{"id":12040,"date":"2021-04-08T16:33:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T15:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodpecker.co\/blog\/?p=12040"},"modified":"2025-01-21T10:15:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T09:15:47","slug":"build-saas-user-onboarding-email-sequence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodpecker.co\/blog\/build-saas-user-onboarding-email-sequence\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build a SaaS User Onboarding Email Sequence (feat. Aaron Krall)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In December 2020 I did this webinar<\/a> with top SaaS user onboarding expert Aaron Krall<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the webinar, Aaron analyzed the signup process of Villo, a visitor check-in software. Then, I asked him to go through their onboarding email sequence and use it to talk about what a high-converting onboarding email sequence should look like.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before we move on to the sequence analysis, let\u2019s see what you should take into consideration when you\u2019re creating an onboarding sequence.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 steps to build an onboarding email sequence\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here are a couple of things that are going to help you as you\u2019re creating your onboarding sequence.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. What is the outcome you want your users to get during the trial?<\/span><\/h3>\n

In onboarding, there\u2019s a desired result or, in other words, an ideal outcome. It\u2019s impossible to deliver the ideal outcome during the trial. If you could do that, the users would leave after it\u2019s over and never come back.<\/span><\/p>\n

What you need to do during the trial period is to show them you can deliver on the promise. This means you have to deliver some kind of a meaningful outcome during the trial.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case we\u2019re discussing here, Villo (which is a visitor check-in software) is an iPad app.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Aaron points out, there\u2019s no way that their users are going to be able to see the full capacity of the tool and experience their desired outcome, which in this case might be not paying for a receptionist, better quality health standards, or C-level executives knowing who’s at the front desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

They might get a taste of that, but they’re not going to see the whole thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The trial period is the time for you to really build the value in the tool.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an ideal world, you would meet with every single person that signs up. You\u2019d ask them what they\u2019re expecting from the tool and what their desired outcome is. And you\u2019d adjust the way you sell your tool based on that.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if you have a low-touch onboarding process, you just can’t do that. So the next best thing is to decide what are the few things that a customer needs to know in order to see value in the product – and there’s a finite list. You can\u2019t touch on everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

What you should do next, then, is to identify what are the meaningful outcomes your users want to experience in the trial.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aaron suggests making a list of maximum 4 different outcomes that they could get during the trial.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case of Villo, one of them might be to show how easy it is to use the tool, and another — checking in their first visit.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Next, take a look at what the necessary actions to accomplish these outcomes are.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Actions are a series of steps to get to the outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the onboarding is designed to get users to see these outcomes, you\u2019ll have 6-7 actions that you need them to do in order to reach that specific outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of them may not be an action within the tool. It might be a video to show the users what’s possible, a recorded demo, a testimonial, or even some text telling them \u201chey, this is what’s possible\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of them are going to be actions, but not all of them. In fact, a lot of times having a totally action-based onboarding sequence is prohibitive, because that puts a lot more weight on your users\u2019 shoulders before they see the value.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s why a demo is so important, and why it’s the highest-converting sales process. You actually get to tell the salesperson what’s important to you, and then they show you the outcome that you can get. That’s as powerful as you can get.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Now\u2019s the time to identify the path of first value.<\/span><\/h3>\n

What\u2019s important to remember at this point is that there are two kinds of value in onboarding: perceived value and experienced value.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perceived value is when the users actually see what\u2019s possible, e.g. in a demo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Experienced value is when they actually experience it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you combine both of these — show the users the perceived value, but also get them to experience the value — then you have a lot of success.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Aaron points out, in an onboarding sequence there are 5 types of emails you send out. Some of them are action emails, some are path-of-first-value emails.<\/span><\/p>\n

The path-of-first-value ones are the actions that they need to take in order to experience the outcome that you promised. It’s the path. You\u2019ve already identified the necessary actions, and now you identify what the path is — what are the steps that need to be taken.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Aaron suggests to add here is to show additional value, e.g. introduce a feature that the users didn\u2019t yet know existed, or show them that something they didn’t know is possible, actually is.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

4. The activation sequence happens after the users convert.<\/span><\/h3>\n

As Aaron puts it, \u201cwhen a user converts, they\u2019re on a high. When they press the BUY button, there\u2019s an emotional rush. At that moment, they need help to find out what they bought, what they\u2019re actually going to be able to do. They need your help. Because if they don\u2019t have success with the product, they\u2019re going to churn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Onboarding doesn\u2019t stop after the users have converted. In fact, Aaron argues, we might say it begins as soon as they put in the credit card.<\/span><\/p>\n

The activation sequence consists of all the other things that they need to do (or see, or hear) in order to get the most value out of the product.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are numerous things that can come into play at this point. One of them is challenging the users\u2019 objections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or putting out case studies and testimonials.<\/span><\/p>\n

How many times have you bought something online, and then went back and looked at the testimonials and reviews? It\u2019s called a buyer reassurance.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what you can do at this point is:<\/span><\/p>\n