---
title: Adding marketing actions to automation processes
---

> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).

> **Info:** **Kentico EMS required**
>
> Features described on this page require the **Kentico EMS** license.

[Automation processes](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation.md) can perform various types of marketing actions. By integrating actions into processes, you can automate tasks that users would otherwise need to do manually. For example, you can have a process send a newsletter issue to contacts that meet a certain [condition](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/defining-automatic-decisions-in-processes.md) or move contacts between different accounts.

You can add actions into flow of processes via **action steps**. When a contact reaches an action step in a process, the system automatically performs the given action.

The following action steps are available:

| Action step             | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Change contact account  | Adds or removes the contact from an [account](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts/organizing-contacts-into-accounts.md).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Change contact group    | Adds or removes the contacts from a [contact group](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/contact-segmentation.md).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Delete contact          | Deletes the contact currently going through the automation process.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Import to Salesforce    | Replicates the contact into a lead in a target Salesforce organization.<br>You need to have [Salesforce replication](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/salesforce-integration.md) set up for your website to use this action.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Log custom activity     | Logs a [custom activity](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/tracking-contact-activities/adding-custom-activities.md) for the contact.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Newsletter subscription | Subscribes or unsubscribes the contact from a [newsletter](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing.md).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Send e-mails            | Sends an e-mail (to any address).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Send newsletter issue   | Sends a [newsletter issue](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing.md) to the contact.<br>**Note**: When performing this action step, the process automatically adds the contact as a subscriber for the newsletter containing the specified issue.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Set contact property    | Inserts a new value into one of the contact's properties (fields).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Set contact status      | Changes the contact's [status](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts/assigning-statuses-to-contacts.md).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Start process           | Triggers a different marketing automation process for the contact.<br>Based on the [recurrence settings](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/creating-automation-processes.md) of the target process, this action can result in multiple unnecessary instances of the process running concurrently.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Update from Data.com    | Updates the contact's information with the data found in the Data.com database. The step connects to Data.com using a specified account.<br>See also: [Data.com integration](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/data-com-integration.md)**Warning:** The [Data.com](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/data-com-integration.md) integration stops working as of 1st September 2016, because [Data.com](http://data.com/) terminates third party access to their API. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. |

## Managing contact accounts

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Change account** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Specify the step's parameters:

   - **Account name** - select an account for the action to manage.
   - **Contact role** - you can have the process assign a specific role within the account to the contact.
   - **Action** - you can either add the contact to the specified account or remove it from the account.
5. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [Organizing contacts into accounts](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts/organizing-contacts-into-accounts.md)

## Managing contact groups

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Change group** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Specify the step's parameters:

   - **Contact group** - select a contact group for the action to manage.
   - **Action** - you can either add the contact to the specified group or remove it.
5. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [Contact segmentation](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/contact-segmentation.md)

## Setting contact properties

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Set contact property** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Select which contact property the action changes (**Property name**).
5. Type the new **Property value**.
6. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [Working with contacts](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts.md)

## Setting contact statuses

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Set contact status** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Select the new **Contact status** that the action assigns to contacts.
5. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [Assigning statuses to contacts](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts/assigning-statuses-to-contacts.md)

## Deleting contacts

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Delete contact** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Specify the step's parameters:

   - **Delete merged** - indicates if the step also deletes merged child contacts. If not checked, the process splits all child contacts before deleting the parent contact.
   - **Move activities** - check to move activities, relationships, IPs, and UserAgents to the parent contact when deleting merged contacts.
5. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [Working with contacts](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts.md)

## Replicating contacts to Salesforce

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Import to Salesforce** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Specify the step's parameter:

   - **Deferred replication** - if checked, the action step delays the replication of the contact until the system executes the [scheduled replication process](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/salesforce-integration/replicating-contacts-to-salesforce.md). When disabled, the action replicates the contact immediately. Using deferred replication helps reduce the number of Salseforce API calls made by your application.
5. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [Salesforce integration](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/salesforce-integration.md)

## Logging custom activities

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Log custom activity** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Specify the step's parameters:

   - **Activity type** - select one of your custom activity types.
   - **Activity title** - add basic information about the event that the activity represents.
   - **Activity value** - you can assign a value to the activity. You can associate values with activities such as ratings or e-commerce purchases.
   - **Activity URL** - enter the URL of the page where the activity occurred.
   - **Campaign** - you can select a marketing [campaign](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/web-analytics/tracking-campaigns.md) associated with the activity.
   - **Comment** - here you can add any additional information related to the activity.
5. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [Tracking contact activities](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/tracking-contact-activities.md), [Adding custom](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/tracking-contact-activities/adding-custom-activities.md)

## Managing newsletter subscriptions

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Newsletter subscription** action step onto the process designer grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Select the **Newsletter**.
5. Select the **Action** - you can either subscribe the contact to the newsletter or unsubscribe the contact from the newsletter.
6. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [E-mail marketing](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing.md)

## Sending e-mails

> **Note:** **Prerequisites**: You must have at least one [SMTP server](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/configuring-kentico/configuring-smtp-servers.md) configured for your website.

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Send e-mail** action step onto the grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Enter the sender's address into the **From** field.
5. Specify the recipients of the e-mail in the **To** field.
   - You can enter multiple addresses separated by semicolons.
   - Use macro expressions to load the address dynamically. For example, _{% Contact.ContactEmail %}_ gets the address of the current contact in the process.
6. Choose the content type of the e-mail:

   - **E-mail template** - the content of the e-mail is based on the selected [E-mail template](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/configuring-kentico/managing-e-mail-templates.md).
   - **HTML formatted text** - manually write the _Subject_ and _Body_ of the e-mail.
7. Click **Save**.

## Sending newsletter issues

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Send newsletter issue** action step onto the grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Select the **Newsletter issue** that the action step sends.
   - You need to choose both the newsletter and specific issue.
5. Click **Save**.

**See also**: [E-mail marketing](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/e-mail-marketing.md)

## Starting automation processes

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Start process** action step onto the grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Select the automation **Process** that you want to start for the contact.

   - You cannot start a new instance of the same process that you are designing (to avoid the possibility of process loops).
5. Click **Save**.

## Updating contact information from Data.com

> **Warning:** The [Data.com](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/data-com-integration.md) integration stops working as of 1st September 2016, because [Data.com](http://data.com/) terminates third party access to their API. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

1. [Place](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/managing-automation-process-steps.md) the **Update from Data.com** action step onto the grid.
2. Integrate the step into the flow of the process by [connecting](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/connecting-automation-process-steps.md) a preceding and following step.
3. Edit the step by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
4. Fill in the **E-mail address** and **Password** of a valid Data.com account.
5. Click **Set**.
6. Configure the step's parameter:

   - **Buy enabled** - if checked, the step automatically [buys contacts](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/data-com-integration/buying-contacts-from-data-com.md) that the assigned Data.com account does not not own. The step buys contacts only if there is one exact match in the Data.com registry.
7. Click **Save**.

> **Info:** Every **Update from Data.com** step stores the credentials of a Data.com account. The step uses the account to search for data and buy contacts. Steps cannot update contact data if the assigned Data.com credentials become invalid.
>
> To change a step's Data.com account:
>
> 1. Edit the step in the process designer.
> 2. Click **Remove credentials**.
> 3. Fill in the authentication form with the e-mail and password of the new Data.com account.
> 4. Click **Set**.

**See also**: [Data.com integration](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/integrating-3rd-party-systems/data-com-integration.md)

## Adding custom actions

Kentico allows developers to create custom action steps for use in automation processes. Developing actions step requires knowledge of programming and the Kentico API.

See [Developing custom marketing automation actions](https://docs.kentico.com/k8/custom-development/miscellaneous-custom-development-tasks/developing-custom-marketing-automation-actions.md) for more information.