Welcome Email Automation for Squarespace Email Campaigns

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to:

1. Set up a welcome email automation in Squarespace Email Campaigns from scratch
2. Build a three-part welcome email series that engages new subscribers
3. Use Squarespace's analytics to track and improve your automation performance

Introduction

Welcome emails are your first chance to make a good impression on new subscribers. They typically get the highest open rates of any email you'll send, so getting them right matters.

In this chapter, we'll walk through setting up a welcome email automation using Squarespace Email Campaigns. We'll use a farm shop example to show you how to create emails that introduce your business, share your story, and encourage that first purchase.

Lessons

Setting Up Your Welcome Automation

Before you can send welcome emails, you need to create the automation that triggers them.

Step 1: Log into your Squarespace account and go to Marketing, then Email Campaigns.

Step 2: Click on Automations in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Click Create Automation and select "Welcome new subscribers" from the options.

Step 4: Choose which mailing list will trigger the automation. If someone joins this list, they'll automatically receive your welcome series.

Step 5: Set your sender name and email address. Use a name people will recognise, like your business name or your own name.

The automation is now created, but it's empty. Time to add some emails.

Creating Your First Welcome Email

Your first email should arrive within an hour of someone subscribing. This is when their interest is highest.

Step 1: Click "Add Email" in your automation.

Step 2: Choose a template that matches your brand. The simple text-based templates often work best for welcome emails.

Step 3: Write a subject line that confirms what they've signed up for. Something like "Welcome to [Your Business Name]" works well.

Step 4: In the email body, include:

• A warm greeting and thank you for subscribing
• A brief introduction to your business
• What they can expect from your emails (how often, what type of content)
• A clear next step, like visiting your website or following you on social media

Step 5: Set this email to send immediately after someone subscribes.

This is the bit most people miss: keep it short and focused. Don't try to tell your whole story in the first email.

Building Your Email Series

One welcome email is good, but a series of three emails over the first week works better. Here's how to structure them:

Email 2 (sent 2-3 days later):

• Share your story or the story behind your business
• Include photos if you have them
• Explain what makes you different from competitors
• End with a soft invitation to browse your products or services

Email 3 (sent 5-7 days later):

• Highlight your best products or most popular services
• Include customer reviews or testimonials if you have them
• Offer a first-purchase discount (10-15% works well)
• Include a clear call-to-action button

To add these emails to your automation:

Step 1: Click "Add Email" for each additional email in your series.

Step 2: Set the timing for each email using the delay settings.

Step 3: Use the same template style for consistency.

Step 4: Test each email by sending it to yourself before activating the automation.

Tracking Your Automation Performance

Once your welcome series is running, you need to know how it's performing.

Step 1: Go to your Automations dashboard and click on your welcome series.

Step 2: Check these key metrics:

• Open rate (aim for 40-60% for welcome emails)
• Click rate (aim for 2-5%)
• Unsubscribe rate (should be under 1%)

Step 3: Look at individual email performance. If one email has much lower open rates, the subject line might need work.

Step 4: Check which links get clicked most. This tells you what your subscribers are interested in.

If your open rates are low, try different subject lines. If click rates are low, make your calls-to-action clearer or more appealing.

Practice

Create an outline for your three-part welcome email series. For each email, write down:

1. The main message you want to convey
2. One specific action you want readers to take
3. A draft subject line

Then set up your first welcome email in Squarespace, even if it's just a simple version you can improve later.

FAQs

How quickly should the first welcome email arrive?
Within an hour is ideal. Any longer and people forget they signed up.

What's the best time gap between welcome emails?
2-3 days between the first and second email, then 4-5 days before the third. This gives people time to engage without forgetting about you.

Can I include discount codes in welcome emails?
Yes, but save them for the second or third email. The first email should focus on the relationship, not the sale.

What if someone unsubscribes from my welcome series?
Don't take it personally. A small percentage of unsubscribes is normal and means your list stays healthy with engaged subscribers.

How do I know if my welcome series is working?
Track your open rates, click rates, and whether people who complete the welcome series buy from you more often than those who don't.

Jargon Buster

Automation: A series of emails that send automatically when triggered by specific actions, like someone joining your mailing list.

Open rate: The percentage of people who open your email out of everyone who received it.

Click rate: The percentage of people who click on links in your email.

Mailing list: A collection of email addresses that you can send campaigns to. People join these lists by subscribing.

Call-to-action: A button or link that tells people what you want them to do next, like "Shop Now" or "Read More".

Wrap-up

You now know how to create a welcome email automation that introduces new subscribers to your business and encourages them to take action. The key is to start simple, test what works, and gradually improve your emails based on the data.

Your welcome series is often the foundation of a good relationship with your email subscribers. Get this right, and everything else becomes easier.

Ready to put this into practice? Start building your welcome automation today.

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