The why, what, and how of welcome emails

Sending welcome emails to new subscribers can make the rest of your emails so much more effective.

Great welcome emails can help set the tone for your relationship with your email subscribers while boosting your subscriber engagement.

It also introduces your subscribers to the way you do things which will give them a really good reason to read and engage with the content you send.

Research has shown that 74% of subscribers actually expect a welcome email when they subscribe to an email list, but unfortunately, many marketers ignore the importance of the welcome email.

Of course, as with all marketing, it is important to know your audience and who you are talking to.

You should always have a detailed understanding of the demographics and psychographics of your target audience, this way you will be able to deliver content that is relevant to your target market, it also shows your market that you understand them.

There is a big difference between sending your subscribers a welcome email and sending them a confirmation email, and unfortunately, marketers frequently get this wrong.

In short, a confirmation email is just that, an email that confirms their subscription – a decision the subscriber has already made. Confirmation emails usually say things like:

• Thank you for subscribing/signing up.

• Please verify your email address.

• Remember to add us to your safe list.

• Welcome to our newsletter.

Although important to send confirmation emails, welcome emails are even more important because they focus on other goals and are a lot more personal.

These goals include setting subscriber expectations so that they always know what to expect from you; restating the benefits of being a subscriber to your mailing list; asking subscribers to make lots of micro-commitments, and most importantly, creating more interest, curiosity and desire around your product or service offerings.

Setting Subscriber Expectations

This should be your main goal when sending out welcome emails. If subscribers know what to expect from you then they will be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not they actually want to receive your emails.

Your subscribers should receive the following information from you in the welcome email:

• How often you will be sending messages.

• What content they can expect to receive from you.

• How long your email messages will be.

People are constantly bombarded with advertising messages so many people ignore the messages they receive. When people subscribe to mailing lists, they don’t do it so that their mail boxes will be flooded with mail.

Digital marketing experts  recently conducted research on this topic and found that almost 46% of people unsubscribed from mailing lists that they felt sent too many emails. It is one of the main reasons for unsubscribing.

By sending welcome emails that lay out your intentions, you will be sorting your subscribers right from the beginning. Your subscribers can then decide if they want to remain on the mailing list, add themselves to other lists or unsubscribe altogether.

Restating the Benefits of Being a Subscriber

By signing up to your mailing list, new subscribers are showing that they are already interested in what you are offering, but it is still worthwhile restating these benefits to them in your welcome email.

Subscribers what to know upfront what the benefits are of being on your mailing list, they don’t want to have to search to find out.

By understanding your target market, you should already have a very good idea of the kind of things that matter to them.

Whether there are obvious benefits like discounts or access to a free tool on your site, or whether there are surprise benefits like free gifts or access to unannounced events, stating these benefits give the subscriber more reason to stay subscribed.

Asking Your Subscribers to Make Micro-Commitments

Being pushy and asking for huge commitments as soon as a subscriber joins a mailing list is the easiest way to turn the customer off and push them away.

A better method to use is a mico-yes sequence that you can use to build relationships with your subscribers. It is a lot easier to sell products and services to customers that you have a good relationship with and that trust you.

A micro-yes sequence basically leads customers to the bigger commitment at their own pace. It is also a way of turning subscribers into customers.

Always start small and ask subscribers to say yes to seemingly insignificant things like clicking through to your landing page or reading up on your values. Lead your subscribers gently to the big ‘yes’.

Creating More Interest, Curiosity and Desire

Create content that is engaging for your subscribers. Usually it is emotion-driven content that is engaging and attractive to customers because humans are emotional beings.

With your welcome email, point your subscribers to engaging content you have created that is relevant to them. Quality content also makes up for a lack of quantity. Research has also shown that 45% of purchases via subscribers happen within the first 24 hours, so make it count.

Conclusion

By making use of welcome emails your marketing campaign can be a lot more effective. Welcome emails provide an opportunity for you to engage more with your subscribers while setting the scene for your relationship with them. It is your first official opportunity to start building this important relationship with them.

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from TheMarketingblog http://www.themarketingblog.co.uk/2019/02/the-why-what-and-how-of-welcome-emails/