Maintaining a good sender reputation is an ongoing battle. Thankfully, there are a number of weapons available in our arsenal.
And, surprisingly, welcome emails are one of them.
Now you may be forgiven for thinking that welcome emails are just a nice way to greet new subscribers. But they hold much more power than that.
In fact, welcome emails can do wonders for your long-term deliverability. As we’re about to find out.
1. You can ask to be added to the safe senders list
According to research, over 74% of consumers expect to receive a welcome email as soon as they sign up to a mailing list. Which means they’ll be on the lookout for your first email. And ready to take action.
Unfortunately, as it’s the first time a subscriber has heard from you, it’s possible your email goes straight to the spam folder. After all, you need to prove to inbox providers that you’re legit.
Which is why a welcome email is the perfect opportunity to ask to be added to the safe senders list. It gets you in early. And if your first email is moved to the inbox and marked as safe, your future campaigns have a much better chance of being delivered straight to the inbox.
Your sign-up form confirmation page is another good place to put this message. As soon as someone submits their email address, ask them to check their junk folder and mark your emails as ‘not junk’.
Want to know how to write the perfect welcome email?
Check out our guide with tips on when to send, what to include and how to stand out.
2. Your welcome email will receive higher engagement
On average, welcome emails generate 4x more opens and 5x more clicks than regular email marketing campaigns.
Put in other words, subscribers will rarely show as much engagement with your emails as they do with your very first welcome message.
And engagement is good for your deliverability. The more subscribers engage with your emails, the better your reputation. The better your sender reputation, the better your deliverability!
So if you’re not sending a welcome email, you’re missing out.
And if you really want to nail inbox placement early on, set up an entire welcome series. Use a drip campaign to email subscribers on a regular basis and provide them with tonnes of value, so they look forward to your emails.
3. Your open rates will flag issues early on
If you’re sending a welcome email but not seeing those uplifted open rates, it’s a good indication that something’s wrong.
It could be the time you’re sending the welcome email (immediately after sign-up is best). Or it could be your subject line is too vague or un-enticing.
But if you’re confident that you’ve got timing and subject line spot on, then it’s likely to be an issue with deliverability.
And knowing that there’s an issue is the first step in resolving that issue. After all, knowledge is power.
When you know the majority of your welcome emails are going straight to spam, you can take even more measures to improve your email deliverability.
This could involve verifying your domain (if you haven’t already), switching to double opt-in, and cleaning your mailing list to improve overall quality.
Final thoughts
The bottom line is that welcome emails are good for subscribers. And good for email marketers.
New subscribers want to receive a message from you when they first give you their email address. And they’re waiting with itchy fingers, ready to open and click on those links.
It’s an important first step in winning inbox placement. And best of all, welcome emails are automated. Which makes it a breeze once it’s set up.
So really there’s no excuse. Get sending!
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