{"id":17463,"date":"2026-06-23T09:22:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T09:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=17463"},"modified":"2026-06-23T09:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T09:22:20","slug":"smb-email-nurture-journeys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/blog\/smb-email-nurture-journeys\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Email Marketing Campaigns Every Growing Business Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You built your business on relationships \u2014 on knowing your customers by name, remembering what they ordered last time, and showing up when it mattered. But somewhere between growing your list and sending your tenth email campaign, that personal touch started to fade. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)\u279a<\/a>, the real challenge isn’t getting people to open an email \u2014 it’s making sure every message still feels like it came from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s exactly what a smart email nurture journey does. It’s not about blasting your whole list and hoping something sticks. It’s about meeting the right person with the right message at the right moment \u2014 so your prospects feel seen, your customers feel valued, and your business keeps growing without losing the reputation you’ve worked so hard to build. Let’s get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s an email nurture journey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An email nurture journey<\/a> is a series of targeted messages designed to engage, educate, and convert prospects into customers over time. Emails are still great lead generators, and customised email journeys (or campaigns) are a great way to keep your pipeline flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Johnny lands on your website and loves your blog and free resources -> <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Johnny subscribes to your newsletter -> <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Johnny receives a welcome email from you instantly -> <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Johnny then receives another email 2-3 days later offering your services at a new welcome discount -> <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Johnny opens this email, clicks, and purchases your services -> <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Johnny is now a customer excited to learn more from the next email. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s a successful email journey, and oh, what a journey it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Automating nurture journeys helps you reach broader audiences without a significant jump in marketing costs. You can consistently provide relevant content that resonates with the prospect, leading to increased engagement and retention. The frequency of emails you send depends on what feels right for your audience, offering, or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The goal is to balance them out so that they don\u2019t feel overwhelmed. These journeys can lead to higher conversion rates<\/a> since nurtured leads often make larger purchases. So, with a little help from the right tools (and these tips), you can increase your ROI with an email campaign alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Top email nurture journeys SMBs should try<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Say goodbye to running email experiments that will waste your time \u2014 here are six email nurture journeys your small business marketing team needs to build now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. The welcome series nurture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A prospect\u2019s interest in your brand is at its peak right after they sign up. Needless to say, it\u2019s the perfect time to make a great first impression. A welcome series is a set of automated emails<\/a> triggered as soon as someone joins your email list. It introduces your brand, sets clear expectations, and shows the value they\u2019ll get by sticking around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Welcome emails have an average open rate of 83.63% and a click-through rate (CTR) of 16.6%<\/a>, both significantly higher than standard promotional emails. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to make these early emails count by telling a story that resonates. Wondering if you should sell or not? Our advice is to use your welcome series as a way to nurture interest that eventually leads to a purchase. Build trust with every interaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, address a common challenge<\/a> and educate your users on why it exists. Position your brand as the answer to the challenge you\u2019ve outlined and focus on showing what the prospect stands to gain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. The top-of-mind nurture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Top-of-mind email nurture is a series of emails designed to keep your brand visible and relevant to potential customers over time. Instead of pushing for a quick sale, these emails share helpful, interesting content that builds trust and familiarity, so when prospects are ready to make a decision, your brand is the first that comes to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Imagine your favorite coffee shop sending you weekly updates on new brews and seasonal treats, or a popular retail store sharing \u201cinsider access\u201d to upcoming sales and style tips tailored just for you. The key is to stay in touch with a prospect who may be a good fit but is not yet sales-ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To create a top-of-mind nurture campaign, your small business should use educational and research-based content that establishes your company as a trusted source. You can include offers like webinars that explore trending topics in your industry, or content that shows how others are using your product. All you have to do is think of what free content your audience will find valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you feed your customers content that\u2019s helpful and not salesy, create drip emails and sprinkle in calls-to-action (CTAs)<\/a> to entice them to want more. Again, the cadence depends on the audience, service, and offering. Use your intuition on how often you should send these. Every three days feels right for most campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Take the guesswork out of it and use artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> to help you here. AI tools are making it easier to send emails at just the right moment. For example, Salesforce AI<\/a> analyses past engagement patterns and automatically selects the best time to reach each contact, helping you boost open rates and overall engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    3. The in-trial nurture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    An in-trial nurture email journey is a series of automated emails sent to users during their trial period to guide them through the product, highlight key features, and encourage them to become paying customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Most B2B companies have a trial period so users can take a test drive before making their customers actually purchase For example, at Salesforce, we have a 14-day free trial<\/a> to try out our CRM for small business<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Before our team creates content for an in-trial nurture, we do a ton of research. As a marketer, you want your product\u2019s action triggers to connect to your marketing automation<\/a>. This will help you send triggered emails based on users\u2019 actions versus a time-based email journey. Gather customer feedback by setting up focus groups with customers or sending out a survey.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Along with identifying actions that are likely to lead to conversions, look for features that help create habits for your customers. Which features will make users want to log in more frequently? How do you use emails or even in-app messaging to encourage those actions? Asking yourself these questions will help you craft a successful in-trial nurture triggered by product actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    4. The cart abandonment series nurture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A cart abandonment email nurture journey is a set of automated emails sent to customers who left items in their online cart without buying. These emails remind them of their interest and encourage them to complete their purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cart abandonment is a major revenue drain for many small businesses, especially in ecommerce. Nearly 70% of online shopping carts<\/a> are left behind before purchase. With email accounting for 77% of marketing messages sent<\/a>, in retail and consumer goods, it\u2019s a key channel for recovering lost sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To maximize these conversions, you need to send a series of emails, reminding customers of what they left behind without coming on too strong. Sending three abandoned cart emails can increase orders by 69%<\/a> compared to just one email. The first email sent one hour after the cart is abandoned, has a conversion rate of about 6.33%<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s what to keep in mind for an effective cart recovery series:<\/p>\n\n\n\n