He’s signed up to receive your email. This is good. He’s aware you exist and is, at least for the moment, engaged. You have a consumer’s attention, which is a rare opportunity in today’s marketplace. You have undoubtedly worked very hard to get here. Competition is fierce and consumers are bombarded every which way they turn. However, this guy is saying to you, “Show me what you have to offer, I’m listening.” What an opportunity! What are you going to do?
Start by taking advantage of your email marketing program’s automated welcome email capabilities. Welcome emails are the most opened emails you’ll ever send. On average, welcome emails have an open rate of 50-60%. That’s outstanding! What an opportunity to build trust, start developing a relationship, and engage a call-to-action. Welcome emails have many other benefits as well, including validating email addresses, confirming subscription requests, and generating revenue while building and protecting your reputation.
A good welcome email should:
- Remind subscribers of your email benefits - Let new subscribers know what to expect and why they should care.
- Provide a call-to-action - Include a survey to learn more about your subscriber, an incentive for purchase, or a whitepaper to download.
- Provide your privacy policy - Inform the subscriber of your privacy policies or provide a link to them.
- Describe frequency of future mailings - Tell your subscribers how often you’ll be communicating with them.
- Showcase social media - Integrating social media into emails allows consumers to spread their interests and brand loyalties virally.
- Provide unsubscribe and customer service links - Make it easy for subscribers to reach you, update their profiles, and unsubscribe.
Automated Emails
Automated welcome emails and email series can make for an easy, seamless transition when interacting with your customers. One common email marketing best practice is to make your sign up form easily accessible by placing a link to it on every page of your website. This sign up form should automatically populate your subscriber list and trigger your welcome email.
Remember that it’s important to schedule regular reviews of your automated emails. Relevant and current information is essential to your email marketing success.
Here are a few examples of some great welcome emails:
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