Lesson 7

6 mins

Turning Strategy Into Action

Move from theory to practice with a concrete plan for implementing your first user engagement flow. Start with proven high-impact flows and follow a 30-day implementation plan.

Turning Strategy Into Action

It's time to move from learning to doing! 🚀

It's time to turn your engagement strategy into tangible action that will actually move metrics.

The Implementation Challenge ✨

Most teams get stuck in planning paralysis. They wait for the perfect moment, the perfect data, or the perfect plan. But here's the secret: starting small beats waiting for perfect.

Instead of:

Trying to launch a complex, multi-channel strategy all at once

Try:

Starting with one flow that addresses a clear user need

Instead of:

Waiting until everything is perfect

Try:

Launching, learning, and iterating based on real data

Pick Your Starting Point

Scaling your efforts begins by proving value in one focused flow. The best first flow is one that's both meaningful and manageable. Look for these qualities:

Clear success metrics
Manageable scope
High potential impact
Quick implementation

Not sure where to begin? Here are three proven starting points that consistently deliver value:

Onboarding Completion Flow

Focus on guiding new users to complete their initial setup. This typically involves an in-app welcome tour, followed by email reminders for incomplete steps, and celebration messages when key milestones are reached. The clear metric (completion rate) and defined audience (new users) make this an ideal first project.

Feature Adoption Campaign

Choose an underutilized but high-value feature and create a flow to boost adoption. Start with an email announcement, add in-app guidance when users are in the right context, and follow up with success stories from users who've benefited from the feature. This approach often shows quick wins within a few weeks.

Re-engagement Sequence

Target users who haven't logged in recently with a coordinated campaign. Begin with a personalized email highlighting what they're missing, send a follow-up with a specific action to take, and provide a smooth in-app experience when they return. The impact on reactivation rates is typically easy to measure.

Your First Flow Blueprint

Starting small doesn't mean thinking small. Here's how to build your first flow:

Pick One Journey

Choose a critical moment in your user's experience:

First value achievement
Feature discovery
Upgrade consideration
Re-engagement opportunity

Design Your Flow

Map out your touchpoints:

Trigger moment
Channel sequence
Success indicators
Exit conditions

Set Success Metrics

Define what "working" means:

Target completion rate
Engagement threshold
Conversion goal
Time to completion

Real-world success: GetResponse's first flow

To improve activation, GetResponse tracked which actions led users to send their first email. One path stood out, so they built a new onboarding Flow to guide users toward it—educating and nudging those who didn’t naturally follow that path. Read the full story →

The result:

60% increase in new email creation and 16% increase in email sends (their activation moment).

Your 30-Day Action Plan

Channel-specific metrics are useful indicators of message performance, but they're not the same as business success. High open rates or engagement percentages don't necessarily translate to meaningful outcomes.

WEEK 1

Setup & Planning

Choose a starting point from one of the suggestions above

Map current touchpoints across channels using your Journey Map from previous lessons

Define clear success metrics that connect to business outcomes

Identify key stakeholders and resources needed

NOTE:

This initial week is about getting organized and setting a clear direction. Take time to really understand the current state before planning changes.

WEEK 2

Building & Testing

Create your message content following the principles from Lesson 4

Set up tracking to measure both channel metrics and business outcomes

Test internally with colleagues to identify any issues

Prepare your implementation timeline with specific launch dates

NOTE:

This week focuses on preparation and quality assurance. Internal testing often reveals insights you wouldn't catch otherwise, so involve colleagues who can provide fresh perspectives.

WEEK 3

Launch & Monitor

Release your flow to a small group of users (10-20% of your audience)

Watch key metrics daily, looking for unexpected patterns

Gather qualitative feedback through customer interviews or surveys

Make minor adjustments as needed based on early results

NOTE:

This controlled rollout approach reduces risk while providing valuable data. Pay special attention to user feedback during this phase – it often reveals nuances that metrics alone might miss.

WEEK 4

Iterate & Improve

Review results with stakeholders

Make data-driven adjustments to improve performance

Document what worked and what didn't for future reference

Plan your next flow based on what you've learned

NOTE:

The final week is about honest assessment and continuous improvement. Create a simple one-page summary of results to share with stakeholders and use as a reference for future initiatives.

QUICK EXERCISE

Prioritizing Your Journey Map Implementation

Now that your comprehensive Journey Map is complete, let's create an implementation plan:

Review your entire Journey Map:

Identify 3 high-impact sections that could be implemented first

Rate each section on potential impact (1-10) and implementation effort (1-10)

Consider technical requirements and cross-team dependencies

Select one section to implement as your "first flow"

Create a 30-day implementation plan for your chosen section:

Break down implementation into weekly goals

Identify team members needed for each step

Note any approvals or resources required

Define clear success criteria for your initial launch

This implementation plan transforms your Journey Map from a strategic document into an actionable roadmap. Congratulations on completing your cross-channel engagement strategy!

Remember ✨

The perfect plan tomorrow isn't as good as a good plan today. Start small, learn fast, and build from there.

30-Day Implementation Guide

Congratulations on completing Scaled User Engagement! You now have the knowledge and tools to create engaging, connected experiences that users actually appreciate—at any scale. Now, take the assessment to earn your Scaled User Engagement certification and badge!