Welcome emails are a tried-and-true engagement tactic of effective lifecycle marketing campaigns. So tried-and-true that people actually expect them, so if you don’t have automatic welcome messages for people who sign up for your newsletter or loyalty program, you’re already letting the customer down.
You know we don’t want to let the customer down, right?
Welcome emails aren’t hard, but they are important. So, it’s best to spend some time learning about best practices and checking out some welcome email examples. Then you can put what you learn into action creating high-quality welcome emails that convert.
The Power of Welcome Emails
Not ready to march in the welcome email parade? Here are some statistics that might get your metaphorical feet moving. (And by metaphorical feet, we obviously meant fingers moving to type these critical emails.)
- Welcome emails support super high open rates. Some averages are around 50%, which is way above the average for all other email types.
- Close to 75% of people who subscribe to a newsletter or program expect to receive a welcome email immediately.
- On average, welcome emails end up generating 320% more revenue than other types of promotional emails. That’s due in part to the fact that welcome emails are 100% wanted and waited on — people took the time to sign up, which means they’re somewhat primed to make a purchase.
Even given these statistics, not all businesses send welcome emails. Which only opens the door wider for you to use this lucrative and fairly easy marketing tool. Competitors not leveraging welcome emails just makes more room for you in customers’ inboxes!
9 Tips for Writing Great Welcome Emails
Now that you’re in this parade with us, let’s learn the dance moves that set your welcome emails apart from every other act on the street. Don’t worry; you don’t need rhythm or moves to master welcome messages. Here are nine tips to get you started writing emails that get a positive response.
1. Let them know how happy you are they signed up.
First, never forget the message behind this email. While you certainly want to entice new subscribers to become new customers and make a purchase, this email isn’t about the hard sell. It’s about thanking the person for taking time to join you.
Literally use the words “thank you” near the top of the message or even in the subject line. Then, in a manner that fits your brand, consider gushing a little about how happy you are that this person has signed up.
2. Tell the customer what you plan to do for them.
Next, remind the person what benefits they’ll gain by signing up. It can be as simple as “So glad you’re here, can’t wait to share exclusive deals with you!” Or, you can provide a short bulleted list of some of the main benefits of your loyalty program.
3. Make it easy for them to get information they might need.
Remember that this person is new to your list or program. They might be completely new to your shop or company, too. When someone’s new to anything, they’re likely to have questions.
Making it easy for them to find answers to common questions can spur the conversion process. When answers are straightforward and easy to find, it builds confidence in your business and helps someone make a purchase decision with greater peace of mind.
You probably don’t want to include all the possible answers inside the welcome email. That makes for a cluttered message that can overwhelm the reader and get you banished to the spam folder. Instead, include a couple of links directing people to information they might find relevant.
You might also want to consider doing this below the fold. The fold is the lowest point on the screen a person can see before they scroll or slide down. Put your main call-to-action link above the fold, as that’s going to get the most clicks, and extra resource links below the fold.
4. Reward them for signing up.
You know about Pavlov, right? He’s the dude that rang a bell every time he offered his dogs treats. After about a hundred times (we don’t know how many, but you get the point), when Pavlov rang the bell, the dogs would salivate as if they had been fed food.
It’s called classical conditioning. Now, we’re not suggesting you conduct science experiments on your customers. But we are saying that when you consistently reward people for taking positive actions with your company, they’re more likely to keep doing it.
So, offer a reward for signing up. It might be a freebie or promo offer, but it helps encourage people to take the next positive action. Which is hopefully a purchase.
5. Use your brand voice and style
Ensure your welcome email aligns with your brand. That means using design elements, fonts, colors and writing styles that match what’s on your website and in other messaging.
Someone should be able to recognize your email as belonging to your brand just by how it looks. That helps create a cohesive customer experience, which is another way to build trust in your business.
6. Go short to go long.
Keep your email short. People simply don’t have time to digest long digital letters, and if they need to stare at the screen longer than a minute to get the message, they’re likely to tap or click away before they do.
HubSpot reviewed information based on 40 million emails to understand the best length for marketing messages in this format. The answers vary depending on who is giving them, but the consensus is that emails between around 50 and 200 words — or with about 20 lines of text — perform best.
7. Make choices that humanize the message.
Obviously, you’re going to automate your welcome emails. No one can sit around waiting for the notification that someone new signed up so they can fire off a manual “Thanks, glad you’re here!” message.
But you still need to take some time to ensure those automated welcome messages are as human and personal as possible. Here are some tips for doing so:
- Use a real email address as the sender and not a “noreply” address. For example: sarah@shopcandlesnow.com is a real email address that looks authentic. Noreply@shopcandlesnow.com looks like a bot (because obviously it is).
- Use merge programs to insert people’s names into the email. “Dear New Customer” is a hard no. If you can’t get their name into an email, how can you expect people to believe you’re going to do everything you can to provide them excellent customer service?
- Consider personalizing other elements of the email. If they’ve shopped with you before, automate a data field to thank them for purchasing a certain product. Or, include a paragraph that says something like “Hope that (product name) is working out well for you. Hit us up with any questions or concerns!”
8. Include images, but not too many.
Images break up the text and can help you customize welcome emails. They can also increase click-through rates when used correctly. But don’t shove a bunch of images in your email. Anything beyond three images tends to drive click-through rates down because they make emails hard to open, load and read on a variety of devices. If you’re not sure where to start with design, try just one image and keep it brand appropriate.
9. Ask them to do something.
Finally, give your new subscriber some instructions. Ask them to do something specific. It might be a call to action to make a purchase. But if you’re worried that your relationship is moving too fast, consider a smaller ask. Here are a few CTAs that work well in welcome emails:
- Ask them to click a link. That brings them back to your site, where you can continue building a relationship and shepherding this new contact toward becoming a customer.
- Ask them to answer a question. It can be literally any question, but extra points for one that’s related to your services or products. This helps you gather customer feedback but also prompts the person to return to your page and engage again. For example, you might say, “Can you do us a favor? Check out this page and tell us which color works best for this pocketbook.”
- Ask them to tell a friend. They can get others in on the action and share their promo code or possibly get extra benefits if someone else signs up.
- Ask them to follow you on social. Link to your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or other social profile. Let them know what benefits they can expect by doing so, such as whether you share important information or promos with followers.
These are just a few options. Think outside of the box and try various CTAs to see what drives increased engagement and helps ensure someone is moving ever toward a purchasing decision.
3 Amazing Welcome Email Examples
Want to see some of these principles in action? Check out these three amazing welcome email examples and why we think each one works well.
1. Short, Simple, All Image
This welcome email is super simple and puts the important news literally front and center. The customer has to read between the lines, but the message is clear. Welcome. We’re glad you’re here and want to reward you with 10% off. Click here to put that reward immediately into action.
What works for this email:
- Clear, concise design
- An obvious offer
- No confusion about what the customer should do next
2. Brand Personality Shining Through
This one is adorable. From the brand’s mammoth logo to the random interesting fact, it’s authentic and charming. And that charm puts people at ease and makes them more comfortable clicking on something in the email. The message also cleverly wraps a value proposition into the fold, letting people know exactly what the products behind the click are for.
What works for this email:
- Great brand personality
- Obvious CTA and button
- Message of gratitude
- Includes a value proposition
3. Plentiful Information, Concise Presentation
Here’s a welcome email example that has so much working for it, it’s a bit crazy. It starts above the fold with an immediate welcome and value proposition. Then there’s a big, bright beautiful CTA button that’s very clear.
Not everyone who receives this welcome email is going to be ready to create an event, though, and the brand knows that. So below the fold, it gives some easy-to-scan info about how the service works and directs the reader to a couple of other options for clicking. Even if someone isn’t ready to dive in, they have options for further engagement.
What works for this email:
- Bold CTA above the fold
- Value proposition
- Concise and helpful information in the body
- Secondary CTAs to catch people that pass on the first button
Now It’s Your Turn
Don’t worry. Your first try doesn’t have to be as polished as these welcome email examples. In fact, it doesn’t have to be polished at all. Plenty of successful welcome emails are just basic text.
The key is starting now and testing to find out what works for you. Who knows: One of your welcome emails might show up on a best-of list one day too.
