Savvy marketers use welcome emails to introduce their brand to new subscribers and ease them along to their first purchase. But what makes a welcome email effective?

In this blog post, we explore eleven examples of effective welcome emails and discuss why they work so well.

1)    Set a positive tone

Start your subscriber relationship off on a positive note by congratulating them on their decision to join you.

A congratulatory message reassures new subscribers that they’ve made a wise choice and makes them feel part of something worthwhile. The positive sentiment this creates makes that first purchase more likely.

We love this example from Topman. The confident tone of the congratulatory welcome email reminds shoppers how confident they’d feel if they shopped with the fashion brand:

Topman welcome email example

2)    Promote free delivery

If you offer free delivery, your welcome emails are a great place to promote this.

Having to pay for delivery may be a purchase barrier for your new subscribers. Removing this may entice them to buy.

Urban Outfitters promote their free delivery in simple bold style in this example:

Urban Outfitters welcome email

3)    Introduce key product lines

Your welcome emails are an opportunity to introduce subscribers to key product lines that might interest them. This helps them explore your website and discover their first purchase.

We love this cute example from Lego that introduces the different collections it has to offer:

Lego welcome email

4)    Create a sense of community

People feel more warm and loyal towards brands that create a sense of community. Your welcome emails are a place to cultivate this.

Nike’s welcome email makes strong use of images of people. This gives subscribers a sense of the community of customers they’re now a part of:

Nike welcome email

5)    Make them feel special

Use your welcome email to make your new subscribers feel special. Tell them about the exclusive messages they can expect from you and get them excited to open your next email.

This example from Debenhams shows how you can tempt subscribers by explaining how you’ll keep them in the know:

Debenhams welcome email

6)    Say thank you

Another rapport building welcome email tactic is to say thank you. This makes subscribers feel valued and encourages them to see your brand in a positive light.

La Redoute uses thank you messaging well in this example, adding a discount to support the sentiment:

Le Redoute Welcome Email

7)    Communicate your values

Customers like to shop with brands that share their values. Show your customers what’s important to you in your welcome email.

This example from Lakeland shows how you can communicate your values openly and honestly. It’s wordier than some of our other examples but gives a strong sense of what matters to the brand:
Lakeland welcome email

8)    Reinforce your brand image

For brands that are heavily design-focused, the welcome email is prime real estate to reinforce the visual image of the brand.

Fossil does this well in this striking image-led example:
Fossil welcome email

9)    Promote your best content

Whether it’s a how-to video or interactive tool, if your brand has invested in high-quality content your welcome email is the ideal place to promote this.

We have fallen head over heels for this welcome email from Mac because it’s simply brimming with classy content:
Mac welcome email

10) Introduce your loyalty scheme

Your loyalty scheme is a great way to turn customers into brand advocates. The sooner you get your customers involved, the better!

Introduce your VIP or loyalty scheme in your welcome email to keep your subscribers close from day one.

Jersey Beauty Company gives its VIP scheme a stylish push in this example:

Jersey welcome email

11) Give your customers a tour

Those new to your brand may not know their way around your website or social channels just yet, so give them a tour.

Signpost them to the various ways they can find you in your welcome email so they can get in touch in whatever way suits.

Innocent has taken a very literal approach to this, which we think works really well:

Innocent welcome email

Takeaway

In this blog post, we’ve explored eleven effective ways to tempt subscribers to become customers with your welcome emails.

We hope you have fun adding your brand’s personality to these ideas and implementing them in your own welcome campaigns.

Welcome emails are just one of the many email automations you can send with our marketing automation technology. To see it in action, say hello to the button below.

Download the Best Practice Guide to Welcome Campaigns