Unlike social media, email marketing is a long-term engagement strategy. Like every journey starts with one step, welcome emails kickstart email marketing campaigns. While sending out your first message, making the right impression is crucial. A good first impression will help your open rates, engagement rates, and conversions for an extended period. It sets the bar of expectation, and in this article, we are going to discuss how to harness the power of great welcome emails to build concrete relationships.
Make Human Connection Through Reciprocity And Gratitude
When a new customer becomes part of the network, greet them with warm, welcoming words. Reciprocity is a great tool to tap the emotions of customers. Make sure the words used are emphatic, avoid hollow words. The tone of the welcome email should express gratitude; this is basic and easy-to-follow etiquette.
In this example, the sender has used a very humanized tone with relatable icons and copy. Such welcome emails connect on an emotional level instead of a mere formality.
Write A Personalized Message
An effective way to increase brand loyalty is to greet a customer with a customized welcome message. You can mention the name of recipients in the content. It is a great way to make them feel special. Writing a personal message from the head of the management or owner of the company can boost sales by 31% and the chances of reading the email get increased by 20%. It lowers down the unsubscribing rate by 17% found in the study of Stanford Graduate School Of Business. Just adding a name is not enough. Write a catchy subject line; keep changing it considering the needs of customers and subscribers’ geographical location.
Surprise Subscribers With A Gift And Increase Brand Value
When someone signs up to an email list, offering them a discount on the first purchase of products is considered the best tactic to build loyal customers. You can also offer them free delivery or buy one get one free deal except for discount coupons. The special offers give them a sense of belonging, and in turn, they reciprocate. Don’t forget to mention information to redeem the coupon code. In a recent study, it is concluded that 37% of subscribers respond to exclusive offers. It also cements their belief that you are committed to providing high-end customer service.
In this example, the company has offered a welcome discount to the subscriber. This makes the subscriber feel valued and also reaffirms their decision to connect with the brand.
Motivate Readers To Take Action
A clear call to action is an essential part of the welcome email. There are three important decisions to be taken regarding CTA i.e., location, copy, and design. Make sure CTA is easily visible; you can use contrasting colors to highlight it. Specify the task clearly and explain the steps to be followed to do the same. Use words such as ‘Now,’ ‘Today’ to express urgency; this will yield immediate results.
Tell Readers To Follow You On Social Media
Asking subscribers to follow you on social media effectively updates them regarding the latest offers, discounts, or new stock arrival. To engage followers on social media, you must regularly update it. Do you know Facebook has 1.49bn daily active users? The significant advantage of asking your subscribers to follow on social media leads to a reduction in email marketing expenditure. Moreover, people read emails only after office hours, but they remain active on social media more than once a day.
Birds with the same feathers flock together. If a person subscribes to your mailing list, it is very much possible that some of your friends might be interested in your products/services. Just like we refer to our favorite movies, Netflix shows, and restaurants, referring a brand to friends is very common. This will not only increase your mailing list size but also drive higher engagement. Prompting the readers to share your message with a friend can also be motivated by including referral programs.
Towards the end, I am sharing this email template example of setting expectations for future conversations. In the below example, the reader is guided about further communication. Such messages set the bar and also help the recipients in making the decision regarding opening the next message.
Summing Up
Welcome emails mark the starting of a long term mutual relationship and investing in great-looking and functional email templates is a must for all domains and organization size. In one way, they also reciprocate your prospects/clients opting to hear from you as a part of a long-term association. To recapitulate, stay respectful, try giving back with some freebie discount coupons, and thank them while letting them know about your brand. That’s the key to nailing welcome emails and getting your subscribers hooked to your brand.
Author Bio
Kevin George is Head of Marketing at Email Uplers, one of the fastest-growing custom email design and coding companies that specialize in professional email template creation and PSD to HTML email conversion; they are Marketo certified associates. Kevin loves gadgets, bikes, jazz, and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on his blog.