If you've ever opened your email provider and wondered, "Wait, should I start with a campaign or a flow for this?", you're not alone! It's one of the most common questions I get from pet business owners.
A great email marketing plan works when you have both! But most pet businesses get it backwards. They put almost all their energy into campaigns: the newsletter, the sale, the holiday promo. Meanwhile, the emails that quietly bring customers back every single day (the flows) are missing or haven't been touched since they were set up (& work while you don’t!).
Here's the simplest way I can put it:
A campaign is a conversation you start.
A flow is a conversation your customer starts.
Let's break down what that means, what each one looks like for product brands and service businesses, and how they work together (especially this time of year).
Campaigns vs. Flows, the TL;DR version
📧 An email campaign is a one-time email you write and send to a group of people on a date you choose; such as general emails, newsletters, sale announcements, new product launches, holiday hours, event invites, etc.
You decide what goes out and when - and everyone in that group gets it at the same time.
🔁 An email flow (AKA automation AKAKA sequence) is a series of emails that sends out automatically when someone does something specific (also known as a triggered event). They opt-in for a downloadable or discount, join your email list, leave items in their cart, book their first appointment, or haven’t engaged in a while.
You set these up once! After that, each person gets the right email at the right time for them. (BTW, I help with this!)
| Campaigns | Flows | |
|---|---|---|
| Who starts it | You | Your customer's action |
| Who gets it | A group (segment), all at once | One person, at the right moment |
| How often you build it | Every time you send | Once, then tweak/adjust over time based on learnings |
| Best for | News, promos, launches, storytelling, updates | Welcoming, reminding, following up, bringing people back |
| Lifespan | A day or two | Months/years |
| Pet business example | "Holiday grooming spots are open!" "New teeth bones available" |
"Time for Bucky's groom visit" (sent 6 weeks after last visit) "Your cart is having abandonment issues…" (sent when items are added to cart but not purchased yet) |
The TL;DR version: campaigns are great for specific moments and flows are great for nurturing relationships.
What this looks like for your pet business
For pet product brands:
Campaigns you might send:
A new flavor or product launch
A holiday promo
A monthly newsletter with store updates and info
Flows that should be running:
Welcome series: introduces your brand story and makes the first purchase
Abandoned cart: a friendly nudge when someone leaves something behind
Replenishment: a reminder timed to when the product or bottle runs out
Winback: a warm check-in for customers who haven’t ordered in a while
Campaigns you might send:
Holiday (or regular) booking dates are open
A new service, staff member, or extended/shortened hours
A seasonal care newsletter
Flows that should be running:
Welcome series: introduces your team and makes the first booking easy
New client prep: what to expect, what to bring, any forms
Rebooking reminder: timed to when each pet is due again
We miss you: a check-in for clients who haven’t booked in a while
Want more ideas for service-based businesses? I put together a bunch in my previous blog post linked here.
Notice a pattern here? On both sides, the flows are what keeps the customer coming back.
That's what I call the Pet Parent Cycle™: every pet business has a natural rhythm of when customers need you again, and flows are how your emails keep pace with it.
How campaigns and flows work together
The real magic happens when they hand off to each other.
For example, here’s what that looks like during Black Friday:
Your Black Friday campaign brings in a wave of shoppers or bookings (that's the moment).
Your abandoned cart flow catches the people who got distracted mid-checkout (because let’s be honest -it's Black Friday and everyone is distracted).
Your welcome flow greets all the new subscribers who joined your list for the deal.
Your post-purchase or after-visit flow turns those first-time customers into second-time customers.
Your replenishment or rebooking flow brings them back in January, long after the sale is over.
All of that happening from a single campaign!
That's why I always tell pet businesses: if you only have time for one thing before a big promo, make sure your flows are on. A great campaign sent into broken or missing flows is like throwing a party and forgetting to unlock the front door.
Still planning your holiday emails? My Black Friday Email Marketing for Pet Brands: When to Start Planning blog post walks through the timeline.
So, where should you start?
If you're building from scratch, start with flows, not campaigns.
Specifically, these three, in this order:
Welcome series: because new subscribers are paying the most attention right now
Abandoned cart (product brands) or new client prep (service businesses): because they catch people who are this close to buying or booking
Replenishment or rebooking: because it brings customers back on autopilot
Once those are running, your campaigns get to do the fun stuff (storytelling, launches, seasonal moments) without carrying the whole weight of your email marketing.
Not sure which flows you need? My 7 Essential Email Flows Every Pet Business Should Have blog breaks them all down.
If you’re already sending emails but are not sure what's working - my Email Audit + Strategic Roadmap is the best place to start. I'll look at your campaigns and your flows, show you what's working and what's missing, and give you a plan for the next 90 days. Because I work only with pet businesses, you'll never have to explain why your customers call their dog their baby.
Quick FAQ for you:
Is a newsletter a campaign or a flow? A campaign. You write it and send it to your list on a date you pick. If it's the same email every new subscriber gets when they join, that's a flow.
Can someone get a campaign and a flow at the same time? Yes, and it can feel like a lot if you're not careful. Most platforms let you hold back campaigns from people who are in the middle of certain flows (like your welcome series), so new subscribers aren't flooded in their first week.
Do flows work in Flodesk, or just Klaviyo? Both! Flodesk calls them workflows, and Klaviyo calls them flows. Klaviyo connects deeply with online stores, so it's great for cart and replenishment flows. Flodesk is simple and beautiful, and a great fit for service businesses. Looking for even more options? Kit and Active Campaign are great resources as well!
How often should I update my flows? Check their performance every quarter, and refresh the content at least once a year. Set it and forget it is the goal, but set it and never look at it again is how flows go stale.
