Campaign setup basics

  • Updated
If you had access to campaigns prior to April 2023, Optimizely updated the tab name from Campaigns to Activation. All functionality remains the same.

The Activation page allows you to create, run, and manage campaigns through multiple channels. To create a campaign, go to Activation > Engage > Create New Campaign.

Campaign types

You can choose from three types of campaigns:

  • One-Time – Send personalized messaging a single time to a segment of your customers.
  • Behavioral – Contact customers on an ongoing basis when they trigger a particular event (like signing up for your newsletter) or meet certain criteria (like three days after an order). You can choose to send the campaign's content immediately when the event happens or through a recurring (evaluated daily or weekly) or continuous (evaluated hourly) method.
  • Web – Display a message to customers who visit your website, or to customers in a real-time segment. Web campaigns are not covered in this article. For more information about web campaigns, see Manage web embeds or Manage pop-up modals and forms

Campaign name

Naming conventions are important when managing campaigns. Be specific when naming your campaigns so they are recognizable in other areas of the app, such as reporting. After creating a campaign, click Untitled Campaign and enter a campaign name.

Campaign tags

Tags make it easier to identify campaigns. To add a tag, click Add Tags and select an existing tag or create one by typing the desired name and pressing Enter.

Campaign enrollment

You can target customers for enrollment into a campaign in three ways:

  • Match a segment – Target customers that match a standard or real-time segment and click Apply to add the segment. Standard segments are available for one-time and behavioral campaigns. Real-time segments are available for web campaigns.
  • Match an event  – Behavioral campaigns only. Target customers based on events and reach them following an interaction with your brand. For example, when a customer matches the event “Sign Up,” you can send an email welcoming them to the site.
  • API – Send customers app push notifications by issuing HTTP requests containing your credentials, campaign identification, message, and customer ID to an ODP endpoint.

Enrollment rules

When segmentation is not enough, add enrollment rules that are more specific about who receives the campaign's content. When applying an enrollment rule, review the reachable audience as it may change.

Schedule a campaign

To schedule a campaign, expand Touchpoints and click Select start time and schedule. The options vary depending on which type of campaign you are sending. You cannot schedule campaigns that send immediately when matching an event. All campaign types include the ability to schedule additional touchpoints after the initial send.

ODP does not collect a customer's time zone by default. You must provide it with the API or a third-party integration and import it in the customer time zone field using the IANA format.

One-time

Use a one-time campaign to send the communication exactly once. One-time campaigns include the following scheduling options:

  • Send Date – Date to send.
  • Send Time – Time to send.
  • Time Zone – Time zone in which to start the send.
  • Delivery Strategy
    • Send all at scheduled time – The touchpoint sends at the specified time in the time zone defined on the Account Settings > Localization page.
    • Use recipients timezone when available The touchpoint sends in each customer's time zone at the specified time. The first time zone to send is the time zone selected in Account Settings > Localization, followed by all remaining time zones in order. If a customer's time zone is unknown, they receive the communication in the time zone defined on the Account Settings > Localization page.
The time zone feature is only available to accounts with time zone data. If you have time zone data for your customers and would like to enable this feature, contact Optimizely Support.

Recurring (behavioral campaigns)

Use a behavioral campaign to send the communication recurringly. Behavioral campaigns include the following scheduling options when you select Recurring:

  • Start Date – Date to start the campaign.
  • End – Date to end the campaign.
    1. Never – Never stop sending.
    2. On Date – The touchpoint stops sending on the date you define in the End Date field. If you select Use recipients timezone when available, the last time zone to send is the last time zone of the last send day. This last day of sends begins on the selected date in that time zone. If the timing is specified as 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada) and the last date is set to January 1, 2024, then the last day of sends begins at 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada) on January 1, 2024. The last time zone sends around 24 hours later on January 2, 2024.
    3. After Occurrences – The touchpoint stops sending after the number of occurrences you define in the Occurrences field.
  • Repeats – How often the touchpoint sends within the defined start and end dates. Select Daily, Weekly, or Monthly and complete the corresponding additional fields.
  • Timing – Time to send.
  • Time Zone – Time zone in which to start the send. Defaults to the time zone selected on the Account Settings > Localization page.
  • Delivery Strategy
    • Send all at scheduled time – The touchpoint sends at the specified time in the time zone defined on the Account Settings > Dates & Times page.
    • Use recipients timezone when available The touchpoint sends in each customer's time zone at the specified time. The first time zone to send is the time zone selected above, followed by all remaining time zones in order. Any customers with an unknown time zone receive the communication in the time zone selected on the Account Settings > Localization page.
The time zone feature is only available to accounts with time zone data. If you have time zone data for your customers and would like to enable this feature, contact Optimizely Support.

Continuous (behavioral campaigns)

Use a behavioral campaign to send the communication continuously as customers qualify for the segment. Behavioral campaigns include the following scheduling options when you select Continuous:

  • Start Date – Date to start the campaign.
  • Timing – Time to send.
  • Time Zone – Time zone in which to start and end the send.
  • End – When the campaign will stop sending. 
    1. Never – Never stop sending.
    2. On Date – Stop sending on the date you define in the End Date field.
The time zone feature is only available to accounts with time zone data. If you have time zone data for your customers and would like to enable this feature, contact Optimizely Support.

Campaign touchpoints

Click to edit the touchpoint, select a channel, and configure the touchpoint as desired. You can also add additional touchpoints to send after the first touchpoint by clicking Add a touchpoint.

You can clone and delete any touchpoint, and you can disable any touchpoint except for the first. Disabling a touchpoint prevents campaign recipients from getting that touchpoint.

Schedule additional touchpoints

You can schedule additional touchpoints relative to when you set the previous touchpoint. For campaigns sent on an ongoing basis, ODP assesses each customer individually based on when they received the last touchpoint. To schedule another touchpoint, click Schedule next touchpoint.

  • Delay – Set the delay in hours, days, or weeks. The full time must pass before considering the optional Send Time. If the previous touchpoint goes out late for any reason, ODP uses the actual send time when scheduling the next touchpoint. For example, a delay of 2 days requires 48 hours to pass before the next touchpoint.
  • Send Time (Optional) – Use this field if a touchpoint should go out at a specific time. If the Delay expires after the Send Time has passed, that touchpoint waits to send the next day.
  • Use recipients timezone when available The touchpoint sends in each customer's time zone at the specified time. Any customers with an unknown time zone receive the communication in the time zone selected on the Account Settings > Localization page.

Example

  • A campaign is sent at 12:00 PM on Monday.
  • The next touchpoint is scheduled for two days later (Delay) at 11 AM (Send Time).
  • Two days later (or 48 hours) is 12:00 PM on Wednesday, which is already past 11 AM, so the campaign waits until the next time it is 11:00 AM, which is Thursday, and sends the touchpoint.
  • Setting a Delay longer than one day and shorter than two days (such as 30 hours) along with the desired Send Time ensures the touchpoint sends at 11:00 AM on Wednesday. This would mean 30 hours later is 6:00 PM Tuesday, sending the touchpoint at 11:00 AM Wednesday.

Preview, activate, pause, and emulate campaigns

Preview and test a campaign

In the touchpoint editor, click Preview to review the touchpoint on-screen and click Test to send a test through the touchpoint.

Activate a campaign

  1. On the campaign overview page, click Save to ensure all touchpoints are up-to-date.
  2. Click Go Live, then click Yes, Go Live to confirm.

Pause and resume a campaign

Touchpoints begin sending when a campaign is live. If you want to pause a campaign:

  1. Return to the campaign and click Pause.
  2. (Optional) If you do not expect to relaunch the campaign, select Mark as complete.
  3. Click Yes, Pause to confirm.

You can resume the campaign any time by selecting the campaign and clicking Resume (then clicking Yes, Resume to confirm).

Emulate a campaign

The emulate mode helps determine which customers would receive campaign communications on specific days without actually sending any live communications. The emulated campaign runs per the schedule set for an understanding of campaign delivery but does not deliver anything.

The emulate mode requires an opt-in. If you wish to use this functionality, please contact your Customer Success Manager or Optimizely Support.