The first 60 days after opt-in is the most critical time period to engage consumers, convert prospects into new customers, and incent first time buyers become repeat buyers. However, it is not uncommon to see email response rates drop by more than 50% in the first 60 days of a consumer's lifecycle. Understanding what drives consumers to opt-in to your email program, and what keeps them engaged is a challenge for all email marketers.
 
Here are some simple steps you can take to influence response during this critical time:

1. Analyze your data: The first place I recommend starting is taking a look at your own data to learn when the inevitable response "drop off" occurs for your new subscribers. One way to do this is to pick several fixed data sets (example: all opt-ins acquired during the weeks of July 1st, August 1st and September 1st), and then summarize message response by group over a 60- 90 day observation period. The reason for picking several data sets is to make sure your results are seen as a repeatable pattern, and not influenced by seasonality or a special event.
   
   When you analyze the data, you will likely see your highest response rates from your Welcome message, with a decline in response over time. Looking at this trend line will help you determine when engagement starts to drop off, which is a good place to test your early engagement messages. The same analysis can be done with purchase data to learn when consumers are most likely to make their first purchase following email opt-in.
   
   
2. Welcome: Make sure you are putting your best foot forward with your Welcome message. Your Welcome message is an important tool for setting subscriber expectations, but it can also be a huge revenue generator. Most consumers sign up for email programs because they are looking for great deals. Make sure your Welcome message includes strong branding, a clear call to action, and hopefully a nice welcome offer for first time purchasers.
   
   
3. Multi-message approach: Consider developing a multi-message Welcome campaign to introduce new subscribers to your program and engage them in ongoing communication. Good examples of multi-message strategies include the classic good-better-best series (improving offers extended to non-responders over time), or breaking program benefits into multiple messages (great for financial services or loyalty based programs where it may take more than one message to educate consumers).
   
   
4. Test offers & content: Use controlled testing to identify the right balance of offers and content to optimize early engagement. Some consumer profiles may respond better to rich offers, while others may be more engaged in educational content or surveys. This is also a good time to collect preference data and segment the content you deliver based on declared or inferred interests.
   
   
5. Promote multi-channel communication: Early in the customer lifecycle is also a great time to encourage consumers to engage with your brand through other channels like mobile and social networking. It is important to understand how consumers' communication preferences change over time, and you may find that email subscribers who are not currently engaged with your email program may be more responsive if you integrate email with other channels. So don't forget to collect mobile opt-ins from your email sign up page, and promote your social media campaigns to your email list.

Developing a good Early Engagement strategy can be challenging, but it is worth the effort and results in higher sustained email response and conversion rates over time.