First impressions are important.

And this is particularly true for your business or brand. That first interaction can set the tone for a long-term partnership with your customer, or it can ensure that the customer never comes back.

With so much riding on first impressions, do you think it’s a good idea to send your customer an automated email as the first ever email form your brand?

Keep in mind that welcome mail open rates are 50% to 86% higher than newsletters. And revenue per welcome mail is a whopping 320% more than other promotional emails.

Common sense and the numbers both indicate that welcome emails are important. So let’s go through the 6 do’s and 6 don’ts for the perfect welcome email–and you’ll be on your way to creating the perfect first impression that will result in a profitable, long-term partnership.

DO: Remember it’s your brand talking to a person

Your customer has just come on board, so chances are that their receptivity towards your branded messages is high. Now is the time to welcome them, and more importantly, reassure them about making the right, safe and secure choice. You can do this by briefly mentioning your privacy policies, and congratulating them for coming on board.

DON’T: Do not bombard the reader with too much technical information. A detailed email talking about how their privacy is maintained may not be the ideal way to start a conversation. Treat it like meeting a person for the first time. Say hello, mention that it is nice to meet them and end always thank them for coming on board.

DO: Remember the objective

Every email marketing strategy has its own set of objectives. It is important that you know what yours is while writing to them. Do you want to tell the customer your brand story? Or do you want to welcome them with a coupon code? Whatever your welcome mail objective is, remember to focus on it and put it across in a clear and concise manner.

DON’T: Do not try to put in multiple objectives or call-to-action in one email. Especially if it is your first. The last thing you want the customer to feel is confused after they are done reading your mail. It also shows that either you are trying too hard, or that you have no clear goal in mind for writing to them.

DO: Establish future expectations

Always let your customer know what’s in store. One great thing towards ensuring smoother future interactions is to let the customer decide the frequency of the emails they receive. Let them know what they can expect in the future emails. If possible, ask for their preferences and fine tune your emails to them accordingly.

DON’T: Do not set expectations that you will find difficult to fulfill. Remember to under-sell and over-deliver. Nothing will harm your brand reputation more than not fulfilling the promises you made. In terms of frequency too, make sure the content is always relevant and not just written words that are sent out because you promise to be in their inbox once a week.

DO: Be prompt

Your first email should reach them the moment they sign up. Delay would not create the best first impression that you were aiming for. As they say, strike the iron when it is hot. A delay of 30 minutes might not sound like a long time, but on the Internet, that can seem like a lifetime.

DON’T: Don’t be impersonal! Remember that although you need to be prompt, you still are talking to a human being. Never treat them as customer #2534. While being prompt is important, being personal is more impactful.

DO: Open more channels of communication

Emails are not the only way to interact with your customers. A welcome email is a good point to recommend them other communication channels such as telephone numbers and social media handles. Make them feel like you are present wherever they are, so they don’t have to go somewhere specific to get in touch with you.

DON’T: Do not suggest channel which is not relevant or ones where your availability might be an issue. Do not mention your telephone numbers if you know there’s always a long waiting period before the calls are connected.

DO: Offer an Opt-out

An opt-out offer lets the customer know that there’s always a way out if they don’t wish to be part of your mailing list. Although it is not legally required to have one due to the transactional nature of the mail, it is also the step when people are most likely to opt-out too.

DON’T: Do not make it hard for your customers to opt-out. If there is no clear option for opting out, or it the procedure is too complicated, the customer will end up reporting your email as spam. This, in turn, will cause more harm to your reputation.

With the use of Maropost for Marketing, you can improve your customer’s first impression, and ensure that the customer comes back.

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