Have you ever thought of what makes you subscribe to a brand’s email list? Usually, it’s because you were attracted to the company profile and had a first positive experience. And while first impressions matter, forging customer relationships doesn’t stop there.
How you treat new customers becomes something of a trademark, so you must be careful how your message gets across. And there’s no better way to nurture a trusting relationship than welcoming them through a solid email marketing campaign.
In this article we cover:
- What is email marketing?;
- What is a welcome email?;
- The main benefits of welcome emails;
- Best welcome email examples for increased customer engagement;
- Memorable welcome emails are key to achieving a great first impression.
What is email marketing?
Email marketing is the process of sending email material to your recipient database in order to conduct different types of marketing activities. You can use email marketing to build brand loyalty, personalize your outreach, and collect valuable data about your clients. In a world where marketers should rethink data collection, email marketing has applied new privacy regulations through advanced data safety and anti-spam protection.
It’s the perfect tool for capturing new customers, as well as retaining existing ones. Compared to other touchpoints, emails are more personal and direct, using personalized content to impress customers and make them feel special. For instance, they have proven to be far more effective than most social media.
You don’t have to be a tech expert to leverage it either since most email marketing solutions out there are user-friendly platforms with intuitive design and features. Some of these features may include personalization and segmentation options, automated email sequences, behavior tracking capabilities, and professional email templates that can be fully customized to match each recipient’s preferences.
What’s even more impressive is that email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing channels. Don’t take it from us – statistics are clear as to how it performs in terms of return on investment (ROI):
Emails could work wonders for every business ROI. So, whether you own a large corporation or use them for small business email marketing , you will enjoy their lucrative nature without breaking the bank.
Now you know all there is to know about email marketing and what it brings to the table. But no email marketing strategy will ever be effective enough if it doesn’t include welcome emails. Once an email recipient gets a warm welcome email from your brand, it makes them feel appreciated and cared after. It usually serves as a guide on how to take the next step and use your product or service, too. Let’s move along to discover what welcome emails are all about.
What is a welcome email?
A welcome email is the first email message you dispatch to people who subscribed to your email list. When people choose to sign up for your list, it means they have shown their interest in your brand. Now what’s left is for you to turn that interest into a vote of confidence. This email type sets the foundation for all future communications with your recipients while increasing customer engagement and loyalty.
Welcome emails or welcome email sequences are typically dispatched as soon as a new contact signs up for your list. If you have set up a double opt-in process, then you should send your welcome email once a recipient confirms their email address. No matter the procedure, welcome emails should be sent while your company is still top of mind. After all, this email type is more anticipated by clients than any other.
In order for your welcome email to work, you need to keep certain things in mind. Here are the key components that make a successful welcome email:
- A compelling subject line that urges recipients to open your email and click through its message. Keep it short and to the point so that they know exactly what to expect beforehand. Avoid spam trigger words no matter what.
- Value-packed content that showcases your business proposition and how it could address your clients’ pain points. Leverage personalization elements so that they realize you’ve done your homework and want to help them rather than just sell.
- Use a strong CTA to highlight the action you want them to take. It must be straightforward and strategically placed in order for important information not to get lost and subscribers to be motivated to explore your content.
- Opt for a clear design and precise message that is centered around your key value proposition. The last thing you want is getting them frustrated or, even worse, directed far away from the email objective.
The main benefits of welcome emails
Welcome emails help you bring out your company’s best qualities and guide new customers through their journey. By incorporating them in your email marketing planning, you get to deliver a better experience to your recipients. Apart from that, there are several reasons for employing them, such as:
Effective onboarding
Welcome emails are used to educate email recipients and offer them instructions on how to proceed with your product or service. This type of email campaign usually contains guides, tutorials, or even videos that direct new customers toward the right course of action.
Enhanced connectivity
Sending out a welcome message not only helps you get in touch with subscribers but also increases their engagement in other marketing channels. Adding social media buttons in your email design is a great tactic to drive social media traffic, leaving you with more touchpoints and enhanced visibility.
Increased customer engagement
Through welcome emails, marketers tend to guide recipients toward certain actions. Some of them may include downloading a piece of content, asking for feedback, reading blog posts, and more. By doing so, you get to increase customer engagement and open up conversations around your product or service.
Higher conversion rates
Welcome emails are known for driving higher conversion rates. New subscribers are more likely to convert into customers when they are provided with incentives within a brand’s welcome message. For instance, you could offer them free shipping or a special discount to lure them in.
Gathering valuable feedback
Most marketers employ welcome messages to do just that: welcome new subscribers and guide them through their customer journey. That way, they ignore one of the most important benefits of welcome emails, meaning collecting valuable customer feedback regarding their experience so far and where there’s room for improvement.
Best welcome email examples for increased customer engagement
When it comes to welcome emails, the sky is the limit. There are tons of welcome email templates to choose from, based on your industry and marketing objectives. Brands employ welcome emails for several reasons, such as sharing valuable tips, telling their brand story, making special offers, and so much more.
We understand having to select the most appropriate for your business seems intimidating. That’s why we have compiled a list of the best welcome email examples for you to incorporate into your email marketing strategy. Sit back and watch the magic happen!
1. Express your appreciation
Everyone enjoys a token of appreciation – both in everyday life and in business. Your new subscribers are no different, so make sure to express your appreciation to them. This is the perfect time to make them feel special and that they are part of a special community. The more simple the message in this type of welcome email, the better its impact will be. No need to limit your creativity, though; you may always include images or GIFs to make it eye-catching.
Rigby does an amazing job crafting one of the best welcome emails out there. This welcome email sample mixes up a sincere thank you note from the founder, compelling images showcasing the products and their everyday usage, and actionable CTAs to get recipients excited about joining the community.
The founder’s note feels personal and warm, presenting the story behind the brand and the unique product design and creation process. It gets even better with a first-time free shipping incentive to motivate subscribers to proceed with their first order.
2. Make it product-focused
The ultimate goal of welcome emails is to push customers to actually start using the product or service offered. Your value proposition certainly has great potential and now is not the time to be modest about it. This type of email campaign helps you provide value by highlighting what your product enables clients to do. You can even add educational content like blog posts, product demo videos, or even webinars to make it easier for recipients to digest.
ReMarkable welcomes email recipients to a dedicated community for people using its paper tablet. Both the message and the design are clear and straightforward, focused on presenting the versatile product and a detailed list of the benefits of reading on a paper tablet. And let’s face it: addressing the procrastination and distraction challenges is motive enough for subscribers to put their fear to buy to rest.
This welcome email example does more than that, though. Its bold CTA is strategically placed twice, at the top and bottom of the email message, to ensure readers take the desired action. On top of that, the email content sets expectations for future communications through the promise of exciting updates.
3. Tell your story
Unraveling the story behind your brand adds a personal touch to your welcome email. Storytelling makes subscribers feel related to the business featuring it. Whatever the way they came across your company, they most probably know nothing about it. By sharing your story, recipients get to know your values and behind-the-scenes information. This kind of welcome message could make them feel included enough to share your vision with friends and family.
This welcome email sample from Munk Pack sets the example in storytelling by introducing the brand and its values. The ones narrating the story are the founders, explaining how they came up with the idea. By revealing that they themselves were facing the same problem as their customers and decided to create products that solve it, they build trust and a strong connection with them.
Everything in the email design, from the bright colors to the lovely photo of the founders, serves the purpose of the email: greet new subscribers, present the philosophy behind the products, and highlight how Munk Pack snacks enable individuals to lead a healthier lifestyle.
4. Add social proof
Adding social proof to your email marketing efforts is a powerful tool in your content optimization toolkit. Showing social proof in your welcome email hits every recipient’s soft spot: realizing your value proposition has served others before them. Most online consumers are eager to act on satisfied customers’ stories. Those positive testimonials communicate the value of your offer and make new subscribers more confident about moving forward with a purchase.
Sugardoh’s welcome email has various effective elements working together to serve the purpose of increasing customer engagement. It leverages social proof brilliantly, sharing positive reviews along with photos of the consumers – and they do seem really satisfied, don’t they?
Besides social proof, the email content focuses on the brand’s vision of creating products that are better for its customers’ skin and the environment, too. It even takes it one step further by offering a 15% discount on the first purchase. What’s not to like in this welcome email example?
5. Sell the experience
As already mentioned, welcome emails are basically designed with the product in mind. However, there are various brands that opt for centering their welcome emails around selling the experience rather than just featuring the product or service. There are two advantages to this type of email: not coming off as too salesy and intriguing recipients’ curiosity. Seeing how using the product goes hand in hand with a unique experience creates a feeling of anticipation.
As its name suggests, Wine Enthusiast is meant to sell wine. Nevertheless, we don’t get to see photos of bottled wine featured in its welcome email. Instead of that, there are two photos of wine served in different surroundings and information about what’s to come in future emails.
The email copy highlights the benefits recipients gain access to by subscribing. Once more, benefits aren’t limited to wine-related products but include wine news or recipes to go with each wine. It’s also impressive to see how the wording used focuses on making a lifestyle out of the wine-drinking experience.
6. Offer an incentive
People always love getting stuff for free or at a lower price. That’s why some of the best welcome emails out there provide new recipients with incentives. Exclusive offers, first-time discounts, or free shipping may serve as an effective way to break the ice between them and your brand. It’s a gesture that shows goodwill and gives them an extra motive to make that buying decision for the first time.
GoDaddy’s welcome email doesn’t waste any time showing its incentive. A 30% first-time discount code isn’t to be underestimated and the brand does an excellent job showcasing it at the top of the email flow. Both the email message and CTA are clear and precise, welcoming recipients and letting them know what their next course of action should be.
This welcome email goes beyond the first-time incentive to keep customers engaged. It also offers brief instructions on how to get started with the service and access to free resources to help small businesses stay afloat during difficult times.
Memorable welcome emails are key to achieving a great first impression
Writing memorable welcome emails for your new customers is essential to start on the right foot and increase customer engagement. Their impact isn’t limited to that first impression, though. A carefully crafted welcome email helps your brand establish lasting relationships with your subscribers. And it isn’t as difficult as it may appear at first glance.
Start by expressing your gratitude for them joining your community and showing the benefits of using your product or service. Introduce your vision and share valuable resources for them to get to know your value proposition. Make sure to explain the next step through a clear CTA and keep your welcome email content concise, warm, and straightforward. Then, all that’s left is for you to decide which of the above welcome email examples fits your business needs and let them bring lifelong customer loyalty.
