Email marketing opens the door to new conversations, new understandings, and new relationships with audiences. It’s through emails that brands can get to know their audiences, understand how they interact with their products and services, and simplify the process, sending users on a more pleasing buyer’s journey. Before marketers can ever get there, they need to secure these email lists which means marketers need to deploy the right techniques and tactics to get people to subscribe to email newsletters but keep them engaged once they do. Fortunately, this can be achieved through the use of a newsletter confirmation email that is compelling, engaging, and insightful. When users sign up for a newsletter or subscribe to an email list, they agree to a series of communication pathways that include weekly newsletters, behavioral check-ins and more, but if their first few interactions don’t make them happy and excited to be engaging, marketers are doomed. Luckily, there are a few best practices brands and marketers alike can follow to ensure their initial communication sparks something within their consumers convincing them to keep coming back for more.
How to Create Engaging Newsletter Confirmation Messages
Right after a user signs up for an email, they’ll likely get a confirmation message sent to their inbox almost immediately. This message congratulates the user on their decision and drives them to their first call to action. These tips can help brands optimize their confirmation email template to ensure the highest number of conversions possible.
Start with a Compelling Subject Line
The first place to start when creating any email is the subject line. The subject line is the first thing people see when they look at their inbox – on their phone, tablet or desktop. And therefore, it’s this messaging that alerts a user as to whether or not an email is worth reading. To make an impression, brands need to be direct, actionable, and engaging with their subject lines. Requiring marketers to take a second to step back and think – if they saw this subject line, would they click on it? Subject lines should be short, sweet, and to the point. They should be very obvious right from the start, giving users something to get them happy and excited. Words like “welcome,” “congratulations,” and “yay,” are just a few examples of the words that will immediately inspire joy, encouraging people to take a closer look. But in general, these subject lines should be to-the-point and sincere. They should convey a single message and do so while still keeping a brand and its overall identity in mind. After all, successful branding yields results such as higher revenues, increased customer loyalty, and stronger brand image that propels overall business growth. Marketers should aim to be transparent and honest in their correspondence – and this is the first place to start.
Decide on Single or Double Opt-In
When it comes to creating emails as a whole, the question of whether or not to go with a single or double opt-in will likely come up. The concept of single and double opt-ins is very simple. A single opt-in means a user only has to sign up once – on a website, through social media or more – and from there, they are automatically confirmed to receive emails. Double opt-in refers to the process of requiring secondary confirmation via a link sent through email. Once users sign up for an email, they receive a confirmation that requires them to click through and confirm. Both tactics have their pros and cons. When it comes to single opt-in, users are taken on a simpler journey. By not requiring them to take a second step, brands are ensuring they don’t lose out on these potential subscribers. At the same time, these leads aren’t the highest-quality as they weren’t required to go the extra mile and commit to these newsletters and email interactions. With double opt-ins, brands can be sure that the users subscribing to email lists want to be there. They went out of their way to click on a link twice and therefore have more value to a marketer overall. The downside to these double opt-ins is that they have the potential to alienate audiences. In some instances consumers will never click the confirmation link and never get fully enrolled in an email marketing database. Either way, to optimize messaging, brands need to decide which form they are going to use, and once they do, they can craft the wording that drives sales.
Drive Consumers to Action
When it comes down to the physical messaging of a welcome email, brands need to keep a few things in mind. First, they need to make sure what they do is to drive users to action. Meaning that while yes, this is just a welcome email that congratulates users for signing up, it also needs to be valuable. One way for a brand to show value is to give consumers additional material to interact with that matches their interests. Here’s an example of a brand using a confirmation email to drive action and compel audiences to interact with a brand and its content. Image credit: Really Good Emails As you can see, Barnes and Noble doesn’t just thank users for signing up but also gives them some reading material to peruse. The bookseller wants users to take action, following one or more of the complementary CTA boxes to encourage a final purchase. A CTA box doesn’t have to come off overly promotional. It should still drive consumers to action and have a positive impact on their overall experience, putting them on a path to future interaction. And after all, that is the point of a successful email marketing campaign.
Prioritize Personalized Messaging
Another key to successful email messaging includes infusing personalization into emails to drive more organic connections. Users want to feel appreciated. They want brands to invest in them through many different initiatives, one way to do this is through email. Consumers want a personalized experience. They want to feel like a brand genuinely cares about them as an individual. For brands to secure high-quality leads through their newsletter confirmation messages, they need to make sure these emails are custom-fit to each individual. To create custom emails, include a user’s name and information about their past interactions with a brand. It’s unlikely that a user signed up for an email without any prior interaction with a brand, so use their past behavior to highlight some key insights, promote products, and offer suggestions that send them on their journey. 67% of consumers cite bad online experiences and communications as the number one reason for churn, and this lack of personalization is considered part of an overall poor experience. Users don’t want bland interactions. They want to have conversations that matter, and personalization ensures that.
Don’t Forget to Remind Users if You Haven’t Heard from Them
At the end of the day, a newsletter confirmation message doesn’t end after an initial sign up. There are a number of times when an email confirmation message needs to be sent out. This includes when a brand is cleaning out their email subscription list and when they notice certain users haven’t been opening or clicking through their newsletters. When this happens, brands shouldn’t be afraid to reach back out in a similar way as the first time. The whole point of a newsletter is to drive brand awareness, increase visibility, build a relationship, and sell products. Therefore, reaching back out to make sure these messages are making an impact is equally important. Feedback is key to developing a full-functioning email marketing strategy that encourages business growth. Here’s an example of a brand using confirmation emails to finesse their strategy and facilitate more open conversations, ultimately seeing if a brand wants their newsletters. Image credit: Really Good Emails
Wrap up – The Importance of Compelling Newsletter Confirmation Messaging
Welcome messaging and confirmation emails are essential in securing quality leads that drive sales and conversions. When building future email marketing campaigns, brands should keep the following in mind when it comes to their messaging.
- Start engaging with a crafty subject line
- Decide on single or double opt-in
- Give users valuable, actionable information
- Keep it personal
- And follow up.
With these tips, brands can ensure their next email newsletters make the right impression. Learn more about the value of each and every email subscriber here!
