What the Heck is a Welcome Email Sequence and Why Your Business Absolutely Needs One
They say “First impressions last.”
When I started out in the US, I worked as a retail sales manager, a bartender then a real estate broker. I always had to make a good first impression. Working in retail, you had to make a customer feel seen and welcome the moment they stepped foot in your store.
As a bartender, I smiled and chatted up my customers, earning tips for rendering a service - mixing and serving them a drink and listening to their stories. As a real estate broker, I didn’t just leave the apartment door open, but served warm cookies, offered glasses of water or even bubbly, and walked them through the apartment to imagine what it would be like to live in this prospective home.
But first impressions are just that - a hook.
You are reading this right now because I got you hooked. You subscribed to my newsletter because I got you hooked. You are here because you took time to get to know me and I gave you reasons to stay. The same rings true with customers, both in the virtual space and in real life.
As business owners, we hook them and give them a reason to sign up. And the welcome email sequence is one of the important spaces where and when you give them the reason to stick around. According to Flodesk, 74% of new subscribers expect one when they hit the subscribe button. They actually want to hear from you!
What is the welcome email sequence? It is an up to 4 to 5 part email series that introduces you and your business, to your brand new potential customers. It’s those first three dates (provided that you even make it past the first one!) that you do to get to know each other better beyond that initial hook, spark and connection. It’s the one that helps get the ball rolling.
According to Klaviyo, “The average open rate for welcome email series is 46.48% across industries, meaning nearly half of new subscribers or customers open them… at 4x the click rate.” Convert Kit chimes in to show that 65.8% of new subscribers from embedded opt-in forms open the welcome email sequence. Now there’s a whole lot of opportunity to be made here! And as entrepreneurs and small business owners, we know how every little thing counts.
I used to work at a bar called Whiskey Rebel in Murray Hill here in NYC. Customers take a seat, I welcome them, ask them where they’re from, then I tell them what’s available - specials or the beers on tap - and give my recommendations. I don’t let them guess. I manage their expectations. The same goes for when I introduce a new property to my real estate clients. I tell them more about the property and what it’s like to live there. I give them all the information they need, so they don’t need to look for it themselves.
When customers are informed and feel welcome and comfortable, the more likely they are to hang around, order more drinks, give more tips or, heck, even end up renting or buying property.
In the same way, the welcome email sequence introduces you and your business in a little more detail. They get to know you, what you offer and if your expertise and products/services are worthy of their trust. You don’t just send them any of your latest regular marketing emails. They don’t know you that well YET.
A welcome email sequence gives you the chance to establish your expertise, relatability and likeability, trustworthiness and authority.
One customer, let’s call her Customer X, came in on a Tuesday night. I introduced myself, told her about the night’s specials. She ordered a beer on tap and we chatted a little. I remembered her name and order - just in case she comes back. Lo and behold, she came back and ordered the exact same beer from me. I met her where she was at - a new customer. I told her all about me and the bar’s offerings, while she told me all about her.
It works the same way with the welcome email sequence. New subscribers to your newsletter are redirected to the welcome email sequence instead of your latest newsletter. You’d be surprised how it works its magic with them! According to Klaviyo, welcome email sequence drives “23x the conversion rate versus (your) regular marketing emails.” And you definitely want to convert new subscribers to actual customers!
Let’s go back to Customer X. She came back to the bar and I made sure her needs were taken care of. Then I noticed that the more trust she had in me, as we established a rapport, the more my tips increased. She came back week after week and became my regular. More tips is good, but repeat and regular business is definitely better!
And did you know that the welcome email series, according to Mailchimp, “yields an average of 51% revenue more than a single welcome email”? Us businesses like revenue!
Each business is unique, so a welcome email sequence needs to be tailor fit to your customers needs and the products/services you offer. You can give them a freebie, a discount code, share your founder’s story, testimonials from happy customers, your best content and more. The possibilities are endless!
With my years of experience in sales & marketing, content strategy, development and creation and know-how in email marketing, we can sit down, talk through the state of your business, go beyond that first impression and make a deeper connection and impact to both your customer and your business. And the welcome email sequence is a great place to start.
Are you ready to craft that welcome email sequence with me? Click here to sign up for a (introduce welcome email sequence product offering here.) or work with me.
