Let me be clear: Your e-mail welcome series sucks.
Why does it suck? I think you know the answer: because you do not have an e-mail welcome series!
I know this because I have never signed up for a brewery newsletter and received an e-mail welcome series. And I’ve signed up for a lot of brewery newsletters.
The only welcome series I’ve ever received was the one I wrote myself for Sketchbook Brewing in my hometown of Evanston, Ill. Go ahead, click over, sign up, and see how Sketchbook handles their newsletter.
(As an FYI, they’ve changed things a little since I wrote them that e-mail series, but the principle remains the same.)
Please, please, please be asking at this point, “Why do you keep saying ‘e-mail welcome series’? What even is an e-mail welcome series?” If you’re asking that, then it means you care about your digital presence and that you’re paying attention.
It also means you’re about to learn a little about how to up your e-mail newsletter game.
What IS an E-mail Welcome Series?
Simply put, it’s a short sequence of e-mails that draw in a new sign-up by sharing more about your company.
Maybe you’ve been around for a little while. Maybe you’ve rebranded or changed locations. Maybe you’re brand-freaking-new and want to get people up to speed on all the cool stuff you’re doing.
A welcome series allows you to automate that process. You just write the e-mails, create the send rules in MailChimp or Constant Contact or whatever you’re using, and then review it every 6–12 months to make sure it still represents you well.
I don’t want to inundate people’s inboxes
I’ve got news for you: They’re already inundated.
In other news: “Inundate” remains in English language due to idiom, “to inundate an inbox.”
But I’ve got good news, too (besides the persistence of a great Latinate word like inundate). If everyone’s inbox is too full, and someone still signs up for your newsletter, they’re telling you that they want to hear from you.
You might as well take advantage of that, right?
What would I put in this series?
I’m glad you asked. You can really manage the series any way you want, but there are a couple good rules of thumb.
- Don’t make it longer than it has to be. The series I wrote for Sketchbook was only six e-mails. I know some people who run online businesses that can get upwards of 40 e-mails in a series, but that’s not necessary if you sell out of brick-and-mortar locations and you’re also sending out a weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly newsletter. I’d stop at 8 or maybe 10 for a brewery.
- Tip the balance toward offering value. You do want to drop in a call-to-action e-mail here and there, but at least 2/3 to 3/4 of the e-mails should simply share your story or otherwise offer something of value to the reader. The very first had better offer value or you’ll turn them off!
- Include a call to action. That said, you should definitely do something to get that reader to take another action toward engaging with your brewery. It could be as simple as asking them to follow you on the socials or asking some question about how they found you or what their experience was like.
- Put in the time to back up any calls to action. If you ask them to e-mail you, put in the time to respond to those e-mails. How cool would it be if your new favorite brewery sent you a personal response the first time you e-mailed them? The same goes for the socials. If you ask them to recommend a beer style you should brew next, mention in your next newsletter that you’ve received some interest in X style and ask for more feedback. This is some of the most valuable time you can spend because you will produce invaluable word-of-mouth engagement.
TL;DR
I know, I know, I’m supposed to put this up top, but I wanted you to at least skim first.
If you would like to learn more about how I can help you create an effective welcome series, contact me.
Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash
