One of the most important tools in your email marketing toolbox is an automated welcome email. When new contacts subscribe to your list, you want to welcome them to the group with an inviting email.
What is a welcome email?
A welcome email is the first friendly exchange between your business and a new subscriber. It sets the tone for future communications and encourages new members to engage with your business.
Benefits of welcome emails
The first message you send to a new subscriber is also the first step to forming a relationship. When that initial interaction is a positive one, subscribers will be more receptive to future emails. In fact, subscribers who read welcome emails will read 40 percent more content from the sender in the next 180 days.
A welcome message is also an excellent opportunity to make a sale. Research has shown that welcome emails have higher open rates and click-through rates than standard marketing emails.
How to write welcome emails — with 10 great examples
To help you create an effective welcome email, we’ve highlighted 10 effective examples. For each example, we’ll point out elements that will help you create your own killer welcome email.
1. Write a welcoming note
Welcome emails should begin with a warm introduction that reflects your company’s personality.
The David’s Bridal email above features a great introductory message that thanks new subscribers for making the company part of their wedding day. You can write something straightforward and formal like, “Welcome to our email list,” or “Thanks for signing up to get our emails.” Online fashion company ASOS starts their message with a casual “Oh, hey girl! Welcome to ASOS. It’s great to meet you!” Keep in mind, there’s no right or wrong way to welcome new guests; just make sure it’s conversational and fits your company’s voice.
2. Get to know your customers
Consumers are more likely to respond to emails that contain offers and content that is relevant to them. You can use this first message to learn more about your customers, so you can tailor future emails to suit their needs.
In this email from The Container Store, new subscribers are offered a 15 percent discount for filling out a customer profile.
3. Reinforce the perks of your email list
It’s always a good idea to reinforce a subscriber’s decision to sign up for your emails. One easy way to do that is to offer a quick “perks list,” which tells subscribers why joining your email list was a great idea. World Wildlife Fund does a great job of explaining the benefits of signing up for their emails, displaying the sign-up perks in digestible bullet points.
4. Offer a deal
By offering a discount or some sort of gift, you create goodwill between your business and your new subscribers. It may even entice them to make a purchase. Camp Collection offers a 15 percent discount off of your first purchase as a welcome gift. It’s a small incentive that can benefit both the company and the new customer.
5. Create a clear call to action
Every welcome email should have a clear call to action.
This email is effective not only because of its clean look and promotional offer, but also because of the call to action. Notice how it stands out? The button, rather than hyperlinked text, makes it prominent. Plus, it’s urgent. The words “Book a stylist” inspire recipients to act immediately.
6. Shine the spotlight on your product or service with eye-catching images
As you welcome your new contacts, it’s okay to put your product or service front and center. After all, your new subscriber asked to learn more about your business or product by subscribing. Give them what they want. Use images to showcase your products like Crocs does here:
If you’re a service-based business or nonprofit, try using compelling or emotion-evoking images that relate to your business. Spotlight a successful and happy customer, include a picture of your team or volunteers, display before and after pictures, or use clean, flat, simple graphics and complementary colors.
7. Be mobile-friendly
An effective welcome email has to look good — and work well — on mobile devices. According to Adobe’s Digital Publishing Report, 79 percent of smartphone owners use their device for email. The report also says smartphone users are more likely to use their device for email than for making calls. Clearly, creating a mobile-friendly version of your welcome email is important. (If you’re using VerticalResponse, all our emails are responsive, so they look great no matter what device they’re viewed on.) Check out VerticalResponse’s own welcome email below, as it appears on a tablet. The text is clear and easy to read, and the CTAs are still easy to find and click on, even on a smaller screen.
8. Be helpful
In your opening message, you have an excellent opportunity to link people back to pages on your site that can be helpful, like FAQs, or your blog to give them more information about your company, product or service. This information is especially crucial in the early days of your customers or prospects getting to learn more. The header in this email from Fun.com includes links back to the company’s product page, labeled by category to make it easier for subscribers to find exactly what they’re looking for.
9. Ditch the “do not reply” receipt
A welcome email should not be a text-based receipt that says, “Do not reply” somewhere in the message. Your message can incorporate a receipt or account information, but it should also encourage the customer to interact with the company.
A “do not reply” email tells customers that you don’t want them to contact you. Because customer interaction can improve customer satisfaction, it doesn’t make sense to close the lines of communication.
This email from Papier goes the extra mile and includes a support email and phone number for new customers who might have questions.
10. Add social media buttons
Including links to your social media sites is another key component in an effective welcome email. New contacts are curious about your business; otherwise, they wouldn’t have signed up. Fuel their engagement by sharing the social media sites your business is on. Take a look at this email below from EyeBuyDirect. Notice in the footer there are links to the company Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages.
It’s always a good idea to give subscribers additional ways to get in touch with you and interact with your business.
With these 10 examples, you’ll be able to create an effective welcome email. Check out our Email Automation feature, which makes introducing yourself to new customers easier than ever.
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Editor’s note: This article was originally published in April 2017 and has been updated and revised.
© 2019, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.
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