About Marketing Automation Nodes
A Marketing Automation flow is built from nodes — individual building blocks that you drag onto the canvas and connect in sequence. Each node performs a single job: sending a message, checking a condition, waiting for a response, updating data, or routing profiles to the next step.
This article gives you an overview of every available node, grouped by what they do. Use it to understand your options before building a flow, or as a quick reference when you need to pick the right node for the job.
💡 Tip - New to Marketing Automation? Start with About Marketing Automation to understand flows, triggers, and the canvas before diving into individual nodes.
How to add a node to your flow
Every flow starts with a Listen node already on the canvas — it's the entry point and can't be removed. To add more nodes, simply drag-drop the node you want from the right-hand side of the canvas where you have all nodes you may use in your flow.
You can also duplicate a node within a flow.
Trigger
Every flow has exactly one trigger node. It defines who enters the flow and when.
Node | What it does | When to use it |
The entry point of every flow. Listens for a real-time event (e.g. form submission, email click, custom event) or runs on a schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) to check Attributes, Tags, or Segments. When a profile matches, they enter the flow. | Every flow starts here. Choose real-time for instant reactions to behaviour, or scheduled for recurring date-driven flows like birthdays or renewals. |
Channel Nodes
Channel nodes send messages to profiles. These are the outbound communication steps in your flow.
Node | What it does | When to use it |
Sends an email to the profile. You can create a new email or reuse an existing one. Supports personalisation with merge tags and event data. Respects the Subscription set in Flow Settings — only consenting profiles receive the message. | Welcome emails, nurture sequences, re-engagement messages, event confirmations — any automated email touchpoint. | |
Sends an SMS to the profile. Requires SMS credits and a valid phone number attribute. Supports dynamic data tags for personalisation. Respects Subscription settings for consent. | Appointment reminders, flash sale alerts, delivery notifications, multi-channel flows where SMS follows an email. |
⚠️ Important: Both Email and SMS nodes require the profile to have the correct Subscription (consent). Profiles without consent are silently skipped — they won't receive the message but will continue through the flow. Set subscriptions in Flow Settings → Subscriptions.
Logic & Timing Nodes
Logic and timing nodes control when things happen and which path a profile takes. These create the branching, pacing, and intelligence of your flow.
Node | What it does | When to use it |
Pauses the profile for a set duration (minutes, hours, days) or until a specific date/time. Four modes: Countdown, Specific Time, Time Frame, and Event Time (dynamic scheduling based on event data). See also Dynamic schedule using event time. | Spacing emails in a nurture series, sending during business hours, scheduling reminders relative to a date (e.g. 2 days before a webinar). | |
Evaluates a condition on the profile's data at that moment and branches into a Yes path and a No path. Can check Attributes, Events, Tags, Segments, or Subscriptions. | Routing VIP vs. standard customers, checking if an email was opened, filtering by country or language, verifying a tag is present. | |
Pauses the profile until a specific event occurs — or until a timeout period expires. If the event happens in time → Yes path. If the timeout is reached first → No path. | Waiting for a purchase after an abandoned cart email, checking if onboarding is completed within 7 days, pausing until a form is submitted. |
💡 Check Profile vs. Wait for Event — what's the difference?
Check Profile: checks data once, instantly — like taking a snapshot. The profile moves on immediately down either the Yes or No path.
Wait for Event: pauses the profile and watches for a specific action over a period of time. It's like setting a timer with a condition.
Use Check Profile when you need a quick data check. Use Wait for Event when you need to give the profile time to react before deciding the next step.
Flow Control Nodes
Flow control nodes manage routing, volume limits, flow chaining, and journey endpoints.
Node | What it does | When to use it |
Divides profiles into 2, 3, or 4 paths — either an even split (equal percentages) or a custom split (you define the percentages). Distribution is random. | A/B testing different email subject lines, splitting audiences between email-only and email+SMS, testing different wait times or offers. | |
Sets a numeric limit on how many profiles can pass through. Within the limit → Yes path. Limit reached → No path. Supports an optional reset period and re-entry. | Capping SMS sends to control budget, limiting discount code distribution, managing promotion capacity. | |
Sends the profile into a different flow. The profile bypasses the destination flow's Listen node and enters directly. The profile remains in the current flow as well (they can be in multiple flows). | Chaining flows: welcome → nurture, trial expired → win-back, qualified lead → sales handoff flow. | |
Marks the end of a path. Optionally assigns a point value to profiles who reach it. Not mandatory (the flow ends when there are no more nodes), but strongly recommended for clean flow design and accurate reporting. | Closing each branch in a flow. Best practice: use one End Flow node at the end of every path. |
💡 Split vs. Check Profile — what's the difference?
Split distributes profiles randomly across paths by percentage. It doesn't look at any data — it's a coin flip.
Check Profile routes profiles based on their actual data — attributes, tags, events, or segment membership.
Use Split for A/B testing (random distribution). Use Check Profile for personalised routing (data-driven decisions).
Data & Notification Nodes
These nodes write data, record milestones, or send internal notifications. They don't send messages to profiles — they work behind the scenes.
Node | What it does | When to use it |
Writes data to a profile's record — update an Attribute value, add or remove a Tag. This happens silently (no message is sent to the profile). Note: updating an attribute overwrites the existing value. | Tagging profiles who completed a flow, updating an interest category after a click, removing a tag to prevent re-entry, building a lead score. | |
Records an Achievement event on the profile — a milestone marker with a type (MQL, SQL, or PQL) and optional points/value. Achievements can trigger other flows and be used for segmentation. | Marking "Onboarding complete", "First purchase", or "VIP status reached" — then using that achievement downstream. | |
Sends an internal email notification to a colleague or team — not to the profile. The notification can include profile data (attributes) and a custom message. Sent in batches, with configurable frequency. | Alerting sales when a lead qualifies, notifying support about churn risk, flagging high-value activity to a manager. |
Integration Nodes
Integration nodes connect your flows to external systems — CRMs, custom APIs, and third-party platforms. These are for sending data out of Apsis One.
Node | What it does | When to use it |
Sends profile data to an external system via an HTTP API call (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE). Can include attribute data and triggering event data. Supports response handling and error paths. May require developer assistance. | Pushing leads to a CRM, triggering an external workflow, syncing data to an e-commerce platform. | |
A dedicated integration node for creating activity on a contact in an efficy Enterprise CRM instance. Pre-configured for the efficy API — no webhook setup required. | Syncing marketing-qualified leads to Efficy Enterprise, creating an activity (task) on the contact. | |
A dedicated integration node for sending profile data to a webCRM instance. Pre-configured for the webCRM API. | Syncing leads or activity data to webCRM. | |
Tribe CRM Node | A dedicated integration node for creating an activity on a contact in Tribe CRM. |
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E-deal CRM Node | A dedicated integration node for creating an activity on a contact in an efficy E-deal CRM instance. |
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💡 Tip - Need to send unsubscribe events to an external system in real time?
If you need to update an external system when Profiles unsubscribe, the best way to do this is via the Webhook Node. See Send Unsubscribes to an External System Real-Time.
Which node should I use?
Not sure which node fits your scenario? Use this quick decision guide:
I want to… | Use this node |
Define what triggers profiles to enter the flow | |
Send an email to the profile | |
Send an SMS to the profile | |
Wait before the next step (add a delay) | |
Check if a profile has a specific attribute, tag, or event | |
Wait for a profile to do something (e.g. click a link) | |
A/B test different paths or content | |
Limit how many profiles can go down a path | |
Update a profile's data (tag, attribute) | |
Record a milestone (MQL, SQL, achievement) | |
Send an alert to my team (not the profile) | |
Move a profile into a different flow | |
End a path in the flow | |
Send profile data to an external system via API | |
Sync data to Efficy Enterprise CRM | |
Sync data to webCRM | |
Sync data to Tribe CRM | Tribe CRM node |
Sync data to E-deal CRM | E-deal CRM node |
Working with nodes on the canvas
Once nodes are on your canvas, here are the key actions you can take:
Action | How |
Configure a node | Click the node to open its settings panel. Make your changes, close and save. |
Connect nodes | You drag a connection from one node's output to another node's input. |
Duplicate a node | Click on the ⋮ icon and select Duplicate. The copy includes all configuration. See Duplicate a Node. |
Delete a node | Click on the ⋮ icon and select Delete. Warning: if the flow is paused, deleting a node removes all profiles currently at that node from the flow. This cannot be undone. |
View node stats | On an active flow, each node shows how many profiles have passed through, are waiting, or have exited. Essential for monitoring and troubleshooting. |
Related articles
About Marketing Automation — What it is, when to use it, and how it fits into Apsis One.
Create a Marketing Automation Flow — Step-by-step guide to building and activating your first flow.
Navigate the Canvas — Learn how to work with the drag-and-drop canvas, flow settings, and activity history.
Profile Data in Nodes — How to use profile attributes and events within your nodes.
Use Custom Events — How to send custom events from your website or app and use them in flows.
Key Terms Glossary — Definitions for every term used across Marketing Automation articles.