Welcome Emails to Keep New Subscribers Engaged June 14, 2019, | Posted by erin

The first impression that subscribers get of your brand after making the decision to opt-in is your welcome email. It may seem like a formality and not something that requires much thought or strategy, but in fact it can set the tone for your entire relationship with the prospect. Site Impact is, of course, all about strategy; so today we’re going to look at what it takes to create welcome emails to set the right tone and keep your subscribers engaged from the very beginning.

Say thank you

The first and most obvious trick in getting high engagement from your welcome emails is to express gratitude to your subscriber for joining the ranks of your followers. Studies show that hearing gratitude increases a person’s interest and engagement with people--and the same can apply to brands. Saying thank-you isn’t just a matter of manners, it’s a strategy that can really draw people in. One way to get extra mileage from your manners is to add a note of personalization--such as your new subscriber’s name--to the creative or the subject line, to make the gratitude even more tangible.

Tell them who you are and set expectations

Another important function of your welcome email--and one you shouldn’t fail to follow up on--is giving your subscribers a good understanding of who you are and what to expect from your emails. There are many ways to accomplish this, and the method in question is going to depend on how formal your brand is and the tone you want to set for your messaging to customers and prospects. You should definitely make sure that your welcome email is consistent with your branding, and make sure you give them an accurate expectation of what you’ll be providing in terms of value and information. But remember: keep it short. Nobody wants to spend several minutes reading any email. It’s better to show, not tell.

Deliver on any incentives

If you used an incentive as “bait” to get people to sign up for your list--whether it was a free ebook, access to restricted content, a discount, or anything else--the welcome email is definitely the time to make sure to deliver on that promise. This may seem basic and obvious, but many marketers make the mistake of waiting for one or two more messages into the campaign to finally give their subscribers the goods. This is a major mistake; it comes across as a bait-and-switch, and that puts a bad taste in people’s mouths. So your welcome email should have--right up front, and right where your new subscribers will immediately be able to act on it--whatever incentive you promised.

By following these three guidelines, you can make a welcome email that’s going to do a lot of the legwork when it comes to deepening the connection between you and your subscribers right away. Your welcome email is your first impression on your new recipients, and it’s important to make the most of it. Contact Site Impact to hear how we can help you put the right foot forward and get the most out of your welcome emails.