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How to Set Up Marketing Automation Workflows in Brevo (Step-by-Step) — Beginner’s Guide (2025)

ByAbubakar Bakir

Marketing automation is where small teams get enterprise-grade results: welcome series that onboard new subscribers, abandoned-cart flows that recover lost revenue, re-engagement campaigns that revive cold contacts, and multi-channel journeys (email + SMS + WhatsApp) that actually convert. This guide walks you, step-by-step, through setting up real, revenue-driving automation workflows inside Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — from account prep through templates, triggers, testing and measurement. I’ll include tested example automations you can copy exactly, plus pro tips and troubleshooting notes.

Quick note: this guide references Brevo’s official how-tos and feature docs (links below) — follow their UI steps alongside this guide for best results.

What you’ll learn (quick map)

  1. Prep: account, domain & data you need
  2. Automation basics: triggers, actions, rules (how Brevo models automations)
  3. Build your first workflow (welcome series) — step-by-step with copy examples
  4. Build a high-impact abandoned-cart flow (ecommerce) — step-by-step
  5. Advanced workflows: post-purchase, re-engagement, product recommendations, lead scoring
  6. Using website events, custom events and webhooks (developers)
  7. Testing, measurement and troubleshooting
  8. Pro checklist & best practices

1) Prep: before you start an automation

Automation works best when your foundation is solid. Do these first:

  • Create a Brevo account and verify your email.
  • Authenticate your sending domain (SPF/DKIM) — improves deliverability.
  • Import contacts and tag them (source: lead magnet, purchase, signup page). Clean the list before large sends.
  • Install Brevo tracking on your site (JavaScript/web events or plugin for Shopify/WordPress) so you can use page / cart events. Brevo captures website events to trigger automations.

Why? Because most automations rely on accurate contact properties and website events (e.g., “added to cart” or “viewed product”).

2) Brevo automation fundamentals (triggers, actions, rules)

Brevo’s automation engine uses three core pieces:

  • Trigger — what makes a contact enter the workflow (added to list, custom event, placed order, opened email).
  • Actions — what the workflow does (send email, send SMS, wait, add tag, update contact, move in CRM).
  • Rules / Conditions — branch logic like “IF contact purchased X then go to path A else path B”.

You can build workflows from templates or the classic drag-and-drop editor. Brevo supports multi-channel actions (email + SMS + WhatsApp) and custom events tracked via the Events API or webhooks so you can trigger automations from practically any interaction.

3) Create your first automation: Welcome Series (step-by-step)

Goal: Deliver the lead magnet, set expectations, introduce your best content/offers.
Trigger: Contact added to list “newsletter-signups”.

Step-by-step

  1. In Brevo, go to Automations > Workflows → Create an automation → choose Custom automation or Welcome template.
  2. Set Trigger: “Contact added to list” → select your newsletter list.
  3. Action 1:Immediately — Send Email #1 (Welcome & Deliver Lead Magnet)
    • Subject: “Welcome — here’s your [lead magnet]”
    • Body: short intro, link to download, clear CTA (visit your top resource).
  4. Wait: 2 days.
  5. Action 2:Send Email #2 (Brand story + Social proof)
    • Content: 1–2 helpful resources, 1 CTA to a best-performing blog or product.
  6. Wait: 3 days.
  7. Action 3:Send Email #3 (Soft pitch / incentive)
    • 10–15% discount OR invite to schedule demo / book consult. Add clear CTA.
  8. Optional Branch: If contact clicked CTA in email #2 → mark as “engaged” (tag) and add to “engaged” flow; else stay in nurture. Use a condition node.
  9. Activate and test with a seed contact.

Why this works: Welcome series typically have the highest open rates and set behavioral expectations — both help deliverability and early conversions.

4) Build a revenue-driving Abandoned Cart flow (ecommerce)

Goal: Recover lost carts and increase AOV.
Trigger: Website custom event “cart_abandoned” or Brevo native eCommerce trigger if using Shopify/WooCommerce integration. Brevo records cart events and can trigger automations accordingly.

Workflow blueprint

  1. Trigger: Custom event = cart_abandoned (contains cart items, value).
  2. Wait: 1 hour → Action: Send Email #1 (friendly reminder)
    • Include product image, price, direct checkout link, 1 CTA.
  3. Wait: 24 hours → Condition: Has the contact completed purchase?
    • If YES: Go to post-purchase flow.
    • If NO: Send Email #2 (social proof + free shipping or small discount).
  4. Wait: 48 hours → Condition: Purchased?
    • If NO: Send SMS reminder (use only if consented). SMS is high-impact for recovery.
  5. Final step: Tag contacts who purchased and add to VIP or cross-sell flow.

Copy tips: subject lines like “Left something behind?” and urgency in later emails work; keep 1 CTA per message. Test discount thresholds (5% vs 10%) to see ROI.

5) Other high-value workflows to build next

  • Post-purchase onboarding (order confirmation → how-to → review request → cross-sell).
  • Re-engagement (detect inactivity, send win-back series, then suppress).
  • Lead scoring + sales handoff (add points for opens/clicks/web events; when score > threshold, create CRM task for sales).
  • Browse abandonment / product recommendations (use product feeds and dynamic blocks).
  • Event / webinar registration (triggered by form → reminder sequence → follow-up).

Each of these can and should be built as separate automations and connected by tags or CRM pipeline stages.

6) Website events, custom events & developer hooks (for advanced triggers)

If you want automations triggered by site behavior (downloads, specific page views, product adds), use Brevo’s Events API or the built-in Website event features. Typical flow:

  1. Add Brevo tracking script to your site or use an official integration (Shopify, WooCommerce).
  2. Fire a custom event (e.g., cart_abandoned, course_completed) with relevant properties (cart total, product IDs).
  3. In Brevo automations choose Custom event as the trigger and map the event data to personalization tokens in emails.

If you need real-time two-way integration, implement webhooks to notify your backend when a contact reaches a certain step. Brevo supports webhooks for several events.

7) Testing, QA and activation (do this every time)

  • Use test contacts (seed emails) to run the flow and confirm every path.
  • Check personalization tokens and fallback values.
  • Verify deliverability: send to Gmail/Outlook and test inbox placement.
  • Simulate event payloads (for custom events) with the API or browser devtools.
  • Turn on suppression lists (opt-outs, global excludes).
  • Schedule activation in low-traffic hours first; monitor metrics for 48–72 hours.

8) Measure success: metrics to watch

  • Deliverability & bounce rate — ensure >95% delivery.
  • Open rate & click rate — engagement signals (but be aware of privacy masking).
  • Conversion rate (per workflow) — purchases, signups, bookings.
  • Revenue per recipient (RPR) — best for ecommerce.
  • Time to convert — how long contacts take to convert after entry.
  • Unsubscribe & spam complaint rates — keep complaints <0.1% per send.

Track these per automation and A/B test subject lines, timing and content.

9) Troubleshooting common issues

  • Automation not triggering: Check trigger type, list membership, event payload mapping and whether the contact meets entry conditions.
  • Emails going to spam: Verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC, check content for spammy words, and remove stale contacts.
  • Personalization tokens broken: Ensure the contact property exists and set fallback text.
  • API custom events not recorded: Confirm the JS tracker or Events API call is firing and that the event name matches the automation trigger exactly.

10) Example copy blocks (copy & paste into your flows)

Welcome Email #1 (deliverable template)
Subject: “Welcome — here’s your [lead magnet]”
Hi {{ contact.FIRSTNAME | default: “there” }},
Thanks for joining — here’s your [lead magnet link]. I’ll send one practical tip each week to help you [benefit]. Meanwhile, check out our best starter guide: [link]. — [Your name / Brand]

Abandoned Cart Email #1
Subject: “You left something in your cart”
Hi {{contact.FIRSTNAME|default:”there”}},
The items below are still waiting: [product image + link]. Click here to complete checkout: [checkout link]. Need help? Reply to this email.

11) Pro tips from 10 years in the trenches

  • Start with templates — Brevo provides templates and industry workflows; customize them.
  • Use multi-channel wisely — SMS/WhatsApp for urgent reminders or OTPs, email for content and long-form nurture.
  • Tag ruthlessly — tags are the fastest way to segment and trigger downstream automations.
  • Monitor engagement decay — prune inactive contacts or run a re-engagement flow before bulk promotions.
  • Instrument revenue tracking — UTM + ecommerce tracking so RPR is accurate.

12) Where to place these guides on your site (SEO & UX advice)

  • Add this tutorial under a top-level “Brevo Guides / Tutorials” category.
  • Insert the Welcome series and Abandoned cart example flows inside the “Workflows” subsection as downloadable templates (CSV or JSON if Brevo supports import).
  • Add FAQ schema and Automation template schema (if supported) to improve SERP visibility. Brevo docs recommend placing help links to their developer articles for custom events and webhooks.

Quick checklist (ready to copy)

  • Domain authenticated (SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
  • Brevo tracking installed on website / plugin connected
  • Contacts imported & tagged
  • Welcome automation live
  • Abandoned cart automation live (if ecommerce)
  • Post-purchase automation live
  • Tests completed for each automation path
  • Reporting & RPR tracking enabled

Useful Brevo documentation & further reading

  • Getting started with Automations (how-to).
  • Available triggers, actions and rules in an automation.
  • Events API & Website event setup (custom triggers).
  • Brevo automation examples & templates (blog).

Final word

Automation is not “set and forget.” Start with the three high-impact flows — welcome series, abandoned cart, and post-purchase — and optimize them based on RPR and engagement. Use website events to make automations behave like one-to-one conversations. With a correct foundation (authenticated domain, accurate events, healthy list), Brevo’s automation tools let small teams punch way above their weight.

Common Questions

Brevo integrates with popular tools like Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Salesforce, Zapier, Google Analytics, Stripe, HubSpot, and CRM platforms. You can also connect hundreds of apps using Brevo’s API or Zapier for custom workflows.

You can integrate Brevo with Shopify or WooCommerce by installing the official Brevo plugin/app, connecting your account using an API key, and syncing contacts, orders, and events. This enables abandoned cart emails, order confirmations, and post-purchase automation.

Yes, Brevo works seamlessly with Zapier, allowing you to connect it with 5,000+ apps. You can automate tasks like adding leads from forms, syncing CRM contacts, triggering email campaigns, or sending SMS alerts without any coding.

Yes. Most Brevo integrations are no-code or low-code, especially for platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and Zapier. Brevo also provides step-by-step documentation and a clean interface, making it suitable for beginners and small business owners.

Absolutely. Integrations allow real-time data syncing, better segmentation, personalized automation, and behavior-based triggers. Businesses using integrated Brevo workflows often see higher open rates, better conversions, and improved customer retention.

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