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In everyday life, when you meet somebody new, you say hello and tell them a little about yourself. You might also ask questions to learn more about the person you just met.
In email marketing, the welcome email is a similar chance to get to know your new (and normally highly engaged) subscribers.
Research shows that subscribers who receive a welcome email show 33% more engagement than subscribers that do not. In most instances, your welcome email is your first opportunity to meet your audience, and in turn learn a little more about them. It’s also their first opportunity to meet you, so having a well-thought-out welcome email is a great way to start that relationship off right.
Unfortunately, for many marketers, the welcome email is usually an afterthought — something quickly created to just say, “Thanks for signing up.” It’s not exactly a warm welcome.
Luckily, we’re here to share a few tips for making the most of your welcome emails and using them to create long-term connections with new subscribers.
The subject line of your welcome email is your first chance to “talk” to a new subscriber. A simple “Thanks for signing up” subject line might seem like an easy solution, but it really doesn’t tell the subscriber anything. Changing your subject line to something like, “Thanks for signing up to learn more about your next beach vacation” — along with an easy-to-identify “From” name can easily tell a person what email they’ve signed up for, and why.
It’s equally important to clearly articulate the value you bring to this new relationship within your welcome email. It’s great to say hello and thank them for subscribing, but even better to share a little bit more about what you have to offer. Having links to some of the top content on your website, most sought-after deals or major events can help give new subscribers a greater sense of what you have to offer, and get them excited to learn more.
The welcome email is also a great tool for letting subscribers know what to expect from your email marketing program, i.e. whether you will be sending them monthly deals/offers, or emails filled with events, or just ideas and tips. If you send out sponsored emails, let them know to expect emails that feature select business partners or sponsorships. This way, they know what to expect when they get emails in the future, and how often to expect them.
Keep track of the success of your welcome emails by pulling reports and testing different personalization options and subject lines. While having an automated welcome email makes things easy and less time consuming, regularly checking on your welcome email and optimizing what you say can keep your new users engaged and excited for more emails to come. Remember: what is working now to entice subscribers may not work a month or a year from now.
Here are a few examples of great welcome emails from Visit Sonoma County, North Dakota Tourism and Explore Branson.
In short, when creating a new welcome email, take the time to think through your content, test what works and update your message regularly.
When a new subscriber extends their hand for that first handshake, what will you say?
Amanda works in the epublishing department at Miles, managing the day-to-day email program efforts on behalf of the 20+ clients using our email marketing services.
