Eight Steps to an Effective Welcome Email

Getting customers to sign up for your newsletter is only the first step. Follow these tips for killer welcome emails that will keep them interested and your newsletters out of the spam folder.

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So you’ve got customers signed up for your newsletter or registered for your service. That’s great! But now you’ve got to make sure your welcome email doesn’t kill their interest. In any email inbox, the trash button and its unforgiving neighbor, “Mark as Spam,” are just a short mouse swipe and click away.

In an article on Small Business Computing, Janine Popick lists eight steps to writing a welcome email that will keep your company’s messages out of spam folders.

1. Who’s this email from? Make sure your customers know.

If your customers signed up for a newsletter from “Delightful Cured Meats,” your welcome email and subsequent messages should come from “Delightful Cured Meats,” not from “Sausage PR” or “Patrick Prosciutto,” with whom they’ve had no prior dealings.

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2. Remind your customers why they’re getting this email.

Did your subscribers sign up on your website or Facebook page? Did they give you their email addresses at an event or in your store? Plenty of people sign up for stuff and then promptly forget about it. Use your welcome email to remind them why they’re receiving yours.

3. Show your human side.

Want to capture your customers’ interest and keep them reading your newsletters? Show some humanity. Be funny, be memorable, be inspiring or be personal. Give your customers something to remember, rather than just another generic sales pitch.

4. Maintain your branding.

Does your welcome email look like it comes from your company? Visual consistency across all the different media you use will result in a stronger brand impression, so work with your web or graphic designer to make sure your welcome email matches your company’s look.

5. Offer additional resources.

Since your subscribers signed up for your newsletters, it’s reasonable to assume that they’re interested in your company. In your welcome email, give them ways to get to know what you do. Link to your company’s FAQ or blog. Help subscribers find more reasons to like what you do.

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6. Invite your customers to connect.

Newsletters are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways customers can connect with the brands they like. Does your business have a social media presence? Link to your Facebook, Twitter, and other social pages in your welcome email.

7. Let your customers know what to expect.

You’ve got a plan for your newsletter, right? Let your subscribers know that plan. How frequently should they expect to hear from you, and what should they expect to get from you? Setting expectations creates anticipation and establishes trust.

8. Reward them for signing up!

Finish your welcome email up with a gift for your subscribers. It can be as simple as an ebook or an exclusive discount. The important thing is to provide some tangible value. That way, your customers will feel that subscribing—and staying subscribed—is worth it.

Your welcome email is an opportunity to establish your relationship with your customers. Play it smart to keep them interested and coming back for more. Remember, all the leads in the world won’t make a difference unless you know what to do with them. And now you do.

Jude Chao is executive editor of Enterprise Networking Planet. Follow Jude on Twitter.

Adapted from 8 Tips for a Welcome Email that Delivers, by Janine Popick at Small Business Computing. Follow Small Business Computing on Twitter.