First impressions are key when starting and growing your business, but your relationship needs to continue past that. It’s important to stay top-of-mind for your prospects, especially in the early stages of your relationship.
How do you do that? With an automated welcome email sequence.
Your welcome email sequence is vital to your email marketing strategy. When a subscriber first signs up, they’re telling you that they want to hear from you. This is an important moment for you to reach out to them and start building a relationship.
If your new subscribers have to wait for your email newsletter – or emails are too sporadic – you can lose valuable momentum. Think of emails the same way you think of nurturing leads over the phone – you wouldn’t wait weeks to contact a customer who just reached out to you.
Let’s dive deeper into what a welcome sequence is, why it matters, and how you can write your own.
What Is a Welcome Sequence?
A welcome sequence is a series of email messages that are sent immediately after a prospect signs up for emails from your business. This is a critical moment and gives you an opportunity to introduce new prospects to your business and products or services.
Most of your email subscribers will come from sign-ups through a form or a subscriber page. These prospects are showing you that they’re interested in what you have to offer and want to hear more from you.
It’s crucial that your emails go out quickly – ideally, immediately after signup. This keeps your brand top-of-mind and gives the prospect an idea of what to expect from your future emails.
With email automation, you can set up your welcome sequence to go out once, and it’ll provide a consistent experience for your first email contact through to your thousandth (or millionth!) It also ensures that your emails are going out when it works best for the contact, not for you. If someone is signing up for your emails, they want to hear from you then and know that they subscribed successfully.
Why Are Welcome Emails Important?
They Work
Welcome emails work. They’re proven to be more engaging than other email marketing campaigns.
- Welcome emails have an 86% higher open rate than other types of marketing emails
- 74% of new subscribers expect a welcome email
- Subscribers who receive welcome emails have 33% more long-term brand engagement
They Save Time
Welcome email sequences are typically automated, so they save you time. You don’t have to connect with new leads manually, which can be tedious and time-consuming. The automation is also simple to set up and ensures you have a consistent experience for all customers.
They Create Expectations
A welcome email gives you an opportunity to talk about your brand on your own terms, setting up the expectations for what you have to offer and how you do business.
They also set expectations for how you will send emails, and how often, to ensure you don’t venture into spam territory with your subscribers.
They Hold Attention
Welcome emails have higher open rates and read rates than other marketing emails. This is an excellent opportunity to engage with your prospects when they’ve already expressed interest in your brand.
This is why your first impression matters. You’re setting the stage for the rest of the relationship, where you can (hopefully!) impress them continuously and begin a smooth customer journey.
They Build Loyalty
All relationships start somewhere. The right welcome email sequence can be the start of a lifelong relationship with a loyal customer and brand advocate.
Your prospects are most engaged when they first subscribe, so it’s crucial that you capitalize on that by interacting with them as soon as possible. Remember to make them feel included by saying things like “welcome to the club/family” and using their first name.
You should also add links to your social, website, and other assets, which we’ll cover in a moment.
How Many Emails Should Be in a Welcome Sequence?
Your welcome sequence should have at least two emails: an initial welcome email and an invitation to connect on other channels. But you don’t have to stop there. You can add more emails to get to know your contacts better and provide a better experience for them.
Components of an Effective Welcome Email
You should always get creative and personalize your welcome email, but this is what they should always contain:
- A sender name that the prospect will recognize (Brian at Acme Company)
- A clear and compelling subject line (Here’s your 10% off coupon!)
- Personalization (Hi, Linda!)
- A reminder of why they subscribed (Thanks for signing up for our monthly newsletter!)
- Your unique value, such as an exclusive offer or download
- A call-to-action (CTA) button (Shop now! Visit our website!)
Your Welcome Email Script
As mentioned, your welcome email sequence should begin immediately after a prospect signs up for your email list.
Initial Welcome Email
The first welcome email is your first impression. It’s an opportunity to confirm their signup and fulfill any offer that you made when they provided their email, such as a discount.
Your first automated welcome email should welcome your prospect and thank them for signing up. Then, you can give them an idea of what to expect in future emails, including how often they can expect to hear from you.
For example, if you have a newsletter, now is the time to let them know to expect it weekly, monthly, etc.
Here’s an example of a welcome email:
Hi [first name],
Thanks for joining us! We’re thrilled to have you in our [brand] family!
We’ll be sending two more emails in the next week, then you can expect to hear from us on a [frequency] basis for [content].
Remember that you can unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the email.
Now, as promised, here’s your [discount coupon/digital download].
Enjoy!
[sig]
Some brands try to stuff too much information into this email. Remember to keep it short and simple, but still warm and welcoming.
Invitation to Connect
The invitation to connect is an opportunity for the prospect to learn more about your brand and how you operate via your social channels. This email also shows them how to get in touch with questions or concerns.
Your invitation to connect should be sent out about two days after the initial welcome email and should include your social media channels and why they should connect with you.
For example, do you offer discounts or exclusive product launches on your social media pages? Event updates? Sneak peeks? Make it worth their while!
Here are some examples:
Hi [first name],
We’re on social! We’d love for you to connect with us to hear more about our [product launches/events/sneaks] and engage with our brand community!
Follow us:
Facebook [link]
Instagram [link]
Twitter [link]
[etc.]
You could also visit us on our website [link].
[sig]
Hi [first name],
Most of our customers want to know more about [topic], so we’ll make it easy to get the information you need.
You can visit us on our website [link] to find out more about our [brand/social accounts/products].
Questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call or email us.
[sig]
“Get to Know You” Email
This email is to gain more information about your email subscribers to send more relevant content, discounts, or offers. It also provides valuable data about your audience to inform your marketing strategy.
This email should go out about four days after your invitation to connect email and should include links to polls or surveys to gather information about your prospects, such as:
- An ask for more information, along with details for how you plan to use it. Be transparent in this process and tell them why, whether it’s to send them offers on their birthday or to offer targeted content.
- A survey or poll to collect the information
Here are some examples:
Hi [first name],
We’d love to learn a little more about you so we can give you relevant emails that align with your interests.
What are your interests?
[Include a few topics for your business and your audience segments for them to choose from]
Thanks!
[sig]
Hi [first name].
We’d love to learn more about you and how you found us!
How did you hear about us?
[survey with options for search, social media, ads, friend or family, etc.]
Thanks!
[sig]
Once you have this valuable data, be sure to use it! Customer data can be helpful for your personalization and segmentation, so you can keep improving the experience.
See What Welcome Emails Can Do for You
The welcome email sequence is a highly effective and engaging way to connect with your prospects and turn them into lifelong brand advocates. No matter your industry, the size of your business, or how long you’ve been around, a welcome email sequence offers a consistent method of engaging your prospects and building a loyal brand community.
Liz Slyman
Liz Slyman has worked on campaigns for some of the biggest brands you know––and breakout brands that you WILL. As the founder and CEO of an award-winning copywriting agency, Liz turns over a decade of copywriting experience into copywriting courses, coaching, tools, and resources for new and established copywriters.
