Welcome emails are the first emails that companies send to new subscribers or registered users. They play an essential role in marketing and building customer relationships.
The purpose of welcome emails is:
- Thanking the user for subscribing or registering.
- Introducing the company, product, or service and discuss its benefits and value to the customer.
- Explaining what benefits the subscriber will get from further interaction and receiving newsletters — helpful information, special offers, discounts, etc.
- Motivating for further actions — to purchase, enter a personal account, go to the website, etc.
- Forming a loyal attitude and trust in the company from the first touch with the help of personalization, expressions of gratitude, and exciting content.
Such a marketing tool shows high efficiency. According to statistics, the open rate of welcome messages is four times higher than that of regular ones. High-quality welcome messages engage the audience and prepare the ground for further cooperation.
How to Create a Perfect Welcome Email
For a welcome email to hook a new subscriber and lay the foundation for a long-term relationship, it must contain several key elements:
- A personalized greeting. Being addressed by name creates the illusion of a personal conversation and inspires more trust.
- An expression of gratitude. Thank the person for taking the time to sign up for your newsletter or register.
- A brief introduction of the company and product. Tell them about yourself and how they will benefit from interacting with you.
- Explanation of the value proposition. What will the user get by continuing the communication — helpful information, discounts, bonuses?
- A call to action. Let it be registration in a personal account, going to the site, or making a purchase. The main thing is to offer a specific next step.
As Chris Kristoff notes in Forbes, for effective welcome emails, it’s essential to use a clear and attractive headline, introduce yourself and outline expectations, send the email promptly after signing up, and specify the next steps for the subscriber. Add appropriate visuals and a warm, friendly tone, and your welcome email will surely be opened and appreciated.
One Email or a Whole Series: Which Is More Effective for Welcoming New Subscribers
Companies often wonder whether to limit themselves to a single welcome email or send several emails in a row to form a welcome series. A series of emails has several advantages:
- The ability to introduce the subscriber to the company in stages without overloading them with information.
- Higher open and click-through rates than single emails.
- A chance to get to know the subscriber better through their interaction with each email in the series.
- The ability to gently lead a person to the desired action — purchasing, registering, etc.
The optimal number of emails in a series is 3–5. It is enough to provide the necessary information and not bore the reader. You can achieve excellent results by combining a series of welcome letters with single mailings.
Learning from the Best: Examples of Bright Welcome Letters from Famous Brands
To create genuinely effective welcome messages, it is helpful to be inspired by the working cases of large and successful companies. Let’s take a look at several welcome messages examples.
Duolingo
The popular language learning app uses personalized appeal and motivational gamification in its welcome email, offering to earn points for completing exercises. It builds interest and incentivizes learning further.
Dropbox
Cloud file service Dropbox chooses a friendly, warm tone and original visualization in its email, depicting satisfied beans instead of customers. An unusual and memorable move!
WIX
In their welcome email, website builder WIX demonstrates how a finished website created on their platform will look. A bright visualization of the product immediately generates interest and a desire to try the service in practice.
Inspired by these cases, you can make your mailing list appealing to the audience!
Welcome Email Mistakes to Avoid Alienating Your Audience
When creating welcome newsletters, marketers often need to correct their typical errors that not only reduce effectiveness but can also alienate subscribers. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Don’t delay the welcome email.
As email marketing expert Chris Kristoff points out in Forbes, one common mistake is to delay sending a welcome email. He recommends automating the process so that the email goes to the subscriber as soon as they sign up. Otherwise, the audience’s interest may fade significantly, and they must remember that they signed up for your newsletter.
Do not overload yourself with information
Brevity is the key to a triumphant welcome email. An excessive amount of data will only distract the subscriber. Try to put the maximum amount of crucial information into the message. Superfluous details can move the letter into the category of spam.
Personalize the message
It is crucial to create the effect of personal communication for the subscriber from the beginning. Impersonal mass mailings are perceived much worse than those where there is at least minimal personalization in the form of addressing a person by name.
Make CTAs as straightforward as possible
Calls to action in the welcome message should be particular and leave no questions about what the subscriber needs to do — to visit the site, authorize a personal account, perform a targeted action on the platform, etc.
Avoid spam triggers
Beware of any wording similar to typical spam emails. Using such triggers can negatively affect the newsletter’s deliverability and the sender’s reputation.
Keep an eye on deliverability
If a percentage of welcome emails that are too large do not reach subscribers, this signals problems with settings or authentication. You need to fix the situation promptly to avoid being blocklisted.
Always allow unsubscribing
Bypassing the standard unsubscribe mechanisms means only one thing for subscribers — they won’t be able to get rid of emails they don’t need. The consequence will be complaints to support services, being sent to spam, and a damaged reputation.
When creating welcome messages, you can significantly increase their effectiveness by considering these nuances and typical mistakes.
Conclusion
The main task of welcome messages is to interest the audience, form a loyal attitude, and prepare the ground for further fruitful cooperation. For this purpose, welcome messages should be personalized and informative and motivate specific responses.
By following the described recommendations and relying on the best practices of the largest brands, you can create genuinely working welcome letters that will make a great first impression on your subscribers and positively impact the company’s overall image.
