Learn the 3 must have emails to include in your welcome sequence in this post.
When I first went out on my own to start a company, I did a lot of research on how to build a business and serve clients in the online space. Time and time again the podcasts and training I soaked up advised that generating and nurturing an email list was the number one way to communicate with your audience. I believed them. These were well known experts in the online business industry and their recommendations were trustworthy.
And yet, I didn’t create a Welcome Email Series until my second year in business!
Why? Because it was so daunting. Hear me on this. I had spent over a decade crafting email campaigns for a wide variety of clients. I knew how to design and write a great email. And yet, creating my own Welcome Series was incredibly challenging.
No matter how long I’ve been writing professionally and coaching fellow business owners on their marketing strategy and content messaging, it is still HARDEST TO WRITE ABOUT MYSELF.
Guess what? The more entrepreneurs and business owners I get to know, the more I realize this is a common thread. We can share the benefits of other people’s services, craft engaging copy for why you want to work with someone else. But when it comes to tooting our own horn, it’s near impossible.
Even so, your Welcome Email Series is a critical part of building a successful business!
So, let’s take the fear out of writing your very own Welcome Email Series, shall we?
What is a Welcome Email Series?
Your Welcome Email Series is the first set of emails someone receives when they are added to your email list. Whether the new subscriber came to your list from your blog, social media, or a lead magnet, something drew them to you, enticing them to say “Yes! I want to hear more from this business/person!”.
Your Email Series is your opportunity to thank them for trusting you with their email address. It’s your chance to make an incredible first impression and solidify the relationship.
It’s the handshake. You put out your hand inviting them to join your list, they took your hand and said “Yes, I’ll join,” now is where you complete the handshake and start the ongoing conversation.
Why Your Business Needs a Welcome Series
Whether you’re building an online business, or a brick and mortar store, your email list is a valuable way to communicate and connect with your customers. Having a standard Welcome Series ensures everyone who’s added to your list receives a consistent introduction to you and your business. It’s a great way to connect them to your brand and the mission of your organization, building that Know, Like and Trust factor.
It’s also the place to share your services, products and resources, inviting these current or potential customers to come to you when they need support in your areas of expertise.
The people who subscribe to your email list do so because they appreciate what you have to offer. They are a captive audience, interested in the content you provide. Building the relationship and connection with your email subscribers, blog readers, podcast listeners, in-store customers (all of whom should become subscribers) should be your primary goal.
This is important! While you can use your email list to SELL, that should NOT be your primary motivation. Build the relationship, provide valuable resources, encouragement, teaching (whatever it is your business provides), and THEN you can sell. Give first. Sell after.
What Should You Include in Your Welcome Series?
There are three core emails that should be included in your Welcome Series. The first email should introduce who you are and why they should care. Here’s where you thank them for subscribing to your list and welcome them into your community.
The second email should focus on how you help. What no cost resources do you provide? Describe the entry level service or product you have and how it will help solve a problem or improve their life in some way.
The third email is where you tell them how to work with you. In easy to understand language, describe your services and products. Provide CLEAR calls to action, telling them exactly how they can work with you and get in touch with you for further information.
If you have a wide range of services or products, a podcast, a blog, an online community group or other great resources to share, additional emails can be added to a Welcome Series. Your Email Series should be a unique as you and your business are! However, these top three emails are the non-negotiable elements that should be a part of every Welcome Email Series.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these three emails.
Email #1: Who Are You? - Welcome to the Community
Your first email is honestly the most fun to create. It’s where you let your personality and brand shine. In your own words share who you are, what you’re about (mission statement) and why they should care (how they will benefit from knowing you).
Start the email with a greeting that is typical for you. It should sound natural and as formal or informal as you would sound in an email to a friend, client or colleague. Here are a few examples:
Hey Friend! Greetings Friend Y’all Made It!
Hello Lovelies! Dear [First Name]
If your business style is formal, write the email in a business-like manner, skip the fluff. If you have a more relaxed approach to serving your audience, write as though you’re talking with your best friend to give it an authentic feel.
Share something personal about yourself. Do you have 7 cats? Do you love to hike? Is your home library full of science fiction novels? Telling your audience something personal presents you as a real person, someone they’d like to know in real life. It makes you more accessible to them. You become someone they think they could actually trust and work with.
Finally, share from your heart what you do and why you do it. Why did you start your business? What is your dream for your current and future customers? What difference are you making in the world and why is it so important to you? Answering these questions brings your reader into the “why” of your mission and purpose. It grabs their attention and makes them want to be a part of that “why” as well.
Email #2: How You Help - Free Resources - Engage With the Community
I like to follow the initial email with an expanded vision of how you help “for free.” Before you ask for money in return for services or products, what are some no cost resources you have available to your readers? Do you have a podcast, a blog, a free facebook community group? Do you have a free resource that ties in with the overarching mission of your organization?
Providing content or resources that improve their lives or gives them a taste of the solution you offer allows your audience to test your services or products before going “all in.” This is like the sample at the store that gets you hooked on a new product. You give it a chance because there’s nothing to loose and in the process realize it’s incredible and you can’t live without it!
If you don’t have any free resources available, focus on your least expensive product or the service that has the lowest barrier to entry (ie. the “no-brainer” product or service potential clients won’t be afraid to take a chance on).
Email #3: How to Work With You - Clear Services & Products
Your third email is where you invite your audience to work with you at a deeper level (either through a larger time commitment or higher cost). Show the value you bring, and the transformation you provide, and CLEARLY describe the levels of services and products you provide.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have CLEAR descriptions of what they get and why they need it. This is the time to edit down your words, provide only the facts, and tell them exactly what you want them to do.
When in doubt, have a friend, colleague or family member read over the email content before you activate your email series. Ask them to tell you what they think you’re saying. Is there anything in your copy they find confusing? Does it bring extra questions to their mind? Is the copy compelling, making them want to take the action you’re calling them to? Why or why not?
This feedback is incredibly helpful! You know the ins and outs of what you’re selling. You’ve already answered the questions in your brain. Yet while it’s clear to you what you’re providing and what you want them to do, that doesn’t always translate to someone who’s never heard of your offer before. Having a neutral party review the content before you send it out can save you a lot of heartache and frustration that comes from unclear copy and calls to action no one wants to take.
Additional Emails to Include in Your Welcome Series
The above three emails should be the bare minimum you include in your Welcome Series. However, you don’t have to stop there! Your Welcome Series can be as robust as you and your business are! Here are some examples of additional emails you can include in your Email Series.
Facebook / Online Community Groups + Memberships
Emails for different categories of services you provide. Ie. Books / Print Products / Template Shop / 1:1 Services
Emails for each different concern your products and services address
Expand your email series to accommodate clients at different stages of the journey (for example: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced. Have beginners click on a link that takes them to a separate email series dedicated to building their knowledge back and answering questions they have. Then do the same for your Intermediate and Advanced readers).
So, now you know what a Welcome Email Series is, why your business needs one, and what three emails need to be included in your series. Next step? Write those emails! Brainstorm the information you want to include in each email and start mapping them into outlines. Then, fill out the outlines with copy, infusing life into the emails.
Still unsure where to start? Or need a second pair of eyes to read through your emails and provide feedback? I’d love to help! Post your questions and comments in the comment section below and I’ll be sure to respond!
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