Why welcome emails are your secret ingredient to more business
When you subscribe to an email list, don’t you expect a welcome email? Isn’t it good to know that your subscription was successful?
But more than that, isn’t it just nice to get a cheery email welcoming you? It shows that the business whose list you just subscribed to is paying attention. They’re happy to have you there. And they want to show you!
But there’s a little bit more to it than that for you. There are reasons why you should have a welcome email. Read on for more, and six ideas for welcome emails to inspire you.
What are welcome emails?
Very simply, a welcome email is an email you send when someone new joins your list. They may have joined from your website, or maybe from a social media post. But that first email is your chance to make a good impression. It’s the first piece of communication that subscriber receives from you.
Remember, email marketing is all about building a relationship. And that starts right from the moment someone joins your email list. Don’t leave them hanging until your next newsletter, which might be a month away.
And when I say you send it, I mean your email software sends it. Because what I’m really talking about here is automation.
If you’ve heard me talk about email automation, you’ll know I love it! The reason? Because it just happens.
Why should you use welcome emails?
TL:DR – they get the best results!
Let’s stack it up against your normal email campaigns. If you send a monthly email, you can expect an average open rate of 20%. If you want to know how you can increase your open rate, read this post.
Welcome emails do better than that. They have an average open rate of 30.9%. My welcome email’s open rate is 53%!
I bet that made you sit up and take notice.
But you know me, I don’t just look at the open rate. Clicks are important too. Welcome emails get, on average, five times the clicks. My welcome email has 13 times more clicks than my last regular email.
Now that you know this, are you already planning your welcome email?
What makes a good welcome email?
This isn’t really any different from what I suggest you put in your regular emails. It is still an email after all.
Recognisable from name
If you came to my website and signed up to my email list, then got an email from an unrecognisable name, you’re not likely to open it. So, it’s a good idea to use your company name in the from name space. Given they’ve just signed up, they’ll make the link back to your business name.
Subject line and preheader
Choose a subject line and preheader that will entice recipients to open your email.
Branding
Use your logo and the rest of your branding. Now is not the time to introduce new colours. Stick to what’s on your website and social posts. That makes your email consistent with every other piece of marketing communications you do.
Short and sweet
Your welcome email doesn’t have to be massively long. If you have a lot to tell people, you can split it up into a few emails. (When you get to the bottom of this post, there’s a resource to help you do that.)
A good image
Make your email stand out by using a good image. Tie it into the content of the email so it’s a visual representation of what you’re saying.
A call to action
The call to action (CTA) is the thing that you want people to do on receipt of the email. Again, it needs to tie into the content. Make it easy to understand, and make it obvious by using a button in a contrasting colour.
6 ideas for your welcome emails
Well, now that’s out of the way! Let’s move on to ideas for you to use in your welcome email.
Something to educate your readers
This is a great welcome email if you sell to other businesses. When you’re running your own business, you’re hungry for knowledge. A well-timed welcome email that has something that will help you is just the thing.
What’s the question you get asked the most by your target audience? Turn that into something that will help new subscribers. It can be tips to address that challenge and you can decide on the format.
Getting to know each other
Something that helps people be comfortable with one another is knowing more about one another. A welcome email is a great place to share your story. Why did you start your business? What drives you to serve your customers? A fun fact you’re happy to share.
It doesn’t have to be one-way traffic either. You can ask your subscribers to share something with you too.
Discount or offer
What better to nudge a potential customer to buy? This one is good if you sell to consumers. And it doesn’t always have to be money off one purchase. You can offer money off a second product they buy. Or you could offer free postage and packaging if they spend over a certain amount.
If you sell to other businesses, your offer could be a complimentary consultation. Perhaps 30 minutes of your time. You get to know them and their challenges. And you build a rapport that will eventually lead to business.
The point is, it’s nice to get something you weren’t expecting, and it doesn’t have to cost you the earth to offer it.
A thank you
Who doesn’t like to be appreciated? Someone has gone to the trouble of giving you their email address so you can keep in touch with them. A simple thank you goes a long way. It helps people know that you are genuinely happy to have them on your list. It’s memorable – think about the last time someone gave you a sincere thank you.
It brings out the warm and fuzzies.
Quiz them
Not as intrusive as it sounds. Creating a fun quiz can help break the ice. It can be centred around your business or your industry. Or it could be about your subscribers. For example, if you’re a yoga teacher, you could devise a quiz that tells people which type of practice suits them. This approach gives you both information. Your subscriber will find out which yoga practice to use, you’ll find out if you can introduce a variety of classes based on the results.
Showcase your products
Your subscribers will come from a variety of sources. They may not know about everything you offer. So, why not tell them what your best-sellers are? Give them a chance to see things like reviews from other customers.
Whilst this might seem like you’re pushing your products, done well, it will come across more as “did you know we do this too?” It won’t seem pushy if you get the tone right.
Next step
If you’re all fired up, but need a bit more structure, my new Email Marketing Planner is for you! It is on sale now, but there are only a limited number of copies.
What can you expect?
- Clear, simple worksheets to help you create an email marketing strategy and content plan.
- Tips on how to ask people to join your list and ideas for where to ask.
- How to set up a template so you can create emails faster.
- Advanced techniques, including more on automation campaigns.