How do you create a welcome email series for new subscribers?

Here are the top 3 most common goals: - Maximize engagement (e.g. clicks, responses), so open & click rates ill be higher down the line - Introduce your products (e.g. ebooks), so that you immediately offset your acquisition cost - Educate about your product, if it's complex so they're more likely to remain or buy in the future

Make sure to consider where your subscribers typically are in their customer journey when they join your email list. Your goal is to gently steer them from where they are now to a place of deeper engagement and investment in what you and your brand offers. Your welcome email series should be an extension of your brand's core objectives and values, so try to create a genuine experience that resonates well with your audience.

A welcome series is a great way to create a trusting relationship with the new user. Depending on your goals, I would usually recommend taking the sale aspect out of your welcome flows and focus on where they are in their customer journey, and why they should care about your brand. Giving them a reason to stick around usually means the conversions come easier when they are at that point in their customer journey. This is just pulling them into the 'messy middle' cycle!

Your welcome email's goal should ideally align with your business objectives. For instance, is the goal of product education to boost product adoption and subsequently increase Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)?

Before crafting your emails, it’s important to identify what you want to achieve with your welcome series. Common goals include: -Building a relationship with new subscribers -Introducing your brand and its values -Setting expectations for future emails -Encouraging initial engagement such as social media follows or website visits -Driving conversions through special offers or introductory content

I would encourage you to consider planning out where your engagement filters should be - if a user was active on-site after clicking on an email but didn't purchase, whats the next step in their journey? Does it matter where they were active on site - is there a clear part of the journey they seem to be missing? Or what if they engaged with the email but didn't click through to the site? All of these users should now be getting an email tailored to where they are in their journey to build that trust between user and brand.

Consider including an incentive for the user to take action if you are not getting the desired results by the end of the welcome email sequence.

The way you greet your customers with your welcome series is the way they will remember you. Focus on building a connection with the customers and the conversions will follow automatically!

When planning a sequence, I like to consider two things: time and depth. Time - how long, on average, does it take someone to purchase this category once they consider Depth - how much knowledge does the customer need to purchase. Let’s look at services vs products: purchasing a service tends to be a longer, more considered process, so you might look at a 3 month welcome sequence, with a lot of depth. Purchasing a product might fit better with a shorter, 2 week sequence, with offers and some key information in each email. Depth doesn’t always require more time though, you may have a product or service that allows your to go deep quite quickly, as long as the segment you speak to is engaged.

First, timing is everything. Make sure your initial welcome email is sent immediately after someone signs up, while their interest in your brand is still high. Then, follow up with a carefully planned sequence of emails that gradually introduce new subscribers to your products or services, sharing valuable content along the way. Next, personalized content makes all the difference. Take advantage of the data you have on your subscribers and tailor each email to their specific interests or preferences. By doing so, you'll demonstrate that you value their unique needs and strengthen the connection between them and your brand. Lastly, don't forget to add a clear call-to-action (CTA) in each email.

Don't underestimate the importance of the email subject line here. It doesn't matter how good your email copy is if people don't actually open your emails! Great email subject lines create a sense of urgency, spark curiosity and interest, and are relevant to your content and your audience. In general - actionable content that is relevant to your target audience tends to perform very well, and email is no exception. If you have highly practical and actionable content in your email - make sure to leverage that in your headline. Note - don't fall into the trap of writing a "click-bait" headline. Your headline needs to mirror the actual content in the email, otherwise your credibility will suffer.

Alright, here's the deal with email copy – it's all about making the customer feel like the hero. Sure, bragging about your product is cool, but unleashing the full potential of the Welcome Series means putting the spotlight on how your product can solve your customer's problems. So, instead of just saying, 'Our toothbrush is world-class,' let's flip the script and say, 'Say goodbye to frequent dentist trips! This toothbrush is your ticket to a healthier smile.' #SpeakingFromExperience

When writing sequence email copy, you've got to remember four fundamental things: 1) Who are you speaking to - consider the audience of your email, they tend to be your "inner circle", and they've opted in. 2) Why are you talking to them - each email in a sequence needs its own narrative, if it's the first in the sequence, don't overcomplicate it. 3) It's not an essay - you can switch a new audience off very quickly if they're bored, so keep it clear and simple. You'll be surprised how little copy great emails need. 4) You're going to go back and change it - you don't make a sequence and leave it forever, you need to frequently evaluate and update this.

Craft engaging and relevant content for each email. Keep the following tips in mind: -Be personal: Use the subscriber’s name and tailor content to their interests. -Be clear and concise: Get to the point quickly and avoid lengthy paragraphs. -Include a clear CTA: Each email should have a specific call-to-action, whether it’s visiting a website, reading an article, or making a purchase. -Use visuals: Incorporate images, videos, or infographics to make your emails more appealing.

While testing and optimizing, make sure that you test one variable at a time. If you are optimizing for higher opening rate, test various email subject lines, leave rest of the email the same. If you are optimizing CTR, for example, on some link or button in the mail, test only body of the mail or the call-to-action message, not the subject line. Be patient and enjoy the process.

Always test one piece at a time, and (as much as everyone hates having their biases disproved) get someone else to look at the numbers too. We've all met countless copywriters and marketers who think they write killer subject lines, or that there's no need for emojis, but all audiences will engage differently. If there was a one-size-fits-all email strategy, we'd not be writing this article!

- A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, email copy, and CTAs to see what resonates best with your audience. - Analyze Metrics: Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to assess the effectiveness of each email. - Iterate and Improve: Use the data gathered to refine your emails. Adjust frequency, content, and design based on what works best.

Consider the following: - Change to what and when these customers go in to normal BAU campaigns / automations - Are there any data driven indicators to your existing customer base to put them in to dedicated programmes (i.e. are they showing potential to be a VIP or churn and how can we therefore treat them differently to impact next action) - What has the user done based on the activity sent and how can we use personalisation further for the indificual?

Keep your emails simple and informative. Include photos and videos only if they bring more value to your email. If you are making your email "pretty and fun" just for the sake of it - don't. There are two reasons for that: 1) Sending simple text with not to much imagery gives of a feeling of reading a mail from a real person, not some anonymous company. (How many times you've seen gif in your 1-on-1, personal emails?) 2. Some email providers don't show images - which I experienced in some of my email campaigns. So, if you are branding and sending important information through imagery, receiver might not be able to see it.

Offen gesprochen kann ich verstehen, dass eine "Willkommens-E-Mail-Serie für neue Abonnenten" zwar verlockend klingen mag, aber wenn ich selbst solche erhalte (und in der Regel sind diese sehr gut zu erkennen) bestelle ich diese sehr, sehr schnell ab. Die meisten EMail Serien sind viel zu dicht getaktet und sehr auf ein Ziel optimiert (in der Regel wird massiv ein Angebot angepriesen). Klingt erstmal logisch, aber ich kann aus meiner Erfahrung sagen, dass viele sehr lange einen EMail Newsletter nicht abbestellen, wenn dieser überwiegend einfach nicht werblich und statt dessen mit hochwertigen Inhalten bestückt ist. Das schafft mehr Vertrauen und so baut eine Kundenbeziehung deutlich nachhaltiger auf.

I would add the following bonus tips: 1. Encourage subscribers to respond to your emails with any questions, feedback, or thoughts. This not only helps ensure your emails reach your subscriber’s inbox, but it also provides you with valuable insights into your audience! 2. Use graphic elements to stand out and make your emails more engaging and memorable - like emojis, GIFs, memes or infographics. Also make sure that your email series maintains a consistent tone of voice - suitable to your target audience. 3. Provide value through educational and actionable content - like industry trends, tips, and best practices. This establishes your brand as a thought leader in the industry and keeps your subscribers engaged and coming back for more!

Using a no-reply@ email address to send your Welcome email series can damage your brand image, as you want to come across as a reachable, close brand.