The welcome series of emails is one of the most valuable aspects of interaction with new, prospective customers for any business. Statistically speaking, this set of emails receives the highest rates of engagement out of all email correspondence. With them, you set up expectations for what subscribers can come to expect from their relationship with your brand. What this means is that you need to make your welcome series as compelling as possible, as your chance to introduce yourself and your business to the new contacts in your mailing list. Here are five key elements that you must include in your welcome series to delight and captivate your most recent subscriber.
- A personalized thank you greeting
Every time a new subscriber joins your mailing list, remember that they made the choice to trust you with their personal information. It isn’t something to be taken lightly, so ensure that the very first message you convey to them in your welcome series is that of sincere thanks. Make the connection feel more special by personalizing both your subject line and the email itself, and you may increase your open rates, according to research. Deliver a heartfelt welcome, and it is sure to build some trust with your new contact.
- A clear description of what to expect
Your welcome series of emails is your chance to show a new prospect what your business can do for them. Show them what they can get from engaging with your brand, and showcase either your products or services to them. This way, there is no doubt in their minds about the product or service for which they have signed up.
- Give them what was promised
In some cases, we encourage people to sign up for our newsletter in exchange for something that we promised to give them for free. It could be an ebook, a report, or even a discount code. For such first-time subscribers, your welcome series must immediately give them the item they hoped to receive when they provided their email address. Have a clear link within your welcome email that they may click to download it. Don’t lead them on with extra steps, as it may seem dishonest, and they may immediately unsubscribe.
- An easy way to connect with you
You’ve connected with your prospect via email. Congratulations! From here, one of the goals of your welcome series should be to show them other ways to stay in contact with you! Add links to your social media profiles and encourage them to follow for regular information and updates. It gives them a way to become more active within your brand community and pushes them further towards converting into paying customers down the road.
- A call to action to encourage engagement
Statistically, most of the new subscribers to your mailing list expect to receive that first welcome email from you. Meet and surpass this expectation by guiding them towards further engagement with your business through a call to action. A call to action is a clear directing step that improves click-through rates for your welcome series. It also sets a good pace for more email communications down the road.
A welcome series is a critical initial step in establishing customer engagement. Consider these five elements as essential aspects of the very first impression that you will ever make on your first subscriber. Apply them to your email to make it count.
