Start here · Marketing

How to set up automated follow-up emails and drip campaigns

To automate follow-ups, decide what should happen after each action a lead takes, such as signing up, downloading a guide or going quiet, and build those rules as email sequences in a marketing automation tool. The tool sends each message on the schedule you set, and exit rules stop the sequence when the lead replies, buys or books. Connecting it to your CRM lets sales see each lead's activity and step in when someone is ready to talk.

By Bill Belcamino · Page updated September 19, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

Price this for my team See the software it takes

How to automate follow-ups and nurture campaigns, step by step

Map the stages a lead goes through, from first contact to paying customer.
Pick the trigger for each sequence: a form signup, a download, a quote with no reply or a past purchase.
Write a short series of helpful emails for each trigger, with one clear next step in each.
Set exit rules so leads leave the sequence when they reply, buy, book or unsubscribe.
Connect the tool to your CRM and website forms so contacts and activity sync automatically.
Review open, click and reply rates per sequence and rewrite the emails that fall flat.

The software this job takes

Which categories a job needs is Editorial assessment; the tools, prices and dates are Verified data.

Prices are each vendor’s published entry plan, recorded from its own pricing page and dated. The example column prices a team of 10: only per-user prices are multiplied; flat and per-account prices are shown as published. Change the team size in the finder.

You need this

Marketing Automation Software

Marketing automation runs follow-up emails and nurture campaigns without manual sending.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
ActiveCampaign	From $15/mo (1,000 contacts)	Per account per month, billed annually (1,000 contacts)	$15/moFlat per account per month, billed annually (1,000 contacts); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	NoNo free plan — trial available	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing
HubSpot	Free tier, from $7/seat/mo	Per seat	$70/mo$7 × 10 seats	YesYes — free CRM for up to 2 users, no card required	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
Klaviyo	From $20/mo	Per account per month, priced by active profiles	$20/moFlat per account per month, priced by active profiles	Yes250 active profiles / 500 emails + $5 of SMS/MMS credit per month	Aug 11, 2026Vendor pricing
Mailchimp	From $13/mo	Per account per month (up to 500 contacts)	$13/moFlat per account per month (up to 500 contacts); includes 3 logins, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	Yes250 contacts / 500 sends per month	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing
Keap	Starting at $299/mo	Per account per month; extra users $39/month each	$299/moFlat per account per month; extra users $39/month each; includes 2 logins, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	NoNo free plan — limited free trial (no card required; 25 email sends, no payments or texts)	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Marketing Automation pricing →Head to head:GoHighLevel vs ActiveCampaign ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Mailchimp vs Klaviyo6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

You need this

Email Marketing Software

Email marketing tools manage your list and send newsletters and campaigns.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Mailchimp	From $13/mo	Per account per month (up to 500 contacts)	$13/moFlat per account per month (up to 500 contacts); includes 3 logins, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	Yes250 contacts / 500 sends per month	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing
Klaviyo	From $20/mo	Per account per month, priced by active profiles	$20/moFlat per account per month, priced by active profiles	Yes250 active profiles / 500 emails + $5 of SMS/MMS credit per month	Aug 11, 2026Vendor pricing
Constant Contact	From $12/mo (500 contacts)	Per account per month, billed monthly (up to 500 contacts)	$12/moFlat per account per month, billed monthly (up to 500 contacts); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	NoNo free plan — 30-day free trial (100 sends)	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing
ActiveCampaign	From $15/mo (1,000 contacts)	Per account per month, billed annually (1,000 contacts)	$15/moFlat per account per month, billed annually (1,000 contacts); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	NoNo free plan — trial available	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Email Marketing pricing →Head to head:Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Mailchimp vs Klaviyo4 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

CRM Software

A CRM keeps every customer, lead and deal in one place so nothing falls through the cracks.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
HubSpot	Free tier, from $7/seat/mo	Per seat	$70/mo$7 × 10 seats	YesYes — free CRM for up to 2 users, no card required	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
Salesforce	Free Suite (2 users), from $25/user/mo	Per user	$250/mo$25 × 10 users	YesYes — Free Suite, 2 users, no card required	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Pipedrive	From $14/seat/mo	Per seat	$140/mo$14 × 10 seats	No	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Zoho CRM	Free (3 users), from $14/user/mo	Per user	$140/mo$14 × 10 users	YesYes — up to 3 users	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all CRM Platforms pricing →Head to head:HubSpot vs Zoho CRM Pipedrive vs HubSpot HubSpot vs Salesforce GoHighLevel vs HubSpot8 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

What to look for

Editorial assessment

Triggers and branching Check that sequences can start from the events you care about and branch on what the lead does next. Timers alone send every lead the same thing.
Two-way CRM sync Sales should see email activity and marketing should see deal stages. Otherwise leads keep getting nurture emails after they've bought.
Pricing as contacts grow Automation plans are often priced by contact count, with some features only on higher tiers. Check the tier that includes the automations you actually need.
Lead scoring Scoring based on opens, visits and replies helps sales call the most engaged leads first. See whether it's on the plan you'd buy.
A visual workflow builder A clear visual editor lets someone other than a specialist change a sequence without breaking it.
Results per sequence You need results per email and per sequence, so you know which follow-ups actually move leads forward.

Common mistakes to avoid

Automating an untested message A sequence repeats a weak email to every lead. Test the message by hand first.
No exit rules Leads who replied or bought keep getting nurture emails, which looks careless and irritates new customers.
A platform bigger than your process All-in-one suites can include far more than a small team uses. Price the plan that covers what you'll actually build.
Enrolling leads without consent Adding people to sequences they never agreed to brings complaints and hurts delivery. Check the consent rules that apply where your contacts are.

What to settle before you buy

What are our stages from lead to customer, and where do leads stall today?
Who writes the sequences and keeps them up to date?
Which CRM, forms and website must the automation connect to?
How many contacts will be in the system now and as we grow?
At what point does a lead go to a salesperson, and how will they be told?
Do we want one all-in-one platform, or separate email and CRM tools that connect?

Ready to take it to whoever signs off?Turn your shortlist into a one-page decision brief with verified prices, or price the whole job for your team size.

Build a decision brief Open the finder

Frequently asked questions

What is an email drip campaign?

A drip campaign is a series of emails sent automatically on a schedule or in response to what someone does, such as signing up or downloading a guide. Each email moves the reader a step closer to buying or booking. It stops when they reply, convert or unsubscribe.

How do I set up automated follow-up emails?

Choose the trigger, such as a form submission or a quote sent with no reply, then write a short sequence with delays between emails. Add exit rules so it stops on a reply or purchase, test it on yourself and switch it on. Review the results once enough leads have gone through it.

Do I need a CRM with marketing automation?

If people on your team follow up with leads personally, the CRM should share data with your automation tool: the CRM holds deals and conversations, the automation sends the emails. Some platforms combine both and others connect separately. Compare the total cost of each route for your team size and contact count.

How do I find a cheaper alternative to my marketing automation platform?

List the automations, contact count and CRM features you actually use, then compare plans that cover just those. Watch for prices that jump with contacts or seats and for features locked to higher tiers. The table above shows each tool's verified entry price and billing unit.

How we built this page

We start from the job, not the product. The phrasings people search for this job (for example “best marketing automation software for small business”) come from our research into how small and mid-size teams describe it. Which software categories the job takes is our editorial judgment. Every tool, entry price, billing unit and date comes from HelpCompare’s open dataset, recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page; nothing is estimated, and where a vendor publishes no price we say so. We take no affiliate commissions and publish no scores of our own. See our methodology or download the data from Open Data.

More jobs in Marketing

Get more leads and customers Send a newsletter or email campaign Improve Google rankings Show up on Google Maps and get reviews Schedule social media posts Build an email list Send text messages to customers Run webinars and online events Build landing pages All jobs →

Browse by category

Recently verified

Recently updated switching guides

What every guide covers

Pricing data

Original research

Open data

Security & compliance

Where your team works

Side by side

How to set up automated follow-up emails and drip campaigns

How to automate follow-ups and nurture campaigns, step by step

The software this job takes

Marketing Automation Software

Email Marketing Software

CRM Software

What to look for

Common mistakes to avoid

What to settle before you buy

Frequently asked questions

What is an email drip campaign?

How do I set up automated follow-up emails?

Do I need a CRM with marketing automation?

How do I find a cheaper alternative to my marketing automation platform?

How we built this page

More jobs in Marketing

From shortlist to switched

Bill Belcamino