Make that welcome email count!

Welcome emails are an opportunity not to be missed

Your welcome email message is possibly the best opportunity you will ever have to engage with your customer through the email medium and subsequently drive them towards action. On average, welcome emails generate some of the best open rates and when executed correctly they create a lasting impression for all your future email messages. I believe one of the biggest missed opportunities in email strategy is capitalising on the welcome email itself.

The sooner a subscriber is positively engaged, the more likely they will remain active with your email program over time. The welcome email is a critical phase in every email strategy and utilising it to the maximum will yield great benefits and return on investment for your brand going forward.

Make it happen and make it fast!

A quickly executed welcome email creates the right lasting impression, makes you look more responsive and opens the conversation with your customer at the point where they are most interested. You do not want your customer to regret opening the email or regret signing-up, so you definitely need to provide information that is relevant and engaging. Remember too that there are many other marketers competing for your customer’s attention and so, real time response is critical.

Some benefits of the welcome email ...

• Reminds the customer that they opted in to receive email communication
• Confirms the customer’s subscription details
• Reinforces your brand, positioning and value proposition
• Creates opportunities to highlight, up sell or cross sell relevant products
• Pushes customers back to your website, preference centre or profile page to drive action related behaviour
• Sets the expectation for the customer by giving them an idea of future content and frequency of communications
• Helps the customer find things they perhaps missed when they signed up
• Provides information on feedback channels and processes

9 elements for structuring great welcome emails:

1. Include your brand name in either the From address or the subject line so that your customer instantly recognises who sent it
2. Confirm that the subscription has been successful, include a warm and personal welcome message and emphasise the benefits of signing up
3. Remind the customer why they opted in
4. Create expectations of how often you are going to be mailing your customer
5. Add a ‘safe senders instruction’ to ensure further deliverability
6. Provide relevant and necessary contact information
7. Add an offer or an incentive if relevant
8. Include a strong call to action to drive further engagement
9. Embed links to your website, preference centre, online profile form, privacy policy, unsubscribe and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter

While there is a lot of information that should be included, it's not necessary to cram everything into the initial welcome email. I have found that a series of three or four emails sent over a period of 7 to 10 days after sign-up can work quite effectively. To optimise this even further, segment and customise the preceding welcome emails, so they are more relevant to your customers - this will enhance their experience with your brand and make it a memorable one.

Don’t let this golden opportunity slide - it is never too late to embark on a winning welcome email strategy.

Ross Sibbald 
striata.com