Membership is a key part of any organisation. Whether you’re an association, chamber of commerce, non-profit, or for-profit business, having an active membership is key to its success. A membership program can be a major source of revenue and support your organisation’s mission.
However, it can also be tricky to get people signed up and excited about joining. One of the most important things you can do is set the right tone in your welcome email.
An engaging and informative welcome email can go a long way towards making sure new members want to stay involved with your organisation and encourage their friends to join as well.
In this blog post we’ll explore some tips on how to write an engaging welcome email that will keep people coming back for more.
Decide on your welcome email strategy
When someone signs up for your organisation’s email list or joins your community, you have their attention and an opportunity to get them engaged. Before you write your welcome email, think about what you want to get out of the experience.
For example, do you want to present a short call to action? Or do you want to offer a more comprehensive introduction to your organisation and its activities? What kind of tone and style of email will appeal to your target audience and get them excited about joining your email list?
You could research what other organisations in your industry are doing or talk to your marketing and communication team to come up with an approach that works best for your organisation. You could also survey existing members to learn about what they wanted to know as soon as they joined.
Use photos and graphics
Welcome emails are a great place to feature lots of photos and graphics. These can include photos of the people in your organisation, images of events, and images of your space or products.
Photos and graphics help your email stand out in someone’s crowded inbox. While you don’t want to crowd the email with too many visuals, one or two photos per email can really help make your message pop.
An easy way to integrate photos into your welcome email is to look through your website and social media pages. Are there any photos that would be helpful to include in your email? Even if the photo doesn’t directly relate to the message of the email, it can still be a helpful visual for readers.
Write about what’s next
One of the first things new members may want to know is what’s next for them.
- Are there any upcoming events or programs you want your new members to be involved with?
- Are there any upcoming meetings or trainings?
- When are dues due?
- What are the next steps for new members as part of their membership?
- What do your current members like about your organisation and how can you encourage new members to engage with those same aspects?
- Do you have a book club or monthly movie screening?
- Do you host local networking events?
- Do you have a mentorship program or other ways to connect new members to seasoned members?
Write about all the things you want new members to engage with. Some of these things can be recurring events and others may be one-time-only activities.
Show your values and mission
New members may not be familiar with your organisation’s values and mission. Write a paragraph or two about what your organisation stands for and what its primary goals are.
Here are some questions to start off your thinking:
- Who do you serve and how does your organisation fulfil that mission?
- What would someone learn about your organisation if they only read your welcome email?
- What are the core values and goals of your organisation?
- What does your organisation do and why?
- What kind of language and tone do you want to come across in your welcome emails?
- How do you want people to perceive your organisation?
Ask for feedback and input
New members are people who care enough to join your organisation. They’re invested in your mission and values and want to be involved. However, they may not know exactly how to get involved or have ideas on how to improve your organisation.
Make sure to include an open-ended question about what new members want to see from your organisation. Ask for feedback and input on your organisation and how new members can be involved.
Bottom line
Finally, write your welcome email as if you were speaking to one individual. Make it personal and engaging, just like you would if you were talking to someone one-on-one.
Welcome emails are a great place to show your organisation’s personality. Be welcoming and inclusive and get people excited about what your organisation does.
Your welcome emails are an important part of the onboarding process for new members. Make sure to welcome new members with an engaging and informative email that will get them excited about being involved with your organisation.
