Campaign Builder: User-Created Automated Messaging

Kelsey Seale

June 02, 2026 19:37

Message Campaign Builder

Campaign Builder is a tool for creating automated messaging experiences that respond to contact behavior and input. Make sure you are sending the right message, to the right student, at the right time!

Instead of sending one-off messages, Campaign Builder helps you design structured, decision-based communication. You define what gets sent, when it gets sent, and how the system reacts to replies.

What can I do with Campaign Builder?

With Campaign Builder, you can:

Send scheduled or event-triggered messages
Ask questions and capture responses as data
Send different replies based on how someone responds
Build multi-step messaging flows over time

Campaign Builder is used to guide contacts through processes like applications or onboarding, collect and store meaningful data, and personalize follow-up messaging at scale.

Key concepts

Before building your campaign, it’s helpful to understand how everything fits together:

Campaign: A series of messages designed to guide contacts through a process
Nudge: A single message within a campaign
Triggers: The conditions that determine when a message is sent

Each nudge can also include:

Branching to send different replies
Save responses to store contact data
Multi-part messages to send longer content

How Campaign Builder works

flow chart: create your message, pick your audience, choose send time, add logic, publish your nudge

Once published, messages send automatically when contacts meet the defined criteria. Depending on your setup, contacts may enter the campaign at different times.

How to create a nudge and campaign

1. Create your first nudge

Go to the Campaigns tab in your Message web app
Select your Program
Click + Add Nudge

UI screenshot with 1 pointing to the campaign tab and 2 pointing to the "add nudge" button

2. Name your nudge

Give your message a clear, unique name.

If this nudge is part of a larger campaign, consider numbering them:

“1 – App Campaign Fall 2027”
“2 – App Campaign Fall 2027”

UI screenshot of "Birthday 2027" nudge title

3. Select your audience

Decide who should receive this message:

Send to entire department: Every active in contact in your program
To send to a segment: Send to a segment of your contacts
- Click + Add Rule
- Expand the rule and set your conditions

Example: Send to all contacts in your program / department.

UI screenshot with "send to entire department" selected as audience

Example:
Send only to in-state contacts by setting a condition like in_state = TRUE

UI showing selection of audience segment, selecting "active = true"

For more on advanced search, see: [Advanced search and rules]

4. Choose your delivery option

Select when your message should send:

Delivery TypeWhen to UseCalendar dateOne-time announcementsAfter importSend to newly added contactsAfter criteria metOngoing, behavior-based messagingOn field valueDate-based triggers (birthdays, appointments)

Delivery Type	When to Use
Calendar date	One-time announcements
After import	Send to newly added contacts
After criteria met	Ongoing, behavior-based messaging
On field value	Date-based triggers (birthdays, appointments)

UI screenshot of delivery with field value birthday at 9am selected

5. Write your message

Compose your message using standard messaging elements: merge tags, emojis, images, and links.

UI screen shot of message with a birthday message written

Best practices:

Use full URLs (avoid link shorteners like bit.ly or tinyurl)
Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
Use multi-part messages if needed (click + to add another message)

6. Save or publish

Click Done and Save as Draft
Publish to make the message live

Once published, your nudge will automatically send to any contact who meets the criteria.

UI screenshot of the done button in the bottom right corner

7. Build the rest of your campaign

If your campaign includes multiple messages:

Click + Add Nudge
Repeat the process for each step

Tip: Plan your campaign in advance so your messages flow logically and work together.

Enhance your campaign

You can add additional functionality to any nudge by clicking + Add:

Branching keyword responses
Send different replies based on how a contact responds
Save responses
Capture replies and store them in a contact field

Learn more:

[Saving responses]
[Branching keyword responses]

UI screenshot of a completed nudge titled "birthday 2027" and the option to add additional messages

Example: Application campaign

A simple campaign might look like:

Nudge 1 (save YES or NO):
“Are you planning to apply? Reply YES or NO.”
Nudge 2 (follow-up to all YES):
Reminder to complete the application
Nudge 3 (after submitted = TRUE):
Next steps for submitted applications

Each message builds on the previous one and can include branching or saved responses.

Best practices

Plan your campaign before building
Keep messages clear and action-oriented
Use segmentation to target the right audience
Match your trigger type to your goal
Test your campaign before publishing

What happens after publishing?

Once your campaign is live:

Messages send automatically based on your rules
Contacts may enter the campaign at different times
Responses and engagement can be tracked and used for follow-up