Customer: Hey, I like what I see. So much so, I want to give you my personal info and contact details so you can connect to me while I’m in this super interested state.
60% of brands: (tumble weed)
It’s a moment we’re all waiting for. An actual interaction with someone who cares about what you’re doing. They’re into it. They’ve put in their contact details, clicked random images of traffic lights and hit ‘submit’. Now it’s your time to shine. But often companies don’t shine. They fade away. Instead of using this first point of genuine engagement between brand and supporter/customer/advocate there’s silence, and it’s killing the vibe.
Think of the scenario playing out in real life. You’re chatting to someone who wants to know more about your company and what you do. They hand over their business card and you… run and hide. Sure, you might see them in the lobby later but they’re hanging with another group by then and it gets awkward when you wave incessantly, trying to get them to notice you. By this point, it’s a hard task to win them over as you’ll be known as the company who hid and it’s tough coming back from that.
Creating a strategic, well thought-out welcome journey doesn’t need to be difficult. Nor does it take very long. But it is one of the most important touchpoints you should consider. Even if you’ve got one set up already, use the points below to help you review and tweak what you’ve got. Iteration will forever be your friend, my friend.
Ask yourself this question: What action would I most like subscribers to take as a result of reading these emails? Your answer, based on business priorities might be something like:
Now turn it into an objective you can measure (aka sprinkle some marketing juju)
List out the key metrics that will help you understand what’s working and what’s not. Your purpose will help you to understand the primary KPI you’ll track success against, no doubt some form of conversion. E.g. Conversion rate to webinar signups. Conversion rate of X product line. Get specific so it’s tangible.
Secondary metrics will guide you to the area that needs revising and tweaking. These include:
3-5 welcome emails is a good ballpark for the number of emails to send. However, you might want to send more or less depending on what you want to say and how you want to say it. Each email should have its own focus and objective – think one idea per send. Don’t send any more than you need to and keep it simple.
If you’ve gotten your Welcome Emails to a good place, consider the entry point and how you might want to tailor content based on where the subscriber has subscribed from.
For example; if your reader signed up because they took part in a competition, can you use that content and context to craft an email journey that takes them from A-B, with B being a touchpoint most relevant to your overall Welcome Journey purpose.
1. Core purpose: convert subscribers into potential leads
2. Measures of success:
Main – Number of calls requested.
Secondary – Open rate, click through rate, unsubscribe rate.
3. The sequence:
1 – Thank You/Set the Scene. Sent immediately acknowledging the subscription email, an overview of what the subscriber can expect and a call-to-action to follow This Way on social media.
2 – Value Add. Sent two days later with links to the most recent How-To guides and On the Radar articles, demonstrating the value these emails will bring.
3 – Offer/Sales Push. Sent three days after the last email, I offer 45 to anyone who would like to chat about their content or brand. This additional 15 mins is exclusive to subscribers only.
Note: In the subject line, I include the total number of welcome emails and where the subscriber is in the sequence. E.g. for the first email, the subject line looks like this:
[Welcome #1/3] The Path is This Way…
4. Take it further. Haven’t quite got to that stage yet. Doing and I say and keeping it simple for now.
If you’re still ummmming and ahhhing on this action. Don’t. Now is not the time to hide behind digital pillars in fictional online lobbies. Now is the time to say a big HELLO THERE to your audience in the best way possible. Want to chat through your idea? Book in for a free 30min call or drop me an email.
