Journey Builder in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Understanding Journey Builder
Journey Builder is the core marketing automation tool within Salesforce Marketing Cloud, providing a visual canvas for designing, automating, and optimizing multi-step customer journeys across channels.
Journey Builder Architecture
The relationship between Journey Builder and other Marketing Cloud components
Journey Builder Connection Types
Components
Connection Types
Journey Builder Core Concepts
Entry Sources
Business perspective on journey entry sources:
- Data Extensions: Perfect for recurring campaigns or lifecycle triggers like birthdays
- API Events: Enable real-time responses to customer actions on your website or app
- Audience Studio: Target customers based on rich behavioral and demographic segments
- CloudPages: Convert form submissions directly into personalized journeys
- Mobile Events: Engage customers based on their mobile behavior or location
- Sales/Service Cloud: Create seamless marketing follow-ups to sales or service interactions
- Contact Filters: Target specific customer segments with relevant messaging
Well-designed entry sources ensure journeys begin at the right moment in the customer lifecycle, increasing relevance and engagement.
Entry Sources
Technical implementation of journey entry sources:
- Data Extensions: Trigger entry based on scheduled data evaluations or API injections
- API Events: Fire entry via REST API calls or integrated event triggers
- Audience Studio: Use segments from Audience Studio (formerly DMP) as entry sources
- CloudPages: Trigger journeys from form submissions or landing page interactions
- Mobile Events: App interactions, location triggers, and push engagement
- Sales/Service Cloud: Trigger from CRM record changes or service case events
- Contact Filters: Population criteria from Contact Builder attributes
Entry requirements: Entry data must have ContactKey/SubscriberKey and can include event data for personalization.
Activities and Flow Control
Business value of journey flow control:
- Wait Activities: Create perfectly timed messages that respect customer preferences
- Decision Splits: Personalize journeys based on customer data or behavior
- Random Splits: Test different strategies to identify the most effective approach
- Engagement Splits: Adapt messages based on how customers respond
- Contact Data: Keep customer records up-to-date as they progress
- Journey Data: Remember journey-specific choices for more relevant experiences
- Custom Activities: Connect with other systems to create seamless experiences
These controls enable marketers to create dynamic, responsive customer experiences that adapt to individual needs and behaviors, significantly improving engagement and conversion.
Activities and Flow Control
Technical aspects of journey activities and flow control:
- Wait Activities: Pause contact flow for fixed time or until specific date/time
- Decision Splits: Route contacts based on attribute conditions or engagement metrics
- Random Splits: Distribute contacts randomly for A/B testing
- Engagement Splits: Route based on previous message interaction
- Contact Data: Update DE records with calculated or fixed values
- Journey Data: Store values specific to a contact's journey instance
- Custom Activities: Execute external API calls or custom code
Activities must be configured in a logically sequenced flow with proper exception handling and timeout configurations.
Message Activities
Business impact of multi-channel messages:
- Email: Delivers rich content with average 15-25% open rates and 2-5% click rates
- SMS: Achieves 98% open rates and immediate visibility for time-sensitive offers
- Push Notification: Drives app engagement with 50-80% higher response than email
- InApp Messages: Creates contextual experiences with 3-5x higher engagement
- WhatsApp: Enables rich, interactive conversations with 70%+ open rates
- LINE: Connects with audiences in Asia with high engagement potential
- Advertising: Extends reach across digital platforms with consistent messaging
- Work.com: Aligns marketing with employee experiences in Salesforce
Multi-channel orchestration creates seamless customer experiences, with companies reporting 250-350% higher conversion rates from coordinated multi-channel journeys versus single-channel campaigns.
Message Activities
Technical implementation of message delivery activities:
- Email: Send personalized Email Studio messages with AMPScript/SSJS support
- SMS: Deliver mobile text messages via MobileConnect service
- Push Notification: Send app notifications via MobilePush service
- InApp Messages: Display targeted content within mobile applications
- WhatsApp: Send structured messages via WhatsApp integration
- LINE: Deliver messages to LINE messaging app users
- Advertising: Create custom audiences for ad platform targeting
- Work.com Notifications: Send notifications to Salesforce Work.com
Each channel requires proper configuration, compliance setup, and technical integration with subscription management.
Journey Design Best Practices
Recommended Journey Structure
A well-designed customer journey framework with key components
Journey Flow Types
Components
Connection Types
Entry Source Strategy
Best Practices for Entry Sources
-
Data Extensions
- Ensure a clean, deduplicated audience with clear criteria
- Include all personalization fields needed throughout the journey
- Implement proper filtering to target the right audience segment
- Configure appropriate re-entry settings based on business requirements
-
API Events
- Implement proper event validation and error handling
- Include adequate contextual data with the event
- Define clear timeout and exception handling
- Test throughput capabilities for high-volume events
-
Re-entry Settings
- No Re-entry: Use for one-time experiences (welcome series)
- Re-entry Anytime: For recurring triggers (abandoned cart)
- Re-entry After Exit: For cyclical but sequential journeys
- Re-entry After Ejection: For re-engaging contacts after specific conditions
Decision Splits and Logic
Creating Effective Decision Splits
// Example Decision Split Logic in Journey Builder
// (Conceptual pseudocode)
// Simple attribute-based decision
if (Contact.Region == 'Northeast' && Contact.CustomerStatus == 'Active') {
// Route to Northeast Active Customer path
} else if (Contact.Region == 'Northeast' && Contact.CustomerStatus != 'Active') {
// Route to Northeast Re-engagement path
} else {
// Route to Standard path
}
// Engagement-based decision with recency
if (Contact.LastPurchaseDate > (Today - 30)) {
// Recent customer path
} else if (Contact.EmailsOpened > 0 && Contact.LastPurchaseDate <= (Today - 30)) {
// Engaged but not recently purchased
} else {
// Unengaged customer
}
// Purchase history decision
if (Contact.TotalOrders > 3 && Contact.AverageOrderValue > 100) {
// VIP customer path
} else if (Contact.TotalOrders > 0) {
// Regular customer path
} else {
// Prospect path
}
Wait Times and Timing Strategy
Wait Configuration Guidelines
| Wait Type | Use Case | Technical Considerations | Business Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Duration | Standard delay between messages | Simple implementation, consistent experience | Predictable message cadence |
| Dynamic Date | Anniversary, renewal dates | Requires proper date field formatting | Creates timely, relevant touchpoints |
| Until Date | Campaign launch dates | May require contact re-evaluation | Ensures coordinated message timing |
| Einstein Send Time Optimization | Optimal engagement time | Requires sufficient engagement history | Improves open/click rates by 10-25% |
| Day of Week/Time of Day | Business hours messaging | Configure time zone handling | Respects business context |
Journey Data Flows and Integration
Understanding how data flows through Journey Builder is critical for effective implementation and optimization. The diagram below illustrates the key data paths and integration points within Journey Builder.
Journey Builder Data Flow
How data moves through Journey Builder and integrates with other systems
Journey Data Flow Types
Components
Connection Types
Business Data Strategy
Journey Builder's data capabilities enable sophisticated marketing strategies:
Customer Interaction Model
- Behavioral Response Loop: Captures and responds to customer actions in near real-time
- Contextual Messaging: Leverages multiple data points for relevant communications
- Progressive Profiling: Builds richer customer profiles through journey interactions
- Cross-Channel Coordination: Synchronizes messaging across touchpoints
- Conversion Tracking: Links marketing activities to business outcomes
Business Value Impacts
- Increased Relevance: Data-driven journeys typically improve open rates by 25-35%
- Higher Conversion: Personalized paths drive 40% higher conversion rates on average
- Customer Insights: Journey performance reveals customer preferences and behavior patterns
- Operational Efficiency: Automated decisioning reduces manual segmentation efforts
- Attribution Clarity: Better understand which journey touchpoints drive desired outcomes
Implementation Strategy
- Data Readiness Assessment: Ensure necessary customer data is available before journey design
- Journey Data Model: Design data extensions specifically to support journey analytics needs
- Incremental Approach: Start with basic journeys and progressively add complexity
- Testing Protocol: Implement thorough testing of data flows before launching
- Performance Monitoring: Establish KPIs for journey data quality and processing efficiency
Advanced Journey Techniques
Goal Tracking and Optimization
Journey Goals and Metrics
Business value of journey goal tracking:
- ROI Measurement: Directly attribute revenue and conversions to specific journeys
- Performance Comparison: Compare different journey approaches to identify winners
- Resource Justification: Demonstrate marketing impact with concrete conversion data
- Optimization Insights: Identify drop-off points and opportunities for improvement
- Customer Insights: Understand which messages and timing drive desired actions
- Executive Reporting: Provide clear success metrics aligned to business objectives
Well-configured goals connect marketing activities directly to business outcomes, with companies reporting 40% higher ROI when using proper attribution models.
Journey Goals and Metrics
Technical implementation of journey goals:
- Goal Configuration: Define as Data Extension updates, event API calls, or email clicks
- Conversion Tracking: Link to specific target Data Extension records or API events
- Measurement Window: Configure appropriate attribution timeframe
- Exit Criteria: Define whether goal achievement triggers journey exit
- Multi-Goal Tracking: Implement primary and secondary goals for fuller visibility
- Analytics Integration: Connect with Google Analytics or other platforms via UTM parameters
Goal configuration requires proper data integration and event tracking to ensure accurate attribution.
Exit Criteria and Contact Ejection
Common Exit/Ejection Scenarios
// Example Exit/Ejection Logic in Journey Builder
// (Conceptual pseudocode)
// Exit on conversion
if (Contact.PurchaseComplete == true || Contact.FormSubmitted == true) {
JourneyContact.Exit("Goal Achieved");
}
// Ejection for unsubscribes
if (Contact.EmailStatus != "Active" || Contact.SMSOptIn != true) {
JourneyContact.Eject("Subscription Status Change");
}
// Exit for end of journey
if (JourneyContact.CurrentStep == "Final Message" || JourneyContact.DaysInJourney > 30) {
JourneyContact.Exit("Journey Complete");
}
// Ejection for data quality issues
if (Contact.Email == null || !isValid(Contact.Email)) {
JourneyContact.Eject("Invalid Contact Data");
}
// Business rule ejection
if (Contact.AccountStatus == "Closed" || Contact.CreditScore < 600) {
JourneyContact.Eject("Business Rule Exclusion");
}
Custom Activities and Extensions
Custom Journey Activities
Business value of custom journey activities:
- System Integration: Connect marketing journeys with other business systems
- Enhanced Personalization: Access external data sources for richer experiences
- Process Automation: Trigger business processes from customer interactions
- Dynamic Content: Generate personalized content or offers in real-time
- Advanced Segmentation: Apply complex business rules beyond standard capabilities
- Unified Customer Experience: Create seamless handoffs between systems
Custom activities enable organizations to create truly unique customer experiences that leverage all available systems and data, with businesses reporting 30% higher engagement for journeys with custom-integrated touchpoints.
Custom Journey Activities
Technical implementation of custom activities:
- Custom Activity Framework: Create with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and REST API integration
- Configuration Options: Define input fields, validation rules, and user interface
- Execute Mode: Implement as Immediate (synchronous) or Deferred (asynchronous)
- Callback Handling: Process responses with proper error handling and retries
- Security Considerations: Implement JWT authentication and secure data handling
- Scalability Planning: Design for high throughput with proper resource management
Custom activities require both frontend configuration and backend integration components with proper logging and monitoring.
Example Custom Activity Configuration
{
"key": "custom-loyalty-activity",
"metaData": {
"icon": "images/icon.png",
"iconSmall": "images/iconSmall.png",
"category": "custom"
},
"type": "REST",
"lang": {
"en-US": {
"name": "Loyalty Points Update",
"description": "Updates customer loyalty points based on journey activity"
}
},
"arguments": {
"execute": {
"inArguments": [
{ "contactKey": "{{Contact.Key}}" },
{ "loyaltyId": "{{Contact.Attribute.LoyaltyProgram.MemberID}}" },
{ "pointsToAdd": 100 },
{ "actionType": "Journey Engagement" }
],
"outArguments": [
{ "newPointsBalance": "" }
],
"url": "https://your-endpoint.com/loyalty/update",
"timeout": 10000,
"retryCount": 3,
"retryDelay": 1000,
"concurrentRequests": 5
}
},
"configurationArguments": {
"save": {
"url": "https://your-endpoint.com/loyalty/save"
},
"publish": {
"url": "https://your-endpoint.com/loyalty/publish"
},
"validate": {
"url": "https://your-endpoint.com/loyalty/validate"
},
"stop": {
"url": "https://your-endpoint.com/loyalty/stop"
}
},
"userInterfaces": {
"configModal": {
"height": 400,
"width": 600,
"fullscreen": false
}
}
}
Testing and Validation
Test Plan Methodology
-
Technical Validation
- Verify entry source query performance and data selection
- Test all decision split logic with boundary conditions
- Validate wait periods and timing functions
- Confirm proper personalization rendering across devices
- Verify goal tracking and attribution
-
User Experience Testing
- Create test contacts representing different personas
- Verify message sequencing and timing
- Test all possible journey paths
- Validate mobile rendering and responsive design
- Check personalization accuracy and relevance
-
Performance Testing
- Estimate contact volume and processing requirements
- Test with representative volume of contacts
- Verify journey processing speed and efficiency
- Monitor system resource utilization
- Validate API call volume and response handling
Journey Analytics and Optimization
Performance Measurement
Business impact of journey analytics:
- Journey Metrics: Identifies overall program effectiveness and engagement
- Path Analytics: Shows which customer segments respond to which approaches
- Message Performance: Highlights your most compelling content for different audiences
- Goal Tracking: Directly connects marketing activities to business outcomes
- Cohort Analysis: Reveals how performance changes over time or by segment
- A/B Testing: Provides statistical proof of which approaches drive better results
- Data Exports: Enables integration with broader business intelligence systems
Organizations using advanced journey analytics report 25-40% higher conversion rates and 15-30% lower customer acquisition costs through continuous, data-driven optimization.
Performance Measurement
Technical approach to journey analytics:
- Journey Metrics: Active population, completion rate, average journey duration
- Path Analytics: Flow analysis, path conversion, step performance
- Message Performance: Open, click, conversion rates by message and path
- Goal Tracking: Conversion attribution, goal achievement rate, attribution modeling
- Cohort Analysis: Performance comparison across entry cohorts
- A/B Testing: Statistical significance, confidence intervals, test duration
- Data Exports: Custom reporting with Data Views and Query Activities
Comprehensive analytics requires proper instrumentation, tracking setup, and integration of journey data with other marketing metrics.
Journey Optimization Framework
Journey Optimization Cycle
Continuous improvement process for journey optimization
Legend
Components
Connection Types
Common Journey Use Cases
Welcome Series
Welcome Journey
Business impact of welcome journeys:
- Higher Engagement: Welcome emails have 4x the open rate and 5x the click rate of standard campaigns
- First Impression: Sets expectations and brand perception that influences all future interactions
- Reduced Churn: Effective onboarding reduces early attrition by 15-30%
- Faster Conversion: Well-designed welcome series can accelerate time-to-purchase by 25-40%
- Data Collection: Opportunity to gather essential preference information for future personalization
- Deliverability: Early engagement helps establish positive sender reputation
Welcome journeys represent your highest-engagement opportunity, with proper implementation driving both immediate results and long-term relationship value.
Welcome Journey
Technical implementation of welcome journeys:
- Entry Source: New subscription/registration Data Extension or API event
- Message Sequence: Welcome confirmation, product/service introduction, value proposition
- Timing: Initial message immediate, follow-ups 2-3 days apart
- Personalization: Name, subscription source, product interest from initial capture
- Decision Splits: Based on profile completeness, engagement with initial messages
- Goals: Profile completion, initial product education, early conversions
Technical considerations include double opt-in processing, preference center integration, and progressive profiling implementation.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Abandoned Cart Journey
Business impact of cart recovery:
- Recovery Rate: Properly implemented journeys recover 10-20% of abandoned carts
- Revenue Impact: Average ROI of 4,000%+ with low implementation cost relative to revenue
- Customer Insight: Provides valuable data on product interest and purchase obstacles
- Purchase Acceleration: Reduces decision time for interested but hesitant customers
- Higher AOV: Cart recovery emails that include personalized recommendations increase average order value by 10-15%
- Cost Efficiency: One of the highest-performing automated programs relative to implementation cost
Cart recovery journeys target high-intent customers at a critical decision point, creating significant revenue opportunity with minimal marketing spend.
Abandoned Cart Journey
Technical implementation of cart recovery:
- Entry Trigger: Cart abandonment API event or scheduled Data Extension evaluation
- Data Requirements: Cart ID, contact key, product details, cart value, abandonment time
- Real-time Integration: Synchronization with e-commerce platform for inventory and price updates
- Timing Strategy: First reminder at 1-3 hours, second at 24 hours, final at 48-72 hours
- Exit Criteria: Purchase completion, cart expiration, or product unavailability
- Personalization: Dynamic product display, personalized recommendations, conditional incentives
Implementation requires e-commerce integration, real-time inventory checking, and proper conversion tracking configuration.
Post-Purchase Experience
Post-Purchase Journey
Business impact of post-purchase journeys:
- Customer Satisfaction: Proactive communication reduces WISMO (Where Is My Order) inquiries by 25-40%
- Review Generation: Timed review requests increase review submission rates by 70-80%
- Repeat Purchase: Effective post-purchase journeys increase 90-day repurchase rates by 15-25%
- Cross-Sell Success: Contextual product recommendations convert at 3-5x the rate of standard promotions
- Reduced Returns: Proper product education and support resources can reduce returns by 10-15%
- Lifetime Value: Comprehensive post-purchase experience increases customer lifetime value by 20-30%
Post-purchase journeys transform transactional interactions into relationship-building opportunities, with well-executed programs significantly reducing churn and increasing customer lifetime value.
Post-Purchase Journey
Technical implementation of post-purchase journeys:
- Entry Trigger: Order confirmation event or order status change
- Data Integration: Order details, shipping information, product specifics from commerce platform
- Dynamic Content: Order-specific details, delivery updates, product recommendations
- Multi-channel Approach: Email confirmations, SMS shipping alerts, app notifications for delivery
- Decision Splits: Based on order type, product category, customer segment, delivery method
- External Calls: Integration with review platforms, loyalty systems, customer service tools
Implementation requires order management system integration, real-time status updates, and proper delivery exception handling.
Re-Engagement/Win-Back
Re-Engagement Journey
Business impact of re-engagement journeys:
- Revenue Recovery: Effectively reactivates 5-15% of lapsed customers
- Cost Efficiency: Reactivation costs 5-10x less than new customer acquisition
- Database Value: Improves overall marketing database quality and deliverability
- Customer Insight: Provides valuable feedback on potential churn causes
- Preference Clarity: Encourages explicit preference updates for better future targeting
- Lifetime Value: Successfully reactivated customers often show higher loyalty in subsequent period
Re-engagement journeys provide dual benefits of recovering valuable customer relationships while improving overall marketing efficiency by maintaining a more active, engaged database.
Re-Engagement Journey
Technical implementation of re-engagement journeys:
- Entry Criteria: Inactivity threshold (typically 60-180 days), previous customer status
- Data Requirements: Engagement history, purchase history, browsing behavior, preferred channels
- Segmentation Logic: Segment by value tier, product category interest, reason for disengagement
- Progressive Approach: Increasing incentives based on continued non-response
- Preference Updates: Frequency and channel preference management integration
- Sunset Policy: Proper list hygiene for persistent non-responders
Implementation requires engagement scoring models, incentive management, and proper handling of unsubscribe and bounce processing.
Journey Builder Resources
- Salesforce Journey Builder Documentation
- Journey Builder Trailhead
- Journey Builder API Documentation
- Marketing Cloud Developer Center
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud Success Community
Conclusion
Journey Builder is a powerful tool for creating personalized, multi-channel customer experiences that drive engagement and conversion. By understanding its technical capabilities and applying strategic best practices, marketers can create sophisticated automated journeys that deliver measurable business results.
Remember that journey design is both a science and an art—balancing technical implementation with creative messaging to deliver experiences that resonate with customers and drive business results.