Welcome email series: The trend that helps you engage subscribers better

Imagine this. You go on a date with someone you liked. But then, you feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. What will you do? You will most probably refuse to meet them again.

The same holds for your email subscribers. As soon as subscribers join your email list, they expect you to greet and welcome them. That’s where welcome emails come into the picture.

Take a look at these statistics:

Source

Your welcome email marks your first interaction with the prospect and builds the foundation for all your future communication through emails.

Get this right, and you stand a chance to make a powerful impact on the subscriber’s mind and keep them hooked to your communications. After all, well begun is half done.

In this article, I will be sharing some essential information that you must know in order to create welcome emails that win the hearts of your new subscriber.

Let’s get started with a few basics.

What is a Welcome Email?

A welcome email introduces the subscribers to a brand. It is generally sent as an automated email soon after a customer completes a sign-up form or makes a purchase.

You can also introduce your team, your company’s values, the subsequent steps to take, and other details that the subscriber MUST know. Some marketers even share the range of products and services they offer.

Take a look at this welcome email template by Hochanda. They have used the perfect combination of text and images to put their message forward.

Actions That Trigger a Welcome Email

There are several actions that can trigger a welcome email. These are:

When a website visitor fills an opt-in form or subscribes to the blog and newsletter
When a prospect makes the first purchase
When a customer signs up for special offers, freebies, or deals
When a client joins a training, webinar, mini-course, or workshop
When a prospective client inquires about a product or service
When an existing customer purchases another service

Note that you might have to create separate welcome emails according to the source from where the subscribers are signing up.

For example, suppose a prospect enters your email list through a LinkedIn ad campaign highlighting a particular feature of your product or service. Your welcome email message must be aligned with the message that was communicated through that ad campaign.

Using the same welcome message for every prospect will crumble the trust they have in you. As a result, you must pay special attention to welcome emails.

That said, let’s discuss the importance of welcome emails.

Why Welcome Emails Are an Indispensable Part of Your Email Marketing?

Welcome emails help you build your brand, nurture customer relationships, and get better sales and conversions.

Despite these advantages, hardly 57.7% of brands send out welcome emails to greet the new subscribers.

41% of brands fail to send a welcome email within the first 48 hours and 27% send no emails in the first three weeks.

Subscribers who receive welcome emails are likely to show 33% higher engagement with the brand. No wonder welcome emails enjoy four times the open rate and five times the click-through rate than standard email marketing campaigns. Moreover, these emails yield three times the transactions and revenue for every email compared to marketing emails.

Every relationship thrives on trust. Your relationship with the subscriber is no different. Receiving a welcome email as an acknowledgment of their first interaction with your brand will make them feel special and impart a sense of exclusivity. You can also let the readers know about your vision statement, mission, and brand’s values with the help of your welcome email.

A well-designed welcome email can pave new avenues for conversions and increase the word-of-mouth publicity for your brand.

The subscriber might not open any other email from you. That’s why you must make the most of this opportunity and demonstrate the most critical USPs to potential clients.

Pre-send Rituals of Sending Welcome Emails

Whenever a user comes to your website for the first time, make sure you have an easily noticeable signup form. It is a bonus if you can promise an incentive in return of the email address. (like the example shown below)

Did you notice how they have thanked the subscriber and clearly mentioned that they will send a welcome email?

That’s a great way of making people ‘wait’ for your welcome email and engage with it.

Once a user signs up, you can send out a confirmation email that reiterates all the details filled by him or her.

Take a look at the example below.

Also, see how they have informed the new subscriber that they will send out a series of two welcome emails.

This forms the foundation of the next section in which we will talk about welcome email series.

Introducing Welcome Email Series ↵

As discussed at the outset, so many marketers do not send out a welcome email. If you are among the ones who do, well, you have the edge over your competitors.

To take the game a level up, you can send out a series of two to four welcome emails.

You can adjust this email sequence according to your industry and the messages you want to convey in the initial stage. The best part is that you can automate the entire process. That way, your email series will reach the subscriber at the designated time without any manual intervention.

Perquisites of Sending Welcome Email Series

Your subscribers are signing up on various websites and making their first purchase on different eCommerce stores. They are already inundated with numerous emails. As a result, it is quite likely that your message will get buried under the heap of emails they receive and ultimately get lost.

Even if they open your first welcome email and read it, they will likely forget about it. A series of welcome emails will give you more than one chance to draw the recipient’s attention and be a great brand-building exercise.

If you are among those fortunate ones, your subscribers might read every email of the series and might even convert.

Here’s a four email welcome series sent by TopShop:

In the first email of the series, they welcome the user with a 10% discount offer.

The second email introduces the readers to the brand and gives them a glimpse of their online store via a GIF.

The third email lets the user know about Topshop’s accounts on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and their blog. It introduces the user to alternative channels to connect with TopShop.

In the last email of the series, they have talked about their products and collaborations with various influencers.

Wrapping It Up

What goes into creating an effective welcome email series? I hope these tips and email examples have given you a clear picture. The key is to understand your target audience and welcome them accordingly. Of course, you have to follow the email marketing best practices like abiding by the brand guidelines, making it visually aesthetic, and drafting a concise yet interesting copy.

Let me sign off with an interesting welcome email with a cute animation to inspire you: