I’m wrapping up the year with my own personal Top 5 lists, and today’s edition is The Best Welcome Email Campaigns of 2018!
Your welcome email campaign is the most important email in your entire arsenal (I’m not exaggerating)! It’s your first impression in your new customer or prospect’s inbox, and it sets the tone for the entire relationship.
I’m a strong advocate for creating, monitoring and consistently updating an automatic triggered welcome message (or welcome series), and here are a few reasons why:
- 74% of subscribers expect to receive a welcome email immediately upon signup
- Welcome emails enjoy a 50% open rate
- Welcome emails have 4X the open rate and 5X the click through rate of other emails
- Subscribers who receive a welcome email deliver a 33% higher engagement over their relationship with you
You might consider sprucing up your own welcome email (or launching one for the first time!) to hit the ground running in 2019. Hopefully these examples provide you with ample inspo. Without further ado:
My Top 5 Best Welcome Email Campaigns of 2018
The Hustle
Why is this top 5 material?
This welcome email does an excellent job of positioning what makes The Hustle unique, handles some housekeeping, tells me what to expect next, and invites me to engage on other platforms as well. Bam.
Why it delighted me:
They had me at hello, but they won me in the footer. “You received this email by divine intervention” ?? Tongue in cheek, playful, and authentic to their brand.
What could make it even better?
If I could rewrite the intro, I’d position what the subscriber has to look forward to more in a WIIFM (What’s in it for me) way. Yes, you’ll get news and tech and business, but what does that actually mean for me? Can I do my job better? Can I impress my friends with my cutting edge know-how? Will I invest more wisely? The whole “whatever else we think is interesting” is on-brand in terms of voice, but on the selfish side in terms of intent.
Make it work for you:
These guys give VERY clear instructions on how to ensure their daily emails end up getting their subscribers’ attention. If you send a daily email, you’d do well to do the same. Encourage folks to respond to your email address too, and that’s a gold star for inbox placement. As they say in the biz, whammy.
Joey Coleman “The Book Experience”
Why is this top 5 material?
The invitation to connect personally, and the author’s genuine initiative to usher you through really READING the book you’ve just purchased, is an excellent start to this relationship in what Coleman himself would refer to as the Admit phase.
Why it delighted me:
This is not just a welcome email, it’s the first email in a sequence. This kick off does a great job of positioning what’s to come. Depending on how much information I provided when signing up for the “Experience the Book” emails, I’m going to receive a variety of communications designed to help me in my journey! ENHANCE!
What could make it even better?
There’s a lot of words and a minor amount of redundancy. Email should be as direct and concise as possible.
Make it work for you:
If you’re in the kind of business that would benefit from a welcome series instead of a simple welcome email, take a page out of Joey’s book here. Pre-frame your new subscribers’ expectations on what they’ll see from you next so that your open rates and engagement stay high!
Interested in a deeper dive on welcome emails vs. series? Check out this post.
Kate Spade welcome
Why is this top 5 material?
Hello, new friend, here’s a special offer for you!
You aren’t going to hear me encourage discounting a lot on this blog, but for a retailer like Kate Spade, the strategy of including a 15% off incentive is solid. This email is likely to have one of the highest open rates of all of Kate Spade’s communications. Kate Spade is capitalizing on that high engagement by positioning an offer right away to convert a new subscriber into a purchaser.
(p.s. You can’t use that code, because I did…)
Why it delighted me:
Colorful. On brand. A big fat THANK YOU = the first words you see. I’m the lady who loves the handwritten thank you card, so I swoon over the ooze of gratitude.
What could make it even better?
Honestly, I’m drawing a blank. For the brand, the product, and their email strategy (frequent sends with different products on offer), it’s near perfect.
Make it work for you:
Do you offer pricing incentives as a part of your ongoing sales strategy? If so, implementing a welcome coupon of some sort could be a terrific way to turn a casual website visitor into a first-time purchaser right away.
The Contract Shop
Why is this top 5 material?
This is another near-perfect welcome campaign, y’all, but like at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Kate Spade example. Limited in imagery but rich in value and content, she nails the delivery of the “thing of value I expected when signing up” (the Free Download). This email helps set expectations on what kinds of content she’ll be sending me, and gives me easy instruction on how to engage further. All the while, she’s also positioning herself as the go-to gal for all things legal-related.
Why it delighted me:
See above. Near perfect.
What could make it even better?
Obvi nobody’s PERFECT perfect. I would have preferred to be just called “Dear Erica.” It’s a simple form fix to separate out first and last name. Don’t get lazy on me, Christina! 🙂
Make it work for you:
If you are building a personal brand, you should take a page out of this book to create your own best welcome email. Offering something of value (a free resource or guide, for example) in exchange for your subscribers’ email address is a solid strategy, and this email goes far beyond! Give your subscribers a quick history about you so they know why they should trust you to be their go-to on this kind of thing. Tell them what your email program will deliver on an ongoing basis and how that will benefit them. And make sure you set their expectations for what to look for next (as Christina does to perfection in the P.S.).
Chubbies
Why is this top 5 material?
It wouldn’t be a Top 5 Round-up without something from Chubbies. Prominent product photography with an on-brand message of gratitude above the fold? Booya. Hilarious copy? LOL. Sketches of the founders? I see you, Chubbies. Plus ways to shop AND stay connected well after the customer has read through all the words. It’s dope.
Why it delighted me:
“Sky’s out, thighs out.” ‘Nuff said.
What could make it even better?
One strategy they aren’t executing here is additional data capture. Actually, that’s missing from all of the examples I’ve shared here, but heck, even I overlook a thing or two. By asking people to tell you what they want to hear more from you about, you can better segment your list and target your messaging. For instance, Chubbies might be interested to know if I’m male or female, so they can position their offers more effectively to my shopping style.
Make it work for you:
If you have a playful brand, make sure your welcome email mirrors that tone, voice, and imagery. Include playful calls to action or a picture of you and key members of your team. And if the convo is lively outside of your email program (say, on social media…), make sure you invite your new subscribers to join you over there as well.
Summin’ it up
The welcome email is your business’s first impression in the inbox. These businesses are saturating their welcome email with their unique personality and brand pillars, which makes for a very compelling first impression.
Which of these stand out features or customer delight elements will you apply to your own version of a “best welcome email”? Share your favorites in the comments!
Make the commitment today to kickstart 2019 with your best welcome email campaign.