You’re Welcome – 8 Tips for Creating Effective Welcome Emails

Do you send welcome emails to your new email subscribers? Industry research shows that 74% of new subscribers expect to receive a welcome email. That’s one reason why these messages typically achieve four times the open rate and five times the clickthrough rate of standard email campaigns. Even better, those who receive welcome emails tend to engage more with brands over the long haul than those who don’t. And stronger engagement drives stronger sales.

 

Now that it’s clear that welcome emails are important to your business, here are eight tips for creating them effectively.

 

1. Have a plan: Make the commitment to send a welcome email to your new subscribers and decide on your key message(s) to them. Perhaps you might tell the story of how your company was founded, how your product or service works, or how your approach to solving a particular problem is different from your competitors or other accepted methodologies. If your message is complex, it might be best to divide your welcome into a series of messages.

 

2. Set the right cadence: Although your initial welcome message should come as soon as possible after the prospect subscribes, set the right amount and timing of follow-up welcome emails, based on your messaging and typical learning curve. For example, if your product is relatively straightforward, perhaps you can make a special offer in your first welcome message. If your sales cycle is typically longer or more complex (which is the case for many B2B companies), you may need to be a bit more educational instead of promotional.

 

3. Make them feel special: Highlight the exclusivity of your community by communicating the perks – such as free shipping or a first look at new products -- that subscribers can enjoy as a member of your insider’s club. Thank them for joining and tell them what they can expect – and look out for – in the weeks and months ahead.

 

4. Add a personal touch: Consider including a fun, informal photo of employees engaging with the very product in which your subscriber expressed interest. (e.g. if you sell video editing software, show your team creating a fun video) This approach not only shows your passion for your solution, but lends a personal connection to your company and brand.

 

5. Enable customization: If it wasn’t already a part of the subscriber process, ask your new subscribers specifically what they want to hear about, such as a particular product or activity. By segmenting your new subscribers further, you’ll be able to send them more relevant, targeted content that will generate better results. Be sure to make the process easy for your subscribers – let them click from within the email to select the content they are most interested in receiving.

 

6. Link to social media: Encourage your new subscribers to view and join your social media groups to access additional content, learn from fellow customers, and engage with your team.

 

7. Make it sharable: Include a link in your welcome email campaign that incentivizes subscribers to refer a friend or colleague in exchange for a discount or other perk. This provides a great way to expand your audience list organically.

 

8. Track welcome responses specifically: Consider keeping your new subscribers separate from your standard subscribers for a short amount of time (maybe a month or two?) to gauge their open and click rates and track their responses to see how they are acclimating to your content, and to improve your future welcome email campaigns.

 

By taking the opportunity to welcome new subscribers into your world, you will be on your way to earning their support, loyalty and business. That’s a win any way you look at it.

 

 

Outward Media’s accurate, targeted email data can help you achieve better email marketing ROI by targeting your best prospects – including millennials and other generations -- and, ultimately, converting more prospects into customers. Take a look at our case studies to find out more.