I was recently working with a client who was convinced that they had an email communication frequency problem. As we looked at the data to validate the hypothesis, we discovered there was actually an entirely different and potentially greater problem – over 40% of the database had not received a single email communication at all. Wow – not even a thank you for your interest email had been sent.
There are two critical points in your relationship with a buyer where you have their greatest attention:
(1) when they learn you might be able to provide something of value to them; and,
(2) when they actually do business with you.
As marketers – we are typically great at welcoming our customers into the family after they sign the contract or give us a credit card number. But, why do we wait so long to “welcome” someone to our organization? Why not welcome them at the point they explicitly express interest in our organization?
When to welcome. You want to welcome someone because they raised their hand for more information. Think information desk visitor versus door-to-door vacuum sales. Also, consider where your buyer is coming from and why so that you can tailor your welcome appropriately. In a transactional purchase – it may very well be the first purchase. In a more considered purchase, it may be the first time they download some information from your resource center.
“Thank you for your interest in {what they expressed interest in, or came from, etc.}.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the {insert brand name here} family.”
Be human. Nobody wants to be welcomed to a distribution list and reduced to a mere email address. Use language that really highlights specific value to your buyer when welcoming a new email subscriber. And, set the tone and let them know what type of communications they can expect. Chad White of Email Insider Blog gives some great examples from retailers that “get it” and those that don’t.
“Welcome to our VIP group! As a member of this group,
you will get first dibs on special offers and savings with us.”
Build loyalty. Delivering value is the best way to build loyalty with your customer. If you are going to ask them to provide more information about themselves, be sure to use that information to personalize and tailor the next communication in a way that adds value to them. If you demonstrate that you are leveraging the datapoints to create value – they are more likely to provide additional details in the future. And, please do not ask for the same datapoints over and over again.
“Thank you for taking the time to tell us more about yourself.
We thought you might find {insert unique offer here} of value.”
Go beyond a single touch. A multi-touch Welcome Campaign is a great opportunity to watch and determine what their level of interest really is. If they engage with your initial welcome continue to the dialogue based on their interests and then score them at the end to determine if they are close to purchase or not. If they are – ensure the right sales resources are alerted. If they are not – nurture them until they are ready. A simple program may look like:
Step 1: Look to see if inquiry is new to the database.
Step 2: Send initial welcome email from Company X . Provide special offer by answering one or two profile questions.
Step 3/4a: If person engages, serve offer relevant to question answers. Send final email with links to additional resources person may be interested in.
Step 3/4b: If person doesn’t engage, acknowledge intent is to help and not annoy, so please let us know if you would no longer like to receive these communications.
Your buyer wants information. You have their attention. This is a great opportunity to listen to your buyer, route them to the right resources, and consistently introduce new audiences to your unique value proposition. If you do not have an automated Welcome Campaign for your new prospects – do not wait any longer to get one in place. If you have one in place, please re-evaluate from your customer’s point of view to identify opportunities for improvement.
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I run across this exact scenario often with clients. Sometimes it is not even just the new contacts that are being ignored but rather the ones that they do not know enough about to fit their filter criteria. Being conscientious marketers they are segmenting their lists and using great filter criteria to be relevant…..but in that effort they leave out the people that they are still getting to know. Make sure you keep an eye out for the people in your database that are missing that crucial segmentation criteria. There is gold in there if you would just get to know them.
[...] assumptions were as follows: (1) I advocate the best practice of a welcome, why wouldn’t I practice here? (2) I can go days and sometimes weeks when I travel without [...]
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