Attracted to your profile and what you have displayed on your website, people subscribed to your list. Now is your time to impress them. First impressions last; and a welcome email is your chance at making a good first impression on your subscribers.
Welcome emails are incredibly effective.According to Wordstream, on average, 320% more revenue is attributed to them on a per email basis than other promotional emails.
Welcome emails enjoy higher open rates as compared to newsletters. The obvious reason being, subscribers are more receptive to the information you have to offer at the initial stage.
The exchange that occurs at this time will be more fulfilling and will define the kind of relationship you will have with the subscriber.
However, a single email gives you a one-time window to connect with the subscriber. If the end user does not hear you out in that email, you have lost out on a probable lead for your business. That’s precisely why a welcome email series is a good idea.
A series allows you to connect more often, builds a stronger relationship, and sets the tone for future communication.
Let’s dig into reasons why welcome email series is a better idea for your business.
- Enhances opportunities: It is not necessary that your subscriber engages with you right at the beginning. There is a likelihood that your subscriber misses or ignores the first email sent to them and it is the second email which piques their interest. You thus get more opportunities to connect and engage.
- Increases interactions: There are more interactions with series than you can have with a single welcome email. The series gives you an opportunity to know the subscriber. You would know if the resource you sent them was helpful or not. If they ask you questions, you are opening more avenues for interaction. Series gives you better chances at conversion.
- Encourages action: The welcome emails tend to tell the audience more about the brand and its products/ services. In the emails, you can send in a free resource, a discount or even a gift to encourage action.
With a series, you can connect with the user at an emotional and rational level thus persuading them to convert from a subscriber to your customer.
Let us now take you through how to efficiently build a welcome email series for your business.
The Emails in your Welcome Email Series
How many emails should I send as part of the welcome email series is the first question you would ask. A good 5-7 emails help in building the right amount of engagement. If 5 is a lot, you could probably start out with three emails in your welcome series.
In this article, we will consider a welcome email series with four emails.
You should also define the frequency of the emails right at the start. In a five-email series, the first email will go immediately, the second one a day after sign-up, third one 3 days later, fourth one 5-6 days later.
All set! Let’s find out what goes in each email within the series
The first email
The first welcome email goes immediately after the sign-up process. You will need to thank the subscriber for opting in. A discount on the first buy or something similar is a great way of encouraging action from your subscribers.
In the first email itself, set the expectations for the subscriber. Communicate the frequency at which you would be emailing as well as the things you email about in the first email.
A teaser at the end about a tool or resource you would be sharing soon is a great way to close the email. It is like a cliff-hanger, which helps in ensuring more opens for your next email in the series.
Check out this 1st Welcome Email from Topshop. Along with a warm welcome, they also offer a first-time discount.
The second email
The second email is where you introduce your brand. Keep it very simple and crisp.
You can also share the tool or resource you had promised in the first welcome email. Make sure the tool or resource you are sharing addresses a particular pain area that your subscribers are facing. It will help you win over your audience.
In the next welcome email, Topshop introduces the brand to the new subscriber.
The third email
The third email in the series is when you start talking about your brand and its story in detail. You can inspire your audience by baring your struggles and the problems you had faced.
They want to listen to your “rags to riches” story, and you can probably fill them in with it through your third email. Inspire them!
The third email from them is about taking the brand introduction one step ahead. They introduce the new subscriber to their social channels:
The fourth email
A discount, some freebie or even a useful resource is always welcome. They will reciprocate to this gesture and will be compelled to become a part of your brand’s family. The fourth email is where you start converting the subscriber into a lead or a customer.
Start introducing your products or services in this email. Don’t show them everything. Just get them curious about what you have to display.
If you are a service based company, highlight success stories to interest the subscriber.
In their fourth email, Topshop starts to introduce the products:
Wrapping up
A welcome series creates more engagement as compared to a single email welcoming the subscriber. You will need to think through the problems your subscribers are facing and create the emails accordingly. It is a good idea to automate the welcome email series so that you don’t miss out on sending them and improving your conversions.
Start planning your welcome series!
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