|
With Facebook and Twitter keeping consumers engaged with their e-mail inboxes, e-mail marketing is getting a nice shot in the arm. To further capitalize on this opportunity, marketers that still don't have welcome programs for new e-mail subscribers—or, worse yet, have ill-conceived ones—must get on the ball, says Loren McDonald, vice president, industry relations at e-mail marketing and marketing automation services firm Silverpop.
When new subscribers can lose interest in whatever content you promised them as early as two weeks from the opt-in date, according to MarketingSherpa research, you need to do more than merely confirm their sign-ups, he explains.
Consider the benefits of getting the welcome process right:
- speedier conversions
- minimized list churn
- strengthened brand perception
- reduced inactivity rates
According to McDonald, the purposes of a world-class welcome e-mail, or series of e-mails, include:
- educate subscribers
- reward and motivate
- instill/reinforce trust
- enable immediate e-mail experience
- provide administrative information
For example, he notes, a welcome e-mail from Magazines.com hit on all five purposes via a right-hand column that featured popular titles on sale; a list of links to important customer service information, such as the new subscriber's account page, and Magazines.com's privacy page and satisfaction guarantee section; a link to Magazines.com's e-mail feedback form; a link to a coupon for future purchases; and a postscript telling subscribers about the numerous free business/trade publications that Magazines.com offers on its site. The latter is a nice added-value feature that shows new and prospective customers how e-mails from Magazines.com will be about more than what's on sale.
The holidays are right around the corner, but there's still time to make your company's welcome e-mails a little more inviting.
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
|
Social Media ROI
Email Marketing that Works (2nd Edition)