Curating Your Email Subscribers' Experience: Nailing Your Welcome Campaign

How To Nail Your Welcome Campaign

How many of you have gotten a random email from an email list that you forgot you joined months ago? It happens to me every couple of days or so — I am on a ton of email lists (it’s kind of a problem).

I usually have to go back to the website where I signed up, and find the lead magnet or try to remember what was so interesting that made me want to give away my precious data.

This usually happens because of a couple of things.

1. The person who is managing the list isn’t emailing you frequently enough to stay relevant in yourself (we will talk about this in a different post).
2. The person never took adequate steps to introduce you to their list or set expectations.

These two things make up what I like to call Curating Your Email Subscriber’s Experience. It usually helps me feel like it’s important (which it is) but still approachable than something more tactics focused which I think is very overwhelming most of the time.

​Let me just say, before we dive in, that someone signing up for your email list is a big deal. Full stop.

Even if you only have 25 people. Even if you have 500 people. Every single one of those people consented to giving you their email address. I’m not trying to say this to shame you if you have let your email list fall by the wayside or make you feel silly talking to the same 10 people week after week but to try to reignite the excitement and motivation to serve your list the best you can.

​The first part of this two-part series, Curating Your Email Subscriber’s Experience, will focus on the latter of the two topics I mentioned earlier: how to introduce a new subscriber to your email list.

People sign up for email lists for many different reasons.

I usually join email lists so I can learn from engaging with and reading the content. Sometimes I join for a really cool freebie, a guide or tutorial. Sometimes I join when I want to stay updated on what’s going on with a brand. Sometimes I join because I like to buy a brand’s products or services.

People are going to sign up for your list for many different reasons, too.

Let’s pause and take a minute here. I want to ask you: why do you sign up for email lists? Is it to stay up to date? Is it to get more content? Is it to hear about new products? Is it to learn?

Generally, if you’re serving your audience and your clients or customers authentically, what you want out of an email list will also align with what your audience wants out of an email list.

As someone doing business, I know that you want people to sign up for your email list to buy from you — and I can tell you, that’s why I want people on my list — but buying from you, is not the first the on a new subscriber’s mind when they join up. I promise.

What does a welcome sequence do?

Welcome sequences are the first line of trust between you and your audience. Because everyone is coming to your list for different reasons with different expectations, it's important to have a way to make sure that everyone is on the same page. That’s what the welcome sequence is for.

​The welcome sequence will introduce the new subscriber to your list, deliver the freebie, and then start building that curated experience. It’s essentially educating them about who you are, what you do, and why your brand matters. It’s also the very first chance to turn them into a new customer or client (very exciting!).

I like to think about my clients in terms of a story. They are a hero going on a journey and we are the mentor helping them along the way:

1. The first step on the hero’s journey is to make sure they know what the journey is. This is where you talk to them about what you do and what your client or customers get from you.
2. The second step on the hero’s journey is to make sure the hero has the tools they need to make easy wins. This is an opportunity to tell them about a product or a service they should be interested in or it’s an opportunity for them to take some other action.
3. The third step on the hero’s journey is to show them the way through the roughest parts. This is an opportunity to share testimonials or a big long exploration of all of the benefits they would get from your brand.
4. The fourth step on the hero’s journey is to make sure they know where to find you next time they need help. This is an opportunity to start a conversation or ask for feedback.

You can use this narrative framework to build anticipation, conflict and resolution right into your new subscribers' experiences.

Why this works...

Throughout the storytelling process, you are able to build a relationship with your new subscriber. It gives them a sense of who you are, what you do and why you are important.

It gives you the opportunity to share big wins, and educate your audience a little bit more. And this becomes crucial to your larger client journey.

It also weeds out the people who aren’t for you. I know it’s incredibly disappointing when some new subscribers leave the list right away, but they probably wouldn’t have wanted to work with you or buy from you anyway.

Want more?

Thanks for hanging out with me today, I appreciate the time :)

I'm an email marketer who helps creatives "sell" themselves so they don't have to do it alone. If you want any more help developing a welcome campaign that will turn your newest subscribers into customers, follow this link to book a call with me or subscribe with the form below. ?

---