How to Set Up Your First Workflow

Workflows are one of the most powerful features in Market Muscles — they let you automate email and SMS sequences that run in the background, saving you time on follow-ups, onboarding, and re-engagement. This guide walks you through creating your first workflow from scratch.

The Key Steps

1. Navigate to Workflows

Click Communication in the left-hand navigation menu, then select Workflows. You will see a list of all your existing workflows (if any) along with their status, triggers, and enrollment counts.

2. Click New Workflow

Click the New Workflow button at the top of the page to open the workflow builder.

3. Name Your Workflow

Give your workflow a clear, descriptive name that explains its purpose. For example:

  • "New Lead Follow-Up — 7 Day Sequence"
  • "New Member Onboarding — 8 Weeks"
  • "Expired Trial Win-Back"

Add a description so your team understands the workflow's goal and target audience.

4. Set Your Trigger

Triggers determine when a contact is automatically enrolled in the workflow. Click Add Trigger and choose from options such as:

  • Contact type changes — e.g., when a contact becomes a Lead or Trial
  • Form submitted — when someone fills out a specific form
  • Tag added — when a specific tag is applied to a contact
  • Membership created or canceled — enrollment or churn events
  • Manual enrollment — you manually add contacts to the workflow

You can set multiple triggers for a single workflow.

5. Set a Goal (Optional)

Goals define the desired outcome. When a contact meets the goal condition, they automatically exit the workflow. For example:

  • A lead converts to a trial (goal for a lead nurture workflow)
  • A trial converts to a member (goal for a trial engagement workflow)

6. Add Your First Step

Click Add Step to build your sequence. Available step types include:

  • Email — send an automated email with merge tags for personalization
  • SMS — send a text message to the contact
  • Wait — pause for a set amount of time (e.g., wait 2 days)
  • Add/Remove Tag — automatically tag contacts as they progress
  • Update Contact — change contact fields or type
  • Send Notification — alert a staff member

7. Build Your Sequence

A typical first workflow might look like this:

  • Step 1: Send welcome email immediately
  • Step 2: Wait 2 days
  • Step 3: Send follow-up SMS
  • Step 4: Wait 3 days
  • Step 5: Send second email with offer or value content
  • Step 6: Add "Nurture Complete" tag

Use merge tags in your messages (like the contact's first name or your studio name) to make each message feel personal.

8. Test in Draft Mode

Before activating your workflow, keep it in Draft status and manually enroll a test contact. Walk through the entire sequence to make sure:

  • Emails and SMS messages look correct
  • Wait times are appropriate
  • Merge tags populate properly
  • The goal condition works as expected

9. Activate Your Workflow

Once you are satisfied with your test, change the workflow status from Draft to Active. New contacts who match your trigger conditions will now be automatically enrolled.

Best Practices

  • Start with one or two workflows — a Lead Follow-Up and a New Member Onboarding sequence deliver the most immediate value
  • Keep messages short and action-oriented — especially for SMS
  • Space your messages out — avoid sending more than one message per day
  • Review active workflows monthly — update messaging and timing based on performance

If you have any questions about setting up workflows, please reach out to the Market Muscles Support Team.