Increase Customer Loyalty Through A Successful Email Welcome Campaign
Management Summary
Now you have to quickly create the impression that the customer is important and valued. After all, it is he who has taken the first step, actively shown interest and shared his email address. A standard text email “Thank you for your purchase” or “You have successfully signed up for the newsletter. Your address will be added to our mailing list” is simply a missed opportunity to convince the customer of the benefit of further emails and to raise expectations.
Five goals as a basic recipe for a successful welcome campaign:
- The welcome takes place immediately after the initial registration.
- They create recognition value for your company.
- You convince the customer of the benefits of your offers.
- They prepare the customer for the type and frequency of further emails.
- The customer adds the sender address to their address book.
Timing is everything
Ideally, a customer should receive a welcome email immediately after confirmed registration (double opt-in) – but at the latest within 24 hours. The opening and click rates are highest immediately after registration. After a week, the customer may have already forgotten that they signed up for a newsletter. Professional email marketing tools offer the possibilityautomated welcome emailsto send, which simplifies this process immensely.
Additionally use oneprofessional templateas a template that you adapt in structure and content to the layout of future emails. This is how you create recognition value for your company. Don’t forget to test the display of the email on mobile devices too.
Personalization creates customer loyalty
Ameaningful subjectis half the battle of opening an email. A subject text with a teaser such as: “A 10 euro voucher as a thank you for …” has a direct benefit for the customer. However, do not send the email from a “do not reply” address or as a purely text-based email with a “do not reply” note. On the contrary. In the text, indicate a contact option that the customer can contact if they need help or need further information.
On the train, ask him tooThe sender address in the address bookto record. This reduces the risk of future communications ending up in the spam folder.
It is also recommended that the email be sent by a “trusted person” within your company – for example: the person who will send future emails or a key decision maker. From onepersonalized mailingthe customer feels personally addressed and individually cared for.
This level of personalization should be present throughout the entire welcome text. Address the customer directly by name and refer to the reason for registration and the registration channel.
Include teasersto further arouse the customer’s interest. For example, point out: about special offers or a competition. Offer a voucher. You can also simply share interesting information and topic-relevant tips or inform you about future events. The question that should always be in the back of your mind is “How can I meet the customer’s expectations and, above all, how can I meet them in the future?”
By the way, a targeted thank you is also important in the text. Because welcome emails are basically just thank you emails.
Trigger emails for longer-term campaigns
Keep the content of the email as simple as possible and do not overload the customer with information. A welcome strategy does not necessarily have to consist of a one-off email, but can be extended over a longer period of time.
With the help of multi-stage series emails (trigger emails), you can gradually introduce your company and the offer with all its advantages to the customer in order to then gradually bind them over the long term and, ideally, turn them into an existing customer.
In this case, it is not worth listing all the advantages in the first welcome email. A customer card with specially tailored offers or advance information about discounts or one-off offers are, for example, teasers that can be communicated at a later point in the customer journey.
Segmentation as a basis
Of course, correct segmentation is also important for the welcome campaign and further customer loyalty. Because strategic segmentation is the basis for a long-term successful customer journey. It is therefore advisable to first segment the customer into a registration pool and exclude them from any general emails.
With regard to further communication, in addition to the data provided, the registration channel (e.g. purchase, competition, etc.), the time of registration and also the interests should be noted. Once the welcome phase has been completed, the customer can then move on to the various subsequent phases depending on their further behaviorCustomer journey campaignsbe integrated.
Very important:Test again and again, and adjust the welcome campaign based on the results. From A/B subject line tests, sending time tests, a welcome email versus multi-stage serial emails, to sending distance tests. There is always room for improvement and new developments that are worth testing.
A good example of a welcome email
The underwear manufacturer Triumph, for example, has recognized what is important when greeting:
- At first glance, the sender is clearly visible.
- The recipient is addressed directly by name.
- The benefits of an opt-in are listed to the recipient.
- The recipient is prepared for future emails.
- A voucher is used as a teaser.
Adding an expiration date to the voucher offer would further strengthen the call to action. A teaser text such as: “Your voucher code is only valid for the next 48 hours” tells the customer that it is aunique welcome offerand he has to act quickly to take advantage of this. Interest has been aroused and a further step towards long-term customer loyalty has been taken.
Are you already using a welcome strategy in your company but would like more expert tips and tricks to increase the performance of your campaigns? Do you need help implementing an initial campaign?
