Welcome Scenario: Step-by-step Instructions

What Is a Welcome Scenario

A welcome scenario, or welcome sequence, is a series of 2-4 email messages that are sent to a user after they sign up on a website or subscribe to a newsletter.

What is its purpose?

1. To thank the subscriber for their interest. This way, the company shows that a subscription, registration, and other first interactions between the customer and the brand are important and deserve gratitude.

2. To introduce the user to the company or product. A welcome sequence briefly tells the user about the brand and its policy, which also includes rewarding active buyers.

3. To get more information about a potential customer for further personalization. For example, you can add a feedback form asking the customer about their preferences.

What can be included in a welcome sequence:

an email to confirm the subscription;
a thank-you message for subscribing or registering;
an introduction to your company or product;
a selection of products with current promotions.

How to Build an Effective Welcome Sequence

As an example, let’s build a welcome scenario for online store users.

Step 1. Prepare Email Templates

Above, we listed the messages that can be used for first communications. Their goal is to introduce the customer to the brand step by step. This does not mean that each one of them is mandatory: the content of several emails can be combined into one if required.

In our example, we have prepared the following templates for online store users:

Registration confirmation. Here we will ask the user to confirm their email address. This way, we will make sure that the correct email has entered the database and that the user is actually willing to receive newsletters from our store.
Registration reminder. The template is largely similar to the previous one, but is sent as a reminder if the user, for some reason, has not confirmed their email address within the specified time.
Thank-you message for registration. This email will be sent after the user confirms registration. As a thank-you, we will give the new subscriber a promo code for their first purchase.

Step 2. Create and Configure a New Scenario

Open the Scenarios section and click Create to add a new automation scenario.

You will see a window with initial scenario settings. Select the database whose profiles will be able to enter the scenario, and then choose the re-entry mode. It determines the scenario’s behavior when a customer profile tries to enter the scenario multiple times. If needed, these settings can be changed later.

We will need the Disable reentry for the customer profile mode. In this case, a profile can enter the scenario only once, and after leaving the scenario, the profile will not be able to enter it again.

Click the Continue button.

Specify the scenario name and, if necessary, add a description in the Scenario info section on the panel in the upper-right corner.

Now let’s move on to setting up customer profile capture. The conditions for a profile entering a scenario are determined by a trigger — the starting element that launches the scenario. Up to 10 triggers can be configured in a single scenario.

Immediately after creating a scenario, you will see the Default element. It is a built-in scenario function and cannot be deleted.

Next, let's move on to creating the sequence. It consists of elements, each one of them being one step in the scenario.

Step 3. Lead the Profile into the Scenario and Send an Email to Confirm Registration

This step should be added to the scenario if your website uses double opt-in. It works like this: the user enters their email address and then confirms it by following the link in the email.

This is useful for protecting your database from inactive or invalid email addresses. If you send too many emails to inactive addresses, this may reduce your domain reputation and, in turn, lead to emails landing in spam.

Suppose that, in our case, the user creates a personal account on the website. They enter their email address, based on which a profile is created in the database. For this, data transfer via an API request is needed; it is used to transfer the unconfirmed subscription status (or the numeric value 4).

The API request may look like this:

{
  "data": {
     "workflow_id": <scenario_number>
     "matching": "email",
     "email": "example001@example.com",
     "subscriptions": [
        {
           "resource_id": <resource_number>,
           "channel": "email",
           "email": "example@example.com",
           "status": "unconfirmed"
        }
     ]
  }
}

In this case, profiles will enter the scenario specifically through the Default trigger.

Next, let’s configure the sending of the confirmation email. In the Channels section, select the Email element. Configure the mailing by specifying the email channel and the required resource.

Next, select the email template.

Important! The template must contain a confirmation link (confirm-link) that will change the status from Unconfirmed to Subscribed.

You can add a confirmation link as follows:

In the template editor, select the button or link text, and then click Insert link in the control panel.

Check the box next to This is a confirmation link. Click the Okay button, and the confirm-link attribute will be added automatically.

When adding the template to the scenario, select Opt-in messages, and then choose the required email.

Check the mailing settings and click Apply.

After we have sent the new subscriber an email asking them to confirm their email address, the next step is to check whether the recipient has performed the required action. At the same time, it is important to remember that they may need some time to open the email and click the confirmation link.

Therefore, let’s add the Event waiting element, located in the Operators section, and set the waiting time to 1 day.

You also need to specify the rule. In our case, the event type is Action execution. Select the Email confirmed action and the required email template. Click Apply.

Step 4. Remind the User to Confirm Registration

What if 24 hours have passed, but the user still has not confirmed their registration? You can remind them about it by sending another email.

Sometimes the user does not confirm registration even after the reminder. In that case, it is better to leave the user alone rather than bombard them with messages. Even if they changed their mind at the moment, perhaps after a while, they will decide to return to your website.

For now, let’s move on to a more positive course of events.

Step 5. Send the Welcome Email

When the user confirms registration, we will send them a welcome email, thanking the subscriber for their interest and gently nudging them toward further actions. This can be done, for example, by providing a link to a free webinar, offering a selection of useful articles, or giving a promo code for the first purchase.

Let’s use the promo code option. It needs to be prepared in advance. Read here to learn more about creating promo codes in the Altcraft platform.

In the scenario editor, add the Promo code element (located in the Actions section). Specify the name and select the required promo code.

Let’s also insert the promo code into the email template using a dynamic variable.

When the template is ready, add the Email element to the scenario, select the required resource and template. Even better is when email contains not only the promo code but also a selection of popular products.

Please note that the welcome email must be sent regardless of whether you received the registration confirmation immediately or after the reminder. To avoid duplicating branches in the sequence, connect the Event waiting and Promo code elements.

Our scenario is ready.

Step 6. Activate the Scenario

Don’t forget to save your scenario. To activate it immediately, click the corresponding button on the panel in the upper-right corner. You can also activate your scenario later from the scenario list by clicking the activation icon.

A detailed report on the mailings within the welcome scenario can be found in the Analytics section.

What Else Should You Remember When Creating a Welcome Mailing

Below is a list of useful tips that will come in handy when working with welcome email:

Clearly specify who the email is from and come up with a catchy subject line. This is the information the recipient will see right after the email lands in the inbox.
Make the email bright and lively using colorful images and GIF animations. Remember to follow your corporate style so that all your mailings look cohesive and remain recognizable.
Add a striking call to action and social media icons. Also, remember to add the Unsubscribe link: its inclusion is required by law.
Adapt the email for different devices and check that it displays correctly before the message is sent to recipients.