It’s likely common knowledge that initial impressions are crucial when trying to expand a company’s client base. But you need to do more than make a good initial impression on new contacts; you need to keep yourself in their minds as you develop your relationship with them.
How do you ensure that a contact remembers you in the days after their initial subscription to your email list? By utilising a pre-programmed set of welcome email messages.
All marketing agencies London must have a marketing campaign that begins with a welcome email series. When a new contact opts into your email list, they indicate that they want to hear from you, making this a crucial moment. You shouldn’t let this opportunity pass without establishing contact with this new person.
It’s possible to lose the interest and enthusiasm of a new subscriber if they have to wait until your next planned email newsletter to receive any information about your company.
This post will show you the value of welcome email series, how to create one, and what information should be included in each email.
Table of Contents
1. A timely hook
A welcome email series best exemplifies striking while the iron is hot. When potential customers sign up for your email list, they are typically more interested in your product than they will ever be again.
If you do want to get in touch with them, why wait? If your welcome email series is delayed by even a day or two, you may lose out on your audience’s highest levels of engagement. Although it may seem obvious, many companies fail to realise this.
Most businesses start their welcome email series the day customers sign up for their mailing list. That means one in four does not contact new subscribers for at least 24 hours. Moreover, 1 in 20 people put off sending their welcome email series for longer than three days.
2. A clear, engaging subject line
We probably aren’t surprising you if we tell you that subject lines are extremely important.
Nearly half of email receivers, per OptinMonster’s findings, make the decision to open an email based purely on the subject line. The subject line is the most influential factor for most recipients when selecting whether or not to mark an email as spam.
Remember that your welcome email message will likely be the first time you’ve ever emailed the client. You are, therefore, a fresh and possibly strange name in their inbox. Hence, the first email in your welcome series requires a particularly well-written and intriguing subject line.
3. The subscriber’s name
Once again, we are all well aware of the importance of customisation in email marketing. Nine out of ten prominent marketers in one survey said it significantly affects company profits. Yet another study found that emails with custom subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.
Not everything in your series of welcome emails needs to be tailored to each customer. But at the very least, you should use the subscriber’s name when addressing them.
4. Your finest work
Broad generalisations are never well received. However, most website visitors won’t wait months or even years to subscribe.
So it’s safe to assume they haven’t viewed much of your prior posts. And we know that somewhere deep in your treasury, you possess some truly epic content.
Not using them again in your welcome email series would be a waste because many successful people have employed that strategy.
5. Make good use of images
The photos you use in your welcome email are more important than the formatting you choose. Ensure any images or graphics you provide in your welcome email are interesting and visible before the recipient scrolls down.
Your email’s picture load speed is directly related to the CSS code you use. Some email providers may not display your photos depending on how they are coded in your emails.
Lastly, having a featured image that won’t load is the worst way to make a bad first impression.
6. A persuasive call-to-action
There needs to be a reason behind every email you send. And if it’s not, it’s simply background noise. For instance, it’s in your best interest as a software service provider to get new customers up and running as quickly as possible.
You should include a clear and compelling call to action in your welcome email series, regardless of your ultimate goal. It doesn’t need to resemble any “standard” CTA design (i.e., a big, eye-catching button). It could be a section of linked text or a simple instruction in the article’s main body.
What is the optimal frequency for a welcome email series?
The bulk of the welcome email series can be handled by sending out one email once every day. By spacing out your emails consistently, you can give the impression that your campaign is a seamless sequence of related messages.
A four-day delay between emails is hardly a series. Unfortunately, there are very few absolutes in selling and marketing.
It may be prudent to wait a bit longer before following up with your leads. If you’re offering a free trial of your product, you might want to give them a few days to use that time to finish reading your 5,000-word eBook.
There is less need to be in constant email communication with them if they are still engaging with your content or product.
However, if your leads are red hot and seem ready to buy right away, you may want to send them more than one email per day.
The key, as always, is to gain and keep support as the campaign progresses. You’ll get much closer to finding the ideal cadence for the more welcome email series you send out.
Final thoughts!
Compared to sending just one welcome email, sending a series of welcome emails often results in 51% greater income. So, don’t be hesitant to make alterations to these welcome series scripts to make them fit your company’s voice. The secret is to tailor your messages to the specific needs of your new client.