Sequential mailings are a feature of ListManager Enterprise, and are unavailable for standard or Pro ListManager. Contact your account representative at sales@lyris.com if you'd like to upgrade to ListManager Enterprise.
Sequential mailings are a series of triggered mailings sent out in sequence, at predetermined time intervals, to each member who qualifies. This group of mailings is considered one "sequence" of mailings, and they all collectively have the same mailing name. Note that to set up this series at varying time intervals with individual Contents associated with each mailing, the Sequential Mailing Wizard may be used as a convenient way to quickly create the entire sequence of mailings.
Triggered (and therefore sequential) mailings work on the premise that the time when the mailing is sent to a member depends on some action performed by that member, such as visiting a web page or making a purchase. It can also depend on some date associated with that member, such as their birthday or the date they joined the list.
Triggered mailings run on a regular frequency. This is usually once per day, but could be as often as once per hour, or as infrequently as every several weeks. The exact time of day when it runs is specified by you.
When the triggered mailing is sent, it runs the same way as any other mailing for a specific segment. The mailing depends on which members meet the criteria of the triggered segment, and sends the mailing to them. A key part of the segment is the trigger clause, because this determines who will receive the triggered mailing now (since the last time the triggered mailing was sent).
Example:
Members who purchase a particular high-end product could receive a "thank you" message the next day, a promotional discount for add-on features after three days, a questionnaire about satisfaction with the product after two weeks, and a series of newsletter articles about the product and related products over the next few months.
Creating a Sequential Mailing
Creating a sequential mailing is much like creating a standard mailing (but with a trigger), except that the "Schedule" tab is replaced by the "Trigger" tab. For details on the other tabs, please see:
Trigger Tab
The Trigger tab is where you select a trigger from the ones created in Segments: New Triggered Segment, and define the times for the mailing to be sent. For details on how to use the Trigger tab, see Mailings: Advanced Mailings: Trigger Tab.