Latest / Marketing Automation with Fexingo: HubSpot, Marketo, and Automated Customer Journeys / Why Marketing Automation Ignores Your Newborn
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, I was reading through some campaign analytics the other day, and I kept coming back to this one pattern that I think we've all seen but rarely talk about. You know how marketing automation is supposed to make everything more personal, more timely, more relevant? Well, it turns out it has this massive blind spot when it comes to the biggest life events of all. Luna: The biggest life events, like getting married, having a baby, buying a house? I feel like we've hit on a few of those in past episodes. Lucas: We have, and today I want to focus on one that's so obvious, yet so often overlooked: the newborn. Because think about it, when a baby arrives, everything changes. Sleep, time, finances, priorities. And yet, most marketing automation just keeps chugging along as if nothing happened. It's still sending those 'get ready for your trip to Hawaii' emails to a couple who just brought home twins. Luna: That sounds like a disaster. But also, I can see how it happens. The automation is built around a purchase date or a sign-up date, not around what's actually going on in someone's life. Lucas: Exactly. And here's the thing: with platforms like HubSpot and Marketo, we've got all these sophisticated triggers and workflows. We can track a click, an open, a download. But we haven't built in the kind of signals that say, 'hey, this person just had a baby, maybe we should shift their journey.' Luna: So what does that look like in practice? Can you give me a concrete example? Lucas: Sure. Let's say there's a diaper subscription service. They have a standard onboarding flow: welcome email, then a series on diaper sizes, then tips on sleep training, that kind of thing. It's all automated based on when you sign up. But here's the catch: the sign-up date is often months before the due date. So the sequence is timed to run right when the baby arrives, which might be perfect, but it doesn't account for the fact that babies come early or late, or that the mom might have a c-section and need different messaging. Luna: Right, and if the baby comes a month early, they're getting the 'size one' email while they're still in the NICU. That's not just a bad look, it's genuinely hurtful. Lucas: Exactly. And the data shows that these moments are when you lose customers. In one case I saw, a company like that had a thirty percent higher churn rate among subscribers who had a baby in the first quarter of their subscription. Because the automation just didn't adapt. It kept sending offers for products they didn't need yet, or reminders to review a product they hadn't even received. Luna: So what's the fix? How do you make automation that actually respects the chaos of a new parent's life? Lucas: Well, first, you need to have a trigger that isn't just date-based. You can ask for the due date at sign-up, which is pretty common in that industry. But you should also allow for a 'baby arrived' update, either through a link in the email or through a customer portal. Once you know the actual birth date, you can reset the entire sequence. Luna: That makes sense. And then you can adjust the cadence, maybe slow it down a bit, because new parents are not sitting at their computer reading email. Lucas: Exactly. And you can also build in suppression lists for those first few weeks. Maybe they don't want any emails at all for the first month. Or they only want the 'how to survive the first week' email, not the 'check out our new stroller' one. Luna: It sounds like the key is to build in flexibility, but also to use the data you have. Like, if a customer suddenly stops opening emails, that might be a signal that something big is happening in their life. Lucas: That's a great point. And that's where predictive analytics comes in. Instead of just reacting to a sign-up date, you can use behavioral signals to infer a life event. For example, a sudden drop in engagement, or a change in device usage, or even search patterns if you're tracking on-site behavior. It's not perfect, but it can flag people who might be going through something. Luna: And then you can pause the journey and send a human check-in, like 'hey, we noticed you've been quiet, is everything okay?' That could be a powerful way to build loyalty. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's actually a perfect segue to something I want to talk about for a second. You know, we've been doing this show for a while now, and we've always kept it ad-free. It's a deliberate choice, because we think the advice we give should be useful, not sponsored. And if you've found some of these ideas genuinely helpful, maybe you've even used them in your own work, we'd love it if you considered supporting the show. The link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It’s a simple way to say thanks and helps us keep doing this. Luna: Yeah, and it's not just about keeping the lights on. It's about staying independent, so we can call out these blind spots without worrying about upsetting a sponsor. That's valuable. Lucas: Exactly. So back to the newborn problem. The other side of this is the opportunity. If you can get it right, you create a customer for life. I read about a company that sends a 'welcome to parenthood' package to new parents who update their due date. Just a small gift, like a onesie and a coffee voucher. The response rate was huge, and the customers stayed with them for years. Luna: That's the flip side. A well-timed, empathetic message can turn a frazzled new parent into a loyal advocate. And that's not just about the gift, it's about showing you see them as a person, not just a data point. Lucas: Right. But it also raises an interesting question, which I think gets to the heart of what we're discussing: how much data is too much? We're talking about tracking due dates, birth dates, even behavioral signals that might hint at a pregnancy. Where's the line? Luna: That's a great question, because on one hand, you want to be relevant. On the other, you don't want to be creepy. And there's a fine line between 'we know you're having a baby' and 'we know you're having a baby and we're watching your every move.' Lucas: Exactly. And I think the answer is transparency and control. If you're going to collect life event data, you need to be upfront about it, let people opt in, and make it easy for them to update or delete that information. The companies that get this right treat it as a privilege, not a right. Luna: And they probably use it to make the experience better, not just to sell more stuff. Like, if I tell you my baby was born, don't just send me a coupon for diapers, send me tips on how to get my baby to sleep, or a playlist for late-night feeds. Lucas: Yes, value over promotion. And that's the framework we're sketching out today: use signal data to trigger and suppress, but always with the customer's benefit in mind. Now, let's talk about the practical steps. If you're a marketer listening, how do you start building this into your automation? Luna: I'm guessing it starts with an audit of your current workflows. Find the places where you're making assumptions about timing or context. Lucas: Exactly. Look at your journeys and ask: what if this person's life changed dramatically after they signed up? Does the journey adapt? If not, that's a risk. Then, think about what data you could collect, ethically, to make it adapt. You might not need a due date, but maybe you can ask for a 'next big life event' field in your preference center. Luna: And then build the triggers around that. Like, if someone indicates they're expecting, you can set up a workflow that waits for the actual birth date, then adjusts the messaging and timing. Lucas: Right. And you can also use behavioral triggers. For instance, if a customer who normally opens every email suddenly goes dark for two weeks, that could be a signal. You can have an automated alert that sends a manual follow-up, or even a simple 'we're thinking of you' email with a link to update preferences. Luna: That's a nice touch. It shows you're paying attention, but in a caring way, not a stalker way. Lucas: And it's actually a best practice for all sorts of life events, not just new babies. But the newborn is where the stakes are highest, because the emotional and physical demands are so intense. That's why I wanted to dedicate an episode to it. Luna: And it's not just about the customer's experience. It's about your brand. Getting this wrong can be a public relations nightmare. I remember a case where a big retailer sent a 'baby shower' promotion to a woman who had just miscarried, because their automation hadn't been updated. That went viral in the worst way. Lucas: Yeah, that's a stark example of what happens when you don't have the right safeguards. And it's why I think the human element is so important. Even with all the automation, you need a way for customers to reach a real person, especially when life goes sideways. Luna: Absolutely. So, to wrap up, what's the one takeaway you want listeners to remember? Lucas: I think it's this: marketing automation is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used well or used poorly. The companies that succeed are the ones that remember the automation is serving a human being, not the other way around. And when you're building those automated journeys, always ask: what if this person's life just changed overnight? Can my automation handle it? If not, you've got work to do. Luna: Well said. And if you have a story about a time marketing automation got it wrong, or right, in a big life moment, we'd love to hear it. You can find us on the Fexingo Business Podcast network. Lucas: And as always, thanks for listening. We'll be back next week with another angle on making automation work for real people.