5 Reasons to Send a Welcome Email to New Subscribers

5 Reasons to Send a Welcome Email to New Subscribers

A good welcome email starts building relationships and trust with your customers from the beginning. A bad or non-existent welcome email leads to indifference, annoyance, or even negativity toward what you send. And if customers don't care about you, why would they buy from you?

If you have an email list, you need a welcome email. It's that simple. But if you need more evidence, here are five reasons a welcome email is a vital part of your email marketing strategy.

1) It puts you ahead of competitors

Only 55% of businesses have a welcome email. By sending one, you're putting yourself ahead of 45% of other companies- your competitors among them.

A welcome email gets you in front of your leads' eyes before they forget who you are. The better they remember you, the more likely they are to trust you and read your emails. Building trust early also increases the chance that they'll pick you over the competition when it's time to buy.

2) Customers expect one

Do you remember the last time you checked your inbox after signing up for someone's email list, only to receive nothing? Not even a generic “thanks for subscribing”? It's disappointing and implies they don't care about their email list.

74% of people say they expect a welcome email within minutes of signing up for your emails. If you offer a discount as a lead magnet, making sure that your first email goes out immediately is crucial. A few-hour delay could be the difference between getting a sale and losing it to your competition.

3) It increases engagement

Welcome emails get 4x the opens and 5x the clicks of an average email. With a well-written email and strong offer, your welcome email can also get 3x more transactions than a regular promotional one.

Customers who read your welcome email are more likely to open and read future emails from you. You've started gaining your customers' trust. When they're ready to buy, you'll be the first company they think of.

4) Start building a relationship

Think back to the last time you signed up for a company's email list and got a personalized welcome email. An engaging message that made you excited to hear more from the company. Like meeting someone for the first time and hitting it off in one conversation.

A welcome email is an icebreaker. It gives you a chance to introduce yourself and learn more about your customer. In follow-ups, they can get to know you better and understand why you are the solution they need.

5) It sets expectations

Your first email is a great place to remind subscribers what they signed up for and what they can expect. Whether you send three emails a week or one newsletter a month, let them know. Setting clear expectations from the beginning prevents annoyed customers in the future.

It'll also set their expectations about the tone and style of your emails so you'll want to nail the brand voice and design. If you send plain text emails, the welcome email should be too. If your brand voice is casual, the writing shouldn't be formal.

Now you can see all the benefits a welcome email offers. If you don't already have one, put creating one at the top of your to-do list. The sooner you have it, the sooner you'll see results.

ABOUT RACHEL MEYER

Rachel Meyer is a freelance copywriter by day and a novelist by night. Learning and sharing knowledge are some of her favorite things to do. She and her cat live in Maryland. For more information, visit her website.

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