Overview

Keyword automations let you trigger an automated workflow the moment a contact sends a specific word or phrase to your inbox. Instead of manually monitoring every inbound message, you can set up Heymarket to instantly respond, route, or follow up based on what the customer texts or emails you.

Common examples include starting a job application flow when a candidate texts “INTERESTED,” alerting your sales team when a prospect mentions “pricing,” or sending a confirmation when a customer replies “YES.”

How Keyword Matching Works

When an inbound message arrives, Heymarket checks whether it matches your configured keyword. There are two matching modes:

Setting Up a Keyword Automation

Step 1: Open the Automation Builder

1. Go to Automations in the left-hand navigation, or go directly to app.heymarket.com/automations/new/.
2. Click Create Automation and give your automation a clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Candidate Keyword — INTERESTED”).
3. Select the Inbox this automation should monitor.

Step 2: Choose Your Trigger

1. Under Trigger, select 
2. Type the keyword or phrase you want to detect (e.g., INTERESTED, pricing, DEMO).
3. Toggle Exact Match on or off depending on whether the full message must match or just contain the keyword.
4. For email: the keyword will be checked against both the subject line and the message body.

Step 3: Add Conditions (Optional)

Conditions let you narrow when the automation fires. You can add a Condition step from the “Add” menu after your trigger. For example, you may only want the workflow to run during business hours, or only for contacts coming from a specific channel.

• Business Hours: Only fire during your configured operating hours.
• Message Channel: Filter by SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and so on.
• Response Received: Check whether a contact has (or has not) replied within a set timeframe before proceeding.
• Contact Custom Fields: Restrict the automation to contacts matching a specific field value.

Step 4: Add Actions

Actions define what happens when the trigger fires: 

Step 5: Save and Activate

1. Review your trigger, any conditions, and all actions.
2. Click Save to activate the automation.
3. The automation will run automatically from this point forward whenever the trigger conditions are met.

Example Workflows

Job Application Flow (Recruiting)

A candidate texts “INTERESTED” to your business number.

• Trigger: Keyword — INTERESTED (Exact Match on)
• Action 1: Send a Message — “Thanks for your interest! Click here to start your application: [link]”
• Action 2: Update Contact Custom Fields — set Status = “Applicant”
• Add → Delay 1 day, then Action 3: Send a Message — “Reminder: your application link expires in 48 hours. Need help?”

Sales Lead Notification

A prospect texts “pricing” and your sales rep gets an instant SMS alert.

• Trigger: Keyword — pricing (Exact Match off)
• Action 1: Send a Message — “Hi {{first_name}}, great question! Someone from our sales team will reach out shortly.”
• Action 2: Send a Message → Respond to other contact — alert your sales rep: “{{first_name}} is asking about pricing — check Heymarket.”
• Action 3: Assign To — assign the conversation to the Sales team.

Appointment Confirmation

A patient or client replies “YES” to confirm their appointment.

• Trigger: Keyword — YES (Exact Match on)
• Action 1: Send a Message — “You’re confirmed! Reply CHANGE if you need to reschedule.”
• Action 2: Update Contact Custom Fields — set Appointment Status = “Confirmed”

Best Practices

• Keep keywords short and clear: One-word or simple two-word phrases are easiest for contacts to remember and type correctly.
• Communicate keywords proactively: Let contacts know what to text (e.g., “Reply INTERESTED to start your application”) so they know exactly what to send.
• Use conditions to reduce noise: Restrict triggers to business hours or specific channels to avoid unintended automation fires.
• Test before going live: Send a test message to yourself to confirm the automation triggers correctly and the response looks right.
• Name automations clearly: Use descriptive names like “Candidate Keyword — INTERESTED” rather than “New Automation” so your team can manage them easily.
• Avoid reserved opt-out words: Never use STOP, END, QUIT, or UNSUBSCRIBE as keyword triggers — these are carrier-reserved.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if two automations share the same keyword?

If multiple active automations have the same keyword trigger for the same inbox, both may fire. To prevent unintended behavior, use conditions to differentiate when each should run, or check the “This automation should override subsequent automations when triggered” option on the automation that should take priority.

Can I use keyword automations with email?

Yes. When you select the “Keyword(s) in Incoming Message” trigger, Heymarket checks both the subject line and the body of incoming emails. Everything else — conditions, actions, and delays — works the same way as SMS keyword automations.

Will the automation fire again if the same contact sends the keyword a second time?

By default, the automation will fire each time the trigger conditions are met. To prevent repeat triggers for the same contact, you can add a condition that checks a contact custom field (e.g., only fire if Status does not equal “Applicant”) so that already-processed contacts are excluded.

Can I see which automations have fired for a contact?

Yes. Each automated action is logged as a system event in the conversation thread, so your team can see exactly what ran and when. You can also review automation activity in your Heymarket reports.

How do I send an internal alert to a team member instead of the contact?

When you add a “Send a Message” or “Send an Email” action, look for the “Respond to other contact” option within that action. This lets you route the message to an internal email address, phone number, or contact rather than to the customer who triggered the automation. See the related article on Escalations for full details.