Set, Manage, and Nurture Fatigued Marketing Contacts

Why is this hack helpful?

Ever feel like you’re sending emails into the void?

If your contacts aren’t engaging, they might be fatigued. While HubSpot doesn’t have a built-in way to track this, there’s a clever workaround you can use to identify, manage, and nurture fatigued contacts.

By setting up a simple system, you can focus your efforts on the right people, improve engagement, and keep your contact list healthy.

Here’s how to make it happen.

Step-by-Step Tutorial 

Step 1: Create a Fatigue Property 

The first step is to create a custom property in HubSpot to track fatigue levels. Think of this as the foundation for your system—it’ll help you categorise contacts based on how engaged (or disengaged) they are.

How to Set It Up:

1. Go to Settings > Properties and click “Create Property.”
2. Name it something like “Fatigue Level” and assign it to a group (e.g., Contact Information).
3. Set the field type to Dropdown Select and add options for fatigue levels:
   • Low (highly engaged)
   • Medium
   • High
   • Very High (least engaged)

This property will act as your fatigue tracker, which you’ll populate automatically using workflows.

Step 2: Automate Fatigue Tracking

Now it’s time to put HubSpot’s workflows to work. By automating the process, you can dynamically update fatigue levels based on how often your contacts engage with your emails.

How to Build the Workflow:

1. Create a New Workflow: Start from scratch.
2. Set Enrolment Triggers: Use criteria like:
   • Marketing contact status is active.
   • Contact has not opted out of emails.
   • Contact has a valid email address.
3. Add If/Then Branches: Use engagement data to categorise contacts:
   • Branch 1: “Sends since last engagement ≤ 5” → Set fatigue level to “Low.”
   • Branch 2: “Sends since last engagement ≤ 10” → Set fatigue level to “Medium.”
   • Branch 3: “Sends since last engagement ≤ 15” → Set fatigue level to “High.”
   • Branch 4: If none of the above → Set fatigue level to “Very High.”
4. Update the Property: Add an action in each branch to update the fatigue level.
5. Optional: Add a date property to track when the fatigue level was last updated.
6. Keep It Dynamic: Add a delay and re-enrolment trigger to ensure the workflow updates over time.

This workflow essentially creates a fatigue tracker by using HubSpot’s “Sends since last engagement” filter. It’s a simple but effective way to keep your contact records up to date.

Once you’ve identified your fatigued contacts, it’s time to nurture them. The goal here is to re-engage them with thoughtful, targeted campaigns.

Things to Consider:

• Check for Bounces: If your very high fatigue contacts are bouncing, it’s time to remove them from your campaigns.
• Plan for Non-Engagers: Decide what to do with contacts who don’t respond to your nurture efforts. You could add them to an "un-engaged/high-fatigue" list, and use that as an exclusion list for marketing activity. You can also use a workflow to set contacts in that list as non-marketing.

How to Build the Nurture Workflow:

1. Enrol Contacts: Use the fatigue property to enrol high and very high fatigue contacts.
2. Design the Sequence: Create a series of emails to re-engage these contacts:
   • Start with a friendly “We Miss You” email.
   • Follow up with exclusive content or a special offer.
   • End with a “Last Chance” email before removing them from your list.
3. Monitor Results: Track engagement and adjust your strategy based on how contacts respond.

This nurture sequence gives fatigued contacts a chance to re-engage while ensuring you’re not wasting resources on those who are no longer interested.

Step 4: Maintain and Monitor Fatigue Records

With your workflows in place, the system will mostly run itself. However, there are a few things you’ll want to keep an eye on to ensure it stays effective.

Tips for Ongoing Management:

• Update Criteria: If your email frequency changes, adjust the workflow to reflect the new cadence.
• Handle Highly Fatigued Contacts: Decide what to do with contacts who don’t respond to your nurture efforts.
• Track Trends: Add a report to your marketing dashboard to monitor fatigue levels over time. If you notice a spike in fatigued contacts, it might be time to rethink your email strategy.

So, if you’re ready to stop sending emails into the void, give this process a try. It’s a small investment of time that can make a big difference in your marketing results!