The Growing Importance of Welcome Emails [Infographic]

Didn’t think welcome emails are important? Think again. According to Invespcro, welcome emails are so important that they result in four times more open rates and five times more clicks. Clearly, welcome emails are critical messages sent to your subscribers to usher them to your online store/website.

Not only do welcome emails provide warm welcome to your new subscribers, they also provide them with relevant content at the right time, when they are psychologically ready for you. When someone visits your website and submit their email, it means they are seriously interested in your product or service. Literally, they are asking you to communicate further with them. As a matter of fact 74% of subscribers expect to receive a welcome email.

As soon as a new subscriber signs up, sending them an email welcoming them onboard will likely get you 320% more revenue than promotional emails. As if that is not enough, you will enjoy 86% more lift in unique open rate. On top of that, you will see a 196% improvement in unique click rate.

If you want to boost your email metrics, there is not a better way to start than sending that welcome metric.

The type of welcome email can range from a series of emails to just a simple automated welcome email message welcoming new subscribers and telling them more about your services or product. This is the perfect of opportunity for you to invite your subscribers to learn more about you. However, be careful lest you risk overwhelming them with too much information in the first instance.

If you think you risk overwhelming your subscribers with information, it is best to combat information overload by sending diving your welcome emails into different themes then sending many welcome emails` in intervals. For instance, you can send the first email to welcome them, the second one to invite them to your social networks and the third to introduce them to your products.

Welcoming emails are also effective because they save time that would have been used to manually collect new leads which can be time-consuming and tedious for even the smallest of businesses. The efficiency that comes with automated email campaigns is worth it. If you have a good marketing automation tool, then you will have an easy time implementing your first welcome email campaign.

Another critical point to note about welcome emails is that they have 10% higher read rate than normal marketing emails. This is the perfect opportunity to reach out to these consumers because they are more receptive.

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Source: https://www.business2community.com | https://www.invespcro.com

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4 Ways Successful Email Marketing Campaigns Are Like Happy Marriages

Attraction. Courtship. Engagement. An event that signifies the beginning of a new union. And then: a long, mutually satisfying relationship.

We’re talking about a happy marriage, right?

Exactly. And about a successful email marketing campaign.

At first blush, they don’t seem to have much in common. But the similarities become clearer the more you compare them. “Like a marriage, email marketing is based on a relationship between two interested parties: a brand and a consumer,” writes Jason Warnock at Marketing Land. And, as in marriage, to be successful, an email marketing relationship must be built on a foundation of respect and be carefully nurtured.

Here are four additional attributes they share:

You need permission to get things started

Navigating the early stages of a relationship is tricky. Accurately assessing your intended’s receptivity to taking things to the next level requires patience and sensitivity to verbal and non-verbal cues. If you try to rush things, you are sure to be shut down.

In this regard, email marketing is much less complicated. You either have the OK to send your messages, or you don’t. If you rush things without permission your message will be ignored or caught up in a spam trap, and your reputation might suffer.
Permission is “Implied” or “expressed.”

“You have implied permission to email somebody if you have an existing business relationship with them,” writes Campaign Monitor. “This could mean they are a current customer, donate to your charity, or are an active member of your website, club or community.”

Without that implied permission, you will need a specific OK to send campaigns: “Express permission is granted when somebody specifically gives you permission to send them email campaigns, likely by entering their email address in a subscribe form on your website or entering their details into your in-store newsletter subscribe form.”

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Engagement is a critical step

The next milestone on the road to marriage is engagement, which, according to Priceonomics, these days usually happens after about three years of dating. Email marketers are also looking eagerly to engagement – in a different sense of the word – but hope it can happen more quickly.

While engagement in its matrimonial meaning is usually signified by a shiny bauble on the bride-to-be’s left hand, email marketers must look to their metrics for visible signifiers of email marketing engagement.

“A subscriber who is positively engaged is someone who opens and clicks your campaigns or interacts with your brand online,” reports Mailchimp. “Engaged subscribers are likely to open your emails, and continue to purchase, donate, or support your organization or brand.”

In email marketing there is also a phenomenon called negative engagement, which is signaled by unsubscribes, getting flagged as spam and direct complaints. There have been instances of negative engagement on the road to marriage, too, although they are rare.

A special moment seals the deal

During a wedding ceremony, the bride and groom must state their intention – usually in response to a call to action from the officiant.

The email marketing equivalent of the bride and groom saying “I do” and slipping rings on each other is when a recipient clicks on a call to action. Both signify that a commitment has been made.

Crafting a successful call to action for an email marketing message, like crafting wedding vows, requires an investment in time and effort. And both tasks can be challenging to do well.

“Thirty-five percent of marketers say creating a meaningful CTA is one of the most challenging aspects of email marketing, according to a recent study,” reports Andrea Robbins on Business 2 Community. “To create a meaningful CTA, it should contain short, specific directions that guide the subscriber to make a purchase, download an eBook, or RSVP for an event. Buttons are visually appealing and draw the eye of subscribers, especially those reading your email on a smartphone. Make the button size noticeable and use a color that makes the button pop.”

And then it’s on to ‘happily ever after’ (hopefully)

Unlike weddings, in which vows are just exchanged once, that initial click on a CTA is, ideally, only the first of many. But, like a marriage needs nurturing to succeed, it’s important that email marketers not lose focus on the customer after that first sale takes place. The honeymoon period begins with the crafting of transactional messages that keep the customer informed once the order is placed.

“Transactional emails (like order confirmation and shipping confirmation emails) are often neglected by eCommerce marketers in favor of newsletters and promotional campaigns, however, they actually present a significant opportunity,” writes Aaron Beashel at Campaign Monitor. “In fact, 64% of consumers actually consider these the most valuable emails in their inbox, and they typically have 8x higher open and click-through rates than promotional emails.”




Source: https://www.business2community.com

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Westchester Networking for Professionals (WNFP) is a business organization focused on providing our members and guests with an extraordinary networking experience, bringing business professionals together for the sole purpose of generating new relationships and developing new business opportunities. Not a member, learn how you can become a member and join this awesome group of professionals to connect and grow your business.

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How to Personalize Emails Based On What You Know

Think of your favorite customer.

With every visit your knowledge of this customer grows and grows.

The first time they shopped at your business you discovered what products they like; the next time it was the name of their dog.

Now, you know what they do for a living, how they say goodbye with some well-timed finger guns, and why their dream of having a puppy was never fulfilled. (They’re allergic).

This knowledge is where the power of a small business lies and where no large business, even with a seemingly endless marketing budget, can come close.

You can use your special knowledge of your customers to talk with them one-on-one in your email marketing, taking your personalization to the next level.

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Why would you want to use what you know in your emails?

Of all the marketing you see all day, every day, which ones actually make an impact? Personalization can help your marketing rise to the top by speaking directly to your potential customers. It’s easy to tune out a conversation that you’re not involved in, but think of how fast you start to listen in once you hear your name.

The same can happen with marketing. Even just mentioning your customer’s name in the subject line of an email can boost open rates. If you only have a few chances a day to grab the attention of your customers, you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to make an impact.

Reward your most valuable customers

No matter how many new customers walk through your door, the ones that have been with you the longest are what keep you showing up early and staying open late. Reward that loyalty can help to keep them coming back, and can spread more loyalty via word of mouth when they tell friends about their special loyalty discount or reward.

Keep a record of the first time customers shop with you, visit your store, or sign up for your email list. Setup an automated message that sends them a special message and gives them some reward or an incentive that gets them back into your store. These emails work because customers don’t expect them and it shows how much you truly appreciate their business. After all, the lights couldn’t stay on without customers like them.

Build stronger connections with customers

Of course, as with anything, you can go too far with personalizing emails to people you know. Getting an email detailing my specific morning ritual, down to how many times I pet my cat before leaving for work (twice), would make me throw my computer out the window too.

Still, you can use personalization to forge a stronger connection with your customers. If you know three bike clubs visit your coffee shop every weekend, send out a bike club themed email to those customers giving them an incentive to come on Wednesday nights too. Your email could say, “In a bike club? Bring a new member to the coffee shop on Wednesday nights and get 10% off your coffee!”

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Keep things interesting (even a little weird)

Imagine getting ice cream on a warm, summer afternoon. As you pay for your two scoops of vanilla, you notice a survey next to the register asking what your favorite potato chip flavor is – interesting right?

A month later, you get an email from that ice cream shop with the results of the survey. Not only was your flavor one of the three most popular picks, but you can try all three in ice cream form right now, for a limited time. I’d try salt and vinegar ice cream at least once.

Personalizing your email marketing based on your customers’ likes and behavior can make your marketing more interesting and even set your business apart from the rest. Personalization can be a powerful tool that lets you test different messages with smaller groups of your customers, without the risk of turning other people off from your business.

How to start getting personal

If running your business has been your main focus, not getting to know your customers as well as you’d like, then now is the time to start. Not only will it make each interaction with your customers, more enjoyable, it can also help spur more revenue.

Start chatting with your customers, stage a get together for local clubs and organizations, or partner with other businesses; anything that can lead to more interesting conversations. Make sure you have a system to manage contacts in place, even if it’s just a simple spreadsheet, and add notes beside each customer as you learn more and more about them.

Even if the information you’re learning doesn’t seem to do with your business, down the road you may find that specific piece of personalization is exactly what’s missing in your marketing.


Source: https://blogs.constantcontact.com/




ABOUT WNFP
Westchester Networking for Professionals (WNFP) is a business organization focused on providing our members and guests with an extraordinary networking experience, bringing business professionals together for the sole purpose of generating new relationships and developing new business opportunities. Not a member, learn how you can become a member and join this awesome group of professionals to connect and grow your business.

Stay Connected with WNFP!