Why Email Marketers Should Utilize Welcome Campaigns

Increasing the number of their email subscribers enables marketers to cast a wider net – and can substantially boost the effectiveness of marketing efforts. Unfortunately, too few email marketers put conscientious effort into welcoming new subscribers, instead sending one measly, “Thanks for subscribing” initial email, then entering them into established campaigns.

Justin Orgel, associate director of strategic accounts at Experian, calls that a missed opportunity. During the panel “Converting Consumers Into Subscribers: Acquisition Strategies” at the 2012 Email Insider Summit, Orgel suggested email marketers really welcome new subscribers by creating a welcome stream (or campaign).

“Having a nice welcome stream can kick things off nicely,” Orgel says. “For a lot of clients I work with, we definitely suppress [new subscribers] from receiving tons of promotional messages common with retailers, and put them into welcome streams that essentially mimic the cadence of normal promotional streams.”

He continues, “One of our clients, Barney’s, does a really nice five-part welcome series that showcases within each email what the value of actually being on their list is. Then, it pours them into their normal campaign.”

Make a Good Impression

Let face it: Building an email marketing welcome campaign doesn’t happen overnight. First your team must brainstorm campaign strategy, then create copy, calls-to-actions and any related downloadable content. Next comes designing and web development, followed by testing, scheduling and final implementation. And don’t forget the seemingly endless client and legal team reviews and edits!

Why put in all the work? According to Orgel, a welcome campaign makes a great first impression on new subscribers, getting them engaged from the beginning. Welcome campaigns give email marketers opportunities to:

• Create personalized thank you messages, making new subscribers feel valued
• Introduce campaigns without overwhelming subscribers while the company is still top of mind
• Warm new subscribers up to the program, getting them acclimated to email contents and frequency
• Outline the value of the marketing program

What are your thoughts on welcome campaigns? Share your opinions in the comments. Want more people to welcome? Download this guide for tips on gaining new subscribers.

photo credit: Lynn Kelley Author