2:47 pm admin

We've all heard the saying, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression."

The same holds true when it comes to your email. However, so many marketers are using an outdated email welcome series or don't actually take the time to really think through their autoresponders. We'll spend lots of time and money on the perfect landing page copy or sales letter copy, but won't think twice about slapping something, anything really, together for the autoresponders. It's more of an item to check off your "to do" list.

But, if you don't grab their attention and build an instant connection, you may lose them forever. After years of consulting with clients across all sorts of industries and primarily online AND offline businesses, we've seen that there is an extremely high percentage of people that never open anything but the first message. So, while you may have gotten an "optin", you don't actually have a prospect.

So how can you grab their attention and get them eager to come back for more.

1. Give them something of value. I'm not referring to whatever "bribe" you offered for the optin, but something that they can sink their teeth into that will provide value beyond the time it takes to read your report or watch the video.

2. Give them a taste of YOU! People want to connect with people. So let them in and get a glimpse of who their new "friend" is. This could be the real you, your persona, etc. But make sure the personality fits the audience. Be bold... Realize you're never going to win everybody over so work to capture the people that are drawn to the personality. As a good friend of mine says, "Love me or hate me... There's no room in the middle". So commit to the personality and go all in.

3. Let them know what else you have to offer. This past week, I got a great welcome series that had links to popular articles in each of the authors’ blog categories. It was a great way to introduce me to other content that I might be interested in. And some of the articles were even better than the book I opted in for. He engaged me for a good 15 minutes by sending me content that might be of interest. By spending a few minutes on his site, reading his articles, and poking around, I have anchored him and will pay more attention to future messages (and I certainly won't "forget" I opted in for him.)

4. Set expectations up front. If they're going to get an email every day, tell them. If it's once a week, be sure they know when to expect it. And stick with it. You're not doing anyone any favors by trying to "trick" them...

5. Let them know how to opt out right from the start. Include this in the copy straight away. Perhaps they only want the freebie you offered. That's fine. Let them opt out now. It's better than getting a spam complaint from the ISP or having unengaged subscribers on your list that can inbox placement issues due to your overall engagement rates.

6. Tease them with the next message (and tell them when to expect it). Tell them what cool thing they're going to get, learn, discover, etc. in the next email they get. This gets them excited to get your next email AND keep an eye out for it. Think about your favorite TV show and how they end each episode or season, which makes you tune in the very next time. (Check out Andre Chaperon's course with the section on "soap opera sequences")

7. Give them clear instructions. Tell them how to "whitelist" your from address so all your emails get to the inbox. Better yet, have them tag your emails so they stand out and your messages never get lost in the shuffle. Added Bonus: this helps with deliverability ;-)

 

Author: Heather Seitz

For over a decade Heather Seitz used email marketing to build successful companies and had to solve the biggest barrier to consistent profitability: deliverability. Today she is the Co-Founder and CEO of Email Delivered.

If you're looking for ways to improve your email welcome series and keep your subscribers engaged for long term profitability, visit http://www.emaildelivered.com/email-welcome-series/ Remember to sign up for the FREE Email Delivered Pulse newsletter for articles, tips, and recommended resources for email marketers.

July 10, 2015