An email sequence is a series of messages that are automatically sent out after a “trigger” is met.

Here are the most common sequences used in email marketing:

  • Welcome email sequence – sent out after the order is completed
  • Discount email sequence – for customers with cancelled orders
  • Renewal discount sequence – for repeat customers who haven’t re-ordered in 6 months

Important Note:

You must authorize Blue Odin to send emails on your organization’s behalf.

Here’s our guide on how to add Blue Odin to your domain’s TXT SPF record.


How to add a new email sequence in Blue Odin?

To add a new email sequence, go to Email > Email Sequences.

The default view is the Email Sequences List.

Select the WooCommerce Site in the site selector and click on the Add New button.

site selector in the email sequences section

You will then be directed to the next page, the Email Sequences Edit page.


There are 3 sections in the Email Sequences Edit page.

Section 1: Add Sequence Information

Section 2: Applicable Orders

Section 3: Add Email


Section 1: Add Sequence Information

In the Add Sequence Information section, enter basic details for your sequence:

add sequence information in blue odin

Here’s what the fields in the screenshot above mean:

Sequence name

Give a unique and descriptive name. This will come in handy when you’ve got a lot of sequences set up!

Start sequence when

This is what triggers the email sequence to start.

You can choose to send the sequence while the order’s still processing, or when it’s completed, refunded, or cancelled.

Customer audience

This is the Customer Segment you’d like to use for the email sequence. 

Note: If you haven’t created a Customer Segment yet, check out this guide on How To Add Customer Segments in Blue Odin.

Products

Select the products you’d like to target for the sequence (don’t leave blank)

Click Save and Continue to proceed to the next section.


Section 2: Applicable Orders

These are the orders that match your selected trigger, audience, and product. 

applicable orders and preview button

If there are no Applicable Orders that match your sequence requirements, you will see this message:

no applicable orders appear when there are no products chosen

If there are no Applicable Orders, you need to go back to the previous section (Add Sequence Information) and make the necessary adjustments to your sequence requirements.


Section 3: Add Emails

Now it’s time to add emails to your sequence!

In the Add Emails section, click on Add a New Email:

add a new email to your sequence

The Email Settings page will pop up:

email settings page

You can edit the following details in the Email Settings page:

Email name

Give your email a descriptive name

Delay

How long after the trigger to send the email. You can choose between Hours, Days, Weeks, and Months

email sequence delay options

Email layout

Choose between Standard and Plain

Subject

Type your email subject line (you can also use placeholders here)

Body of the email

Your email’s main message (you can format the text and add placeholders, too)

Click on Save to save your changes.


The Email Sequence Flow

Email 1 will now appear in the Email Sequence flow, like so:

email sequence flow

You can add as many emails as you like to your Email Sequence.

Here’s an example 3-email sequence:

example of 3-email sequence

Click Start Sending if you’re happy with your sequence and want to set it in motion! 

Click Save as Draft if you’re not yet ready to send out your sequence.

Hit Cancel if you’d like to undo all the changes you’ve made. 


What are the email placeholders available in Blue Odin?

email placeholders

You can choose from 6 different placeholders:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Order Number
  • Email Address
  • Order Date
  • Coupon

The value for the first 5 placeholders is predefined in WooCommerce. 

For the Coupon placeholder, however, you will need to specify the % discount to apply.

Here’s what it looks like:

how to add a coupon placeholder in blue odin

How to publish or set the email sequence in action?

There are two ways to publish the Email Sequence:

Option 1.

At the bottom of the Edit Sequence page, click on the green Start Sending button.

start sending email sequence (option 1)

Option 2.

In the main Email Sequences page, look for the sequence you’d like to publish (this is why it’s important to have descriptive names).

In the Actions column, click the Play button to publish the sequence. 

publish the email sequence from the email sequences list page (option 2)