Welcome Emails: Your Key to Unlock Long-term Customer Relationship

A welcome email is a great way to introduce your Brand to your customers. But at the same time, it is also the only chance you get to make the first impression – so you have to be attentive! Many email marketers use “Carpet-Bombing Strategy” to turn their subscribers into buyers but what they don’t consider is that this approach decreases the interest of a subscriber.

So, next time when a subscriber receives a mail from that same brand he is less likely to open that email even if it contains the product of his interest and as a result the brand loses its value.

The journey of conversion is filled with only one element, Focus. This is why email marketers use “customer lifecycle marketing” strategy that focuses towards delivering the right email to the right recipient at the optimum time. Here, welcome email plays a vital role and creates a wonderful opportunity to engage with your customers.

Say Hello! With Welcome Emails

When a consumer completes the signing up procedure he/she expects a great welcome email. But at what Time-gap, is the BIG question. It was found in many cases that a subscriber’s interest dwindles when he/she receives a welcome email after 1 hour or more. Here are a few stats to compliment it:

• 75% of the Subscribers expect Welcome Emails right after they Sign up.
• Subscribers who receive personalized welcome emails instantly show33% more long-term engagement
• Welcome emails are opened 4x more than the promotional emails
• Welcome emails see more than the transactions and revenue per email over regular promotional mailings

These stats shout how important welcome emails are. If you still think that welcome emails are just to give information about the brand then let Uplers tell you the number of functions these mails perform.

A personalized welcome email:

• Helps you in making a strong first impression
• Boosts your subscriber’s motivation to stay connected on various channels
• Gives an idea when to expect a mail from you
• Gives them a way back to your store

You can also go one step ahead and add a little element of humor to make your new subscribers happy. A funny image followed by a great copy with tempting offers can work more successfully than you think. Here is a great one from Cartridge.

Now that you are aware of the Importance of Welcome Emails, let’s check out what the best practices are that can take the welcome email to next level.

How to Plan a Welcome Email Strategy Step-by-Step

Step 1: Create Welcome email templates and send right after the sign-up procedure is completed. As mentioned above, make sure that your welcome emails are engaging & personalized.

Step 2: You have all the information about the subscriber from the sign-up procedure, so take advantage of it. Tailor your welcome message accordingly and show them that you have what they require and what hold their interest.

Step 3: Don’t go overboard by blowing trumpet about your brand. Manage the level of your subscriber’s attention and your product’s importance.

Step 4: Trust is one thing that takes time to build. You can take the first step towards building the trust by including the testimonials & reviews and make your new subscriber feel more comfortable.

Step 5: A welcome email that contains discounts can erode a subscriber’s willingness to buy the product. Give them some time to convert and maximize their willingness to pay.

Step 6: Welcome emails should not be confusing. You should convey your thoughts very clearly. Make sure that you have one CTA that is generic, specific, and very clear.

Step 7: Barging your subscribers with promotional emails might turn them off and you may suffer huge unsubcriptions.

Here’s what your welcome email series should ideally carry…

Welcome Emails + Promotional Innovation = Great Program Flow

Welcome emails that contain coupons perform outstandingly well as they have the transaction rates of 2.5X times more than the ones without. But it is quintessential to understand the behavior of the consumer. Let’s understand it this way.

However, many email marketers hold a doubt of including an offer in a welcome email. This can be identified via conducting A/B testing. Though it has been observed that backed by the stats provided above that welcome emails that include discounts or redeemable offers experience a major rise in transaction rates.

A great welcome email preferably should include all the elements of wooing the new subscribers in the first glimpse, but at the same time provide through information of what to expect viz. a preference center.

After all a great and well-customized welcome email is the ingredient of happy customer tales….

Takeaways

• Welcome emails are great to introduce your brand to the subscriber in the best possible way. So make the most out of it.
• Consider adding a personal touch to your welcome emails by customizing it. Welcome emails is a great way to ask for specification to tailor the future emails.
• Consider offering redeemable offers.
• Keep the CTA above the fold to attain great conversion rates.
• Preference center is a great feature to ensure your welcome emails builds an enduring relationship.