Unless you were raised in a barn, your mother probably taught you a few important ways to be polite to people you meet for the first time. So…why do so many businesses fail when it comes to email automation???
Jeff Bezos summed it up when he said, “E-mail has some magical ability to turn off the politeness gene in a human being.” Since human beings are at the core of a business, our email campaigns tend to lack the basic politeness of a welcome email (or email automation campaign series.)
Politeness Payback
Since the open rate for welcome emails is 50% (86% higher than email newsletters), it is hard to imagine why any company would skip this important step. Let’s face it, sales leads that have responded to your marketing efforts are more engaged at the very beginning than any other time in the sales cycle.
Less than 60% of companies send a welcome email With a good online CRM that is integrated with your email automation platform, the welcome email is set up to be sent automatically. A new sales lead enters your CRM and the welcome email is triggered without lifting a finger. It is really that simple.
Speed Matters
A carefully crafted opt-in process is great…but it is only the beginning of the relationship. When you get the attention of a sales lead and begin developing trust with them, it is a lot like dating. If a girl gives a guy her telephone number, she is more impressed if he calls back quickly than if he calls a week later.
Capitalize on the enthusiasm of your sales leads by acknowledging their interest promptly. Just like the girl make hang up on the guy who waits two weeks after being given a phone number, your sales leads may click the spam-complaint button if you ignore them too long.
Relationship Revenue
Your newest sales leads are often your best. According to research by Marketing Sherpa sales leads interest drops dramatically in the first two months. The open rate falls from about 50% to the 20-25% level…clearly diminishing your opportunity to deepen trust in your company.
One of the reasons why this initial stage of your relationship with customers is so critical is because you become a recognizable presence in their overcrowded inbox. You will reinforce your value and set expectations about what they can expect from you. Done correctly, it can lead to a long and prosperous customer relationship (marriage). Done poorly, it often leads to an unsubscribe request (permanent breakup.)
Welcome Email Components
Each business will approach welcome emails in a different fashion, but two components are important to every response to new sales leads:
•Transparency: However you gather sales leads, from trade shows, web forms or direct email automation campaigns, people deserve to know what to expect from you. In some cases, you may send an email to invite sales leads to enroll in your list. The goal is to get permission…set expectations…then follow through with what the sales lead expects from you.
•Engagement: The welcome email is the first official email that you send to new sales leads. It will set the tone for all communication in the future. Here are a few elements that will increase sales lead engagement with your company:
– Personalizethe email with recipient’s first name. Your CRM software should be set up to do that for you automatically.
– Thank themfor responding to you and mention the source of the relationship. For example, if they came from a web form, state “Thanks for requesting our report…” If you met them at a trade show, mention “It was great to meet you at the ____ trade show.”
– Include your contact informationand encourage them to ask questions or contribute ideas.
– Link to additional content. When the new sales lead clicks on the additional content you offer, it may be a good time for a sales rep to give them a call. Even when a phone call is not warranted, the click is still excellent data to track in your CRM.
– Consistent design is important to these new sales leads because it helps them identify your brand. The email should have a similar visual appeal, colors and images, as your website. Lay it out neatly so it is easy to read. In an on-going email automation campaign, use a consistent format that will become familiar to the reader.
A good welcome email automation campaign or series is valuable to your sales leads. They have provided their contact information to you. They want to feel as if your company values that information and will honor it with something they can use…like appreciation.
The words, “Welcome, thanks for coming” are simply a polite way to start the relationship.