HomeBlog › Behavior-based campaigns

Campaigns that react to opens and clicks

Sending the same message to your whole list is easy, but it leaves money on the table: not all your contacts are at the same stage. Those who open and click are ready for an offer; those who don't need a different nudge. With NotifyBulk's behavior-based advanced campaigns, that difference manages itself: the campaign reacts to what each person does and routes them the right way.

What a behavior-based campaign is

Unlike a standard campaign (one message → one group → one send), an advanced campaign is a multi-step sequence with waits in between. And each email step can have behavioral triggers: rules that fire when the contact interacts with that message. It's the difference between "fire and forget" and a campaign that listens and responds.

Available events and actions

A trigger is made of an event (what has to happen) and an action (what to do when it happens), with an optional delay.

EventWhen it fires
OpenThe contact opens that step's email
ClickThe contact clicks a link in that step's email
ActionWhat it does
Add to groupMoves the contact into another group
Send emailSends a follow-up email using a saved template
Send SMSSends an SMS using a saved template
Call webhookPOSTs the contact's data to a URL (for your CRM or other tools)

The delay (in hours) lets you, for example, send a follow-up 24 hours after a click, only to those who actually engaged.

Groups that build themselves

Here's the key. In NotifyBulk, groups are lists you manage, but the "Add to group" action of a campaign fills them automatically based on behavior. Whoever clicks your offer email is added to the "Interested" group on their own; whoever never opened can go into "Re-engage." You don't maintain lists by hand: they build themselves from what people do.

💡 A group populated by behavior is worth more than a hand-picked one: it contains exactly the people who showed interest, so your next message reaches the right audience.

A full example, step by step

Picture a launch. The campaign could look like this:

Step 1 · Email "Something new is here 👀"
  ↳ If they click → Add to group "Interested" (delay 0h)
  ↳ If they click → Send SMS with the buy link (delay 24h)
Wait · 3 days
Step 2 · Email "Last chance" → only to those who didn't buy
  ↳ If they open but don't click → Add to group "Lukewarm"

The result: a single campaign splits your audience into "Interested" and "Lukewarm" on its own, sends a timely SMS to the hottest leads, and reserves the follow-up nudge for those who need it. All without you touching a list.

Use cases that convert

  • Re-engagement: add contacts who haven't opened in 30 days to "Dormant" and send them a win-back sequence.
  • Lead qualification: whoever clicks "see pricing" goes into "Hot lead" and reaches your CRM instantly via webhook.
  • E-commerce: whoever opens a product email gets a reminder with a coupon 24h later. More in SMS and WhatsApp for e-commerce.
  • Onboarding: welcome on day 1, then different follow-up paths depending on how they engage.

Build your first campaign that reacts on its own

Create a free account and set up a sequence with open and click triggers in minutes, no code.

Start free

Frequently asked questions

What is a behavior-based campaign?

It's a message sequence where each step can react to what the contact does. If they open or click an email, an automatic action fires: add them to a group, send another message, or call a webhook.

Do groups update on their own?

Groups are lists you manage. What fills them automatically is the "Add to group" action of an advanced campaign: when a contact opens or clicks, the campaign moves them into the group you choose. That way the group is built from real behavior.

Which events can I automate on?

On the open and click of the emails in each campaign step. When it fires, you can add the contact to a group, send an email or SMS using a template, or call a webhook, with a configurable delay.

Do I need technical skills?

No. Advanced campaigns are built with a visual step builder. Only the webhook action needs a destination URL; everything else is point and choose.

Keep reading: WhatsApp vs SMS vs Email · SMS and WhatsApp for e-commerce.