Automating Smart List Creation in GoHighLevel (GHL)

Are you tired of manually sorting and organizing your contacts in GoHighLevel?

GoHighLevel (GHL) is a robust all-in-one marketing and CRM platform that simplifies customer management, automation, and marketing workflows. One of its most powerful features is SmartLists, which allows users to dynamically segment and filter their contacts based on specific criteria. Automating the creation of SmartLists can save time, ensure consistency, and improve efficiency in managing customer data.

In this guide, we’ll explore the concept of SmartLists, why automating their creation is beneficial, and provide step-by-step instructions on automating the process.

Let’s begin!

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What is a SmartList in GHL?

A SmartList is a dynamic, customizable list of contacts in Go High Level that updates automatically based on predefined filters and conditions. Instead of manually sorting through contacts or creating static lists, SmartLists allow you to segment your audience based on attributes like:

Tags
Contact details (e.g., email, phone number, etc.)
Custom fields
Activity history (e.g., email opens, form submissions, etc.)
Campaign engagement
Purchase history

For example, if you want to create a SmartList of contacts who have opened your email in the last 7 days or have a specific tag (like “VIP”), you can define these filters, and the list will update automatically as new contacts meet the criteria.

Why Automate SmartList Creation?

Creating SmartLists can be time-consuming, especially if managing a large contacts database or running multiple campaigns. Automating the process ensures that you:

Save Time: Automation eliminates repetitive tasks, allowing you to focus on higher-value activities.
Ensure Accuracy: Automated processes reduce the risk of human error, ensuring that your SmartLists are always up-to-date and accurate.
Improve Consistency: By automating the criteria and logic for SmartLists, you ensure uniformity across your campaigns and workflows.
Enhance Scalability: As your contact database grows, automation ensures that your segmentation processes remain efficient and scalable.

Step By Step Guide On How to Automate SmartList Creation in High Level

Automating SmartList creation involves leveraging Go high-level built-in tools, such as filters, workflows, and tagging. Here’s a step-by-step guide to automate the process:

Understand Your Segmentation Needs

Before you begin, it’s important to define the purpose of your SmartList. Ask yourself:

What criteria should the SmartList include?
What actions or attributes define the contacts in this list?
How often should the list updated?

For example:

You should consider a SmartList of leads who filled out a specific form in the last 30 days.
Or, you might want a list of customers who purchased a product but haven’t engaged with your emails in the last 14 days.

Clearly defining your needs will help you set up the automation correctly.

Use Tags to Categorize Contacts

Tags are one of the most effective ways to automate SmartList creation. You can set up workflows to automatically apply tags to contacts based on their actions or attributes.

Here’s how to do it:

Go to the Workflows section in GHL.
Create a new workflow with a trigger. For example:

Trigger: Contact submits a specific form.
Trigger: Contact is added to a specific campaign.
Trigger: Contact clicks a specific link in an email.

Add an action to the workflow that applies a tag to the contact. For example:

Apply the tag “Form_Submitter” for contacts who submit a form.
Apply the tag “Engaged” for contacts who click on an email link.

Once tags are applied automatically, you can use them as filters in your SmartLists.

Create Filters for SmartLists

Filters are the backbone of SmartLists. You can use filters to automatically include or exclude contacts based on their attributes or actions.

To create a SmartList with automated filters:

Go to the Contacts section in Go High Level.
Click on the SmartLists tab.
Click on Create SmartList.
Define your filters. For example:

Filter by tags: Include contacts with the tag Form Submitter.
Filter by last activity: Include contacts who opened an email in the last 7 days.

Save the SmartList.

The list will now update automatically as new contacts meet the criteria.

Automate SmartList Updates with Workflows

You can further automate SmartList creation by using workflows to update contact attributes dynamically. For example:

Automatically update a custom field (like Lead Score) based on contact actions.
Automatically move contacts between tags based on their engagement.

Here’s how to do it:

Create a workflow with a trigger. For example:

Trigger: Contact opens an email.
Trigger: Contact submits a survey.

Add actions to update contact fields or tags. For example:

Increase the Lead Score by 10 points for every email opened.

These updates will ensure that your SmartLists remain dynamic and relevant.

Use Predefined Templates for Automation

Gohighlevel offers predefined workflow templates to help you automate common tasks like tagging, scoring, and segmentation. You can customize these templates to suit your needs.

To access templates:

Go to the Workflows section in GHL.
Click on Templates.
Browse through the available templates, such as:

Lead Scoring Automation
Email Engagement Tracking
Customer Onboarding

Customize the template to include tags or actions relevant to your SmartLists.

Integrate External Tools for Advanced Automation

If you’re using external tools like Zapier or Integromat, you can integrate them with GHL to automate SmartList creation. For example:

Use Zapier to automatically add tags to contacts in GHL based on data from other platforms (e.g., Google Sheets, Facebook Ads, etc.).
Use Integromat to sync contact data between GHL and your email marketing platform, ensuring SmartLists reflect the latest engagement data.

Want to supercharge your GoHighLevel automation? We’re offering a FREE consultation + 30-day trial to help you set up SmartLists and automation workflows tailored to your business.

Save time, boost efficiency, and automate your CRM like a pro!
Contact us today and start your automation journey!

Benefits of Automated SmartLists

By automating SmartList creation, you can:

Streamline Marketing Campaigns: Automatically segment your audience for targeted email campaigns, SMS promotions, or retargeting ads.
Improve Customer Experience: Deliver personalized content to your audience based on their behaviour and preferences.
Increase Efficiency: Reduce manual effort and focus on strategy and creativity.
Boost ROI: Targeted campaigns driven by SmartLists often yield higher engagement rates and conversions.

Best Practices for SmartList Automation

Use clear naming conventions
Document all automation rules
Implement backup procedures
Regular testing schedule
Monitor system resources
Maintain clean data

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Automating SmartList creation in GoHighLevel is a game-changer for businesses looking to streamline their customer management and marketing processes. By leveraging workflows, tags, filters, and integrations, you can create dynamic, self-updating lists that save time, improve accuracy, and enhance scalability.

Start by defining your segmentation needs, setting up workflows to apply tags or update attributes, and using filters to create SmartLists. With a bit of planning and setup, you can fully automate the process and unlock the full potential of the high-level SmartList feature.

Automating Smart List Creation in GoHighLevel (GHL)