Five Email Automations Every Small Business Should Set Up First
The five email automations with the best return for small businesses, how to set them up, and the deliverability and CASL basics you need in place first.
A handful of automated emails, set up once, usually outperforms months of one-off campaigns. These five give most small businesses the best return.
Before you start: two foundations
Deliverability. Since 2024, Gmail and Yahoo have required bulk senders to authenticate their domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, offer one-click unsubscribe and keep spam complaints low. Microsoft introduced similar requirements for Outlook in 2025. Even if you send small volumes, setting these up protects your inbox placement.
CASL. Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation requires consent before sending commercial email (express consent, or implied consent in limited situations such as an existing business relationship), clear identification of who’s sending, and an unsubscribe that’s honoured within 10 business days. Build these in from the start.
1. The welcome series
Every new subscriber should hear from you right away. A welcome series of three to five emails over one to two weeks introduces who you are, sets expectations, shares your most useful content and makes a relevant first offer. It reaches every new subscriber, which is why it’s always first.
2. Enquiry follow-up or abandoned cart
Service businesses: most leads that don’t book immediately simply go quiet. A short nurture sequence after an enquiry, covering what to expect, answers to common questions, proof from past clients and a clear next step, keeps you top of mind while they decide.
Online stores: abandoned-cart emails recover sales from shoppers who added items but didn’t check out. Two or three emails over a few days work well. Lead with help and reassurance before any discount.
3. The review request
Send a short, friendly email a few days after the job or delivery asking for a review, with a direct link to your Google Business Profile. Ask every customer, not just the ones you expect to be happy; filtering who gets asked breaks Google’s policies. More recent, detailed reviews help both new customers and your local rankings.
4. Post-purchase or post-service
Help customers get the most out of what they bought: care instructions, how-to guides, maintenance reminders or related services. It builds trust and naturally leads to the next sale.
5. Win-back
Customers who haven’t bought or booked in a while often just need a reminder. A short sequence that checks in, highlights what’s new and makes a simple offer can bring a surprising number back. Anyone who still doesn’t engage should eventually be removed to keep your list healthy.
How to measure success
Open rates are less reliable than they used to be, because Apple Mail Privacy Protection pre-loads emails and inflates opens. Focus on clicks, conversions, revenue per recipient for stores, and booked appointments for service businesses.
Which platform?
Klaviyo is the leader for Shopify stores. For service businesses, Mailchimp, MailerLite, Kit and HubSpot all handle these flows well. The best platform is usually the one you’ll actually keep using.
Want these set up and written for you? See email automation.