When someone visits your home do you wait till their leaving to welcome them? Of course not! However, it does seem that some email marketers are dropping the ball when it comes to welcome emails.
A hearty welcome is something we all appreciate. We especially enjoy a welcome which conveys to us that our presence is appreciated and valued by the host. Who wants to join a party and then be ignored? Email lists should be a great party and email marketing managers should be gregarious hosts who appreciate their guests and let them know they do.
Email service provider eCircle recently released a study of Europe’s four largest ecommerce markets – The UK, Germany, France and Italy. It’s a revealing look at how some of the biggest Euro ecommerce brands fare in email signup and best practices.
When it comes to a warm welcome, German retailers lead the way with 100% of those in the study reporting they sent out a confirmation or welcome email within ten minutes of a user signing up for their email list. Next were the Italians at 85%, French companies at 75% and British retailers at 65%.
What do you DO with welcome emails?
It’s nice to see numbers which suggest that most retailers understand the value of a warm welcome. However, do they also see the opportunity to turn that warm welcome into a hot prospect? What does a confirmation email do for you and your subscriber? Nada, zilch, zero!
I’ve just shown up for the party, you’ve met me at door, but you haven’t shown me any hospitality. Basically, the best I got from you is a reassurance that I didn’t walk into the wrong house. Wow! Let’s hope I’m enthusiastic enough to stick around for the yummy little cocktail weenies because you (the host) have done nothing to make me want to stay otherwise.
Don’t make people wait for a welcome. The eCircle study found that 25% of UK and French retailers responded to new sign ups in a week or even more! Holy smokes! That’s not a welcome, that’s like saying: “Oh you were at my party? Sorry I missed you!” You definitely missed them!
When people sign up for an email newsletter, they expect a confirmation email and most of them have received enough that they don’t expect to be thrilled by it. This is a golden opportunity to wow them with a welcome message which demonstrates you really value them as customers! Offering people a discount or bonus in your welcome email is a free shot people! They’re in, they want to love your brand and now all you have to do is reach out those arms and give them a nice big hug!