As we plan the upcoming launch of Skadeedle (click here to get the inside scoop), we're putting everything we do under the microscope to ensure every touch point we have with a prospect and customer is consistently delightful. Often, the first impression your customers get is when they visit your website, which most of us have spent heaps of time making sure is pretty awesome. But, does the ball drop when it comes to the other touch points you have with your customers? Think about all the ways you interact…telephone, social media networks, in-person, email marketing. Are you amazing and delighting your customers, or just going through the motions to get the job done?

We've got 6 email marketing tips you can use to shake up one of the most important emails you send. Your welcome letter. You know, the email you send after a customer joins your mailing list, or signs up for your service.

Let's take that welcome email from zero to hero in with just a few simple tweaks…

1. Get Recognized – Most often you want to use your standard company name, or who the recipient expects to hear from as the From label of your Welcome Letter. Because the recipient may not remember signing up, this is a great time to remind them how they got on your mailing list or when they signed up for your service.

2. Be Consistent – Like #1, you want to be as consistent with the look, feel and tone of your message as the place where your recipient signed up. So if it was on your website, your email should have a similar look and feel to be consistent and be instantly recognizable.

3. Be Friendly & Helpful – We love #3 because this is where you can really break from the monotony and be memorable, or start to become more than “just a business” to the recipient. Bring personality to your message and perhaps say something a little unexpected.

We give ours some Skadeedle flair:
From Label: Skadeedle
Subject Line: You Are Too Cool

You also have a great opportunity to link peeps back to pages on your site that can be helpful, like FAQs, or your blog to give them more information about your company, product or service which is super important in the early days of your customer or prospect getting to learn more.

4. Set Expectations – Setting expectations may sound serious, but it's really just about making sure your recipients know how often they'll hear from you and what you'll send them. It's as simple as saying something like Chris Brogan does in his Welcome email after you sign up to get his Blog Topics.

5. Get Social – The best welcome letters also promote others ways your recipients can connect with you. Got a Facebook Page? Link to it. Same for Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube and any other social networks you may be on. Don't forget your blog.

6. WIFM? Your welcome letter would not be complete without something for your recipient. You must answer the question, “what's in it for me?” from your reader. Chris does this great in the example above saying, “I can provide you with information that is useful to you in whatever your goals are for blogging. Each week, I will deliver at least 10 ideas to help you improve your blogging game.”

What changes can you make to your welcome email using these 6 email marketing tips? We'd love to hear ‘em in the comments.

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