Put your self within the sneakers of one in all your new prospects. You’ve lastly whipped out your bank card, punched in all of the numbers, and hit buy. Phew. You may’t wait to get began. You’ve heard a lot about this factor from a couple of hundred completely different emails, proper?
However after you pay… Crickets.
We’re keen to guess this has occurred to you too. Possibly you’ve bought a brand new piece of software program and had been left questioning how one can set up it or lastly caved and acquired that pair of sneakers you’ve been eyeing solely to marvel if the sale went via in any respect.
You by no means need your prospects to ask, “What now?” The client journey doesn’t finish after a purchase order.
It doesn’t matter what form of product you provide, it’s essential give your latest prospects a little bit course. Onboarding emails are an effective way to assist prospects achieve success instantly, give them peace of thoughts they made the appropriate resolution by selecting you, and set them as much as stick round. Right here’s what it’s essential know:
What are buyer onboarding emails?
Onboarding emails are a sequence of e-mail campaigns despatched to new prospects after they make a purchase order. Whereas each sequence seems completely different, most firms ship 3-10 emails at numerous intervals with details about how one can get began with their buy, data on further options, and hyperlinks to customer-specific data, reminiscent of FAQs or a hyperlink to the assistance desk.
The purpose of sending onboarding emails to new prospects is to make sure a clean transition into utilizing your services. In fact, the advantages of an onboarding sequence go a lot additional than that.
5 massive onboarding e-mail advantages
Placing collectively an onboarding sequence takes time (and a little bit CRM magic) but it surely pays off in massive methods for your small business. Right here’s how:
1. Enhance retention and cut back churn
An important cause to take a position the time and vitality into an onboarding sequence is that it helps enhance retention and cut back churn. If prospects aren’t impressed instantly, they’re a lot much less prone to proceed to make use of your product. However lots of that comes from not understanding how one can use it, or not understanding the place to begin. That preliminary friction is sufficient to lose prospects— the typical churn for SaaS manufacturers is 5%, and a “good” charge is 3%. Try an entire record of common buyer churn charges by trade.
An onboarding sequence might help set up a stronger relationship instantly.
2. Buyer success
Typically, we consider upsell/crossell efforts as one thing that takes place nicely after onboarding. However your onboarding emails can really be an amazing place to plant that seed. You’ll wish to maintain it with a light-weight contact, after all, since they solely simply obtained began. However exhibiting off buyer testimonials, selling further options, or simply giving details about how one can get in contact with the success workforce helps grease that flywheel for the long run.
3. Scale back the workload for service and help
Past bugs, new prospects typically take up essentially the most inquiries for buyer help. Whether or not you could have an account administration workforce or not, an onboarding sequence offers your prospects a spot to land. That manner, you’re answering questions earlier than they occur (and giving them sources to resolve their issues on their very own.)
4. Enhance buyer satisfaction
This isn’t the primary time your prospects are listening to from you—in spite of everything, they’ve gone via your entire buy course of—however it’s a nice likelihood to indicate them the very best of what you must provide. You’ve made loads of guarantees in the middle of your advertising efforts, and now it’s time to ship.
5. Present you care
Prospects in the present day have loads of alternative on the subject of their services. They selected you. That is seemingly the primary interplay you’ll have with them as your buyer, so it’s an amazing place to make an actual impression that you just care about their success. If you wish to create the form of prospects that buy repeatedly—placing within the effort initially actually issues.
What sorts of manufacturers want onboarding emails?
So, do you completely want an onboarding e-mail sequence? In case your product is simple, it’s most likely sufficient to ship one or two welcome emails along with your transactional e-mail for the sale. In any other case, automating an onboarding sequence might be particularly helpful:
- For companies with extremely technical services or products
- Alongside merchandise that require a studying curve to make use of, such as a bit of shopper expertise or a brand new automobile
- Corporations with strong communities or a web-based collaboration element
- Merchandise designed for a number of individuals inside an organization or household
- For patrons upgrading from a free tier right into a paid tier of your services or products
5 examples of nice buyer onboarding emails
An incredible onboarding sequence isn’t only a welcome e-mail—every message ought to meet the shopper the place they’re within the course of and ship the data they should progress to the subsequent step. Listed here are a number of favorites from our inboxes:
1. A easy welcome
Each onboarding sequence begins with a welcome e-mail. However your welcome e-mail doesn’t have to have each single piece of data crammed into it. As a substitute, this instance from Niice does an amazing job of introducing the model and high worth props. With a delicate reminder which you could attain out to help if you happen to want something, plus a transparent name to motion to get began, it is a nice template for any trade.
2. A how-to that’s not overwhelming
Attempting one thing new might be arduous, particularly if it’s a vital piece of software program in your job. Particularly if there’s a studying curve concerned, breaking steps down to present your new prospects a way of satisfaction and possession can go a good distance towards constructing a great relationship. This how-to e-mail from Framer provides a fast tutorial on how one can get began with their product with out getting slowed down in too many particulars. It is a nice e-mail to ship because the second or third in a sequence, ideally within the first few days.
In fact, you possibly can select to maintain e-mail onboarding content material excessive stage and simple, however you too can hyperlink to extra in-depth tutorials and buyer help documentation.
3. Clear, actionable subsequent steps
As soon as a buyer completes one activity, it’s essential to maintain them shifting ahead via the product.This e-mail from Zapier does an amazing job of explaining a key piece of terminology for his or her product (“zaps”) whereas constructing on conduct the shopper has already proven.
As soon as they full their first zap, they obtain this e-mail:
The extra linked a buyer is, the extra seemingly they’ll see worth out of their product. Encouraging key milestones like this, each earlier than and after they happen, helps nudge prospects in the appropriate course. You are able to do the identical through behavioral triggers in-product.
4. Give them an opportunity to speak to you
Typically, prospects do want or need a little bit assist. This e-mail showcases the hospitality company can count on on the Greenbank Lodge, inviting newly booked company to achieve out to their workforce to customise their go to. By providing prospects an opportunity to talk with you—whether or not it’s an account supervisor to fine-tune their product setup or a fast check-in through chat—could make a distinction of their general impression in the course of the first two weeks.
5. Collect opinions whilst you’re high of thoughts
In case you’re going to ask a buyer to evaluate your product, do it before later. However you don’t wish to ask them too quickly—in any other case, they gained’t have had an opportunity to strive it. This e-mail from Casper strikes an amazing steadiness. Despatched across the 30-day mark, this e-mail will get to the purpose shortly, asking for purchasers to go away a evaluate. Your timeline will rely in your services or products.
5 suggestions for a profitable onboarding e-mail technique
So, how will you implement onboarding emails like these? Right here’s a number of issues to bear in mind:
1. Get the timing proper
An important a part of your onboarding emails doesn’t have something to do with what’s inside them. It’s the timing.
Earlier than you launch an onboarding e-mail sequence, it’s essential map out your entire buyer lifecycle as soon as they full a purchase order. Take into consideration each bit of data that they are going to want and when they should obtain it. It is a nice likelihood to take a seat down together with your buyer success and help groups to determine any patterns within the inquiries they obtain, or what they go over within the first account administration assembly.
From there, you can also make a plan in your e-mail sequence.
2. Concentrate on the connection
When it comes to the content material inside your onboarding emails, give attention to the shopper. Put your self of their sneakers. In case you’re unsure what that appears like, contemplate an e-mail stream like this:
- A welcome e-mail that introduces them to the neighborhood, the product, or their account supervisor
- A product-specific e-mail overview that features a guided tour or the choice to e-book a name with buyer success or help
- Just a few emails that spotlight one particular function or motion throughout the product that encourages ordinary use
- An e-mail that offers them further sources to show to, reminiscent of useful getting began content material, entry to a web-based neighborhood group, or a telephone quantity for help
- A buyer testimonial or case research that matches their trade or use case
- Behavioral emails as follows exercise or inactivity within the product
Your onboarding sequence might be so long as you’d like. Typically, manufacturers follow 3-5 emails within the first few weeks after which pepper further onboarding content material all through the remainder of the 30 days or based mostly on conduct.
3. Use product triggers when attainable
Whereas it’s good to sketch out an general onboarding stream, it’s additionally essential so as to add product-specific triggers into your e-mail sequence if it’s attainable to take action. Work together with your product workforce to grasp key milestones that result in stronger retention and nurture these. For instance, have a good time the primary time they full a sure activity, begin a brand new challenge, or invite a brand new person.
The milestones will range dramatically based mostly in your product—however your workforce is aware of what results in a buyer with excessive lifetime worth (LTV) vs. one which churns. The extra you possibly can hype up your new prospects and lead them down a path of engagement together with your product, the higher off you’ll be.
4. Personalize your e-mail advertising
We’re not speaking about “first title,” although that’s a great place to begin.
A part of what makes product triggers so useful is that they keep away from awkward inbox conditions in your new prospects, like encouraging them so as to add their billing data once they’ve already completed so.
One approach to construct personalization is thru a fast onboarding survey inside your e-mail sequence. Ask what they hope to get out of the product, any targets or frustrations, and some demographics like location or firm measurement if you happen to don’t have that knowledge elsewhere. Think about using dynamic content material tailor-made to the place they’re within the buyer lifecycle as nicely. The extra you possibly can embody personalization—even refined methods, like via title, title, or firm title—the extra your new buyer will really feel linked together with your model.
5. Discover refined upsell alternatives
That is only the start of your relationship together with your buyer. It’s your job to wow them instantly. However if you happen to can pull it off, it’s an amazing alternative to incorporate a number of upsell or crossell messages in your onboarding emails.
For instance, you possibly can:
- Add a number of testimonials specializing in options from higher tiers
- Promote a suggestion to improve within the first 30 days in a P.S. or “plain textual content” notice from an account supervisor
- Work on reserving a name with a member of the shopper success workforce, who may give a demo of further options
- Use behavioral triggers in the event that they hit any paywalls or attempt to use options exterior their plan
You don’t wish to be aggressive in your advertising right here. As a substitute, you’re underlining the methods you possibly can assist them much more, or providing further offers based mostly on their present engagement.
Make a great impression from the beginning
One of the simplest ways to botch a great first impression? Emails that comprise errors or are inconceivable to learn.
That’s the place E mail on Acid by Sinch might help. Our full suite of testing and optimization instruments provide the peace of thoughts that you just’re sending flawless emails your subscribers will love. Whether or not it’s creating an automatic onboarding stream or sending one-off campaigns, E mail on Acid’s testing and preview options make sure you’ll by no means ship an apology e-mail once more.
Writer: The E mail on Acid Group
The E mail on Acid content material workforce is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up e-mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, observe us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on e-mail advertising.
Writer: The E mail on Acid Group
The E mail on Acid content material workforce is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up e-mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, observe us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on e-mail advertising.
