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SmartLink Clicked Trigger Block

The SmartLink Clicked trigger starts an automation when a contact clicks a SmartLink. SmartLinks can be used anywhere (not just SMS and email), so this trigger is great for tracking and responding to clicks from campaigns, pages, QR codes, kiosks, or any place you share a SmartLink. It’s also commonly used for retargeting and audience segmentation.

What’s in This Article

 

 

What This Trigger Does

The SmartLink Clicked trigger fires when:

  1. A contact clicks a SmartLink (wherever you shared it), and

  2. Patch records the click event, and

  3. The automation receives the click event + contact information

In simple terms:
“Run this automation path when someone clicks a specific SmartLink.”

 

 

When to Use This Trigger

Use SmartLink Clicked when you want to:

  • Follow up when someone clicks a SmartLink from any channel (email, SMS, QR code, website, social, kiosk, signage, staff share links, etc.)

  • Segment contacts by interest (clicked “Membership” vs “Birthday Parties”)

  • Trigger a “hot lead” workflow (notify staff, apply tags, send next steps)

  • Measure which campaigns and links drive real actions

  • Start a retargeting sequence based on what they clicked

 

 

When Not to Use This Trigger

Don’t use SmartLink Clicked if:

  • You need to trigger on a purchase (use Order Finished)

  • You need to trigger on a visit/check-in (use Check-In Finished)

  • You need reminders tied to a scheduled time (use a Calendar Event trigger)

  • You want a workflow that starts when a contact is first created (use Contact Created)

 

 

Block Settings Explained

Details (Info Panel)

This section explains:

  • How the block is triggered

  • When to use this block

It’s informational only—no settings here change behavior.

Add Conditions

Use Add Conditions to control which clicks should trigger the automation.

The most useful filters are:

  • SmartLink (the SmartLink that was clicked)

  • Redirect URL (the destination URL)

You can also filter by:

  • Time (when the click happened)

  • Blast/Automation ID (if the click came from a Patch message/campaign)

  • Customer IP Address (mostly for troubleshooting)

  • Account ID / Patch Internal ID (internal identifiers)

Best practice: Filter by SmartLink or Redirect URL so the automation only runs for the exact link you care about.

Trigger Event Fields (What You Can Filter On)

SmartLink click triggers include event fields that help you build tight targeting.

Most commonly used:

  • SmartLink → “They clicked this SmartLink”

  • Redirect URL → “They clicked a link going to this page”

  • Time → “They clicked during this window”

Sometimes used:

  • Blast/Automation ID → Helpful when the same SmartLink is used in multiple Patch campaigns

Rarely used:

  • Customer IP Address → diagnostics

  • Patch internal IDs → support/debugging

Configure Trigger Frequency

This section controls how often the trigger runs for the same contact after counting clicks that match your rules.

Frequency option 1: One time at a certain number of clicks

Use this when you only want the automation to run once at a milestone.

Examples:

  • First click only (click #1)

  • Third click only (click #3)

Frequency option 2: Every X clicks

Use this when you want repeat actions on a pattern.

Settings you’ll see:

Number of clicks

This is the “X” in Every X clicks.

  • If you enter 2, the automation runs every 2 clicks.

Starting with click

This sets where the counting begins.

Examples:

  • Start at 1 → runs on 1, 3, 5, 7…

  • Start at 2 → runs on 2, 4, 6, 8…

 

 

Common Use Cases

  • “Hot lead” follow-up when someone clicks Book Now (from any channel)

  • Segment contacts based on what they clicked (membership, parties, camps, rentals)

  • Route leads to the right sales flow after a QR code scan + click

  • Trigger staff alerts for high-intent clicks

  • Retarget people who clicked but didn’t buy/book

 

 

What Data This Trigger Has Access To

SmartLink Clicked includes:

  • Contact data (standard + custom fields)

  • Click event data, such as:

    • SmartLink

    • Redirect URL

    • Time

    • Blast/Automation ID (if applicable)

    • Customer IP Address (if available)

It does not include:

  • Revenue/product line items (Order Finished does)

  • Check-in context (Check-In Finished does)

  • Scheduled booking times (Calendar Event trigger does)

 

 

Important Things to Know

  • Clicks can happen multiple times quickly. Use frequency and/or conditions to avoid spamming.

  • If you use the same SmartLink in multiple places, filter by SmartLink or Redirect URL first. Use Blast/Automation ID only when you need to separate Patch campaigns from each other.

  • SmartLinks are a strong intent signal (usually stronger than an email open).

  • For retargeting, you’ll usually pair this trigger with:

    • Delay

    • If/Then checks with action filter action blocks (did they purchase? did they book? did they check in?)

 

 

Example Automations

Example 1: Clicked “Membership Pricing” → Membership Nurture

  1. Trigger: SmartLink Clicked

  2. Condition: SmartLink = “Membership Pricing”

  3. Add tag: “Interested – Membership”

  4. Send next-step message or route into a membership nurture flow

Example 2: Clicked “Book Now” → Hot Lead Follow-Up

  1. Trigger: SmartLink Clicked

  2. Condition: Redirect URL contains “/book”

  3. Add tag: “High Intent – Booking”

  4. Internal notification/task: “Contact clicked Book Now”

Example 3: Retarget Clickers Who Didn’t Buy

  1. Trigger: SmartLink Clicked

  2. Condition: SmartLink = “Day Pass Offer”

  3. Delay: 4 hours

  4. If no order found (Orders - Last Order At is Before 4 hours ago) → send follow-up message with the offer again

    1. Reminder: keep your data sync timing in mind when configuring time based automations

 

 

Best Practices

  • Always filter by SmartLink or Redirect URL (otherwise every SmartLink click can trigger the same automation).

  • Use milestones to avoid spam (first click, second click, click after X days).

  • Add a conversion check (purchase/booking/check-in) so retargeting only hits non-converters.

  • Keep follow-ups focused on one clear next step.

 

 

Retargeting Notes

SmartLink Clicked is a common starting point for retargeting because it captures interest, even if the contact didn’t convert yet.

Retargeting usually needs:

  • audience rules (who qualifies and who is excluded)

  • time windows (same day vs 3 days vs 14 days)

  • conversion checks (order/check-in/booking)

  • frequency caps