Brevo Automation Guide: Email and SMS Workflows for SMBs
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has carved out a strong position as the marketing automation platform of choice for small and mid-sized businesses that need powerful features without the premium price tag. Its unique combination of email marketing, SMS messaging, transactional emails and marketing automation makes it particularly attractive for Singapore SMBs seeking an all-in-one communication platform.
This Brevo automation guide walks you through everything from basic email workflows to advanced multi-channel automations incorporating SMS, transactional messages and WhatsApp. If you are a Singapore business owner or marketer looking to automate your customer communication on a budget, this guide is for you.
What Makes Brevo Different
Brevo stands apart from competitors primarily through its pricing model and multi-channel capabilities. While most email platforms charge based on the number of contacts in your database, Brevo charges based on the number of emails you send — a crucial distinction that benefits businesses with large contact lists but moderate sending volumes.
Email-Volume-Based Pricing
Brevo’s free plan allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day. Paid plans start at approximately USD 25 per month for 20,000 emails, regardless of how many contacts you have. For Singapore businesses that maintain large databases but send targeted campaigns to specific segments, this pricing model can represent substantial savings compared to contact-based platforms like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign.
Built-In Multi-Channel Communication
Unlike platforms that focus exclusively on email, Brevo natively supports email, SMS, WhatsApp Business, chat and push notifications. You can build automation workflows that combine these channels, creating cohesive multi-touch experiences without needing multiple tools or complex integrations. For Singapore businesses where WhatsApp is a primary communication channel, this built-in capability is particularly valuable.
Marketing and Transactional in One Platform
Brevo handles both marketing emails (newsletters, promotions, nurture campaigns) and transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications) within a single platform. This eliminates the need for separate services like SendGrid or Amazon SES for transactional messaging, simplifying your tech stack and reducing costs. For SMBs investing in digital marketing services, having everything in one place streamlines management and reporting.
Building Automation Workflows in Brevo
Brevo’s automation builder provides a visual, drag-and-drop interface for creating multi-step workflows. While not as feature-rich as ActiveCampaign’s builder, it covers the core automation needs of most SMBs effectively.
Entry Points and Triggers
Brevo automations begin with an entry point — the event that enrols a contact. Available entry points include contact joins a list, contact submits a form, contact opens or clicks an email, website event (requires tracking code), transactional activity (purchase, order status change), date attribute (birthday, anniversary), and custom API event. For most Singapore SMBs, list-based and form-based triggers handle the majority of automation use cases.
Workflow Actions
Once a contact enters a workflow, you can execute a range of actions: send an email, send an SMS, add a delay (time-based or condition-based), add or remove from a list, update a contact attribute, create a task, send a webhook, and add an if/else condition. The if/else conditions can branch based on contact attributes, email engagement, list membership and other criteria.
Pre-Built Workflow Templates
Brevo offers a library of pre-built workflow templates to accelerate setup. Templates are available for welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, birthday messages, page visit follow-ups, re-engagement campaigns and more. Each template can be customised to suit your specific needs. Starting with a template and modifying it is often faster than building from scratch, especially for businesses new to automation.
Step-by-Step: Creating a Welcome Workflow
Navigate to the Automation section and click “Create a workflow.” Select the “Welcome Message” template or start from scratch. Set the entry point as “Contact joins list” and select your main mailing list. Add an immediate email action with your welcome message — introduce your business, set expectations and include any welcome incentive. Add a two-day delay, then send a second email showcasing your services or products. Add another three-day delay, then send a third email with social proof — testimonials, case studies or reviews from Singapore clients. Review the workflow, test it with a test contact, and activate it.
Email Automation Essentials
Email remains the backbone of Brevo’s automation capabilities. Getting the fundamentals right ensures your automated emails perform well in the Singapore market.
Email Design Best Practices
Brevo’s drag-and-drop email editor makes it straightforward to create professional-looking emails without coding knowledge. For automated emails, keep designs clean and focused — a single clear call to action per email, adequate white space, mobile-responsive layouts and consistent branding. Avoid heavy image reliance, as some email clients block images by default. Ensure your message is comprehensible even without images loaded.
Personalisation with Attributes
Brevo supports personalisation through contact attributes. Insert the recipient’s first name, company name, location or any custom attribute into your email subject lines and body copy. Personalised subject lines consistently achieve higher open rates. For Singapore audiences, use personalisation thoughtfully — addressing someone by name adds warmth, but over-personalisation (referencing too many data points) can feel invasive.
Send Time Optimisation
Brevo’s paid plans include send time optimisation, which analyses each contact’s past engagement patterns and sends emails at the optimal time for that individual. For automated workflows, enable this feature to maximise open rates. If send time optimisation is not available on your plan, schedule sends during peak engagement windows for Singapore audiences — typically mid-morning on weekdays. Aligning email automation with an effective email marketing strategy ensures your messages reach the right people at the right time.
Deliverability Management
Brevo provides tools to maintain strong deliverability — a critical factor for automated emails that send continuously. Authenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Monitor your sender reputation through Brevo’s dashboard. Maintain list hygiene by removing hard bounces and chronically inactive contacts. These practices ensure your automated emails reach inboxes rather than spam folders.
SMS Workflows and Transactional Messages
Brevo’s native SMS capabilities set it apart from many competitors, making it an excellent choice for Singapore businesses that want to incorporate text messaging into their automation strategy.
Marketing SMS Automation
Incorporate SMS steps into your automation workflows to create multi-channel experiences. Common SMS automation use cases include appointment reminders (for service businesses), flash sale alerts (for retail and e-commerce), abandoned cart reminders (as a follow-up to email), event reminders and confirmations, and time-sensitive promotions. SMS messages have significantly higher open rates than email — typically above 90 per cent — making them ideal for urgent or time-critical communications.
Transactional SMS
Brevo supports transactional SMS for order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment confirmations and one-time passwords. These messages are triggered by API events and send instantly, ensuring customers receive critical information without delay. For Singapore e-commerce businesses and service providers, transactional SMS enhances the customer experience and reduces support enquiries.
SMS Compliance in Singapore
Singapore’s PDPA and the Do Not Call Registry govern SMS marketing communications. Before incorporating SMS into your automations, obtain explicit consent for SMS marketing from each contact, check phone numbers against the DNC Registry (unless the individual has given clear and specific consent to your organisation), include your business name in every message, keep messages under 160 characters where possible, and provide a clear opt-out mechanism in every marketing SMS. Transactional SMS (order updates, delivery notifications) does not require marketing consent but must still comply with PDPA data handling requirements.
WhatsApp Business Integration
Brevo’s WhatsApp Business integration allows you to send WhatsApp messages as part of your automation workflows. This is particularly relevant for Singapore, where WhatsApp is widely used for both personal and business communication. Use WhatsApp for conversational follow-ups after form submissions, rich media product updates, customer support interactions, and order status notifications. WhatsApp messages feel more personal than email and can achieve higher engagement rates when used appropriately.
Contact Segmentation and Management
Effective segmentation is the foundation of successful automation. Brevo offers several tools for organising and targeting your contacts.
Lists vs Segments
Brevo uses two primary organisation methods. Lists are static groups of contacts — a contact is either on a list or not. Segments are dynamic filters based on contact attributes, behaviour and engagement data. Lists are useful for managing subscription preferences and broad categories. Segments are better for targeting specific audiences within your automations. Use lists for consent management and segments for campaign targeting.
Attribute-Based Segmentation
Create segments based on contact attributes such as location (targeting Singapore-based contacts), industry, company size, purchase history, sign-up date and custom fields. For Singapore businesses serving multiple customer types, attribute-based segments ensure each contact receives relevant content. A property management firm, for instance, might segment contacts into landlords, tenants and investors — each receiving different automated content.
Engagement-Based Segmentation
Segment contacts by their engagement level — highly engaged (opened or clicked within the last 30 days), moderately engaged (opened within the last 90 days), and disengaged (no opens in 90-plus days). Tailor your automation intensity to each segment. Highly engaged contacts can receive more frequent communication, while disengaged contacts should receive a re-engagement sequence or be suppressed to protect deliverability.
Dynamic Contact Management
Use automation workflows to manage contacts dynamically. When a contact clicks a link about a specific service, an automation can add them to a corresponding list or update an attribute. When a contact’s engagement drops below a threshold, move them to a re-engagement workflow automatically. This dynamic management keeps your database organised and your segments current without manual intervention. Pairing smart segmentation with a solid social media marketing approach amplifies your reach across channels.
Transactional Email Automation
Brevo’s transactional email capabilities are a significant advantage for SMBs that need both marketing and transactional messaging in one platform.
What Are Transactional Emails
Transactional emails are triggered by user actions and deliver expected information — order confirmations, shipping notifications, password resets, account activations and invoice deliveries. Unlike marketing emails, transactional emails do not require marketing consent (as they fulfil an existing relationship obligation) and are expected by recipients, resulting in very high open rates.
Setting Up Transactional Templates
In Brevo, create transactional email templates using the drag-and-drop editor or HTML. Design templates for each transactional scenario — order confirmation, shipping notification, account welcome, password reset and any other triggered messages your business requires. Use dynamic variables to populate order details, customer names, tracking numbers and other personalised information. Ensure templates are mobile-responsive and branded consistently with your marketing emails.
API Integration for Transactional Sends
Transactional emails are triggered via Brevo’s API or SMTP relay. If your website runs on WordPress, Shopify or another platform, plugins and integrations handle the connection. For custom applications, Brevo’s API documentation provides clear guidance for implementation in PHP, Python, Node.js and other languages. Work with your developer to ensure transactional emails trigger reliably and deliver the correct dynamic content.
Combining Transactional and Marketing
The power of having both systems in one platform becomes clear when you connect them. A transactional order confirmation email can be followed by a marketing automation that sends a review request seven days later, then a cross-sell recommendation two weeks after that. The contact’s transactional data (what they bought, when, how much they spent) informs the marketing automation, enabling highly relevant follow-ups. This integrated approach supports a comprehensive content marketing strategy that nurtures customers throughout their lifecycle.
Budget-Friendly Strategies for Singapore SMBs
Brevo’s pricing model and feature set make it particularly well-suited for Singapore SMBs that need maximum functionality at minimum cost.
Maximising the Free Plan
Brevo’s free plan supports unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day — roughly 9,000 emails per month. For small businesses with a few hundred contacts, this is often sufficient to run basic automation workflows. To maximise the free plan, focus on high-impact automations first (welcome series, enquiry follow-ups, re-engagement), segment your sends carefully to stay within daily limits, and use SMS or WhatsApp for time-sensitive communications that do not count against your email quota.
Scaling Efficiently
When you outgrow the free plan, Brevo’s Starter plan (from USD 25 per month for 20,000 emails) provides excellent value. The Business plan (from USD 65 per month) adds marketing automation, A/B testing and advanced statistics. Scale your plan based on sending volume rather than contact count — you can maintain a large database and send targeted campaigns to specific segments without paying for contacts who are not actively being emailed.
Reducing Technology Costs
By consolidating email marketing, SMS, transactional messaging and WhatsApp into Brevo, Singapore SMBs can eliminate multiple subscriptions. Businesses that previously used Mailchimp for marketing email, SendGrid for transactional email and a separate SMS gateway can replace all three with a single Brevo account. The cost savings can be significant — often hundreds of dollars per month — which can be redirected toward other marketing investments.
Automation ROI for Small Businesses
Even basic automations deliver measurable returns. A welcome series increases new subscriber engagement by 30 to 50 per cent compared to no welcome email. Abandoned cart automations recover 5 to 15 per cent of abandoned carts. Re-engagement campaigns reactivate 10 to 20 per cent of dormant contacts. For a Singapore SMB spending a few hours setting up these three automations, the return on time invested is substantial. Combining Brevo automation with strong Google Ads and SEO strategies creates a cost-effective marketing engine that drives traffic and converts it efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brevo (Sendinblue)?
Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is an all-in-one marketing and communication platform that offers email marketing, SMS marketing, WhatsApp messaging, marketing automation, transactional email and CRM tools. It is designed for small and mid-sized businesses seeking affordable, multi-channel marketing automation. The platform rebranded from Sendinblue to Brevo in 2023.
How much does Brevo cost?
Brevo offers a free plan with unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day. The Starter plan begins at approximately USD 25 per month for 20,000 emails. The Business plan starts at approximately USD 65 per month and includes marketing automation and advanced features. Enterprise plans with custom pricing are available for larger organisations. Unlike many competitors, Brevo charges based on email volume rather than contact count.
Is Brevo good for small businesses?
Yes, Brevo is an excellent choice for small businesses due to its generous free plan, affordable paid tiers and contact-unlimited pricing model. It provides core marketing automation features without the premium pricing of platforms like HubSpot or ActiveCampaign. For Singapore SMBs seeking a balance of functionality and affordability, Brevo is one of the strongest options available.
Can Brevo send SMS messages in Singapore?
Yes, Brevo supports SMS sending in Singapore. SMS credits are purchased separately from your email plan, with pricing based on the number of messages and destination country. For Singapore numbers, SMS credits typically cost a few cents per message. You can incorporate SMS steps into your automation workflows for multi-channel campaigns. Ensure you comply with PDPA and DNC Registry requirements when sending marketing SMS.
How do I set up automation in Brevo?
Navigate to the Automation section in your Brevo dashboard and click “Create a workflow.” Choose a pre-built template or start from scratch. Define your entry point (the trigger that enrols contacts), add actions such as sending emails, SMS or delays, configure if/else conditions for branching logic, test the workflow with a test contact, and activate it. Brevo’s visual builder makes the process straightforward for users without technical experience.
What is the difference between Brevo and Mailchimp?
The key differences are pricing model (Brevo charges by email volume, Mailchimp charges by contact count), multi-channel capabilities (Brevo natively supports SMS and WhatsApp, Mailchimp is primarily email-focused), transactional email (Brevo includes transactional email built-in, Mailchimp requires a separate Mandrill add-on) and automation depth (Mailchimp’s customer journey builder is more visual, while Brevo’s automation offers solid functionality at a lower price point).
Does Brevo support WhatsApp marketing?
Yes, Brevo offers a WhatsApp Business integration that allows you to send WhatsApp messages as part of your marketing automation workflows. You can use pre-approved WhatsApp templates for marketing messages and engage in two-way conversations for customer support. WhatsApp messaging in Brevo requires a connected WhatsApp Business account and compliance with Meta’s messaging policies.
Can Brevo handle transactional emails?
Yes, transactional email is one of Brevo’s core features. You can send order confirmations, shipping notifications, password resets and other triggered messages through Brevo’s SMTP relay or API. Transactional emails can be designed using templates with dynamic variables and are sent through a dedicated infrastructure to ensure high deliverability. This eliminates the need for a separate transactional email service.
How do I improve email deliverability in Brevo?
Improve deliverability by authenticating your domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, maintaining a clean contact list by removing hard bounces and inactive subscribers, avoiding spam trigger words in subject lines, warming up new sending domains gradually, using double opt-in for new subscribers, and monitoring your sender reputation through Brevo’s analytics dashboard. Good deliverability is foundational for successful email automation.
Is Brevo PDPA-compliant for Singapore businesses?
Brevo provides tools that support PDPA compliance, including consent tracking, unsubscribe management, data export and deletion capabilities. However, PDPA compliance is your organisation’s responsibility. Ensure you collect proper consent before sending marketing communications, honour unsubscribe and data deletion requests promptly, maintain records of consent, and check SMS recipients against the DNC Registry where applicable. Brevo’s features facilitate compliance, but they do not guarantee it without proper configuration and processes.
