Whether it be video, music, or text, a ton of content is posted online every single day. Companies give their consumers more content in one day than they can possibly consume in a lifetime.
If you’re in PR, this means it can be hard for you to separate yourself from the crowd and compete for the most important driver in your industry—attention. This is especially true in the initial stage of your audience’s journey, the time when you are still trying to build trust and loyalty.
So how exactly do you overcome this challenge? The answer is email marketing—or more specifically, welcome emails. If you want to grab the attention of your audience and make them hear your message, welcome emails are the way to go.
Leverage the power welcome emails can have in the PR industry with these best practices:
Use engaging, personalized subject lines
The first thing your new subscriber is going to see before opening your welcome email is the subject line. It only makes sense that the subject line is the first thing you consider when composing an effective welcome email.
Create the best possible impression with your welcome email by writing subject lines that hook your audience. Use the right language on your subject lines to engage your subscribers. Try making “Welcome” the first word in your email subject lines.
Connect with new subscribers on a personal level by offering friendship rather than service. For example, instead of a simple “Welcome!”, you can do something like this:
“Welcome to (Name of your agency)! We’d love to get to know you.”
It’s also important to personalize your subject lines, since it can increase your open rates by 26%. It can be as simple as including your new subscriber’s first name on the subject line.
Introduce your brand
As stated above, you shouldn’t stop at generic messages such as “Welcome!” or “Thank you for subscribing!” Immediately create value for your new subscribers by introducing your brand and letting them know what you can offer.
One way to do it is to place a call-to-action button within your welcome message. When your new subscribers click the button, it will lead them to a short guide or walkthrough wherein they’ll learn about your brand, your values, and how you help your clients.
(Source)
Another strategy is to use videos. Research by Wordstream found that videos on welcome emails increased click-through rates by 96 percent. In your welcome images, link to a video that introduces your agency and the people behind it. To build trust, you can also include client testimonials or success stories on your video.
Show your appreciation with an offer
The best way to say “thank you” to new subscribers is by making them an offer they can’t refuse. There are a lot of things you can do, and it all depends on the kind of services you provide clients.
According to MarketingSherpa, 72 percent of people prefer to receive promotional content through email. You can use this opportunity to give new subscribers access to your library of ebooks, whitepapers, or webinars.
You can also offer new subscribers a deal on your services. This can be anything from free consultations, to free month-long trials, or discounted upgrades to your higher tiered services.
“Mobilize” your emails
If you’re in PR, it’s of utmost importance that you speak your audience’s language. To do that, your emails need to be mobile-friendly.
Most of your subscribers are likely busy people don’t spend a lot of time seated behind a desk. They view emails on their mobile devices because they tend to move around a lot, so it’s crucial that your emails still display properly on mobile.
Here are some tips you can follow:
- Your subject lines should be short. To ensure that they are displayed in full on mobile devices, keep subject lines around 25 to 30 characters.
- Think about how you use images. Chances are, your subscribers will turn off automatic downloading of images for emails, so it’s best to avoid images.
- Test on a variety of devices. Your emails should work on most, if not all, mobile devices and email clients.
Being mobile-friendly helps your emails avoid the subscribers’ trash bins.
What this means for PR
Welcome emails are one of the most effective ways you as a PR professional can grab the attention of your audience during the initial stage of their journey. Welcome emails can help you navigate through a crowded digital media landscape and stand out from the rest.
By maximizing your welcome emails, you can keep the attention of your audience, which is often the hardest part of being in PR.
