SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEEDDoes your "welcome" send the right message?
A new subscriber "opts in" to receive your newsletter. Great. So you respond with a simple "thank you," right? Not exactly. The right welcome message can - and should - do a whole lot more.
A recent study reported that 40 percent of American Internet users changed their opinions of brands as a result of information they gathered online. This underscores the importance of making sure the image you portray online, especially in your email marketing, accurately reflects your brand. Often, it all starts with something as basic - but still as important - as your welcome message.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT
When it comes to true brand building, there are no minor details. Use your welcome message to begin making an emotional connection with your subscribers. Beyond thanking them, be sure to do the following:
* Reconfirm the value of the email they just signed up for.
* Briefly highlight the content they can expect to receive and how often they'll receive it. Connect benefits where possible.
* Build trust. Reassure them that you will not share their info. Provide a link to your privacy policy.
DRESS YOUR WELCOME MESSAGE FOR SUCCESS
You've already designed and created a beautiful email newsletter that accurately reflects your brand. Why send a plain text email to welcome subscribers to that newsletter? Get your readers excited to receive the first issue, and give them a visual cue of what the email they signed up for will look like. With the flood of email these days, anything you can do to build awareness helps get your email read.
Borrow the same or similar graphics used in your current newsletter, literature, and/or logo. Consider adding a graphic of what your most recent newsletter looked like. With minimal effort your welcome message can build brand identity and ensure that future emails will be read.
AVOID SPAM FILTERS AND BULK MAIL FOLDERS
Subscribers won't read your newsletter if it never gets delivered or if it gets lost in a bulk mail folder. Make sure your email gets delivered to their inbox where it's easily accessible. Encourage subscribers to add the email address your newsletter will be sent from to their address book.
BE EASY TO COMMUNICATE WITH. ALWAYS.
The special needs and interests of your readers are always changing. Reassure them that they can easily update their email preferences or unsubscribe at any time, and provide a link where they can do so. Now your welcome message has become an evolving platform for action that makes subscribers feel connected and respected. Your readers infer that the easier your email is to work with, the easier your organization will be to work with.
MORE HELPFUL GUIDELINES
* As always, choose a subject line that is simple and accurately reflects your message, whether it's "Welcome to XYZ newsletter" or "Thank you for subscribing to XYZ news."
* Have a mechanism in place that sends your welcome message automatically and immediately after a subscriber signs up. (SubscriberMail does this. Contact us to learn how.)
* Keep the message brief, as much "above the fold" as possible.
* Include full contact information and invite feedback.
Remember, first impressions count. And while the medium may change, the quality must stay the same - whether in person, online, on paper, or in your welcome message.
A recent study reported that 40 percent of American Internet users changed their opinions of brands as a result of information they gathered online. This underscores the importance of making sure the image you portray online, especially in your email marketing, accurately reflects your brand. Often, it all starts with something as basic - but still as important - as your welcome message.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT
When it comes to true brand building, there are no minor details. Use your welcome message to begin making an emotional connection with your subscribers. Beyond thanking them, be sure to do the following:
* Reconfirm the value of the email they just signed up for.
* Briefly highlight the content they can expect to receive and how often they'll receive it. Connect benefits where possible.
* Build trust. Reassure them that you will not share their info. Provide a link to your privacy policy.
DRESS YOUR WELCOME MESSAGE FOR SUCCESS
You've already designed and created a beautiful email newsletter that accurately reflects your brand. Why send a plain text email to welcome subscribers to that newsletter? Get your readers excited to receive the first issue, and give them a visual cue of what the email they signed up for will look like. With the flood of email these days, anything you can do to build awareness helps get your email read.
Borrow the same or similar graphics used in your current newsletter, literature, and/or logo. Consider adding a graphic of what your most recent newsletter looked like. With minimal effort your welcome message can build brand identity and ensure that future emails will be read.
AVOID SPAM FILTERS AND BULK MAIL FOLDERS
Subscribers won't read your newsletter if it never gets delivered or if it gets lost in a bulk mail folder. Make sure your email gets delivered to their inbox where it's easily accessible. Encourage subscribers to add the email address your newsletter will be sent from to their address book.
BE EASY TO COMMUNICATE WITH. ALWAYS.
The special needs and interests of your readers are always changing. Reassure them that they can easily update their email preferences or unsubscribe at any time, and provide a link where they can do so. Now your welcome message has become an evolving platform for action that makes subscribers feel connected and respected. Your readers infer that the easier your email is to work with, the easier your organization will be to work with.
MORE HELPFUL GUIDELINES
* As always, choose a subject line that is simple and accurately reflects your message, whether it's "Welcome to XYZ newsletter" or "Thank you for subscribing to XYZ news."
* Have a mechanism in place that sends your welcome message automatically and immediately after a subscriber signs up. (SubscriberMail does this. Contact us to learn how.)
* Keep the message brief, as much "above the fold" as possible.
* Include full contact information and invite feedback.
Remember, first impressions count. And while the medium may change, the quality must stay the same - whether in person, online, on paper, or in your welcome message.