Hey First name / friend,

 

Hard to believe folks, but we are moving well into the second quarter of our year - how is it unfolding for you so far? From my client chats it seems like Q2 this year is quite the mixed bag, with some of you seeing a lovely uptick and others feeling unsettled by a drop in enquiries or sales. 

 

Wherever you are at, this self-employed life is guaranteed to serve up high and lows, it's a tough road to travel but oh so worth it. I find it helps to check in with small biz friends for a dose of empathy and encouragement when we need a boost or an understanding ear. 

 

I love relaxed, in-person gatherings like Talk Event in Cardiff (run by the very lovely Esther and Marie) and welcoming online communities such as The Heiter Society and Studio Cotton Clubhouse - I've dipped in and out of various groups over the past 6 years and have always appreciated the collective hive mind of advice and support they provide. 

Each month I choose a useful focus point. A surface dive into a specific platform or strategy for marketing your creative business online, something to mull over on your tea break. 

 

As I've crafted a few of these for clients lately, I wanted to share my thoughts on welcome emails - what makes a good one and what goes into it? You've got the all important ‘subscribe’ hurdle over with, now you really want that person to actually open your future emails and engage with your content, a welcome email is the first step in nurturing that continuing relationship. 

Cook up a warm and welcoming email with these simple steps:

 

Design Basics: Include your logo and use your brand colours, fonts and images, to set the tone for what future emails will look and feel like. You are aiming to create a cohesive and seamless experience, so your visual identity and messaging should ideally be consistent from the off. This means your new subscriber will quickly begin to recognise and feel familiar with you dropping into their inbox. 

 

What Goes In the Copy: You could begin with a friendly welcome message to show your new readers how much you appreciate them signing up and give them a feel for your brand personality and values. Don't forget to provide a clear button or link for them to claim any discount codes or freebies promised to new subscribers to express your gratitude. Guide them to different sections of your website to learn more about you and highlight your products or services to spark further interest.

 

How often will they hear from you? Let them know what they can expect in future emails with a glimpse into the kind of content/products/tips you will be sharing. Mention how often they can expect to receive emails from you, we all know how busy our inboxes can be - so a little note on frequency can be reassuring. 

 

What do you want them to do next? Include a clear call-to-action (CTA). Use these buttons to encourage your reader to take the next step, whether it's making a purchase, exploring your services, downloading a guide or simply engaging with your brand by exploring your social media pages.

 

Should I make it a sequence of emails or just one? This is not a one size fits all situation - in my opinion it depends on your business/service and the frequency of your emails to subscribers. If you send weekly emails, perhaps go with a 1 or 2 email welcome sequence. If you send emails monthly or more sporadically - creating a 2-3 email welcome sequence could fill in any time gap and keep the subscriber engaged in the meantime. More than 3-4 may edge into overkill territory - but it very much depends on the quality and usefulness of the content you share.

 

Is it ready yet? - triple check all your links work and don't abandon your lovely welcome email to gather dust, add calendar reminders to review it at regular intervals - just in case you need to update any info or links.

 

Hopefully this helps you whip up a delicious welcome missive which is both inviting and stokes an appetite for more, setting the tone for many opened emails ahead. 

 

Drop me a reply here if you have a burning question or want some support with this process…

My freelance services focus on content and platforms that work hard for your business - this includes content creation and strategy for email marketing, blogging for your business with an SEO focus, Pinterest account management and one-off copy projects. 

 

I also offer 1hr virtual Strategy Sessions 💡 where we sit down with a cuppa and talk through whatever element of your marketing you need support with, you'll leave our session with a list of tools, ideas and achievable tasks to work on.

 

And don't forget you can always book a free Zoom call to chat about any of my creative digital marketing services and we can figure out what support would suit you & your brand best…

As ever - if you have any questions about my copywriting or digital marketing services or how my pricing structure works, pop me an email or a DM and we can talk it through.