You know that building your email list is one of the best things you can do for your business. So you’ve been working hard to implement strategies that encourage people to sign up for your email list. And it’s been working. You’ve been getting more subscribers than ever lately, and each time someone new signs up, you do a little happy dance to celebrate the fact that the hard part is over.
But is this true? Is the hard part really over? Not quite.
Building an email list isn’t just about getting people to sign up for your list. It’s also about creating an engaged group of subscribers who love your brand and can’t wait to buy from you. How do you create a connection with your subscribers and wow them more than they could have ever imagined? By creating and sending an effective welcome email series to new subscribers.
Keep reading below to find out what a welcome email series is and the 10 ways it improves the quality of your email list.
How do you keep your email subscribers from unsubscribing? By delivering tons of value in your emails. Need some ideas?
Download our free tip sheet on 19 types of emails you can send to your email list.
What is a welcome email series?
A welcome email series is a series of automated emails that you send to new email subscribers after they sign up. These emails introduce new subscribers to your brand and explain why you’re the perfect fit for them. You send the first email immediately after someone subscribes and send the rest out over the next few days or weeks.
If you offer an incentive to people for signing up for your email list, you’re probably already sending at least a single welcome email to your subscribers. After all, you have to deliver the incentive to them in some way. But if you’re sending just a single welcome email rather than a welcome email series, you’re missing out on opportunities to create an engaged list that’s more likely to buy from you.
Here are 10 ways using a welcome email series improves the quality of your email list:
1. It helps you build a relationship
You don’t get to know someone by meeting them just once, right? It usually takes at least a few interactions to figure out if you could be friends. It’s the same thing with your email subscribers. By sending a welcome email series, you give your new subscribers a chance to get to know you and decide whether they want to be in this for the long haul.
2. It shows the value you have to offer
In addition to delivering your opt-in incentive, you can use your welcome email series to give your new subscribers resources (e.g., checklists, ebooks, and templates), discounts, and other items they would find valuable. This helps you show your subscribers right off the bat that you really are committed to helping them.
3. It directs subscribers to the best sections of your website or blog
You don’t have to settle for just offering resources and promo codes that new subscribers can get directly from your emails. You can also use your welcome email series to direct subscribers so the most value-packed sections of your website or blog. This could involve sending them links to your top blog posts, digital resource library, or latest podcast episode. You’ve already created the content, so why not help your new fans find them? Plus, you be able to boost traffic on your website or blog.
4. It sets expectations
A welcome email series gives you multiple opportunities to show your subscribers the value you have to offer. This sets the expectation that they can count on you for a solution to their problem or a way to make their life better.
5. It makes them excited about your brand
Many of your subscribers may have signed up for your email list only to get access to your opt-in incentive. That’s why a welcome email series comes in handy. By engaging with your subscribers early on and giving them tons of value for free, you can take your subscribers from “meh” to “yeah!”
6. It increases sales
Email subscribers are most engaged right after they sign up for your list. A welcome email series lets you capitalize on this “honeymoon period” by delivering lots of value in a short amount of time and keeping your brand front and centre in their mind. The result? They’ll be more likely to respond to your pitch when you try to sell them a product or service.
Related: 12 email subject line tips to boost your open rate + free spam trigger word list
7. It lets you gradually nudge them toward a sale
Most of your subscribers and customers won’t buy something the first time they interact with you. After all, they probably don’t know very much about who you are. Why would they spend their hard-earned money on you?
With a welcome email series, you give your subscribers a chance to get to know you over a series of emails. And with each one, you nudge them closer and closer to the action you want them to take (e.g., booking a service or buying a product).
8. It gives subscribers an orientation
When new subscribers join your list, they’re probably out of the loop. They haven’t had the benefit of receiving all the emails your long-time subscribers have received. So joining a new email list can be a bit like stepping into the middle of a conversation; it’s easy to feel lost and confused. A welcome email series addresses this by orienting new subscribers to your brand and showing them what you’re all about.
9. It gives you an edge
Lots of brands send either a single welcome email or no welcome email at all. By sending a welcome email series, you’ll give yourself an edge over your competitors by creating a stronger and more valuable relationship with your new subscribers.
Related: The 7 most effective email subject lines + 63 free subject line templates
10. It’s like having a permanent doorman
It takes a bit of work to set up a good welcome email series. But once you’ve written your emails and set them up in your email software, your series will run on its own as soon as a new subscriber signs up. Thank you, automation. You’re a life saver!
Use a welcome email series to supercharge your email list
Setting up a welcome email series is more work than creating a single welcome email. But the difference in benefits can be HUGE! By using a welcome email series, you’ll be able to develop stronger relationships with your subscribers, build a more engaged email list, and deliver more value to your fans. And you know what that means: more sales. How can you say “no” to that?
How do you keep your email subscribers from unsubscribing? By delivering tons of value in your emails. Need some ideas?
Download our free tip sheet on 19 types of emails you can send to your email list.
