How ‘dry’ is your confirmation?
When someone subscribes to a newsletter, they usually receive a confirmation email. Sometimes they are asked to click a link in order to confirm their subscription. But ‘Thank you for subscribing, click here to confirm’ usually ends up sounding a little dry...
Do you recognise that situation? Take a quick look at your own site’s welcome message. Is it as ‘creative’ as our example above? Then we’ve got some pointers for you.
Personalise
Every subscription holds a potential customer. Someone like that is best not treated as a dime a dozen. Address them by their name to really make them feel welcome. And describe in a little detail what triggered this automatic email.
‘We noticed you subscribed to our newsletter. To be absolutely sure you’re interested, we’d like you to confirm your subscription.’
Doesn’t that sound a lot more welcoming?
Extra information
Provide some information in your welcome message. Why, for instance, don’t you link to the previous newsletter? Why not add some extra contact information now that you’ve got your reader’s full attention, like a service desk number? Why not offer some additional interesting links now that your contact is ready to invest some time in your budding relationship? Promoting other newsletters, pointing them toward a loyalty card, providing a link to a user manual… are only a few examples.
Professional
Although you need to drop your dry welcome message as soon as possible, there’s no need to start writing poetry. Make the subject line clear and persuasive right away. Only provide the information your reader needs to complete the needed action - confirming their subscription. And don’t forget to add a link to your home page to help readers find their way back to the website.
Use images sparingly
Use images sparingly in welcome messages. Since it’s automatically generated, chances are it won’t end up in your contact’s inbox. Moreover, too many images, bells and whistles will only confuse your message. Especially if someone has just subscribed through their smartphone, where images are even trickier. Now that we took the time to welcome a new contact, we surely don’t want to scare them away with digital overkill.