Welcome scenario

What is a welcome series

A welcome email series is a sequence of 2-4 emails sent to newly registered users.

Tasks of a welcome series:

1. Thank a subscriber for their interest in the brand.

2. Introduce them to your company.

3. Get more information about a potential customer to personalize offers.

A welcome series includes:

• email to confirm subscription;
• thanks for subscribing or registering;
• introducing a subscriber to your company;
• list of products with valid promotions.

How to create an welcome scenario

Let's create a welcome series for online store users.

Step 1. Prepare email templates

Above, we have listed email types you can use for the first interaction. Their goal is to introduce your customer to the brand. You can send an email at a time or combine them in one email.

Let's create the following templates for online store users:

• Registration confirmation. Ask the user to confirm their email address to make sure that they really want to receive your newsletters.
• Thanks for registering. Send it after the user has confirmed registration. As a thank you, give your new subscriber a promo code for the first purchase. Also, add a list of popular products to your email.

Step 2. Create and set up a new scenario

Go to «Scenarios» and click «Create» to add a new automation scenario to the platform:

Fill in the basic scenario settings. Specify the name for in-house use and briefly describe it. Optionally, specify access groups and add tags. Use the toggle switch in the upper right corner to activate the scenario.

Now you need to decide what to do with the user if they get into the scenario more than once. Select the «Always ignore the profile, even if it is not in the scenario» option. Now you can be sure that the user will receive only one welcome email series.

Specify the database and event in «Setting up customer profile capture». Event is a trigger. When it is activated, the profile gets into the database. Select «At any import»: the trigger will be activated every time new data is added to the selected database. It does not matter how you add it: via API, from file or manually.

Next, move on to creating a series. It consists of nodes. One node is one step in the scenario.

Step 3. Send an email to confirm registration

This step is usually associated with a double opt-in process.

We recommend that you use it. How does it work? The user specifies their email address and then follows your link to confirm it. This method helps to protect your database from inactive or invalid email addresses. If you send too many emails to inactive addresses, you risk losing your domain reputation. This will cause your emails to go to spam.

Read more about how to set up double opt-in the Altcraft Platform in this guide.

To add a node to the scenario, click on the «+» button:

A list will open, select the «Message» node in it:

Set up your campaign by specifying the email channel, the resource and the confirmation template. Click «Save».

So, you have just sent the first email to your new subscriber asking them to confirm their email address. It is most likely that the user will not read it immediately. So, add the «Pause» node. Wait one day:

In 24 hours, check whether the user has confirmed their registration. To do this, add the «Condition» node. Select the selection by «Subscription confirmation» — «exists».

At this stage, your scenario looks like this:

Step 4. Remind the user about the registration confirmation

If the user has not confirmed the registration yet, send them another email. Add the «Message» node:

Sometimes the user does not confirm the registration at all. In this case, it is better not to bother them with your reminders. Perhaps they will come back to your website in the future. Now let's move on to a more positive development.

Step 5. Send a welcome email

If the user has confirmed their registration, send them a welcome email. Thank the subscriber for their interest and encourage them to take further action. For example, provide a link to a free webinar, prepare a list of useful articles or give them a promo code for the first purchase. Let's use the third option.

Add the «Promo code» node and select the loyalty program you want to use:

To send a promo code via email, you need to add a dynamic variable to your welcome email template. If the template is ready, add the «Message» node to the scenario. Specify the email channel, the resource and the template. To engage the subscriber, add not only a promo code to your email but also a list of popular products.

Please note that a welcome email is a must, regardless of whether you received the registration confirmation immediately or only after a reminder. Use the «Add a link» node after the message «Subscription confirmation reminder» not to duplicate threads in the series. Link your reminder and the «Promo code» node.

Now the series is complete. Let's take a look at the result.

Step 6. Activate the scenario

Make sure that the scenario works. If you have not activated the scenario using the toggle switch in the main settings, open the list of scenarios in the platform and click on the activation icon:

Step 7. Evaluate the effectiveness of your scenario

If you want to view a detailed report on your newsletters within the welcome scenario, go to «Analytics» → «Summary report». In the «Report by» field, select «Script» and find the one you need on the list. Specify the period for which you want to view the results.

How to make a welcome email better?

1. Make it clear who the letter is from.
2. Come up with an interesting subject. It is the first thing the recipient will see.
3. Use images or GIF animations to attract attention.
4. Stick to one corporate style.
5. Add a call to action and social network buttons.
6. Do not forget about the unsubscribe link. This is required by the CAN-SPAM Act.
7. Adapt your emails for different devices. Litmus will help you do this ;))