Approval chains
Social posts and Meta ads that need a second pair of eyes wait in an approval chain before they go out. To start with a Marketing Manager approves. Add levels, conditions and the client's own people; every decision is kept with who made it and why.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- A post with the wrong price goes out on the brand's page because nobody checked it.
- An intern raises an ad budget and it is spent before anyone notices.
- The client approves posts on WhatsApp and nobody can find that approval later.
- Some posts need the founder's sign-off and others do not, and the tool cannot tell them apart.
How it works
- On a post or an ad, tick Needs Approval and press Send for Approval. It becomes Waiting for Approval and cannot be published until approved.
- It enters its chain for the Entity: Social post or Ad. To start with, any Marketing Manager approves.
- The approvers are told and find it in Approvals > To Approve, with a to-do. Managers also have Approve on the post or ad itself.
- Each level approves, or rejects in Approvals with a reason. Rejected, the post or ad goes back to the person with the reason.
- Approved, a post becomes Scheduled and goes out at its time; an ad becomes Approved and can be sent to Meta.
- For agency clients, the client's people approve or ask for changes on their portal, through the client Entity's Social post chain.
Everything it does
What goes through approval in SmartMy Marketing
- Social posts with Needs Approval (every plan)
- Ads built in the Ad Builder with Needs Approval (Growth)
- Agency clients' posts, approved by the client's people on the portal (Growth)
Who approves a level
- With no set-up: Marketing Managers
- Named users, a group, or the usual approvers
- Any one approver of a level decides; for two signatures, add two levels
- If a level has nobody: the request cannot be sent (to start with), the level is skipped, or the usual approvers decide
Rules
- Requester May Approve: on for these chains to start with, so a manager who made a post may approve it. Turn it off to need someone else
- Only For: a chain for some requests only
- Approved at Once: a chain with no approval
- A reason is needed to reject; there is no Reject button on the post itself
Record
- The Approval Levels tab on the post or ad: level, approver, status, decided by, date and reason
- The history shows sent for approval, approved by and rejected by
- On the client portal, the client's note is written on the post
- A new Entity, such as an agency client's, copies the chains of its parent
Who uses it
Marketing UserWrites posts and ads and sends them for approval.
Marketing ManagerApproves or rejects at their level.
Agency client's peopleApprove posts or ask for changes on the client portal.
Approvals AdministratorSets the levels, approvers and conditions without code.
Where you use it
- Web: Approvals > To Approve and My Requests; Social > Posts and Ads > Campaigns > Ad Builder (Approve on the record)
- Client portal: /my/marketing, To Approve, for agency clients
- The SmartMy Marketing app: My approvals, with Approve and Reject (in testing, not in the app stores yet)
What you control
Settings
- Levels and their approvers, per chain (Social post, Ad) and Entity
- If a level has nobody: cannot send, skip, or usual approvers
- Requester May Approve (on), Only For conditions, Approved at Once
- Per post or ad: Needs Approval (off)
Notifications
- Request Waits for Your Approval: to the approvers of the next level, in the app and by email. A phone notification goes only to people signed in to another SmartMy app
- A to-do for each post or ad waiting, for the approvers
Questions
Does every post need approval?
No. Only posts and ads with Needs Approval ticked. The others go out at their time.Can a manager approve their own post?
Yes, to start with, because Requester May Approve is on. Turn it off on the chain if someone else must always approve.Can our client approve posts?
Yes, in agency mode. The client's people see the post on their portal and press Approve or Ask for Changes, with a note.Can we add a second level for the founder?
Yes. Add a level to the Social post or Ad chain with the founder as approver. Use Only For to keep it to some posts or ads.Do approvers get reminders?
They are told when a request reaches them and get a to-do. Reminders after some days are not built in SmartMy Marketing.Related features
SOCIAL AND ADSSocial posts and a calendar for Facebook and InstagramPlan Facebook and Instagram posts on a calendar, schedule them, add a first comment, and have posts approved before they go out. Each account's result and link is kept on the post.SOCIAL AND ADSAd Builder with text written by AIBuild a Meta ad in SmartMy: objective, audience, budget, dates, picture, headline, text and call to action. The AI can write the words, a manager can approve, and the ad is made on Meta paused until you press Start.AGENCY MODEClient portal: approve posts, see the calendar, send filesAn agency's clients sign in to their own portal to approve or send back posts with a note. They see what is scheduled for the next 60 days and send logos, photos and briefs, without a back-office login.AGENCY MODEAgency clients, each with its own entity and teamAn agency keeps each client as its own Entity in one SmartMy Marketing account. The account manager and the agency team switch to the client's Entity to run its inbox, posts, ads and journeys. The client's people get a portal of their own.ACROSS SMARTMY MARKETINGNotificationsSmartMy Marketing tells the right person when something needs them: a post to approve, a WhatsApp number whose quality fell, a blocklisted mailbox. Customers get payment links and receipts in the chat.
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