5 Reasons to Send Welcome Emails (And How to Build Your Own)
Welcome signs are everywhere out in the real world, but what about in the digital world?
When you gain a customer’s email address, that’s your chance to show them a welcome sign — or welcome email — and introduce your value right away.
When someone visits your website or store and gives you their email address, they’re telling you that they’re interested and want you to communicate with them. (Though they want you to make sure you are legally compliant when emailing them.)
By not sending welcome emails to new leads, you’re leaving an opportunity to deliver your message directly to their inbox wide open!
Here’s a list of reasons why welcome emails are so important (plus info on how to send the perfect one):
1. Welcome Emails Engage Users
Only have time to set up one automated email campaign? Make it a welcome email, because they work.
Research shows 74% of new subscribers expect to receive a welcome email and are most responsive within the first 48 hours. (This is where automation helps.)
Welcome emails:
- Have an average open rate of 68.6%.
- Produce a 42% higher read rate than other marketing emails.
- Show 33% more long-term brand engagement for subscribers than those who don’t receive welcome emails.
These stats show people want to see what you offer when they sign up — not weeks or a month later. A well-crafted welcome email makes a positive first impression and can mean more sales in the long run, especially if you include a coupon, welcome offer or special preview they can’t get anywhere else.
2. Automated Welcome Emails are Efficient
Who doesn’t want to save time? Automated emails can help you do just that.
Connecting with new leads can be time consuming for small or large businesses. Automating welcome emails so they’re sent automatically to new subscribers in your customer relationship management (CRM) system creates efficiency within your business. This saves you and your sales team time while being able to reach out to a new lead within that critical first 48 hours.
Our team has created several automated email campaigns for multiple clients, so we know first hand how much time is saved with these.
You should take some time (perhaps every month or every three months) to make sure your automated emails are up-to-date and working properly, but that is much less maintenance than creating a new email for each new lead.
3. Welcome Emails Help You Keep a Healthier Email List
In a welcome email, you have the chance to set the customer’s expectations for what you offer, why you offer it, and how you do business.
This opportunity is one you shouldn’t ignore. You should tell your user how often you’ll email them, what types of emails you’ll send, and what they can expect from you in those emails.
This expectation setting is important. Spam complains and unsubscribes are all too easy for users to do — so tell them upfront what to expect, and you’ll maintain a healthier email list in the long run.
4. Welcome Emails Build Loyalty
The right welcome email could be the beginning of a smooth customer journey and lay the groundwork for a quality lead or future sale. No pressure, huh?
That first 48 hours is your prime window to contact new leads, so this welcome email is a great chance to get the reader to learn more about your business and your brand. Add links in your email so the reader can browse products and see how your business works. Make sure to include easy, readable links to:
- Your website
- Your blog (if you have one, which you should)
- Any social media pages
From there, customers can decide whether or not to do business with you.
5. Welcome Emails Provide Data
Take this opportunity to gather data about your leads. This data will help you (and your CRM) be able to better understand the lead and better target emails to them in the future.
In this welcome email, you can ask what products or services the lead is most interested in and add them to a corresponding list of that lead type. Consider asking how often they want to be emailed, how they heard of your business, or if there are certain emails they are looking to get from you. This will help build accurate lists to the most interested audience.The more you learn about your customer, the further you can segment and personalize their content, which then leads to better engagement.
How to Craft a Great Welcome Email for Your Business
Remember: this is your business speaking to your audience — so say hello as only you can, in your own voice!
Use language, graphics and colors that are associated with your brand. Customers appreciate authenticity more than anything.
Key Components of Any Welcome Email (With Examples!)
While we encourage you to get creative with your welcome message, here are seven elements every welcome email should contain (plus a few real-life examples ):
- A recognizable sender name, so the subscriber knows exactly who the email is from. TIP: Use a human name rather than your business name. Customers appreciate communicating with a person.
- A subject line that’s clear and grabs a user’s attention.
- Personalization within the email.
- TIP: You can use personalization in the subject line, too!
- A thank-you for signing up.
- TIP: This is also a good place to remind them how they signed up.
- Some unique value — such as a free download, an exclusive offer or a coupon for a future purchase.
- A call-to-action (CTA) that is relevant to the user and refers to the unique value you’re offering them.
- Easy links to connect with your business — such as social media page links (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.)
- An easy unsubscribe link.
- TIP: You might not think you need it, but you don’t want to send emails to people who don’t want to receive them — or who aren’t going to engage with you once you start emailing them.
Every email you send should be written with one main message in mind.
It may be tempting to list all of your products and services in your welcome email, as well as all the information about your business and team members, but this is a bad idea. Even with the high read rate of welcome emails, people simply aren’t that patient.
If you overwhelm a customer with a long email, they could become quickly disinterested and not click anything in this email or any marketing email you send — which is even worse than them unsubscribing.
Want Help with Your Email Marketing?
If you are interested in learning more about automated emails or need help with your email marketing strategy, contact our team or take a look at our email marketing resources.
Get ready to save time and money while reaching the right audiences with your emails.
Win the Inbox With Email Marketing »
Jordan Maxfield
As a digital strategist at 9 Clouds, Jordan builds performance-focused campaigns that deliver quality results for clients throughout North America. When she's not at the office, Jordan is watching documentaries or football. Learn more about Jordan.
