Let's say you're sitting on a large email list. What can you do with that asset other than send more email?
Until recently, not much.
Now, thanks to an illumin innovation, you can reach that audience in different channels. Here's how. You set up an email integration with your illumin account. Once connected, build campaigns that send targeted Open Web and Meta messages to your email segments. For example, you could send one message to email subscribers who clicked a link in an email and send a different message to subscribers who did not open the email.
And the best part? You can do all that with a few clicks and our drag-and-drop tools. The first step is to integrate your email platform with illumin. This article shows you how.
Some background notes
After you set up the integration, illumin does not store your email data. Instead, all that data gets passed to LiveRamp. That company processes your data, matches as many email addresses with a universal ID as it can find, and then returns universal IDs for the matched email addresses to illumin. You'll use those IDs to add audience segments to a campaign. If your email message sees new activity over time (e.g. new opens, clicks, or unsubscribes), LiveRamp auto-syncs its data and the universal IDs on the illumin Audience page. That sync occurs once every 24 hours.
Finally, you can easily build Open Web and Meta campaigns and target your email segments. However, an illumin campaign cannot trigger an email blast on your email platform. That's a complex operation with many issues (like responding to spam), so it's not on our immediate roadmap.
Platform options
illumin integrates with three major platforms: Mailchimp, Hubspot, and Klaviyo. If your first-party data is on another platform like Aweber or Constant Contact, this integration is a no-go. For this demo, I’ll walk you through the Mailchimp connection. The processes for Hubspot and Klaviyo are similar, with just a few teensy differences that I’ll flag as we go.
Opening the Email Integration page
First, open an existing journey or start a new one. BTW, this email platform integration works on Journey Canvas, but not Classic Canvas. Once you're on the canvas, go to the top right corner and click the gear icon next to the bell in the top menu. A new page displays.
Scroll down the page and then expand the Integrations folder. Voilà—a new window pops up with email platform options. I select Mailchimp.
Up pops the Terms and Conditions window. Feel free to pretend you read it all, then click Accept.
- Heads-up for Klaviyo users: You need to enter a private API key. If you’re generating a new one, grant full access.
Next, you'll be whisked away to your email platform’s login page. Log in, click Allow, and let the magic happen. If all goes well, illumin gives you a friendly confirmation popup. Hit Got it to move along.
Back on the Integrations page, scroll down. You should see your connected email platform card.
Using the integration
Now that the hard part is over, let's put that integration to work. Head back to the canvas, find the Toolbar folder in the side menu, and drag the Email tile to the canvas. Click the field, select your email account on the drop-down, and hit Continue.
Preparing a campaign
When the email tile is all set, click the field and choose a scheduled or sent email message. Click the Use this email button. Notice the email tile is dressed up with platform branding.
The email element on the canvas morphs into a path. Want to connect your audience or segments to other channels like Open Web or Meta? Hover the plus (+) icon and create connections. But that’s a story for a different article.
Optionally, you can:
- Click the three-dot icon to remove the email path from the canvas.
- Click the pencil icon to review email stats (e.g. opened, delivered, unsubs, etc.).
BTW, after connecting your email to a Meta or Open Web campaign, illumin prompts you to allow or block specific email segments based on user interactions (e.g. opened, subscribed, etc.).
Disconnecting the integration
Need to break up with your email platform? It happens. Click the gear icon at the top of the page, go back to the Integrations folder, find the email account you want to disconnect, and click Disconnect. Confirm it in the popup, and poof—it’s gone.
A word of warning: disconnecting the integration deletes email paths on other journeys. So, make sure you’re ready to say goodbye.