opportunity"
opportunity:
entry_criteria: "Deal created in CRM"
automation:
- "Pause outbound marketing"
- "Enable deal-stage emails"
- "Trigger proposal materials"
exit_to: "Customer OR Closed Lost"
customer:
entry_criteria: "Deal won"
automation:
- "Welcome/onboarding sequence"
- "Remove from prospect lists"
- "Add to customer nurture"
- "Trigger CS handoff"
closed_lost:
entry_criteria: "Deal lost"
automation:
- "Return to nurture"
- "Schedule follow-up (90 days)"
- "Lost deal survey"
Event/Webinar Automation
webinar_workflow:
name: "Webinar Registration Flow"
pre_event:
registration:
- "Confirmation email (immediate)"
- "Calendar invite"
- "Add to webinar list"
- "Update lead score (+15)"
reminders:
- timing: "1 week before"
content: "Webinar details + agenda"
- timing: "1 day before"
content: "Reminder + calendar link"
- timing: "1 hour before"
content: "Starting soon + join link"
post_event:
attendees:
timing: "2 hours after"
sequence:
- email: 1
subject: "Thanks for joining! Here's the recording"
content: "Recording + slides + resources"
- email: 2
timing: "+2 days"
subject: "Diving deeper on [topic]"
content: "Related content + next steps"
- email: 3
timing: "+5 days"
subject: "Ready to [desired action]?"
content: "CTA for demo/trial"
scoring: "+25 points"
no_shows:
timing: "2 hours after"
sequence:
- email: 1
subject: "Sorry we missed you! Recording inside"
content: "Recording link + highlights"
- email: 2
timing: "+3 days"
subject: "5 key takeaways from [webinar]"
content: "Summary + recording"
scoring: "+5 points (registered but didn't attend)"
Email Best Practices
Template Standards
email_standards:
technical:
width: "600px max"
images: "Alt text required, max 40% image"
links: "UTM parameters on all links"
preview_text: "Custom for each email"
unsubscribe: "Clear and easy to find"
content:
subject_line:
length: "30-50 characters"
personalization: "Use when natural"
avoid: "ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation, spam triggers"
body:
length: "50-200 words for nurture"
paragraphs: "2-3 sentences max"
cta: "Single clear CTA preferred"
personalization:
- "First name in greeting"
- "Company name when relevant"
- "Industry-specific content"
testing:
required:
- "Preview in major email clients"
- "Mobile rendering check"
- "Link validation"
- "Personalization token check"
- "Spam score check"
a_b_testing:
variables:
- "Subject lines"
- "Send times"
- "CTA copy/design"
- "From name"
sample_size: "15-20% minimum per variant"
significance: "95% confidence level"
Deliverability
deliverability:
authentication:
required:
- "SPF record configured"
- "DKIM signing enabled"
- "DMARC policy set"
recommended:
- "Dedicated sending IP"
- "Custom tracking domain"
list_hygiene:
practices:
- "Double opt-in for new subscribers"
- "Regular bounce removal"
- "Sunset inactive contacts (180 days)"
- "Re-engagement before removal"
metrics_to_monitor:
- metric: "Bounce rate"
target: "<2%"
action: "Remove bounced immediately"
- metric: "Spam complaint rate"
target: "<0.1%"
action: "Review content and list source"
- metric: "Unsubscribe rate"
target: "<0.5%"
action: "Review frequency and relevance"
sending_practices:
- "Warm up new IPs gradually"
- "Consistent sending volume"
- "Avoid sudden volume spikes"
- "Send during business hours"
Performance Metrics
KPI Benchmarks
benchmarks:
email_metrics:
open_rate:
benchmark: "20-30%"
factors: "Subject line, sender reputation, timing"
click_rate:
benchmark: "2-5%"
factors: "Content relevance, CTA clarity"
click_to_open:
benchmark: "10-15%"
factors: "Content quality, email design"
unsubscribe_rate:
benchmark: "<0.5%"
threshold: "Action if >1%"
bounce_rate:
benchmark: "<2%"
hard_bounce: "Remove immediately"
soft_bounce: "3 attempts then remove"
automation_metrics:
nurture_conversion:
benchmark: "5-15%"
definition: "% completing nurture goal"
mql_rate:
benchmark: "2-5%"
definition: "% of leads becoming MQL"
sql_conversion:
benchmark: "20-30%"
definition: "% of MQLs becoming SQL"
velocity:
benchmark: "Varies by industry"
definition: "Time through funnel stages"
deliverability_metrics:
delivery_rate:
target: ">95%"
inbox_placement:
target: ">90%"
sender_score:
target: ">80"
Reporting Dashboard
reporting:
executive_dashboard:
metrics:
- "Total leads generated"
- "MQL volume"
- "Marketing-sourced pipeline"
- "Marketing-influenced revenue"
timeframes:
- "Week over week"
- "Month over month"
- "Quarter over quarter"
operational_dashboard:
email_performance:
- "Sends, opens, clicks by campaign"
- "Top performing emails"
- "A/B test results"
automation_performance:
- "Active contacts per program"
- "Completion rates"
- "Goal conversions"
lead_flow:
- "New leads by source"
- "Stage progression"
- "Lead score distribution"
database_health:
- "List growth rate"
- "Engagement trends"
- "Deliverability metrics"
CRM Integration
Salesforce Integration
salesforce_integration:
sync_settings:
direction: "Bi-directional"
frequency: "Real-time for key actions"
objects_synced:
leads:
fields:
- "All standard fields"
- "Score"
- "Grade"
- "Last activity date"
- "Lead source detail"
contacts:
fields:
- "All standard fields"
- "Engagement score"
- "Last email activity"
accounts:
fields:
- "Standard fields"
- "Account score"
- "Engagement metrics"
opportunities:
sync: "Pull into marketing platform"
purpose: "Attribution reporting"
campaigns:
sync: "Bi-directional"
purpose: "Track marketing influence"
automation_triggers:
from_crm:
- "Lead status change → Update nurture"
- "Opportunity created → Pause marketing"
- "Deal closed won → Start customer journey"
- "Deal closed lost → Re-engage workflow"
to_crm:
- "MQL threshold → Create task"
- "High-value action → Alert"
- "Score change → Update field"
- "New lead → Create record"
Лучшие практики
- Segment everything — персонализированные nurture paths по сегментам
- Score behavior AND fit — комбинируйте behavioral и demographic scoring
- Respect preferences — предлагайте preference center
- Test continuously — A/B тестируйте subject lines, CTAs, timing
- Clean your lists — регулярная гигиена базы критична для deliverability
- Align with sales — согласуйте MQL критерии и handoff процесс с продажами