With a whopping ROI of 122%, email marketing is nothing to be sniffed at. It has weathered all changes and technological advances, trends and fads, interest and apathy. And still, it remains a go-to method of increasing leads and sales for many different businesses.
This is where a well crafted welcome email comes in. Think of how nice it is when the local butcher says "mornin' love" to you as you walk through the door. Compare that to the icy cold stare from the checkout girl in a megastore, and you can see why customers like, and expect a welcome email.
Need more convincing? Happy to oblige. We've got the top stats that prove the importance of welcome emails, and even a couple of impressive examples. Welcome in.
Number One: 73% of senior marketers say that emails are the best way to build and keep relationships with your email list
First impressions count. So, making sure you make one, and make one well is vital. A welcome message which can capture the attention of your customer, and keep that attention, can benefit the relationship in the long term.
Welcome emails are opened significantly more often than any other marketing email (more on this later). This is because they often include a piece of important information that the customer might need in the future. That might be a discount code, instructions on how to use the product or service, or even some log-in tips.
All of this fosters customer loyalty, as it provides an opportunity to interact with the business. On top of this, you might even link social media or community pages to your email, so that the customer can explore the relationship further.
Number Two: Welcome emails result in four times more open rates and five times more clicks
If you have already sent out newsletters in the past, you'll have noticed not everyone is opening them. I know, how ungrateful.
There are plenty of ways to combat this, from subject lines to timings, but it's never guaranteed that a subscriber will open up your newsletter to read what's inside. In fact, the average open rate for emails can be quite low; in the beauty industry, it's just 18.41%.
However, this is where welcome emails shine. Research has shown that the average open rate for welcome emails is 50%-86% more effective than email newsletters.
Number Three: Sending a new subscriber an email welcoming them onboard immediately can see 320% more revenue than promotional emails
Welcome emails, combined with compelling and personalised subject lines, high-quality content, and a clear call-to-action, can be far more effective in increasing customer engagement with your content than standard emails. Basically, you're engaging customers in the magic double act of communicating with them quickly and coercing them to act.
Unless you make your money from one-time deals, upsell is crucial, especially if you want to grow as a business. Although, a welcome email is not the place to do this.
In most cases, it will be unsuccessful, and may even scare your customer away. Aggressive sales tactics tend to backfire when they are not targeted properly. So, consider your welcome email to be a space to do just that - welcome. Be open, friendly, and clear with your intentions.
This may look like presenting options to your customer, without pushing or convincing them that they need to BUY BUY BUY right now, and spend as much money as possible. There will be plenty enough time for that later, and giving your customer to walk around at their own pace, and look for themselves, will help in building their confidence in your brand.
Number Four: Welcome emails have a 10% higher read rate than other marketing emails
Remember, your customer has received your welcome email because they have just signed up to be contacted. So, the engagement is already there. This means you need to engage with them while they're already engaged. How many more times can I say 'engaged' in this paragraph? One more: engaged.
So, your welcome email needs to wow them. This means creating a well-designed email that not only makes a positive first impression but also offers subscribers something they can't get anywhere else.
But you've got to look beyond the customer reading the copy on the page. The road doesn't stop at the email footer. Once a contact clicks on your email, you need to continue to engage and impress them with an effective landing page, timely follow-up emails, and other marketing efforts tailored to them personally. Then, begins a smooth and happy customer journey.
Plus, crafting a clear email avoids one other thing: the dreaded spam folder. In order for your customer to be able to read the welcome in the first place, it has to get to their inbox. With the nature of a welcome email, with its personalised subject lines and content, the chance of an email going into the spam folder is reduced.
On top of this, the unsubscribe rate decreases when recipients receive emails containing appreciative gestures like a thank you note, or a welcome to the community.
Number Five: 74.4% Said That They Expected A Welcome Email When They Signed Up To A Newsletter.
Nearly 3/4 of your audience, when they sign up to a newsletter, expect a welcome email.
If one doesn't arrive, at best they might not notice, and might even forget about you entirely. At worst, they might be confused, or annoyed, by not receiving any communication confirming their subscription or a simple welcome to your list.
If you are worried about overwhelming your subscribers with information, it is best to combat information overload by dividing your welcome emails into different themes, and then sending many welcome emails in intervals. For instance, you can send the first email to welcome them, the second to invite them to join your community on socials, and then the third with a discount code or introduction to your products.
Welcome emails are also effective in their time-saving abilities. They reduce the slog it would usually have been to manually collect new leads, which can be time-consuming and tedious, no matter how many resources you have to hand. The efficiency that comes with an automated email campaign is pretty damn impressive. If you have good marketing automation tool, then you will have a much easier time implementing your first welcome email campaign.
Number Six: Customers that read at least one welcome email read more than 40% of their messages from the sending brand during the following 180 days.
So, not only will your first email have a much higher than average open rate, but if you send a welcome email (which is likely to be read) then any subsequent emails within the next 180 days are more likely to be read as well.
So, while you might want to include your main objective within the first email, you can certainly use a series of welcome emails to take advantage of this continued engagement rate.
7 Components of A Good Welcome Email
Right, so we've gone through the 'why'. Now let's take a look at the 'how'. While it's important to consider your own voice, creativity, and brand within the emails, there are seven distinct elements every welcome email should contain, including:
- A sender name your client will recognise i.e. "Paco the Pug at LXA"
- A clear, attention-grabbing subject line i.e. Paco's Giving You 10% Off!
- Use of Personalisation i.e. Hey there, Paco!
- A reminder of why they signed up in the first place i.e. Thanks for signing up to receive our daily Paco pics newsletter
- A Unique value i.e. A free Paco eBook on all his greatest looks
- A relevant call-to-action button i.e. Buy Paco Merch Here!
- Opportunities to follow your business on social media i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Friends Reunited, Bebo, Myspace, that one forum about clay pigeon shooting etc.
Now, it's time for the 'who'. As in 'who's doing it best'. Let's have a look.
Example One: Felina
Felina is a good example of offering your customers something, without being pushy, and avoiding upselling.
If the customer is planning on making a purchase, however, the discount might push them over the edge. On top of this, the bottom banner gives 3 (subtly done) reasons as to why they should make a purchase without hesitation.
The clean design, and short copy, give an insight into the products and brand image without overwhelming them with information. Overall, this email is all about helping, not asking.
Example Two: Glossier
Glossier is big on community. In fact, they may be more of a lifestyle brand, than a skincare one.
This is seen in this welcome email, which more resembles a newsletter, than the previous example. In this way, the customer is getting context for the brand, whilst seeing their top products.
Including the socials and introduction to the team so high up in the email shows the priorities of the brand, and showcases the user-generated content they're so famous for.
Then, it offers the chance to interact with the brand in person:
Example Three: Chipotle
Chipotle shows how to do a welcome email in a humorous way, fitting perfectly with the light tone a welcome should have, and fitting perfectly with their brand image.
This is basically a very simple thank you note, acknowledging the person signing up for communication. However, it offers an additional level of personalisation for the individual - the chance to sign up for a more localised, personalised mailing list.
The "sign up to your city" button is a pretty good way to get around those third-party cookies, too. I'm sure the customer would be less than pleased if Chipotle started sending them deals from the store up the road. So, this balances out the personalisation with the creepiness.
Plus, there's a clear banner for their socials, just in case the customer wants to connect further.
Example Four: Harry's
Not much to say about this one but: nice.
Harry's design is clean and simple, a good honest thank you note, not asking anything from the customer but to introduce them to the brand.
There are clear second steps for the customer. However, they are unobtrusive and voluntary. All this builds brand loyalty and solidifies a memorable customer experience.
Example Five: Tinder
Now, this is an example of offering something that seems like it's completely benefiting the customer, however, it's really benefitting the brand.
If the customer is unsure of how to use the product, they may be reluctant to do so. tinder's visually appealing intrusion guide removes any doubts and offers clear CTAs along the way.
This all adds up to improve the experience of the product, and helps to move the client to interact with the brand further.
