First impressions matter, especially in business. The initial perception a customer has of you can set the tone for their entire relationship with your brand – impacting their likelihood to purchase or recommend your products or services.
It’s worth bearing this in mind when you’re setting up your email campaigns.
When someone signs up for your custom email list, the first emails you send are your chance to make a great first impression.
Yet, surprisingly, only 4 out of 10 businesses actually send a welcome email. And out of those, many just send a generic “thank you for signing up” message.
This is a huge missed opportunity.
By spending the time to craft a well thought out, effective welcome email, you can get ahead of the competition and start building a strong relationship from your very first communication.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to create a welcome email that really stands out and helps you make the right first impression with your subscribers.
The building blocks of a standout welcome email
Every business is unique, and your approach to your welcome email will differ based on your industry and your audience.
However, there are some key considerations that should be taken into account for any welcome email:
Timing
Did you know that 74% of consumers expect to receive a welcome email within minutes of signing up for a mailing list or newsletter?
With this in mind, the speed at which you send your welcome email after someone hits ‘subscribe’ is crucial.
Put yourself in the shoes of the user. You’ve found a company online, you’ve found their content valuable, you’ve signed up for their custom email list, you check your email 5 hours later…and, nothing. You don’t know if your sign-up has been successful and you haven’t been thanked for your interest in their business.
It might not turn you away from the company completely, but it won’t strengthen your relationship or positive feelings toward them.
So, when it comes to welcome emails, the faster you can send them, the better.
By sending your welcome email to new customers immediately, it shows your new subscribers that you value their interest and are ready to engage with them right away.
Write a compelling email subject line
When a new subscriber receives your welcome email, it’s the first time they are hearing from you. And your email subject line will be the first thing they see.
Your email subject line is not only your chance to make the right first impression, but also an opportunity to try and create a bit of excitement and anticipation about the emails they are likely to receive from you in the future.
When it comes to how to write a subject line for a welcome email, a generic “Thanks for subscribing” is polite, and better than nothing – but it’s not very engaging.
Instead, try to come up with something a little more creative, such as “Congratulations on becoming the newest member of our community” to help make them feel like they are part of something, and build their anticipation for future emails.
Include email personalization
Even though subscribers know a welcome email is automated, including their name can make a big difference – improving your open rate by as much as 26%.
The rationale behind the success of this type of personalized email is that people are immediately drawn to their own name and will be more likely to notice and open your welcome email in their inbox when you include it.
By including the subscriber name, or other personalized information in your welcome email, your new subscribers are also likely to feel that you value them as an individual – rather than just another email address on your list.
Reinforce your branding
Modern consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of the messages they receive via email, which is no surprise given that 1 in every 4 people have spam and scam communications in their inbox on a daily basis.
So it’s important to do everything you can to reassure your new subscribers that your welcome email is legitimate.
This starts by making sure your welcome email is being sent from the same domain that the subscriber signed up to. Most reputable email platforms allow you to send email from your own domain.
It’s also important that your welcome email includes the same logo, colors and styling elements as the page that the subscriber has just signed up from.
This helps new subscribers immediately feel at ease, with the peace of mind that your email comes from a source they are familiar with.
To help make sure you’re able to replicate your brand colors and fonts, and include your brand logo, you’re likely to need an email platform that has full support for HTML emails.
Say thank you, and confirm their subscription
Another good practice tip for your welcome email to a new customer is to thank them for signing up. This shows appreciation for their interest in your business and helps to create a positive first impression of your brand.
In addition to saying thank you, it’s also a good idea to confirm that they are now part of your mailing list. This will reassure them that their subscription was successful and help manage their expectations that they will receive emails from you in the future.
Set expectations
If you want to go a step further in managing your new subscribers’ expectations, you might consider explaining the types of emails they can expect from you in the future and how often you’ll be emailing them.
If you approach this the right way, you can use your welcome email as a way to build anticipation about the future email content you’re going to be sending.
Add value
Your welcome email is a great opportunity to demonstrate the value you can bring to your subscribers.
Going the extra mile in your welcome email can really help build a positive relationship right from the start and reassure subscribers that they’ve made the right decision by signing up.
The way in which you choose to add value will depend on the nature of your business and the needs of your audience. But it doesn’t need to be anything overly complex or time-intensive.
For example, if someone has signed up for your online book community, your welcome email might include a list of the top 10 books from the last year.
Or if someone has signed up for the newsletter of your e-commerce store, you might choose to offer a discount code, or include a link to a buying guide.
Consider including a call to action
Some businesses might be reluctant to include a call-to-action in their welcome email, as they feel it’s too early in the relationship with their customer. And in some circumstances, this might be the right approach.
However, it’s something that is worth trialing with an A/B test, as including a relevant call-to-action (CTA) in your welcome email can help drive immediate action from your new subscribers.
It’s just about striking the right balance and avoiding being too direct or salesy.
A good example for an e-commerce business might be to invite new subscribers to “Browse Our Range Now”, with an exclusive welcome discount.
An unsubscribe link and link to your preference center
If your business is going to comply with GDPR and CAN-SPAM regulations, you need to make it as easy to unsubscribe from your emails as it is to subscribe.
This typically means including a clear unsubscribe link in all your emails – including your welcome email. The best place to find this unsubscribe link is usually in your email footer.
If your business has an email preference center, it’s also a good idea to include a link to this in your welcome email.
An email preference center gives subscribers more control over the types of emails they receive and how often they receive them.
Including a link to this early in your relationship with subscribers shows that you care about your audience, which can help create a positive impression of your brand.
Don’t just send one email…send a series!
If you’re already sending an effective welcome email, you’re ahead of many businesses.
But you’re often able to make an even better first impression and build a stronger relationship with new subscribers by sending a welcome series.
A welcome series delivers a number of emails to your new subscribers at set intervals.
For example, your initial email might be sent immediately, the second email two days later, the third email two days after that, and so on – helping your subscribers learn more about your business and the benefits you provide over time.
Every email welcome series differs, but most include between four to six emails.
To help illustrate what an email welcome series might look like:
- Email 1: Your welcome email
This email introduces your brand and thanks the subscriber for joining your custom email list. - Email 2: An email addressing the subscribers pain points
Sent a couple of days later, this is your opportunity to demonstrate how much you understand your audience and the challenges they are facing – subtly introducing your business as the solution. - Email 3: About your business
This is where you might share your founder’s story, and the unique selling points that make your business different from others in your industry. - Email 4: Product and service highlights
This email might be a little more promotional in nature, focusing on the benefits that your product or service delivers – tying it back to the pain points mentioned in Email 2. - Email 5: Testimonials and accreditations
In this email, you might reinforce your social proof by focusing on the positive reviews you’ve received from happy customers and the industry awards you’ve received. This can give your subscribers peace of mind and more confidence in making a purchase. - Email 6: Offer email
In the final email of your welcome series, you might want to include a special welcome discount for new subscribers to encourage them to convert.
There isn’t a single best way to set up an email welcome series – it all depends on the nature of your business, and the needs of your subscribers. It’s worth testing different sequences and messages to see what works best for your audience.
Looking for an easy way to send your welcome emails?
Creating a standout welcome email (or welcome series) is important if you’re going to make the right first impression on new subscribers, and help them develop a positive perception of your brand.
If you’ve read this article and are in the 60% of businesses who don’t yet send a welcome email – you might be looking for an easy way to set this up.
Simplelists can help.
Our platform makes the process of sending welcome emails to new customers easy, and with the ability to sync with your other business tools like CRMs and databases – we can automate the process so there is no manual work required. .
Ready to make the right first impression on your new subscribers with an amazing welcome email? Sign up for a free trial of Simplelists today.