How to Set Up Coupon Reminder Journeys in SFMC

About These Journeys

These SFMC journeys remind customers to use their Mention Me coupon codes. The referee journey targets prospective customers, while the referrer journey targets existing customers who earned a reward for referring a friend. The journeys utilise data sent from Mention Me to SFMC through the integration and the Journey Builder functionality of SFMC.

Prerequisites

An active Mention Me referral program
A Mention Me / SFMC enabled integration
Knowledge of SFMC AMPscript Variables

Supported Channels

Referee Journey

Remind prospective customers (referees) to use their coupon codes received from being introduced to your brand. Goals:

Drive first purchase
Increase average order value

Basic Workflow

A prospective customer gets a coupon when their friend introduces them (email sent by Mention Me).
A reminder email (subject to consent) is sent to use the coupon if they have not purchased yet.
Further reminders are sent at different times to encourage coupon usage (if you have purchase events flowing into SFMC).

Referee coupon reminder journey flow in SFMC — Referee coupon reminder journey flow

Step 1: Create the Journey Flow

Add the API Event trigger

Add an API Event as the Trigger type with Received Referee reward from Mention Me as the trigger event.

API Event trigger with Received Referee reward — The API Event trigger configured with Received Referee reward.

Set the default email address

In Journey Settings, set the Default Email address to be from Entry Source.

Journey Settings default email from Entry Source — Journey Settings showing the default email address set from Entry Source.

The Entry Source field itself is configured as shown below:

Email address entry source setting — The email address Entry Source setting.

Add wait periods before each email

Add a wait period before the email. Suggested wait periods:

1st email - 2 days after the event trigger
2nd email - 6 days after the 1st email is sent
3rd email - 4 days after the 2nd email is sent

If you are unsure of your reward validity period, reach out to your Mention Me CSM or Mention Me support.

Add a conditional split

Add a conditional split to check that the referee has purchased in the last x days (if you have purchase events flowing into SFMC).

Step 2: Add Content to Each Email

Match your brand

Update the images and styling to suit your brand.

Add product recommendations

Include product recommendations to increase conversion.

Set the personalisation data extension

Under Add content, set the data extension to Received Referee reward from Mention Me to allow for message personalisation.

Add content with referee reward data extension — The Add content panel with the referee reward data extension selected.

Example Reminders

Example Reminder 1	Example Reminder 2	Example Reminder 3
Subject: Claim your %%Referee Reward%% discount!	Subject: Don’t forget, you have a %%Referee Reward%% discount!	Subject: Last chance, your %%Referee Reward%% discount expires soon!

Referee coupon reminder example email 1 — Example Reminder 1 for the referee coupon reminder journey.

The second reminder follows the same format with updated copy:

Referee coupon reminder example email 2 — Example Reminder 2 for the referee coupon reminder journey.

The third and final reminder is shown below:

Referee coupon reminder example email 3 — Example Reminder 3 for the referee coupon reminder journey.

SFMC Variables

SFMC variable	Description	Example
`%%Referrer First Name%%`	The first name of the friend who referred the referee	Ryder
`%%Referrer Last Name%%`	The surname of the friend who referred the referee	Collins
`%%Referee Reward%%`	Combined reward shaping variable showing discount or benefit	£15 or 30%
`%%Coupon Code%%`	The generated coupon given to the referee	10USDOFF-RXAAURVZ
`%%[Output(Format([Coupon Expiry],"d MMMM, yyyy"))]%%`	The expiry date of the coupon. See SFMC Date Formatting	19 July 2023
`%%Call to Action URL%%`	Link that directs user to make purchase	www.mention-me.com

Step 3: Test the Preview

Open the preview and test tab

Test each email in the Preview and Test tab under Edit Email.

Preview and Test tab in SFMC email editor — The Preview and Test tab in the SFMC email editor.

Select a test entry

Use the Received Referee reward from Mention Me Data Extension and filter to a qualified test entry.

Selecting test entry from referee reward data extension — Selecting a test entry from the referee reward data extension.

Check the populated fields

Ensure fields populate correctly from the journey event.Example Reminder 1:

Referee reminder 1 preview with populated fields.

Example Reminder 2:

Referee reminder 2 preview with populated fields.

Example Reminder 3:

Referee reminder 3 preview with populated fields.

Step 4: Activate the Journey

Confirm everything is ready

Confirm all content, logic, and tests pass.

Activate the journey

Click the Activate button.