What is a webhook and how to use it in email marketing?

A webhook is programmed to send pop-up notifications to a specific URL when an activity linked to a specific event occurs.

For an example, let’s go back to the days before online banking. It’s payday and you want to check that the money has arrived in your account. You call the bank and ask them directly.

Now back to modern times. It’s payday, the money arrives, and the server sends a notification to your online banking. You didn’t have to call anyone: the information you wanted was sent to a specific destination at the time the event occurred.

This pretty much sums up the concept of a webhook.

How exactly does a webhook work?

Webhooks are a great way to get real-time updates on web activity that’s important to your business.

The webhook waits for an event to occur in bulk email marketing services one system or application and then transfers the data to another application or system using an HTTP “POST” callback to the destination URL.

This URL must be public and belong to the target system or application. It must also be configured as a webhook destination so that the system can receive the notification.

What is the difference between a webhook and an API?

 

bulk email marketing services

One of the main differences between a webhook and an API is that APIs work on a “polling” technique, i.e. a process where your server sends a request to the API server to check if there is new data. In contrast, a webhook sends data automatically. That’s why they are sometimes called “reverse APIs.”

This method is certainly more efficient than constantly checking an application to see if there have been any changes. That is where the main advantage of a webhook lies.

Using a webhook to monitor email marketing activity

Let’s say you’re already using an email marketing service like Brevo to manage your email campaigns and subscribers.

You might be wondering why you need webhooks if you already how to use comma styles in excel use an email marketing service that offers comprehensive features and statistics. After all, you can connect and manage the campaign from your dashboard, right?

True, but imagine the following situation: you send an important email campaign and then close the application to do other tasks. In the meantime, it turns out that a significant portion of your emails are bouncing or not being delivered correctly. By the time you discover the problem, several hours have passed and the campaign is no longer salvageable.

The webhook would be useful in this situation if it is used to send real-time notifications about the progress of your campaign.
In this case, if a problem occurs, 1) you would find out about it quickly and 2) you could deal with it and resolve it instantly.

What specific email activity can I monitor with a webhook?

In Brevo’s email marketing platform india data you can schedule webhooks to receive real-time updates on the following events:

  • Marked as spam
  • Open
  • Click
  • Hard bounce
  • Soft bounce
  • Delivered
  • Unsubscribe
  • Contact added to a list
  • Contact updated
  • Contact deleted

You can trigger webhook events from this list as needed. 
When an event occurs, a POST notification is sent to the target URL in JSON format.

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