4 reasons why you need an automated email welcome sequence

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Are you running an online business and not yet set up a welcome sequence for your customers when they first opt-in? I’m not going to shame you, because this is a tale I’ve heard so often.  But, if you’re wondering if you really need one, then here are 4 no-brainer reasons why you should create one today.

4 reasons why you need an automated email welcome sequence for your online business

Imagine you’ve entered a room for the first time. It’s unfamiliar and you’re confused about what you should do next.

How would it feel if there was a little welcome party for you (even if you are an introvert), and then the host came to you and said “Hi”, using your name. How special would you feel? Especially if you’ve been watching this person from afar and you knew they were pretty awesome.

Then over the period of time you were there, people kept coming up to you to check you were okay? Maybe they lead you to the au devres and point you in the right direction every time you had a question.

That would be pretty cool right?  AND make you feel welcome!

Now compare this to walking into a barren room with a few sign posts and a tumbleweed rolling across the floor.

You’d wonder where everyone went. Maybe you’d think you got the wrong address. Or perhaps you’d be pretty disappointed that you gave up something precious for a barren wasteland of a party.

This scenario isn’t such a great experience. So, what are you supposed to do?

Leveraging your list with an automated email welcome sequence

You’ll know that I’m not actually talking about parties here but in fact welcome emails.

But the scene I just set above is exactly why an automated welcome series is so important for your business – either for a new customer or a reader who needs more information before buying.

You want your readers and customers to feel welcome in your world, to feel at home, and to know that you’re both on the same page because you believe in the same things as they do (this is called resonance by the way).

But while you’ve probably got the business side running well, you might be missing great opportunities with the people who entered your world via your subscriber list. 

They've given you their  email (given up something precious to them) and it’s important to respect that. They WANT to hear from you. They’ve signed up to receive something from you so it’s your duty to be the perfect host to guide them and answer the questions they may have.

4 reasons why you need a welcome sequence

1. From the moment they give you their email address, they’re interest is high and they are primed to hear from you about your products and your brand. Don’t let that excitement or interest dwindle by ghosting them at the start of what could be a beautiful relationship.

2. Due to this high interest from the moment they enter your world, welcome emails  are usually the most opened emails of all. Just to give you an example, according to Campaign Monitor, general email open rates hover around 18%, but I’ve had experiences with clients where welcome emails get anywhere between 50% and 75% open rate (there’s even the potential to go even higher if that is your focus with testing and tweaking).  Why waste that high open rate potential by not having at least one welcome email? The welcome email or sequence is the perfect opportunity to “sell” your brand to them, so that they get on board with your company’s mission and feel inclined to then buy your products.

3. Once you readers have been welcomed into your world, they’ll feel at home. They’ll feel like they know you and your products so it’s more likely that customers will engage with your brand AND buy.  This turns readers into customers, and one time customers into repeat customers who not only love your products but share the love for them to their network.

4. And finally when it comes to positioning your product and “asking for the sale” it will make it easier for them to say yes because they are engendered (which means they’re in lurve with you) to your brand. How’s that for making more sales?

Build your community for more sales and more impact

At whatever stage in business you’re at, you need to think about your customer's journey and their experience with everything they touch when it comes to communication with you. Getting in their inbox is the first step to a connection that can go as deep as their friendship with their BFF, but building on that connection is what an email welcome sequence will help do for your business.

The connection is the most important thing when it comes to sales because once you’ve built trust through your email exchange… And they like you as if you were their friend… And they understand that they are just like you in their beliefs around making a difference with the products you create and the products they use… Then selling almost becomes obsolete.

More sales = more impact. Period.