How Loops Work In Campaign Builder

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If you do something more than three times, automate it.

I had heard this mantra before, in the halls of Infusionsoft. Jordan Hatch wrote a blog post recently called, “How To Get 1920 Minutes Of Your Life Back“, that gave some of the back story.

Jordan says:

The first thing you need to do is think about your day and make a list of the stuff you do more than 3 times – and the approximate number of times you do them per day, and how long it takes you to do it. […]

Now, take your list and do the math. How much time are you spending doing each of those items on the list per week? […]

Now, take your list and do the math. How much time are you spending doing each of those items on the list per week? That’s how you get your 1,920 minutes of your life back. 1,920 minutes is approximately 1 months worth of working 80 hours per week, 6 days a week.

Actually, his math is wrong. 80 hours * 4 weeks is 19,200 minutes. Even better. (Note, glad someone else is bad at decimal places besides just me 🙂 )

So, if the best way to get started with Infusionsoft is to automate those things we do more than three times, it stands to reason things like events – that recur over and over again – are low hanging fruit. Not only do they recur but they likely take up big hunks of time and have the potential for embarrassing mistakes.

Which is where Campaign Builder loops come in.

Loops are used to automate everything from the annual email wishing your client a Happy Birthday … to the weekly reminder to your coaching clients about this weeks call. If it recurs on a predictable schedule, it is ripe for a loop …

The basic logic of a loop in Campaign Builder is this ….

1. A loop is created by two identical tag goals at the beginning and end of the loop. (NOTE: Other goals can be used, if they are identical, but tag is easiest and most common.)
2. To make the loop happen, we remove the tag that got the contact in to the loop and then re-apply it. It is the simultaneous triggering of both goals that makes the loop.
3. What comes between the removing and applying of the tag is what you want to happen … for example the sending of the email … and a delay of some sort that sets the duration of the loop.

If you are struggling with this logic at all – or you are new to Campaign Builder – my best recommendation is to not just watch the video … but to build the campaign with me, as you watch the video, and run it. Change the timers and actions as necessary until you feel like you understand the behavior well.