The guide on interest-based segmentation with tagged forms
This guide is based on the Insider Tips That Work — Live Building Autonomous Marketing webinar, published on the AI Lab by ActiveCampaign.
Get the quick-start guide
What will I accomplish with this guide? By the end of this guide, you’ll have two ActiveCampaign sign-up forms that tag contacts by their specific interest, plus an automation that delivers an ebook and a three-email follow-up sequence per segment. It’s based on the workflow Luis Fernando Castillon walked through with Mamie Hatter, the same setup Parrish Law used to take open rates from under 20% to 35–40%.
Before you start, you’ll need:
Guides on forms and automations
- An ActiveCampaign account with permission to build forms and automations
- At least two distinct content offers, one per audience segment (Parrish used a car-accident ebook and a dog-bite ebook)
- Educational follow-up copy and a final call-to-action ready for each segment
- A clear naming convention for tags so you can keep segments tidy as you add more
Quick reference
- Total time: 60–90 minutes
- Tools needed: ActiveCampaign forms, tags, automations
- Key output: Tagged sign-up forms feeding two parallel three-email automations
Watch this section
For full context on the following topics, watch these sections of the webinar:
- Why segmentation came first at Parrish Law: [07:28]–[08:32]
- Adding tags to the car-accident and dog-bite forms: [08:32]–[09:37]
- Walking through the three-email automation that follows the tag: [09:37]–[10:43]
The workflow
Phase 1: Map your segments before you touch the builder
After this phase, you’ll have: a written list of segments, each with a clear lead magnet and a reason the audience cares.
- Name two to four interest groups your list actually contains: Parrish split clients by case type, e.g., car accident vs. dog bite. Use whatever line your audience already draws.
- Pick one lead magnet per segment: an ebook, checklist, or guide that’s specific to that interest. Generic offers attract everyone and segment no one.
- Sketch the three-email follow-up arc for each segment: delivery email, educational email, consultation or offer email. The cadence is identical across segments; only the content changes.
We started with segmentation when we realized that car accident prospects have completely different questions and needs than a prospect dealing with a dog bite. So sending everyone the same content was leaving engagement on the table.
Phase 2: Build the tagged sign-up forms
After this phase, you’ll have: one ActiveCampaign form per segment, each tagging new contacts on submit.
- Create a new form for the first segment: in ActiveCampaign, build a sign-up form for the first lead magnet (Parrish’s first one was for the car-accident ebook).
- Open the form’s Options panel: go to the form’s Actions area where you’ll wire submission behavior.
- Add an “Add a tag” action: name the tag after the offer, e.g., car-accident-ebook. The tag appears in the dropdown as you type.
- Save the form and grab the embed snippet: publish the form on the landing page that hosts the lead magnet.
- Repeat for the second segment: duplicate the steps for the second form (Parrish’s second was the dog-bite ebook), tagging it dog-bite-ebook. Same structure, different tag.
Phase 3: Build the three-email automation behind the tag
After this phase, you’ll have: one automation that fires on the segment’s tag and delivers a three-email sequence.
- Create a new automation triggered by the tag: set the entry condition to “Tag is added: car-accident-ebook.”
- Send email 1 immediately, the ebook delivery: the contact gets the asset they signed up for in their first email.
- Wait three days: add a wait step so the educational email lands when the contact has had time to look at the ebook.
- Send email 2, segment-specific education: for car accident, Parrish covered insurance claim processes and what an injured person needs to know. Match the depth to your segment’s actual questions.
- Wait five more days: another wait step before the offer.
- Send email 3, the call to action: invite the contact to schedule a consultation, book a call, or take the next step. Keep the ask simple.
- Activate the automation and run a test contact through it: submit the form yourself with a test address to verify the tag fires, the wait timing is right, and each email renders.
Phase 4: Duplicate the structure for every other segment
After this phase, you’ll have: one parallel automation per segment, each pulling from a different tag.
- Duplicate the first automation: ActiveCampaign lets you copy an entire automation in one click. Keep the same structure, timing, and logic.
- Swap the trigger tag: change the entry condition to the next segment’s tag, e.g., dog-bite-ebook.
- Replace the email content with segment-specific material: delivery email = the second segment’s ebook, educational email = topics that segment cares about, CTA email = the same offer or a segment-tailored version.
- Activate and test the second automation: submit the second form with a test address and confirm the second sequence runs cleanly.
The beauty is I can duplicate that entire structure and just swap out the content. Same thing, same timing, same logic and different educational material.
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More data from the AI Lab.