Top tips: First impressions- the importance of the welcome email

‘Welcome emails’ are often the first in a line of dialogue between a brand and its customers and, if poorly constructed or mistargeted, can be particularly damaging. Helen Taylor, data analyst at Experian CheetahMail, looks at how a successfully executed welcome email campaign can nourish customer dialogue, increase engagement and boost revenue.


First impressions have always been a significant part of building a relationship and in an increasingly competitive online environment they have never been more important. The proliferation of social media channels and forums for customers to voice their opinions (both good and bad) means a first impression can make an impact on hundreds and even thousands of people very quickly.
Research from our colleagues at Experian Hitwise found that UK internet users spend a large proportion of their time on social networks and forums, sharing their experiences and passing on information to their network of contacts. A staggering 500 million hours are spent on Facebook each month – so from a brand perspective, it is critical that what they are sharing is positive.
When the internet is also the shop front, revenue generation often depends on whether interactions with customers are both focused and targeted – from the very first website visit right down to the regular weekly newsletter. Our 2012 Digital Marketer report reveals that more than 80% of marketers send the same content to all subscribers – but as marketers strive to reach the highest levels of consumer engagement and interaction, this will have to change.
Email best practice is an integral component of any email marketing strategy and one of the first steps in building and nourishing a dialogue with customers is to implement a welcome email programme. Industry statistics show that a welcome email can be one of the most important a company will send – not only does the programme initiate the customer journey, but it sets expectations, demonstrates appreciation to the customer and drives engagement.
Whether it is an automated text-based opt-in confirmation or a branded welcome message, the first email that a new subscriber receives from your company sets the stage for developing a stronger customer relationship through your email programme. The key components of a welcome programme are proper representation of your brand promise and the setting of overall expectations for your business’s future email communications with its subscribers.
Forzieri, a luxury online retailer, is a brand that really understands the importance of delivering an integrated, streamlined email marketing strategy, and recently revamped its email marketing campaigns to suit the changing needs of its customers. Previously deploying a tactic of weekly one-to-many email blasts, Forzieri decided to take a more tailored approach and used email to begin to articulate a conversation with their individual customers.
“As an online-only retailer, we need to make sure that our conversation with customers is tailored and individual at all times,” said Andrea Forzieri, CEO and founder of the company. “The first email our customers receive from us is crucial – it begins to articulate a conversation with them that forms the building blocks of brand affinity and customer loyalty.”
Forzieri’s welcome programme saw immediate positive results. Conversion rates increased by more than 10% and the average revenue per email increased three fold. With millions of emails sent per month, these figures represent a significant boost to the company’s bottom line performance.
Success on this scale is possible – brands just need to ensure they are addressing key email best-practice tips when implementing welcome email campaigns:
• Expand your welcome programme with a series of introductory emails – In addition to the timing of the initial welcome, it is also worth considering a series of introductory emails. A welcome series is used to educate new subscribers about your brands, set expectations for the frequency and type of offers they will be receiving, introduce any loyalty programmes, highlight interesting website features, and provide information on product categories and store events – a great way of maximising the initial interest that subscribers have when initially engaging with your brand
• Give a formal introduction – Include your brand name in the “from” address, and be sure to “welcome” your subscribers in your subject lines. Also include whitelisting instructions so that the subscribers can add the “from” address to their list of accepted senders
• Mention the acquisition source – Make your connection to the subscriber clear by directly mentioning the source of acquisition, particularly if there is a delay between sign-up and the first email. Reconfirming that the subscriber provided his or her email address and naming the acquisition source will build trust with your brand
• Ask for their preferences – Remember to add a link to your preference centre as there is a higher tendency for new subscribers to respond. This tactic also acts as a reminder to subscribers that they can opt out if they did not realise they were signing up — something especially important for companies using implicit opt-in (automatic sign-up during purchase online)
• Gain insight on their interests – Use category navigation links or images and other clever calls to action from which you can infer subscriber interests. Leverage the click-through data for segmentation and targeting from the start of the subscriber relationship with your email programme to increase engagement and relevancy
• Optimise offers to increase response – Consider including an offer in your welcome campaigns to maximise transaction rates and revenue per email. If your company uses implicit opt-in, this can test the return on investment on new buyers who recently provided their email addresses. For subscribers with no previous purchase, test which offers work best for your brand.
The ability to deliver a well-designed welcome email, or welcome email series, to new subscribers in a timely manner is a key competitive advantage that savvy marketers must use to drive results. These programmes allow brands to engage with their prospective customers when their propensities to open, click and transact with emails are at peak levels. First impressions are often the ones that last, so brands need to ensure they make these interactions count.
By Helen Taylor
Data analyst
Experian CheetahMail
http://www.cheetahmail.co.uk/