Your email thank you page is your first impression
Every email service provider such as MailChimp, Constant Contact and my favorite, Ontraport, provide a default thank you page for new subscribers to see after hitting the ‘submit’ button.
You know the one. It says something to the affect of “Thank you. Check your email inbox to confirm your subscription.”
ESPs didn’t provide this because they think it’s the best option. They created these pages as a fail-safe. They know most businesses can’t or won’t create one so they provide a default.
There’s the key word – DEFAULT.
These pages weren’t intended to be your thank you page. They just happen by default.
Many business owners don’t realize they can (and should) create a custom thank you page specific to their new subscriber.
Personally, when I land on a default thank you page I think a couple of things…
- It’s jarring. I was in the flow of the site. The fonts. The colors. The branding. Suddenly I’m at a completely foreign location. Am I in the right place anymore? What the heck just happened?
- This business has missed a golden opportunity to start a conversation with their prospect.
- Is this business lazy or just uneducated? Either way, I question the value of the information I will receive in the future from being on their list.
Now I may not be your average consumer. So maybe numbers two and three are just me. But certainly your average consumer is going to wonder what’s going on?
I often picture my 75 year old father signing up for an email list. He’s already a little leery about giving out his email address. But your site built trust and he gained the confidence to give out his name and email address. He hits submit when WHAMO! He lands on a VERY different page that doesn’t look anything like where he submitted his information.
Now he’s panicked that he just gave away his info to an online scammer. He’s on the phone calling me. I don’t like you right now.
This may be an over-exaggeration of what can happen. Although it should be a very real concern if your average client is older or computer phobic.
Do thank you landing pages the right way
Instead of using a default page from your ESP, create a custom thank you page on your site and direct your new subscribers there instead.
A custom thank you page allows you to do several things.
- Keep your branding consistent. Using the same graphics, fonts and colors as your sign up page sends a clear message to your subscribers.
- Start the conversation instantly. Most ESPs take a few minutes to get an email into your new prospects inbox. People are so freakin impatient today. A five minute delay could mean the end of your new fledgling relationship. Your custom page is instant.
- Encourage an action. One of my favorite things to do is ask people to connect on social media on thank you pages. Simply adding a Facebook LIKE button or a LinkedIn widget can create a secondary list.
- Give instructions. Many people are still not familiar with email lists. Use the thank you page to tell them what to do next. Look for your email in their inbox – add you to their whitelist.
One thing to avoid on your thank you page. Don’t give the prospect a link to download whatever free item they may be requesting by signing up on the list.
Placing your free download on the thank you page allows the prospect to short-circuit the email process. If you’re using a double optin process they have no reason to click your confirmation link. They will never see another email from you.
Thank you pages are a golden marketing opportunity. Don’t miss your chance to get things off on the right foot.
