<< Getting the Most from Your Welcome Message
Critical Elements to the Successful Welcome Message
Your subscriber has signed-up for your newsletter or customer communications because he or she wants to hear from you. In an environment burdened with spam and other unnecessary email, this requires a great deal of trust. At this stage, your new list subscriber is extremely receptive to your message. Use their trust and this opportunity wisely.
Let’s consider what your customer wants and what questions they may have at this point in your relationship. First, they want to be reassured that their information is safe, so they don’t receive mounds of spam in the months to come. They may also want to know how many emails they can expect from you. If they also signed-up for an account, they’ll want to know how to use it and where to update their information in the future. Finally, they want to know how to unsubscribe, should they ever change their minds. Based on research and studies, we’ve found that there are a few key ingredients to developing a strong welcome message.
The critical elements to a successful welcome message:
Personalization: Gather your new subscribers name and any other demographic information you might need to personalize your email. At a very basic level, include his or her name in the salutation. More advanced techniques might include product or service recommendations based on their preferences or event listings based on their geographic location.
Thank You: Sincerely thank your new subscriber for signing up. This took a big leap of faith.
Confirmation: Let your subscriber know that they have been successfully added to your list.
What They Can Expect: How frequently do you send emails? What will your communications include – articles, tips, discounts? Tell your new subscriber what they can expect in the months to come.
Benefits, Benefits, Benefits: Always tie your message back to the benefits they’ll gain with their subscription. Will your new subscriber receive exclusive discounts, event announcements, or weekly articles on topics they’re interested in?
Email Archive: Have you published your newsletter for several years already? Send new subscribers a link to your archives, capitalizing on the work you’ve expended in developing those issues for many more years to come.
Send an Exclusive Reward: Consider offering each new subscriber an exclusive discount coupon on their next purchase as a thank you for signing up.
Address Book Inclusion: Reiterate the importance of adding your company’s domain name and/or email address to their address book. This ensures they receive all communications, and that they don’t land erroneously in their junk mail folder.
Tell a Friend: While their interest in your company is still at its peak, ask your new subscribers to spread the word by telling their friends, family or colleagues. You can even provide a send-to-a-friend link at the bottom of your email.
Full Contact Details: Include the company’s complete address, phone number, email and website address. This further reinforces your company’s integrity and builds trust.
Privacy Commitment: Reaffirm your commitment to privacy; sending a link to your full Privacy Policy should they want more details. You should also reiterate your unsubscribe procedure.
Account Management: If you’re new subscriber also signed up for an account, walk him or her through the steps in managing their account – from using your services to changing their personal information or preferences. Include their account name, account number and any other key information, if applicable.
Useful Links: Link to often used or underutilized resources.
Call-to-action: Include a clear call-to-action to encourage ecommerce purchases.
Listrak subscriber tools make it easy for you to incorporate basic to advanced welcome message attributes including personalization, sent-to-a-friend links and subscriber demographic harvesting.
