Did I make the right decision?
Should I have purchased XYZ products instead?
Maybe I acted too soon….
Post-purchase evaluation, the process a customer goes through after making a purchase, is real. Research says that 90% of consumers report their post-purchase experience is just as important as the quality of the products. And that process starts with your welcome email.
We recently spoke with our internal customer marketing expert, Jennifer Blanco. She explained that while you don’t need to overthink it, you do want to seize the opportunity to get your new relationship off to a great start.
“The welcome email doesn’t need to be overly produced or analyzed, but if you don’t have one, you’re missing out,” says Jennifer. “It offers an opportunity to connect with your new customers and reassure them that they made the right choice.”
Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered with some of our favorite tips and best practices.
What is a welcome email?
A welcome email is the first communication you send to a new customer, and it’s one of your best opportunities to build a strong relationship between the customer and your brand.
The email might thank customers for their business, provide details for getting started, and explain what to expect in the future.
Why does your brand need a welcome email?
Do you know the average open rate for an email? Stats vary, but across all industries, it’s roughly 36%.
Want to know the average open rate for a welcome email?
It’s about 80%. Big difference, right?
After making a purchase, customers want to hear from you. They’re excited about their new product or service, ready to get started, and very likely to open an email you send them. A welcome email lets you capture that opportunity.
Of course, the first step is to decide that you need a welcome email, and the second is to decide what it will say.
Best practices for great welcome emails
Jennifer explains that your welcome email can be as simple as a short welcome message for customers from the CEO, thanking them for their business and communicating your excitement. Or it can be a welcome email series, starting with the same email and following up with several more that include helpful tips or outline the onboarding process.
Here are a few helpful suggestions as you craft your email or series of emails.
Send the welcome message immediately
We’ve found that customers are much more likely to open a welcome email sent within the first hour of purchase. So, you’ll want to send that email immediately after the purchase. The best way to do that is by using a marketing automation tool that allows you to create triggered emails.
Say thank you
This might feel like a no-brainer, but you’ll want to thank your new customer for making the purchase. Better yet, include the thank-you in the subject line to clarify the email’s purchase. For example, “Thank you for signing up with Act-On” or “Welcome to Act-On!”
Introduce your account team
As customers start using your product, you’ll want them to know who’s there to support them. That’s why Jennifer recommends introducing your account team in the new clients’ welcome email. If you can customize the email to include the specific rep assigned to their region or industry, that’s even better.
Provide helpful resources
Consider providing links to your most helpful resources, such as your knowledge base, support site, community, or login portal (here’s an example of webinar resources we might include). Also, consider including your support offerings and hours.
Set expectations
Let your customers and subscribers know how often you’ll send emails, the types of emails you’ll send, and how to unsubscribe or adjust their subscription settings. Providing these details is important to deliverability and ensuring future emails arrive in their inbox.
Include a simple call to action
The intent of welcome emails is to thank customers and embrace them as the newest members of your community. So, while you want to keep it simple, you can also include additional links that introduce relevant products, services, and content.
Send more than one welcome email
You don’t want to stuff your welcome email (or any email, for that matter!) with too much content. Doing so could overwhelm your customers, leading to lower click-through rates in the future. If you have a lot of content and resources to include, consider dividing them into several emails to create a welcome series.
You’ll also want to distinguish between an onboarding series and a welcome series. An onboarding series focuses on guiding new users or customers through the first step of successfully using your product, while a welcome series is more high-level.
“The goal with a welcome series is to give the customer the nod for making the right choice and setting the tone for what’s to come,” says Jennifer.
Optimize your growth
Mastering your welcome email is an important part of starting a positive relationship with your customer, but it’s also part of something much bigger: customer marketing.
Customer marketing is focused on outreach to existing customers, promoting retention and growing revenue through strategic upsells and cross-sells. Research shows that repeat customers spend 67% more than new customers and convert at higher rates, so it’s a huge opportunity.
So, yes, master the welcome email, but also consider how it fits into your larger customer marketing strategy and how it will grow the customer’s lifetime value.
Do you want to know the tricks for keeping your customers coming back for more? We’ve given you our favorites in our on-demand webinar.
Best welcome emails examples
Want a starting point? Here’s an example of a welcome message from our internal swipe file. Use the welcome email template as inspiration so you don’t have to start from scratch.
| WELCOME TO ACT-ON, JENNIFER! First things first, congrats on joining the Act-On family. You’ve made a big decision to elevate your marketing automation strategy and we’re glad you’ve put your trust in Act-On. We’ll be here to make sure you’re successful at every step of your new journey as you begin to level up and grow your business.Members of our team are currently meeting to make sure there is a knowledge transfer and you are set up for success. They’ll be reaching out in the next day or two to schedule an onboarding call.We look forward to partnering with you and celebrating your future success. Thank you for choosing Act-On, we’re so glad you’re here! Cheering you on, Jeff Coleman, Chief Customer Officer |