The Email Wars

We have just wrapped up a 8 city tour with the Online Marketing Summit that took us across the country sharing with marketers from all market segments about the importance of the email welcome process. In each city we had the opportunity to refine our presentation based on three simple things:

1. The Opt In

2. Thank You Page/Thank You Email

3. The First Touch/Welcome Email

Now how do these tie into what your Mother taught you? Well let me try to make this simple. Not knowing how your own mother might have raised you, but knowing how all of ours did at eROI we know the importance of being clear, being hospitable, saying thank you, and making you feel heard and welcome into our home (of your website).

These three steps are key to your email marketing and it is amazing to us that so many people don’t think about how to use them to set the values, goals and future success of a relationship. These first few touches are the most important to driving future success to your email marketing programs. Why? Well let’s explore them.

1. The opt in: Where is it? Is it on every page? Does a visitor need to hunt to find it? Is it clear to what they are giving you information in return for what they are getting from you? Is it a long form or a simple subscription box that asks for more later? (Progressive Profiling) Does it require too much information that you will not use, as often we see people ASK for so many things they they are not prepared to use immediately. If you don’t have a plan for it in the first few touches ask later.

2. Thank You Page and Thank You Email: Yes this is two steps in a one action necessity. You have them engaged at the Thank You page. What are you telling them. Are you thanking them? Are you letting them know what do do in order to get your email? Is your email a double opt in and they need to take a action (PS a double opt in is not a welcome email)? Do you drive them down a few paths, offers or give them a way to continue the visit? OR do you just leave them with thanks and hope that they find the next step and don’t surf on to another site.

The thank you email comes after a double opt in IF you are using double opt in. This is a chance to say thank you again, set expectations of what they will be getting and at this time ASK them to check their info in your email preference center to make sure that their information is all correct with you – give you a little more info you did not ask at the opt in – AND give them something special as a treat for signing up. This could be a discount code for a purchase, a special report or guide that you do not make available at other places in your site, etc. It is a time to incent and reward their behavior.

3. The Welcome Email – Or first touch: Now this first touch should also be special. It should be about driving them deeper into understanding more about what you can do for them, how to interact with you, or even giving them ideas of other places to explore in your site. This might be your highest performing email as it seems that reads, clicks and actions all slide downhill from these first interactions IF not done right.

I challenge you to review your process and see how you can test it to make it better and drive higher levels of sustained interactions with your email marketing programs.

Just as our mothers taught us, being nice, saying thank you, and properly welcoming someone into your home makes for the best first impressions. And these interactions can stay for a life time.