It goes without being said that everyone appreciates good manners, and this pertains to email marketing as well. If you’re like 81 percent of marketers, you send a welcome email to your new subscribers. As a consumer, you can almost expect this these days. So, if your business is not currently doing this, you need to adopt this practice immediately.

There is a clear distinction between the impact that sending a welcome email can have on sales versus relying on sending bulk emails. To show you how powerful the impact of sending a welcome email to new subscribers is, welcome emails earn an 86 percent increase in their unique open rate, 196 percent increase in their unique click-through rate, and a 336 percent increase in the transaction rate when compared to sending bulk emails.

Timing is Critical
Of course, the time that you send your welcome emails will directly affect your open and click-through rates. Avoid sending welcome emails in batches and instead send them in real-time. You’ll see 10 times the interaction rate by doing this.

Avoid Using a Generic Email Address
Avoid using a generic email address such as “no-reply” when sending your welcome emails. This will discourage your new subscribers from engaging with your brand. You’ll have much better results if the email is sent from a real person versus from a spam-like email address.

Be Persuasive, Not Spammy With Email Copy
When writing your email copy, your goal should be to be persuasive without coming across as spammy. Make yourself aware of the top spam words, such as “prize,” “free,” “bonus,” “buy,” “purchase,” and “order.” While these words can be difficult to avoid when trying to persuade your audience to take some type of action, make a point to use words such as “because,” “you,” and “imagine” to help personalize and connect your audience to your brand and inspire them to take the next steps. By all means, avoid over-punctuation and the excessive use of capital letters in your email.

Insert Your Unique Personality
You want your email to be memorable, so don’t be afraid to insert your personality into the tone. Offer something unexpected. Inject some humor. Give your subscribers a reason to look forward to your emails and make them curious to want to learn more about your business.

Additional email marketing best practices to keep in mind with your welcome emails include thanking a new subscriber for joining, establishing expectations for future emails from your company, and requesting information to enhance future communications.

By using a welcome email and optimizing it using the tips referenced above, you’ll be able to better engage your email subscribers as soon as they sign up.