Looking to get more out of your B2B outreach without burning hours on busywork? If you're running customer success, sales, or marketing and want your team to actually engage accounts—not just blast messages into the void—you're in the right place. This guide walks you through building automated campaigns in Crisp designed for B2B, not B2C. Expect tactical advice, not vague promises.
Why B2B Automated Campaigns Need a Different Playbook
Automated campaigns are everywhere, but most are built for ecommerce or generic lead gen. B2B engagement is a different beast:
- Longer sales cycles: You’re not selling T-shirts; deals can take months.
- Multiple stakeholders: There’s rarely just one decision-maker.
- Personalization matters: “Hey
” won’t cut it.
If you treat B2B accounts like a list of random contacts, you’ll see low reply rates and plenty of unsubscribes. Crisp’s automation tools are flexible, but you have to set them up with intent.
Step 1: Define Your Target Accounts and Segments
Before you open up Crisp, get crystal clear on who you want to reach and why. Blasting everyone with the same message isn’t just lazy—it trains people to ignore you.
What to do: - List your target accounts: Think in terms of companies, not individuals. - Map key contacts: For each account, who’s the buyer, influencer, blocker? - Segment by relevance: Group accounts by industry, size, product fit, or lifecycle stage.
Pro tip: Don’t go overboard with micro-segments. Two or three well-chosen groups are easier to manage and actually useful.
What to skip: - Don’t build huge lists just because you can. Quality > quantity, every time.
Step 2: Set Up Account Data in Crisp
Crisp is flexible, but you’ll need to feed it the right data to get B2B automation working—think company-level properties, not just user emails.
How to set this up: - Use Crisp’s “People” and “Segments” features: Import your account lists and key contacts. - Add custom fields: For example, “Account Tier,” “Industry,” or “Renewal Date.” These power your campaign logic later. - Tag contacts by role: Tagging people as “Decision Maker,” “Champion,” or “Finance” makes targeting smarter.
Don’t bother: - Syncing every possible CRM field. Only the ones you’ll actually use.
Heads up: Crisp doesn’t have deep native account-level objects like some enterprise CRMs, so you might need to get creative with tags and custom fields. It’s not perfect, but it works.
Step 3: Map Out Your Campaign Logic (Before Building Anything)
Most failed campaigns happen because people rush into tools and start wiring up triggers before they know what they want to say or why.
What to plan: - What’s the goal? (Book a meeting, renew a contract, drive product adoption?) - What triggers the campaign? (Account sign-up, trial ending, X days since last reply?) - What should happen if they reply? (Stop automation, alert sales, etc.)
Sketch it out: Whiteboard, napkin, or even a Google Doc. Keep it simple.
Don’t get distracted: Avoid “just-in-case” logic you’ll never use. Start with the basics. You can always add complexity later.
Step 4: Build Your Automated Campaigns in Crisp
Now you’re ready to put it all together in Crisp’s Campaigns and Automation tools.
4.1. Create Segments
- In Crisp, create Segments based on your earlier mapping (e.g., “Enterprise – Active Trial”).
- Segments can use contact tags, custom fields, and behaviors.
4.2. Set Triggers and Entry Conditions
- Triggers can be things like “Contact added to Segment,” “No reply in 7 days,” or “Renewal date approaching.”
- Use AND/OR logic to get specific (but don’t overcomplicate).
Example trigger:
When a Decision Maker at an Enterprise account is 30 days from renewal and hasn’t replied to last message, start campaign.
4.3. Draft Messages That Don’t Sound Automated
- Write like a person, not a robot. Avoid generic intros.
- Reference the account or their recent activity (“Saw your team just shipped X…”).
- Keep it short. Busy B2B folks won’t read walls of text.
What works: - Clear, relevant subject lines. - One clear ask per message (book a call, answer a question, etc.). - Using merge fields sparingly—don’t fake personalization if you have nothing real to say.
What doesn’t: - “Just checking in” or “Hope you’re well.” Everyone sees through it.
4.4. Set Follow-up Steps
- Plan 2–3 follow-ups, max. Any more is annoying.
- Mix up your follow-up approach: try a different angle, offer value, or reference a specific pain point.
- Always set a clear stop condition—if they reply, all automation stops.
4.5. Test (Don’t Skip This)
- Send all messages to yourself or a test account first.
- Check for broken merge fields, typos, weird formatting, and timing issues.
- Make sure reply-handling logic actually works (nothing worse than a hot lead lost in the automation loop).
Step 5: Monitor, Learn, and Adjust
No campaign survives first contact with the real world. B2B contacts are busy, ignore most email, and are quick to tune out anything that feels automated.
Track: - Reply rates: Not opens or clicks—actual replies. - Which segments engage: Are some industries ghosting you? Drop them or change your approach. - Negative signals: Unsubscribes, spam flags, or “not interested” replies. Adjust your targeting if these go up.
What to change: - If a campaign gets ignored, rewrite the first message. - If replies come but don’t lead to action, tweak your call to action, not just your copy. - Don’t be afraid to kill underperforming sequences entirely.
Ignore: - Vanity metrics like open rates. They’re easy to game and don’t mean much for B2B engagement. - Overly complex attribution setups. Focus on what’s actually moving pipeline.
Pro Tips: What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
-
Works:
- Targeted, relevant campaigns to small, well-defined groups.
- Writing like a human. Reference something specific about the account.
- Quick, honest follow-ups (“Assuming priorities changed. Let me know if you want to reconnect.”)
-
Doesn’t:
- Mass campaigns to everyone in your database.
- Overly clever subject lines. Direct and clear wins.
- Chasing every possible automation feature. Start simple; add as you go.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Believe the Hype
You don’t need a 20-step sequence or an AI-powered personalization engine. The best B2B automated campaigns are the ones you actually launch, measure, and improve. Focus on targeting, relevance, and clarity. Set up your campaigns in Crisp with a clear goal, monitor what’s working, and adjust as you learn. That’s it—no magic, just honest, methodical work that drives real engagement.
Now go build something your future self won’t be embarrassed to send.