A crucial part of an effective inbound strategy is a targeted and timely email welcome sequence.
A “welcome” email series differs from other emails in that its aim is to educate new subscribers after they’ve opted in or downloaded a lead magnet, so they feel confident and informed before making a purchase decision.
In other words, the goal is to send them a series of emails welcoming them to your business, building trust, and educating them about what you sell.
How Is a welcome email sequence Different?
A welcome sequence is different from the emails you send out in real time (like a monthly newsletter) because it’s designed to be sent to people automatically when they first become members of your email list.
When what you do is a good fit for what they need, your emails don’t need to be pushy or sales-focused. Instead, they offer good advice that’s genuinely helpful in guiding them towards making a good decision..
A welcome email series can be particularly effective for businesses who sell a product or service that has a longer buyer journey because it offers the perfect way to build trust in your expertise and brand. But even if you have a shorter buying cycle, like an ecommerce store, welcome emails are helpful for reminding people that you’re there, and prompting them to make a purchase while interest is high.
And the best part is, that once it’s set up with the right content in the right system, your emails can be automated in the background, building relationships with potential clients on autopilot, freeing you up to focus your time on the parts of the business that you can help the most.
So, if you’re keen to learn more about winning welcome email sequences, read on to discover 5 reasons why they’re crucial for any business.
1) Connect while interest is high
When it comes to marketing, much of the focus is around capturing leads and building your database—but without clear next steps and continued engagement, your leads may lose interest and take their business elsewhere. If they’re interested enough in your product or service to download your lead magnet, pricing, or sign up for a newsletter, then you need to strike while the iron is hot, or risk losing them.
Having an automated email welcome series that’s ready to go allows you to respond immediately. The first email in your welcome sequence should acknowledge their interest and introduce yourself and the business, before going more in-depth about what you do in future emails. By sending them emails while interest is high, you keep the conversation going and build rapport, positioning yourself on their shortlist of options from the get-go.
2) Build trust and confidence over time
When you sell a high-end or complex product or service, it’s difficult to explain the ins and outs of what you do and why it is valuable succinctly in just a few words. And even if you are able to do so, it’s probably going to be too much information for most people to read and digest when visiting your website for the first time.
This is where a welcome email sequence shines, as you can break the information into manageable chunks that you can strategically share over a period of weeks or even months. This allows you to share all your best and most valuable tips and insights, without the information overload or pushy sales script. This is especially effective for those long buyer journeys and expensive products, where customers need to feel 100 per cent confident before they’ll commit to purchase.
3) Engage buyers at all stages of the Funnel
With a well-planned email welcome series, you can stay in touch with contacts and put yourself in front of those who are at all stages of the buyer journey. This includes those who are in the early awareness stage, through to those who are actively considering their options as well as those who are ready to buy.
Sales go up when you offer your prospects real value before the sale—that is, relevant information that they need to know to make their decision. That way, when the time is right, they’ll be more likely to choose you. And if they do need more time and are not quite ready to buy once the welcome email sequence is complete, you can send them your weekly or monthly news updates to continue to add value and stay front of mind.
4) Showcase your solution
An email welcome series gives you the ideal opportunity to explain your solution in detail, answering pain points and providing proof on how you helped others solve the same problem. You can talk about specific services you offer and share relevant blog posts to educate. You can also include testimonials and links to case studies for social proof.
For example, for people looking to build a new home, choosing the right builder is a big decision, which is why a welcome email series can be really valuable. A client of ours has a longer welcome sequence of around 20 emails, with each linking to a topic of interest, from blog articles on buying land to showcasing recent projects, mixed in with action points of taking a virtual tour, booking a consultation, or submitting a project enquiry.
5) Get to know your potential customers
Another great benefit of an automated email welcome sequence is the valuable data it provides. Using HubSpot automation software (or similar tools) you can track the success of the emails sent with regards to open and engagement rates, to see what your customers are interested in.This allows you to fine-tune your marketing strategy for continued improvement and success.
Plus, with the power of automation you can customise the content, timing, and segmentation of your welcome email series to really match the needs of your contacts. This is great if you have several different buyer personas, as you can create branches and send them different content at different times. You can also set a goal (such as when they submit an enquiry or become a customer), so the contact is automatically removed from the sequence once the criteria is met and they don’t receive the emails once they are no longer relevant.
Stay front of mind until the time is right
Not everyone is ready to buy now, but with an email welcome sequence you’ll stay front of mind for when the time comes. When you share relevant information and build rapport, they’ll learn about your expertise and how your solutions have helped others, building awareness and trust in you and your brand. When this is done right, and you offer a product or service that meets their needs, it will make the purchase decision an easy one when the time comes
Final Thoughts on Welcome Email Sequences
We know from having sent hundreds of thousands of welcome emails on behalf of our clients and our own digital agency that this stuff works.
When done well, a welcome email series will result in more revenue for your business because you’re building more trust and connection with your prospects, which can’t help but lead to more sales.
Even a hastily put together welcome series is better than none at all. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and create that sequence!
This content was originally published here.