A stunning first impression was not the same thing as love at first sight. But surely it was an invitation to consider the matter.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Let\u2019s paint a picture demonstrating the wisdom of Ms. Bujold, as seen in email marketing.<\/p>\n
Someone discovers your brand. It doesn\u2019t matter how. Could be by clicking an ad from another site. Could be by searching for something specific and being intrigued by your company\u2019s meta text on a search engine results page. Could be by having a random finger spasm and keying your brand\u2019s URL into the address bar like some kind of monkey at a typewriter who\u2019s finally stumbled onto something great after years and years of fruitless poo-flinging and keyboard-punching.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll assume that your prospect digs your email signup form — whether it\u2019s a snazzy pop-up<\/a> or a well-timed exit intent<\/a> nudger. She eagerly clacks her address into your form and smashes \u201csubmit\u201d (or whatever carefully crafted call to action terminology<\/a> you\u2019re using).<\/p>\n Now, you\u2019re a marketer in possession of a virtually priceless thing: your target customer\u2019s email address. She or he has explicitly trusted you with that magical combination of characters that whisks you past the velvet rope of skepticism and deposits you smack into the promised land \u2026 the inbox! (And naturally, you\u2019ve done the legwork to make sure all your efforts don\u2019t get relegated to that horrid no man\u2019s land called the spam folder<\/a>.)<\/p>\n It was either the 18th Century French philosopher Voltaire or the 20th Century Uncle Ben from Spider-Man who said that \u201cwith great power comes great responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got the email address (great power). Here\u2019s how to make sure your welcome email knocks the socks off your new subscriber, maximizes the priceless sales opportunity and creates a diehard loyal brand evangelist for life (great responsibility).<\/p>\n Sound hard? By following these tips, you\u2019ll be able to take full advantage of one of the most valuable marketing tools on the planet.<\/p>\n The stats are staggering.<\/p>\n According to Invesp<\/a>, welcome emails:<\/p>\n With numbers like these, it\u2019s not about luck. Audiences show us that they expect these messages. As well they should — 57.7% of brands send welcome emails to new subscribers<\/p>\n Not only are your subscribers conditioned to receive a nice note upon subscribing to your list– they tend to enjoy reading it, actively engage with it and are more likely to take action before closing it. Subscribers who are sent a welcome email show 33% more engagement with the brand. The average welcome email has a 14.4% click rate, whereas other email campaigns average 2.7%. Welcome emails deliver results.<\/p>\n Back to that bit about getting your subscribers to take action. We\u2019ll expand on this in the next section, but first, let\u2019s establish why it\u2019s so important to have a goal in mind for your welcome email. Simply put — that message is valuable real estate. To continue mixing metaphors like the mixologist at a trendy bar mixes up cocktails \u2026 that message arrives at just the right moment for your audience. The moment of receipt is when your audience is most engaged. The average conversion rate for welcome emails is .94%, whereas it\u2019s .1% for a typical email. And welcome emails with an offer can boost revenue by 30% per email compared to welcome emails without one<\/p>\n Hear Voltaire calling out to you from beyond the grave about great power and great responsibility again? (Or Uncle Ben, take your pick.)<\/p>\n We\u2019ve established that welcome emails get read and get results. Now we\u2019ll talk about how to design and structure them in order to maximize those outcomes. These are the secrets to unlocking your welcome email\u2019s full potential.<\/p>\n Feel free to get this rhyming couplet tattooed on your bicep:<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t pay to delay. Send your welcome email right away.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n A whopping 74% of consumers expect a welcome email the moment they subscribe. In fact, 45% of first-time purchases made by new subscribers occur inside 24 hours of opting in.<\/p>\n Strike while the iron\u2019s hot! Make hay while the sun shines! Take time by the forelock!<\/p>\n And other adorably quaint sayings about acting fast. You need to have your knockout welcome email ready to go, and you should set it up to be sent out to new subscribers immediately upon signup.<\/p>\n Winston Churchill — who might have drawn the ire of the #metoo movement had he said it in the present day — once proclaimed: \u201cA good speech should be like a woman’s skirt — long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.\u201d<\/p>\n Hashtag army aside, the above is a great guideline for your welcome email subject line.<\/p>\n When you create your killer welcome message, start with a clear and engaging subject line. Make sure that your subject line conveys that this is the welcome email. But also tease your readers a bit — make it intriguing enough to entice subscribers to open it.<\/p>\n Also, this isn\u2019t the time for riddles. Make your welcome email subject line easy to understand. All the words in your subject line should be simple, one- or two-syllable words. Use simple, natural language and avoid complex words, because it\u2019s difficult to memorize them. Here\u2019s a good average length for your subject line — about 6.5 words. You want to be sure that your recipient can read the line and process it quickly.<\/p>\n Avoid ambiguity. Be specific and clear in your subject line. Attention spans are an endangered species at this point, and you have a fast-shutting window of time to attract the interest of your recipient.<\/p>\n Your subscriber is the center of your universe, so focus on her needs in the subject line. What makes her happy? Annoyed? Excited? Use that, and stir that emotion with just a few words.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Online eyeglass retailer Warby Parker<\/a>.<\/p>\n Subject line:<\/strong> Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Uh-oh! That\u2019s simplicity, urgency and a great conversational tone all wrapped in one. Plus, it creates urgency and makes things personal with the note about expiring prescriptions.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Deals and discount clearinghouse Groupon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Subject line:<\/strong> There are no deals in this email<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Wait \u2026 what? Then why are you sending me this?! This email dials the curiosity factor up to 11, which is a sure way to get clicks. Be careful that you don\u2019t abuse this technique, though. You don\u2019t want to make people annoyed or feel manipulated. Once in a while packs a powerful punch.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> San Francisco-based online magazine The Bold Italic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Subject line:<\/strong> Just Pho You: Where to Eat SF’s Best Pho<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Punny. Surprising. Makes the mouth water. And best yet, this subject line lays out a super-specific piece of information that you know you\u2019ll receive upon opening the email.<\/p>\n Subscribers are primed to receive a welcome email. So why not use a tone that\u2019s warm, familiar and reassuring? Use your welcome email to make people feel at home right away and to continue the introduction to your brand.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> High-end but economical luggage brand Away<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Lots of white space. Conversational tone. Lets you know what to expect and speaks to you in a cheeky but friendly way.<\/p>\n This is not the time to be vague and mysterious.<\/p>\n Your welcome email should clearly convey to new subscribers what they should do next. Is there more onboarding that needs to be done? Do you need them to take action? If so, what? Want them to follow you on social media? Want them to check out the \u201cnew arrivals\u201d section of your store? Want them to be mentally prepared for another message, coupon or campaign from you?<\/p>\n Design your welcome email around the desired action that you\u2019d like your subscribers to take.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Online hospitality marketplace Airbnb<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Simple. Clean graphics. Tells you exactly what to do and makes you feel like part of a vibrant existing community.<\/p>\n This secret\u2019s pretty simple, and it has the added benefit of giving your welcome email a true Reason to Exist.<\/p>\n Deliver on the promise made at signup.<\/p>\n If you offered a lead magnet, such as a PDF, ebook or another resource, send it in the welcome email. If you told your subscribers you\u2019d be delivering other content, information or value, make sure there\u2019s a taste of that in the welcome email. And of course, abide by the other secrets while you do that — have a good headline, send it out fast, use a welcoming tone, etc.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Headspace<\/a>, an app specializing in meditation.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> This email does a great job of delivering a valuable lead magnet — the complimentary 10-day course — while subtly conveying to the subscriber that there\u2019s much more value to be had beyond this freebie. \u201cBasics\u201d is a great description to describe the freemium model — it doesn\u2019t sound derogatory, but it sure sounds like if you\u2019re serious, you\u2019d benefit from investigating further offerings.<\/p>\n The terribly condescending acronym KISS reminds us to \u201ckeep it simple, stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n Since we\u2019re not about that negativity (refer back to Secret #2!), let\u2019s just say: \u201cKeep It Simple, Sweetie.\u201d Or how about: \u201cKeep It Simple, Smartmarketer!\u201d<\/p>\n Eh, maybe there\u2019s a reason they went with \u201cstupid\u201d in the original saying — it\u2019s, well \u2026 simple<\/i>.<\/p>\n Keep this critical lesson in mind when you write your welcome email. Know the goal of your welcome email, and aim all of the content in your welcome email at it. It\u2019s a delicate balancing act to do the previous steps of giving a warm welcome, informing subscribers of the onboarding process and delivering on the promise. If you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed, remember that you can always advance those goals in separate follow-up emails.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t overburden yourself. Don\u2019t try to stuff 10 pounds of onboarding into a 5-pound welcome email, as it were.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Customer service software company Help Scout<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Thirty-three words. That\u2019s all this welcome email has. And, bonus: 5 of the 33 are the word \u201chelp\u201d — the first word in the company\u2019s name. That helps to make the entire message quite sticky. (Hey, they just got us to say a variation of the word \u201chelp\u201d in our last sentence — talk about effective subliminal messaging!) The email also includes lots of white space, friendly faces and helpful page link buttons. (Hey, they just made us do it again with \u201chelpful.\u201d We can\u2019t \u2026 er, help<\/i> ourselves!)<\/p>\n The magic of what makes a great welcome email isn\u2019t just about the above rules. Your welcome email should be a nice extension of your brand\u2019s culture, marketing and general themes. Ideally, someone could look at a version of your welcome email that had all necessary identifying information stripped out, and still<\/i> know immediately that it was an email from your brand.<\/p>\n Check out these rockstar welcome emails that get the job done with style and memorability.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Designer brand Kate Spade<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Holy orange, Batman! Nothing about this email is bland. Frankly, the white text on the macaroni-and-cheese-colored envelope is a touch<\/i> harder to read than the usual \u201clots of white space\u201d traditional email format. Seriously, we could imagine our nana rubbing her temples and slamming the laptop shut. But that\u2019s part of the fun. This email — from the exclusive discount code to the bold colors to the promise of more exciting things to come — it does a great job of making the recipient feel like a true fashion insider.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Mattress and sleep gear brand Casper<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> How can you look at this gorgeous, well-themed email and not yawn? It\u2019s concise, the puns fit the laid-back vibe and the message does an excellent job of focusing on the #1 person in email marketing: \u201cyou.\u201d<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Shaving startup Harry\u2019s<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Whimsical! Concise! Unabashedly cute! The razor market seems to have been around for as long as people have had facial hair. It\u2019s a saturated, noisy and \u2026 excuse the pun \u2026 cutthroat<\/i> industry. The blades-by-mail segment that Harry\u2019s occupies operates on razor-thin<\/i> margins (we can\u2019t help ourselves!). That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important for Harry\u2019s to stick to its brand values in this email. It\u2019s fresh, it\u2019s breezy and it promises to add a little fun to your day.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Arts and crafts megastore Michael\u2019s<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Somebody buy this designer a beer. This message from Michael\u2019s is a work of art! Thanks to the cute and eye-catching design, the email manages to advertise several of its on-trend offerings (we count knitting yarn, chalkboard paint, oil paint and stencils) in a completely organic way. In contrast with some of our other examples in this article — this email has a fair amount of text and links. But thanks to that great design, it never feels too busy or off-putting.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Sleep startup Eve<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> That collection of photos up top is just plain evocative<\/i>. It helps remind us that, hey, our beds and sofas aren\u2019t just for sleeping every day — they\u2019re also the places where we do some pretty important living. The excellent color palette — white space, placid blue, bright yellow and the model\u2019s lovely red hair — does a fine job of suggesting the cheer that one feels after getting a great night\u2019s sleep.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Lifestyle\/beauty brand Glossier<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Here\u2019s an example of a message that truly puts the \u201cwelcome\u201d in the welcome email. You read this one and you feel instantly calmer. (Notice the tiny but effective \u201cwe\u2019ve got a good feeling about this\u201d?) The subtle not-quite-a-CTA of \u201csee you on Instagram\u201d helps build the connection without sounding pushy or unnatural.<\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Women\u2019s fashion house Karen Millen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why it\u2019s great:<\/strong> Wow — talk about a headline that forces you to read what follows. \u201cFive Reasons We Know You\u2019ll Love Us\u201d — \u00a0if your eyes don\u2019t race down that page out of sheer curiosity, you\u2019re probably clinically dead. Or, the important point — you probably hold zero points of commonality with the target audience. (Say, you\u2019re a middle-aged dude who couldn\u2019t name the brand of the pants he\u2019s wearing currently if his life depended on it.) And that\u2019s not a bad thing. Welcome emails don\u2019t have to roll out the red carpet for absolutely everybody. A little bit of tailoring (pun not intended) and specificity help to reinforce that feeling of specialness among new subscribers.<\/p>\n![\"Generate](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/generate-320-more-revenuew-with-welcome-email-estrategies-that-dont-require-luck-SOCIAL.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWelcome Emails Don\u2019t Require Luck\u2014They\u2019re Destined to Outperform. Here\u2019s How to Unlock Their Full Potential<\/h2>\n
\n
Secrets of Highly Effective Welcome Emails #1: Time is of the Essence<\/h2>\n
Secrets of Highly Effective Welcome Emails #2: Your Subject Line is Key<\/h2>\n
Examples of Highly Effective Subject Lines:<\/b><\/h3>\n
Secrets of Highly Effective Welcome Emails #3: Throw Down the Welcome Mat<\/h2>\n
![\"Away](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image9.png\")
<\/p>\nSecrets of Highly Effective Welcome Emails #4: Tell People What to Do!<\/h2>\n
![\"Airbnb](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image11.png\")
<\/p>\nSecrets of Highly Effective Welcome Emails #5: Keep Your Promise<\/h2>\n
![\"Headspace](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image10.png\")
<\/p>\nSecrets of Highly Effective Welcome Emails #6: KISS<\/h2>\n
![\"Help](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image3-1.png\")
<\/p>\nMore Welcome Email Examples for Inspiration<\/h2>\n
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Casper](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image2-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Harry's](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image7-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Michael's](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image1-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Eve](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image8.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Glossier](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image5-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Karen](\"https:\/\/benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image6.png\")
<\/p>\nFinal Thoughts<\/h2>\n