Whether you use a single or confirmed opt-in subscription method, you’ll be sending the first welcome email to each new subscriber. This is an email message that is automatically sent to the prospect after the subscription is done.
The way you welcome people lays the foundation of your future relationships. This is one of the most precious moments in your overall email marketing program. Someone has just expressed the interest in your services or products and has given his consent to receive your mailings. You’ve got the reader’s attention and, what is most important, you’ve got their email address and permission to email them.
When it comes to email deliverability, we used to talk about big issues: opt-in email list and list hygiene, ISP whitelisting, sender authentication (SPF, Reverse DNS Lookup, and DomainKeys), and email newsletter design. These factors play a very important role in the email delivery process and are worth our attention. However, there is one more simple yet effective tactic – get added to the recipient’s contact list or address book. It seems obvious but often times it’s overlooked by email marketers.
Email marketing starts with collecting opt-in subscribers but the ultimate goal of your list building strategy should be getting lifetime customers. The actual measure of your marketing success is not your subscribers’ list, it’s your customers’ list.
So, getting opt-ins is important but what is more important is to communicate with them, show them your appreciation, and do your best to help them achieve their goals. You’ll develop a long-term email marketing program to maintain your customers but it all starts with the welcome email. Engaging new subscribers is as important as collecting opt-ins in the first place. Below are 5 tips and best practices for creating and sending welcome messages.
