Marketing Inbox — Direct Replies

Overview

The Marketing Inbox now supports direct contractor replies to your inbox address (e.g., hello@blueclerk.com). When contractors email you directly — without needing to reply to a campaign — BlueClerk automatically creates a new conversation thread, associates it with an existing lead if found, or creates a new lead record if the sender doesn't exist in your database yet. This ensures you never miss inbound inquiries and can respond through the same inbox interface you use for campaign replies.

How Direct Replies Work

Automatic Thread Creation

When a contractor emails your inbox address:

1. BlueClerk receives the email via AWS SES and parses sender details
2. Checks for existing lead by matching the sender's email address
3. Creates a conversation thread automatically with status "needs_review"
4. Links to existing lead if found, or creates a new lead record
5. Email appears in your Marketing Inbox ready for review and response

Direct vs. Campaign Replies

• Campaign replies - Reference a previous outreach email via inReplyTo headers
• Direct inbox replies - Stand-alone emails sent to your inbox address with no prior campaign
• Both appear in the same inbox - All contractor emails in one unified view

Responding to Direct Emails

1. Log in with an admin account
2. Navigate to Admin > Marketing > Inbox
3. Find the conversation from the sender's email address
4. Click to open the conversation thread
5. Type your reply in the response box
6. Click "Send Reply" - Your response goes directly to the contractor's email

Lead Association

When a Lead Exists

If the sender's email matches an existing lead in your database:

• Conversation links automatically to that lead
• Lead status updates to "contacted" or "interested" based on message content
• You can update lead status directly from the inbox interface

When No Lead Exists

If the sender is new to your system:

• A new lead record is created with contact info from the email
• Lead status is set to "interested" since they reached out first
• Future emails from this sender will link to the same lead

Tips

• Check your inbox address in Settings > Integrations > Marketing to confirm where inbound emails are received
• Use filters in the Marketing Inbox to separate campaign replies from direct emails
• Direct emails count toward your monthly email send limit when you reply

Questions

Q: What if I get spam or irrelevant emails? A: You can mark conversations as "not_interested" or delete them directly from the inbox interface. The system tracks unsubscribe requests automatically.

Q: Can I configure the inbox address? A: Yes — use the MARKETING_REPLY_DOMAIN and MARKETING_REPLY_LOCAL_PART environment variables to customize your inbox address (e.g., info@yourcompany.com).

Q: Do direct emails trigger notifications? A: Yes — you'll receive in-app notifications for new direct inbox emails just like campaign replies.