By: Alex Field, Account Manager, Emarsys

Some of this is basic stuff to those more experienced emarketers among you, but having a good welcome email is still something that’s sorely missing from a great many email marketing programs. Sure, most senders clearly understand the need for some kind of subscription confirmation email but there are still so many bad ones in the world despite a huge amount of collective drum banging from ESPs.

In email, just like in real life, first impressions really count. For most subscribers the welcome email will be the first thing they receive so it is very important that this message is on brand, compelling and useful. This email is so much more than a simple subscription confirmation – it’s a hello and a thank you from you, to this person who has been kind enough to share their data with you and who wants to know more about you and your products and services. Don’t you think it deserves more than a couple of lines of hastily written copy and a company logo?

A good welcome email should:

  • Begin with a thank you – it’s just good manners
  • Contain whitelisting instructions, normally in the pre header (Also see our short post on using the pre header to boost mobile open rates)
  • Explain the benefits of being an email subscriber
  • Educate your new subscriber about your brand
  • Set some expectations as to the frequency and type of emails you’re planning to send 
  • Contain links to different parts of your website
  • Make the subscriber feel like you actually value their readership

 

Get this right and as a marketer you can expect to see:

  • Significantly reduce the time until the first purchase
  • Increased lifetime value of subscribers
  • Increased performance metrics in other emails
  • Increased conversion rates
  • Increased brand affinity and loyalty

 

But why stop there? Sure you’ve worked hard on getting a nice, all-singing-all-dancing welcome email but have you gone far enough? Probably not. Most people haven’t. So sit down and think about how you’re collecting new subscribers. If you’re an online retailer, for instance, you will probably have at least three different ways of collecting a new email subscriber (ignoring offline methods, partner sites, competitions, etc); email drop-box, new account registrants and transactors to name a few. To me it doesn’t seem right that someone subscribing through a transaction should receive the same welcome message as someone who just enters their email address on your homepage with no other details.

So now we’re adding complexity, why not take this even further. What about adding other emails to create a welcome series? This is a topic for another day but there’s a lot to be said for following up on your initial welcome email with an educational email or two, or perhaps an offer (maybe not for people who opt-in while purchasing though).

If you want to know more about how you can make the most of your first impression just ask your Account Manager or leave a comment here to get some insight from the wider world.