Creating Effective Welcome Emails
Welcome letters (hereinafter welcome-chains or welcome-series) can give at least double the volume of additional sales. Their goal is to quickly and delicately lead a person to a purchase, as well as not let a hot customer slip away. But not just selling "head-on", but building loyalty and trust, turning a subscriber into a regular customer.
How to create an effective welcome chain? Let's figure it out.
Welcome chain tasks
The welcome chain performs several tasks at once:
- Confirms that registration / subscription took place (technically);
- Ensures stable delivery of next emails in the inbox if the subscriber adds your address to the Safe Senders List;
- Shows that you are happy to meet;
- Shows what benefits the subscriber will receive;
- Collects subscriber data in order to send personalized offers in the future.
The final result is that the subscriber is warmed up and ready to be included in further mailing scenarios.
What businesses need?
Welcome email series are needed for companies with a long buying decision cycle and for those with a high repeat rate, for instance:
- online shopping;
- info-businesses;
- consulting companies;
- complex services or goods that require special competencies to purchase;
- bloggers;
- professional information services;
- SaaS companies.
To bring the audience to a purchase, it needs to be warmed up - to create a need for a product. But within the audience, the needs may be different, so the contact base needs to be segmented.
Each segment needs its own content and scenarios of engagement and retention. An average approach to communication — the same chain for everyone — is not appropriate. It will lead to the loss of some leads. On the other hand, a differentiated approach will increase conversions, which is exactly what we need. Ideally, you should use more than one welcome letter, not a universal chain, but a tree of letters, which is built taking into account the actions of the subscriber - triggers.
Examples of triggers
Coldest and hottest
The shortest chain will be for those who registered but did not confirm email - the coldest. For such user you should send another registration reminder. If it doesn't work, try to use remarketing - a tool that allows you to return users who have visited your site before. Most likely, such user is not interested in buying or communicating with you in the near future.
The same short chain for those who confirmed their email and immediately made a purchase - the hottest ones. They move to the level of regular customers and start receiving mailings.
Confirmed email but didn't buy
Within 10-20 days, they receive a cycle of 3-7 welcome emails with useful and free content: trial versions of products, useful ideas, life hacks, articles. And no sales.
Have shown activity
Those who opened or clicked, after the expiration of the welcome chain, begin to receive a regular newsletter with sales letters. And those who ignored get a reactivation chain.Setting up a segment mailing manually can be tricky. Especially if you have an online store with hundreds of products. There can be hundreds, if not thousands, of segments. Automation of mailings helps not to waste time on this.Having understood to whom, what and at what moment you are sending, that you can proceed to creating letters.
What should be in the welcome email
"From" field, email subject and preheader
Three elements by which the subscriber must accurately recognize you and open the letter. In the field "From whom" you should indicate the sender whose services, goods or news the person is subscribed to. If this is the author - write the first and last name, if the company - its name.
In the subject line, usually try to show the benefits in order to arouse curiosity. Don't go overboard with promotional messages. Letters with a subject containing gratitude are good for opening. A welcome letter is the most appropriate opportunity to express it.
Greeting. Thanks for the registration. Contacts
This is the most valuable thing for the subscriber.
A short story about you
Inform the subscriber about the benefits that he will receive from your mailings. It is advisable to immediately indicate their frequency or give the opportunity to choose it.
Guide to services or sections of the site
Don't forget to insert calls to watch and use them. With working links.
Promo code or discount coupon
This will help you find out the interests of the subscriber and send personalized offers in the future.
Calls to action
Welcome emails have the highest open rate. It's a sin not to take the chance to get as many conversions as possible.
Social media buttons
An invaluable tool for collecting audience data is an additional communication channel. Publishing regularly on social networks inspire trust.
Unsubscribe link
It is necessary.
6 welcome email errors
How not to overwhelm a high-potential welcome campaign? Make sure you don't make one of 6 mistakes in the welcome chain:
- The letter is not adapted to mobile devices and different browsers;
- A tabloid - a "from" field or a subject line - looks like spam;
- The content looks like spam. This happens if the letter is not branded (there is no logo and other elements of the corporate identity by which you can recognize your company). The letter may raise suspicion if it does not mention the name of the subscriber;
- Too wordy. Result: they won't finish reading;
- Too laconic. There is no benefit. Result: they will close, delete, not go to the site;