Wow. So, email auto-responder automations can get hairy very, very quickly as I️ learned today.
Here’s the thing: I️ have a 5-email sequence for anyone who signs up to get the free sample of my book on Instafreebie. I️ want to use it to whittle down the people who just gave their email for the free stuff, and really have interest in ever actually reading it, or joining my ongoing list, even the only-email-when-there’s-a-release group. Sounds simple enough, right?
Wrong.
Every single yes-or-no crossroad I️ build into the sequence means I️ have to DUPLICATE EVERYTHING THAT COMES AFTER THAT. Meaning, basically, I️ have a permutation on my hands. 5x4x3x2x1 = which equals 120 possible outcomes for this sequence. Jesus. That’s a lot. I️ might have to figure out some other way to do this, but, we’ll see. It’s not exactly a permutation, since I’m not really calculating the odds of someone picking numbers in a certain sequence…but it’s essentially that complicated. Each new choice basically adds a whole new individual thread I️ have to follow out for all the following emails below it. It gets messy real fast.
I’m going to try and finish it tomorrow. See what I️ have.
Yeah, so I️ just mapped that shit out; it’s not quite a permutation, but it is a geometric function – for every YES or NO divergent point in my automation sequence, I’m doubling my number of emails at each subsequent level. Right now, blessedly, I️ only have one real YES or NO question for each level, so that means email 1 has one option, 2 has 2, 3 has four, 4 has 8, and 5 has 16. If I️ add one more YES or NO, which I️ was considering doing, double all that all over again…which would mean 32? No, not quite – because this other option dead-ends.
So, I️ just actually figured it out. I️t would be 46 separate emails I’d have to write…though, it’s really only SIX different actual emails…many of them are just duplicates based on how someone moves through the automation sequence. That’s, hmm…actually doable. I️ might just keep it. We’ll see tomorrow. 31 emails on the five-email sequence, and then 15 emails of the other dead-end sequence option that moves them off to another separate group.
SEE???
So complicated SO FAST. I️ can see why people got so upset with MailerLite a few weeks ago about their automations automatically getting shut off. Yikes. It’d be impossible to start anyone over. Too many options.
It’s time for sleep.
Night 😛