An onboarding email, sent straight after a new customer buys a product or signs up to a service, is often the first communication that is actively viewed. And, as we know, first impressions count! To deliver an excellent first and lasting customer impression, this first welcome email and sequence that follows needs to say more than simply, welcome aboard.

At ActionRocket, welcome and onboarding email campaigns are something we have worked on time and time again for our clients, so we know what works, what doesn’t and how crucial this customer journey is. Here are a few things we’ve learnt.

#1: Make sure you always have a welcome email

There is nothing more frustrating than signing up to a service and not hearing back straight away to confirm your interest. It’s a crucially timed opportunity to make the most of, whether that’s to introduce the brand vision or say thank you for an initial purchase or here’s where your journey begins. Undoubtably the most important part of an onboarding sequence, it needs to be a powerful impression trigger that convinces subscribers to open the rest of the series.

The sooner a customer learns the benefits of the offering they have signed up to, the better. As well as reminding them about it, a further onboarding explainer will give them another nudge to gaining the benefits from it, buy again or simply feel loved and acknowledged.

#2: A welcome series that embodies the brand

According to Mailchimp, sending a series of emails yields an average of 51% more revenue than a single email. An initial welcome email can simply show a new customer your gratitude that they have chosen your business, in a style that embodies the brand, whether that’s playful or formal. It’s important to not stop there and follow this initial welcome email up with a series designed to keep a new customer coming back. This sequence can include the more practical next steps to getting the most out of the product or service they have signed up to, and telling them more about who you are.

#3: Leveraging personalisation

Leveraging personalisation wherever possible is crucial at this initial point in the customer journey. Even if that is a personalised message from the brand side in the absence of usable data from the customer side. Using what little you have about the customer and then gaining insights about their preferences throughout the welcome journey to personalise further communications will foster engagement, value and connection. There are creative ways that preferences can be collected. A quiz, a game or simple questionnaire.

#4: Leveraging segmentation

Sending a different welcome series to different audiences, recognising their specific needs or varying levels of engagement, will really help you amplify results. Segmenting the communications tailored to inactive users where the message is more promotionally led increases open and retention rate.

#5: Leveraging the cross-sell and advocates.

Getting onboarding right throughout the welcome stage is mutually beneficial for both customer and brand. Engaged customers already interested in one set of products or services are more likely to buy others that can be highlighted as part of the journey. They are also more likely to be advocates, recommending you to friends and colleagues. It’s therefore a smart idea to provide them with the tools to do this with rewards and incentives for joining and amplifying the social community. The BBC do a great job at this by including a ‘categories’ module at the bottom of their welcome series. A simple way to remind the reader of the other topics and platforms the BBC can offer them as a customer.

Take a look here at some more of our top tips on making a great first impression with welcome emails, and if you need a helping hand with creating or revamping your current welcome emails send us a message here.