B2B SaaS Company
Helping more trial users become paying customers with HubSpot email automation
The company was getting trial signups, but many users left without creating their first project. Its emails introduced the software without helping people take the first useful step.
Mailkar Studio rebuilt the onboarding sequence around what users had completed and where they needed help.
- Platform: HubSpot
- Project length: Four months
- Services: Onboarding campaigns, audience segmentation, and email automation
About the Client
The company sold project management software through a 14-day free trial. Users needed to create a project and start using it before deciding whether to pay.
The marketing team used HubSpot, but every trial user received similar follow-up emails.
The Problem
The welcome email covered several features at once. New users had to work out where to begin.
Follow-ups also continued after users had completed the task. Someone already managing a project could still receive an email asking them to create one.
The company needed an onboarding sequence that helped users make progress throughout the trial.
How Mailkar Studio Helped
We changed the email sequence to reflect each user’s account activity. Every message had a clear purpose and one main call to action.
Make the First Step Clear
We rewrote the welcome sequence around creating a first project. Each email explained the action and linked directly to the relevant step.
Once users completed that task, the next message helped them continue using the product.
Send Follow-Ups Based on User Activity
We created separate audience segments for new signups, inactive users, and users who had completed setup.
We then connected those segments with automated workflows in HubSpot. Setup reminders stopped when the task was complete, and trial emails stopped after an upgrade.
Our ESP integration work connected the account details needed to keep these workflows up to date.
Track Progress Beyond Email Clicks
We tracked first-project creation and paid accounts alongside email engagement. This helped the team see whether users were taking useful steps after receiving the emails.
Sales staff also received account activity details before contacting a trial user.
The Results
The example compares two groups of 600 users, each tracked through a complete 14-day trial.
- Users creating a first project increased from 120 to 204.
- Product activation rate increased from 20% to 34%.
- Paid accounts increased from 48 to 72.
- Trial-to-paid conversion rate increased from 8% to 12%.
The second group produced 24 additional paid accounts. Its trial-to-paid conversion rate was 50% higher than the starting rate.
Product experience and sales support also contribute to these overall trial results.
What Changed for the Business
Trial users received help that matched their progress. The team could also identify where people stopped and decide which onboarding step needed attention.
Email became part of the trial experience, with follow-ups tied to actions inside the product.