When subscribers opt in to your email campaigns, they will most likely make assumptions about the content, frequency and relevance of the messages you send. Accordingly, argues Justin Premick in a three-part series at the AWeber blog, it's important to set some appropriate expectations before they commit to you.
"If subscribers don't know what's coming," he notes, "it doesn't matter how consistent the formatting and frequency are, those emails will still feel inconsistent with whatever preconceived notions subscribers had about them."
Once they've signed on, reinforce subscriber expectations by using a thank-you page to explain what comes next. For instance, tell them to look for a "welcome" email that invites them to confirm their subscription and whitelist your address, Premick advises.
Such pages are "especially important," he says, "because they help your new subscriber 'connect the dots' between the time they spent on your website and the emails they'll receive from you days or weeks or months later."
By laying this groundwork, you reduce the potential for disgruntled recipients who think they signed up for one thing but got another.
"[P]roperly setting expectations for subscribers before they sign up and immediately after they do so helps you deliver the kind of better experience that leads to more responsive, more deliverable email marketing campaigns," Premick says.
The Po!nt: Commit like you mean it. Spell out what subscribers should expect from your email relationship, and don't let them down.
Source: AWeber. Read the full post here.
by Christina "CK" Kerley
