As soon as someone signs up for your e-newsletter or requests more information, you have no more than one or two days to start moving that customer from passive observer to active consumer.

The old direct-mail guideline was that you had 30 days or more to make your first contact. But with the Internet's speed and the typical online user's short attention span, you need to communicate as soon as you get a new lead.

You must have a welcome message -- preferably one with an offer or proposition to bolster your company or brand and remind people why they registered. With Got WWW’s automatic follow-up systems, this is cued up and ready to send as soon as you receive a new registration or request for information.

This is what best practices in email have evolved to, since it is only a short time before online users lose interest or forget about you.

But that doesn't mean everybody is doing this. We have found that very few companies respond in a timely manner to most requests. Which means, if you are, you will stand above the crowd.

Why do you need to engage your new prospects so fast? Because they are more likely to remember that they really did request your information if you contact them right away instead of waiting a week or more. They'll be less likely to report you as spam. They're still interested in what you have to say or sell.

They don't represent the same value to your company as your regular customers, but reaching them right away is the best way to make them a regular customer.

Keep in mind that even if you send your message right away, your customer might not read your email right away.

Strategies to Engage Newcomers

What's the best way to engage your newcomers? That varies by the kind of business you do, but an offer -- any offer -- is more memorable than just a note saying "Welcome!"

You need to test offers based on what works and what your marketing budget will allow. It could be a free trial to a paid membership, free shipping, a price discount or extra incentive points.

If you haven't reviewed your company's welcome message lately, see if it has these essential elements:

1. State Your Name: List your company or newsletter name repeatedly: In the subject line. In the "from" line. In the message body. Make it clear who you are.

2. State Your Business: Yes, say "Thanks for contacting us," but don't stop there. If you asked for a name and address, repeat it in the email (Our email software has a mail-merge function). Remind people why they signed up with you. List popular locations at your website, contacts for comments, help, etc.

3. Invite Them Back. This is your incentive to get them involved with you, whether it's tied to a promotion or an explanation for how to use your service. Remind them of the subscriber- or member-only benefits they get and tell them again how to use them. Link to key areas on your site, either to areas where you want to build traffic or to popular locations.