If you’re tired of chasing leads and manually sending out reminders, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through how to automate your follow-ups in Closelyhq using smart triggers—without getting lost in endless settings or buzzwords. Whether you’re in sales, customer success, or just want fewer tasks slipping through the cracks, you’ll learn how to use Closelyhq to do the annoying stuff for you—so you can focus on work that actually matters.
Why Automate Follow-Ups? (And When Not To)
Let’s be honest: most people don’t follow up as much as they should. Life gets busy, spreadsheets get messy, and unless you’re a robot, things fall through the cracks. Automation helps. But it’s not magic—automated follow-ups can also annoy contacts if you set them up wrong.
Automate follow-ups if: - You’re dealing with a lot of leads or clients, and personal outreach isn’t always feasible. - You want to make sure nobody gets forgotten. - You want to respond quickly when someone takes (or doesn’t take) action.
Don’t automate if: - Every message needs to be personal (think: major deals or sensitive issues). - You haven’t mapped out what you want to happen after the follow-up.
Smart triggers in Closelyhq help you strike a balance—they let you set up rules so follow-ups only go out when it actually makes sense.
Step 1: Get Your Contacts Organized
Before you even touch automation, take a look at your contacts. Garbage in, garbage out—so it’s worth cleaning things up first.
Basics to check: - Import only active, relevant contacts. - Segment by status (e.g., “new lead,” “waiting for reply,” “deal closed”). - Make sure names and emails are correct—nothing kills credibility like “Hey {{FirstName}}!”
Pro tip: If you have contacts spread across spreadsheets, CRMs, or inboxes, take the extra time to import them cleanly. Closelyhq can pull from LinkedIn, CSV files, and other sources, but you’ll want to de-duplicate and tag before you automate anything.
Step 2: Map Out Your Follow-Up Flow
Don’t just set and forget. Think through when and why you want to follow up.
Questions to answer: - What does a “follow-up” mean in your process? (A nudge? A reminder? A new offer?) - How many times will you follow up before you move on? - What actions should trigger a follow-up? (No reply? Clicked a link? Booked a meeting?)
Sketch it out: Even a quick flowchart or a list on paper is enough. If you try to figure this out on the fly inside Closelyhq, you’ll probably end up frustrated.
Step 3: Set Up Smart Triggers in Closelyhq
Now the real work starts. Closelyhq’s “smart triggers” are basically IF/THEN rules—if a contact does (or doesn’t do) something, then Closelyhq sends the next message.
Here’s how to set them up:
3.1 Create a Campaign
- Go to your Closelyhq dashboard and hit “New Campaign.”
- Choose your audience or segment.
- Give your campaign a name you’ll recognize later—trust me, you’ll thank yourself.
3.2 Add Your Initial Message
- Write the first email or LinkedIn message.
- Personalize (using merge fields like {{FirstName}}) but don’t overdo it—everyone knows what’s automated these days.
3.3 Add a Follow-Up Step
- Click “Add Follow-Up.”
- Choose when to send it: X days after the last message, unless the contact replies or takes another action.
- Write your follow-up. Keep it short and to the point.
3.4 Set Up the Smart Trigger
- Choose a Trigger: Pick from options like “No reply in 3 days,” “Message not opened,” or “Link clicked.”
- Action: Tell Closelyhq what to do—send the next message, update a status, assign a task, etc.
- Conditions: You can stack these—like “If no reply and not opened”—but don’t get too fancy unless you really need to.
What works: Triggers based on real engagement (opens, clicks, replies) are more effective than just sending messages on a timer. But keep in mind, open tracking isn’t 100% reliable—thanks to privacy settings and email clients.
Step 4: Test with a Small Batch
Don’t blast your whole list right away. Do a dry run with a small group first.
- Check for typos, weird personalization, or broken links.
- Watch how the triggers actually fire—Closelyhq will show you activity logs.
- Ask a colleague or even yourself (using a different email) to go through the flow.
Honest take: Most automation platforms, Closelyhq included, can be glitchy if you set up too many complex rules. Start simple and work your way up.
Step 5: Monitor and Adjust
Automation isn’t a “set it and forget it” tool. Check your results after a few days:
- Are people responding, or just ignoring you?
- Are smart triggers firing correctly, or are you spamming people who already replied?
- Are your messages getting flagged as spam? (If so, dial back frequency and make your emails less “salesy.”)
Closelyhq gives you stats on opens, replies, and bounces. If something looks off, pause the campaign and tweak your triggers.
Ignore the “best time to send” hype: There’s no magic hour for everyone. Test, look at your own data, and adjust from there.
Pro Tips for Smart Triggers that Don’t Annoy People
Here’s what works in the real world:
- Space out your follow-ups. Give people a few days. Nobody wants a barrage of emails.
- Limit the number of follow-ups. Two or three is usually plenty. After that, you’re just pestering.
- Make it easy to opt out. If someone’s not interested, let them say so and take them off the list.
- Keep it human. Even automated messages should sound like you’d actually say them.
What doesn’t work:
- Overly aggressive triggers (like emailing every day).
- Sending follow-ups to people who already replied or booked a meeting. Double-check your trigger logic.
- Relying on open tracking alone—lots of email clients block tracking pixels now.
Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
- Forgetting to exclude people who replied: Always set your triggers to stop if someone answers.
- Poor segmentation: Don’t send the same follow-up to everyone. Tag and segment for relevance.
- Cluttered workflows: More triggers ≠ better results. Complexity usually means more headaches.
- Neglecting compliance: If you’re emailing people in the EU, make sure you’re following GDPR rules.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automating your follow-ups with smart triggers in Closelyhq isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little planning. Start simple: pick one flow, set up clear triggers, and test it on a small group. Don’t try to automate everything right away or you’ll spend more time untangling your own logic than actually closing deals.
Keep an eye on what’s working, adjust as you go, and remember—automation is supposed to make your life easier, not more complicated. Keep it human, keep it relevant, and don’t be afraid to hit pause and rethink things if you’re not getting the results you want.