Designing Your Email Program
from Online Outreach to
the Welcome Message

Alex Williams
Sales & Strategy | eROI
Blog: ReturnOnSubscriber.com
Twitter - @alexcwilliams & @eROI
Linkedin.com/in/emailmarketingstrategy

Email Marketing
(it works and it’s cheap)
During a time when all marketers need to be smart with every
dollar they spend, email is one of the few “go-to” tools with
dramatically low cost and instantaneous accountability.
*Blessing and a Curse*

What’s the value of an email address?
- Email Marketing: an Hour a Day by Jeanniey Mullen and David Daniels).

0.0035%

Your Audience
1. How Do They Find You?
2. Where Do They Land?
3. How Do You Get Them to Act?
4. How Do You Continue The Conversation?

Finding Thru Search: Paid vs. Organic

Finding you: Blogs/Social Media

3 Email Program Components
1. Opt-in
2. Thank you / Welcome Email
3. First Touch

Opt-In

Your opt-in form needs to stand out in a crowd.

Every Page is a Landing Page:
Tips for Opt-In on your Website
1. Call out your Email Opt-in on every page of your site.
2. Don’t expect them to find it (or read)
3. Links to samples are effective
4. Give subscribers choices! e.g. frequency (daily, weekly, monthly), event
alerts, etc...
5. Tell them specifically what they’re signing up for & how often
they’ll hear from you. Keep that promise.
6. Don’t make someone register (user/pass) for email
7. Remember, you can get more information later

Opt-in Questions – Good & Bad
Good
Too Much

If you ask them
questions...

...don’t ignore the answers. They will spread the word.
Like I am doing now.

Get them in and start the relationship

CBSSports.com Opt-In: Before/After

Welcome Email

2 Types of “Welcome Emails”:
1. Account Registration/Thank You
2. Email Communications Opt-In
(Double Opt-In is not viewed as a “Welcome Email”)

Thank You Email: Business Reasons
1. Immediate Recognition
2. Education for the Uninitiated
3. Tests Email Address Validity
4. Begins Behavioral Profile

Thank You: New Account
60% of new Twitter users drop the service within just one month.
- Nielsen

Thank You: Registration
 Thank Them
 Confirmation of Success
 Provide Account Details
 Cross Promote
 Link to Preferences

EventBrite:
Thank You/Welcome
 Branded “From”
and Email
 Confirmation
 Account Details
 Tools & Resources
 Link to Preferences

Welcome Email
A Welcome Email is the first email received
after an opt-in and/or confirmation of
subscription
This will likely be your highest open rate ever.
Make it count.

Welcome Emails drastically out perform
Standard Emails on every metric:
Open Rates: 145% Increase
Click Rates: 165% Increase
Conversion Rates: 442% Increase!

The Welcome Email: Business Reasons
1. Continued Conversation
2. Exposure to Additional Services/
Cross Promote
3. Subscription Management/
Progressive Profiling
4. Opportunity to Award/Reward

Welcome messages generate
superior open rates and,
done well, create a halo
effect that boosts subscribers’
engagement with subsequent
promotional and trigger
emails.

Shopbop:
Welcome
Email
 Special Offers
 More Details
 Calls to Action
 Whitelist Instructions
 Link to Preferences

Welcome: Not Pretty, But Effective

Welcome Email Anatomy

At the minimum, send the
Welcome Email within
hours.
Ideally the first message
should be received within
10 minutes of completing
the opt-in process.

TEST, TEST, TEST

Avoid the Bad First Impression

Eight Steps to More Effective Welcome E-mails
1. Send your welcome message within 24 hours to people who sign up for your e-
mail program.
2. Provide a link to your preference center so subscribers can manage their
subscriptions.
3. Include a welcome offer or other incentive to make a purchase; be creative about
incorporating this offer into the subject line without making it too long to display in
subscribers’ inboxes.
4. Provide subscribers with information on the types of content they can expect to
receive from you and how frequently.
5. Include white-listing instructions so subscribers can keep your e-mails out of their
junk folders.
6. Although welcome messages likely are considered transactional under the CAN-
SPAM Act, it’s still smart to include an opt-out link in case people change their
minds about subscribing.
7. Try to personalize the content for maximum relevancy and subscriber retention.
8. Tell subscribers how you intend to use their e-mail addresses or provide a link to
your privacy policy.
A Welcome Message Study: Marketers Are Missing Opportunities to Pave the Road to Relevancy Return Path

CBSSports.com Welcome Email Strategy

First Touch

The First Touch: Don’t Wait….Send it!
1. Speeds Up Engagement
2. Reduces List Churn
3. Inbox Recognition
4. Builds Brand

First Touch:
Keep Educating
& Keep Selling

You have 3 chances to set the
relationship before you lose 80% of
your future email marketing
performance.
- Email Marketing: an Hour a Day by Jeanniey Mullen and David Daniels).

So, What’s Next?

Be Good at 3 Things
1. Opt-In
2. Welcome Messaging
3. First Touch

Thank you.
Alex Williams
Sales & Strategy
Discuss
eROI
with us on
Twitter:
alex@eroi.com
@eROI
@alexcwilliams
with
#OMS
Questions?