A new subscriber "opts in" to receive your newsletter. Great! So you respond with a simple "Thank You" ? right? Not exactly. The right welcome message can? And should? Do a whole lot more.
A recent study reported that 40 percent of Americans who use the Internet changed their opinions of brands as a result of information they gathered online. This underscores the importance of making sure the image you project online, especially the one you communicate in your email campaigns, accurately reflects your core brand values. Often, it all starts with something as basic as your welcome message.
Here are some tips that will enable your organization to succeed in creating and maintaining an email dialog with valued customers and subscribers in the moments after they click on the "subscribe" button.
1. Remember to say thank you.
As Bogart put it in Casablanca "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." We all hope that the initial email message is the start of a long-term conversation with a subscriber, customer or prospect. Remember the old adage, 'you never get a second chance to make a first impression'? Make sure you welcome subscribers to your mailings with open arms using a concise welcome message that confirms who you are their interests and preferences, assures their right to privacy, and reassures them that they can unsubscribe at any time.
Briefly highlight the content they can expect to receive over the coming weeks and set expectations regarding how often they'll receive it. This is also a good time to build trust with your subscribers. Reassure them that you will not share their personal information and provide a link to your corporate privacy policy. Don't forget to use the welcome letter to both reconfirm the value of the email they just signed up for.
2. Dress your welcome letter for success.
Get your subscribers used to the look and feel of your email newsletters. Borrow the same or similar graphics used in your current newsletter, literature, or logo. With minimal effort, your welcome message can build brand identity and ensure that future emails will be read.
You've taken the time and trouble to design and develop a beautiful email newsletter that reinforces your brand image, so why send a plain text email to welcome subscribers to that newsletter? Get your readers excited to receive the first issue, and give them a visual preview of what the email newsletter they signed up for will look like. With the flood of email these days, anything you can do to build awareness helps get your email read.
3. How to avoid spam filters and bulk mail folders.
Subscribers won't read your newsletter if it never gets delivered or if it gets lost in a bulk mail folder. Make sure your email gets delivered to their inbox where it's easily accessible. At the location where subscribers sign-up, provide the address that the emails will be coming from, and invite them to add it to their address book or white list to ensure delivery (some mailers who know they have problems ending up in the junk folder even actively encourage recipients to check there for the message).
Encourage subscribers to add the email address your newsletter will be sent from to their address book. Of course, make sure that you're in compliance with the latest CAN-SPAM legislation and that your email service provider is using the most up-to-date email authentication systems.
4. Give them something special.
Everyone likes to get something special, and when you are new to something, it makes you feel even better about your decision. Try to offer subscribers something unique. Maybe it is a special article or white paper they can download, perhaps it is an extra 'newcomers' coupon. Whatever you choose, let the subscriber know that, in your eyes, they are special for having taken the time to give you their email address.
5. Make it easy for them to contact you.
Don't bury the 'Contact Us' or 'Unsubscribe me' links in tiny type at the end of the email. This will just annoy someone who needs to contact you. The needs and interests of your readers are always changing, so reassure them that they can easily contact you, update their email preferences or unsubscribe at any time, and provide an easy-to-find link where they can do so.
With a little extra care, you can make your welcome message a dynamic platform for action that makes subscribers feel connected and respected but also communicates a lot about your brand. If your email newsletter is easy to work with, your organization may be easy to work with too.
6. Design Basics.
Always choose a subject line that is simple and accurately reflects your message, whether it's "Welcome to XYZ newsletter" or "Thank you for subscribing to XYZ news."
Have a mechanism in place that sends your welcome message automatically and immediately after a subscriber signs up. (SubscriberMail and most major email service providers do this automatically).
Keep the message brief, with as much important content "above the fold" as possible.
Remember, first impressions count. And while the medium may change, the quality must stay the same - whether in person, online, on paper, or in your welcome message.
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