Have you ever ever had your gross sales emails ignored?
This may be extraordinarily irritating—it’s the enterprise model of being left on learn. But, many people get uncomfortable on the considered writing a follow-up e mail. As a result of in the event that they haven’t replied, that should imply they’re not , proper?
Whereas this is perhaps true in some circumstances, the primary purpose why many recipients don’t reply is that emails get misplaced of their flooded inboxes. Sending a follow-up e mail may simply be the factor they should take you up in your supply.
This text will educate you all the pieces you should find out about follow-up emails, together with what they’re, why they’re vital, and create them. We’ll additionally offer you some glorious follow-up e mail samples you should use in your gross sales efforts.
Desk of Contents
What are follow-up emails?
A follow-up e mail is an e mail you ship to somebody you’ve already contacted. This could possibly be for varied causes, together with alerting a recipient of the preliminary e mail, requesting a reply or particular motion from them, or reminding them of an vital date.
The aim of follow-up emails isn’t to provoke a dialog however quite to behave as a immediate or reminder. As such, it’s greatest to maintain follow-up emails brief and to the purpose by together with solely probably the most important data.
Not solely does this come throughout as extra skilled, but it surely additionally makes it simple for the recipient to learn and reply to your e mail rapidly with out taking an excessive amount of trip of their busy schedule—which is one thing that every one of us respect.
Why are follow-up emails vital?
In 2020, it was estimated that roughly 306.4 billion emails have been despatched and acquired on daily basis. In case you do the maths, that’s roughly 38 emails every day for every particular person on earth (and that’s for those who have been counting infants, too). Wow, that’s numerous emails!
Sadly, an enormous portion of those emails aren’t opened. And, even worse, generally the emails don’t even attain the recipient’s inbox.
In 2021, the supply standing of promoting emails despatched within the clothes sector stood at 87.83%—which means that 12.17% of individuals didn’t even obtain the e-mail. Since that is the trade with the best supply charge, it signifies that even the next share of emails in different industries by no means discover their option to clients’ inboxes.
Due to this fact, the explanation lots of your recipients aren’t studying your emails comes right down to 2 issues. Your recipients are both:
- Not studying your emails as a result of they get misplaced within the mass of emails of their inboxes
- Not receiving your emails within the first place
Thus, by incorporating follow-up emails into your technique, you’ll improve your probabilities of the recipient receiving and studying your emails—and in the end achieve extra gross sales.
How one can write a follow-up e mail
Listed here are the 6 steps you may observe to jot down the proper follow-up e mail.
1. Decide your aim
The very first thing you should do is decide what you wish to obtain together with your follow-up message.
Listed here are a couple of goals to think about:
- Request a gathering: Do you wish to meet together with your recipient to pitch a product thought, obtain suggestions, or just decide their mind?
- Get data: Did you overlook to ask your recipient a query throughout your earlier assembly or e mail and want readability on the matter? Or, maybe you wish to decide whether or not you made a sale.
- Thank your recipient: Do you merely wish to present your gratitude? Saying thanks to your recipient might not at all times require instant motion, but it surely does depart them with a constructive impression of your model—which might end in model belief and loyalty.
- Meet up with your recipient: Have you ever not spoken to a connection shortly? Or, maybe you heard large information about their firm that created a necessity in your merchandise/providers. They is perhaps in the correct state of affairs to lastly take you up in your supply.
By being clear in your aim, you’ll not solely have the ability to write a greater and extra related e mail, however you’ll additionally know what name to motion (CTA) you should use to get your recipient(s) to take motion.
2. Begin the e-mail with context
74% of shoppers change into pissed off when their e mail communication expertise isn’t customized.
That is true for automated follow-up emails, similar to gross sales and advertising emails despatched to a complete section of your viewers, and once-off emails despatched to a single particular person to attach with them.
That’s why it’s important to incorporate a private connection in your e mail. There are various methods to realize this, together with including identifiers (such because the recipient’s title), speaking about widespread pursuits, or mentioning a particular motion the recipient took.
Listed here are some nice e mail openers or introductory strains that present context:
- Final time we spoke about [topic]
- We met on the [event name] final week
- Our pal, [friend’s name], urged that I attain out to you
- I’m following up regarding the e mail I despatched to you a couple of weeks in the past about [topic]
- Thanks in your assist with the [topic]
3. Clarify why you’re emailing
After you’ve successfully supplied context in your e mail’s introductory line, it’s time to elucidate why you’re emailing. By stating your objective early on, your e mail will seem extra reliable as an alternative of spammy and obscure.
For instance, as an alternative of claiming, “I’d like to fulfill with you to elucidate what I can do for your enterprise,” it’s best to say, “I’d like to fulfill with you to elucidate how my providers might help [their business name] convert extra web site guests by means of an efficient lead magnet technique.”
Being particular will assist your clients really feel like you recognize what you’re speaking about and also you’re not simply losing their time. In consequence, they’ll be way more prone to reply or take you up in your supply.
Remember the fact that it’s vital so that you can concentrate on them and how one can assist their life or enterprise enhance.
4. Craft a sexy topic line
47% of e mail recipients open emails based mostly on topic strains. Which means topic strains are 1 of an important—if not an important—elements of your total e mail.
There are completely different practices for writing a compelling topic line, however 1 of the very best methods is to jot down your topic line after you’ve written all the pieces else.
It’s because the opening line, content material, and CTA of your e mail play a vital function in writing a topic line that isn’t solely eye-catching but in addition encompasses all the pieces inside your e mail in a single line.
Listed here are some ideas for crafting a great follow-up e mail topic line:
- Maintain your topic line brief and to the purpose: E-mail topic strains with 6-10 phrases are inclined to have the best open charge.
- Use concrete numbers, instances, and locations: In case you met the recipient at a particular place, embody it. When you have particular information or numbers within the content material, point out them.
- Attempt to embody the recipient’s title: Emails with the recipient’s title within the topic line are inclined to have the next open charge.
Use our free e mail topic line generator to create efficient topic strains for all of your follow-up emails.
5. Embody a call-to-action (CTA)
It’s essential to make it as simple as doable in your recipient to answer your e mail. That is the place a CTA is available in.
The kind of CTA you employ will rely upon the aim of your e mail. Would you like your recipient to:
- Guide a gathering with you?
- Purchase your product?
- Offer you further data or suggestions?
Based mostly in your aim and e mail content material, you may craft a CTA that is sensible within the context and offers the recipient clear directions on what they should do subsequent. For instance:
- In case you’re requesting a gathering, an amazing CTA to incorporate is a gathering schedule button the place they’ll instantly schedule a gathering based mostly on the time that fits their and your schedules.
- In case you’re asking your recipient to learn 1 of your posts and offer you suggestions, embody the hyperlink to that put up in your e mail.
- In case you’re asking a result in check out your free trial, embody a “attempt free trial” button that mechanically redirects them to your website’s free trial touchdown web page.
6. Ship your emails
After writing your total follow-up e mail, together with your topic line, opening line, content material, and CTA, you should decide the very best time to ship it.
Based mostly on the circumstance, you’ll must ship it throughout a particular time to make sure that it’s nonetheless related to the recipient—whereas additionally making certain that you simply’re not sending the e-mail too quickly or often that it finally ends up annoying them.
Listed here are some primary pointers on the very best instances to ship follow-up emails based mostly on the kind of e mail:
- Thanks emails will be despatched inside 24 hours.
- Reminder emails (after sending vital documentation similar to job functions) will be despatched inside 48 hours.
- Observe-up emails on assembly requests will be despatched inside 1-2 weeks of the unique e mail, relying on the urgency of the request.
- Catch-up emails (to meet up with a previous connection or when one thing has modified of their enterprise) will be despatched each 3 months.
Word: if automating the emails, at all times give a transparent option to opt-out
ActiveCampaign mechanically permits your subscribers to opt-out—so that you don’t have to fret about moving into hassle.
Observe-up e mail samples
Listed here are some samples for several types of follow-up emails.
Gross sales follow-ups
State of affairs 1: Following up after not getting a response
Topic line: Checking in re: [short phrase that covers what your last email was about]
Hello [First name],
I hope you’re doing glorious. I didn’t hear again from you about [the email you sent] and thought I’d check-in.
Have you ever been too busy to get again?
Have you ever discovered one other [service/product provider]?
Is it simply not the correct time?
Let me know for those who’d like me to circle again with you sooner or later when it’s a greater time or for those who’ve discovered one other [service/product provider] and not require my providers.
Many thanks,
[Your name]
State of affairs 2: Somebody requested you to follow-up later
Topic line: Able to proceed the dialog [First name]?
Hello [First name],
Final time we spoke, you requested that I get in contact with you in [amount of time] relating to [topic]. So I needed to succeed in out and see for those who’ve had an opportunity to take a look at [your proposal] and what we beforehand mentioned.
I’d be more than pleased to do a fast recap over the telephone, so you may ask me any questions you could have.
Let me know what your calendar seems to be like this week so we will schedule a name.
Wanting ahead to listening to from you,
[Your name]
Networking follow-ups
State of affairs 1: Following up after your preliminary assembly at a networking occasion
Topic line: Nice assembly you at [event name]
Hello [First name],
It was nice assembly you at [where you met them]. I cherished listening to about your enterprise and all that it’s achieved. Relating to the [something they mentioned they’re struggling with], I’m assured that I might help you [problem you can solve] so you may [what they want to achieve].
Are you accessible to talk subsequent week?
Let me know what time works for you.
Wanting ahead to listening to from you,
[Your name]
You may simply import contacts into ActiveCampaign’s automation to observe up with folks you’ve met face-to-face at networking occasions who confirmed curiosity in working with you.
State of affairs 2: Following up after a name or assembly to maneuver on to the subsequent step
Topic line: Subsequent steps for [project name]
Hello [First name],
It was nice chatting with you the opposite day and studying extra about [their company name] and expectations. I’d love to begin engaged on [project name], so you may get [results they want].
As mentioned, I’ve connected a kind so that you can fill out. The subsequent step is to [short sentence of the next step in the process].
Please fill out the shape at your earliest comfort so we will transfer to the subsequent step.
Wanting ahead to working with you,
[Your name]
Recruitment follow-ups
State of affairs 1: Firm following up with candidates post-interview
Topic line: Thanks for coming in in your interview yesterday [First name]
Hello [First name],
I simply needed to drop you a line to thanks for coming in in your interview yesterday. The crew and I actually loved assembly you and hope you loved the method too.
We’ll be taking the subsequent few [days/weeks] to find out who the very best candidate for the [job title] will likely be and can have a solution for you by [date].
Within the meantime, please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you could have in regards to the function or course of by e mail or telephone.
In any other case, we’ll be in contact quickly.
Many thanks,
[Your name]
State of affairs 2: Freelancer or impartial contractor following up with an organization on a proposal
Topic line: Following up on my proposal
Hello [First name],
I’m checking in to see for those who’ve had an opportunity to take a look at my proposal. I believe it might make sense for us to work collectively so we will get [mention their desired result in a short sentence] for your enterprise.
I’ve connected a hyperlink to my web site and samples of [type of work that you do that’s relevant to their business] that I’ve accomplished up to now, in case you needed to see examples of my work.
Wanting ahead to listening to from you [First name]!
Sort regards,
[Your name]
Reply to troublesome emails with confidence utilizing our FREE e mail reply templates!
Professional ideas for follow-up emails
Listed here are a couple of ideas you may implement to get probably the most out of your follow-up emails.
Check completely different emails
In case you’re sending out follow-up emails on an enormous scale, you may attempt implementing A/B testing to make your emails as efficient as doable. That is whenever you cut up your site visitors into 2 completely different variations of an e mail and examine which performs higher.
A/B exams will enable you to decide which topic strains, content material, CTAs, or another e mail parts carry out the very best. In consequence, your e mail click on and conversion charges will develop exponentially.
Use movies in your emails
Using video in e mail advertising has change into more and more vital, which is why 86% of companies use video as a advertising instrument. By together with video in your emails, shoppers are way more prone to retain the data in your e mail.
Get rid of sure phrases
Don’t use phrases similar to “I apologize for bothering you,” “If it’s not an excessive amount of hassle.” or “In case you’d be so sort as to” in your emails. This instantly offers the e-mail recipient the impression that you simply aren’t assured—which of their minds signifies an absence of expertise or weak providing.
As a substitute, be assured in your e mail and present the recipient that you simply’re the perfect resolution to their drawback.
FAQs
What number of follow-up emails do you have to ship?
For chilly e mail campaigns, it’s best to goal to ship not more than 3 follow-up emails to keep away from annoying your potential clients. In case you really feel like 3 isn’t sufficient, you may at all times use different platforms similar to LinkedIn or Twitter to speak together with your prospects on a private degree.
Then again, you may ship extra emails for heat follow-ups. Nevertheless, bear in mind to offer sufficient time between your earlier e mail and the subsequent e mail to keep away from annoying your recipient.
Can I automate my follow-ups?
Sure, you may automate your follow-up emails. That is particularly helpful for those who’re sending emails to a bigger group of individuals. Learn to create an automatic follow-up e mail sequence in 7 steps.
Create your follow-up emails
By following the steps outlined above and utilizing the samples supplied, you may create efficient follow-up emails that recipients will reply to.
Want ready-made follow-up e mail templates? Get our free follow-up e mail templates that’ll enable you to entice, interact, and convert prospects.
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Therefore, the reasons many of your recipients aren’t reading your emails come down to 2 things. Your recipients are either:
Not reading your emails because they get lost in the mass of emails in their inboxes
Not receiving your emails in the first place
Thus, by incorporating follow-up emails into your strategy, you’ll increase your chances of the recipient receiving and reading your emails—and ultimately gain more sales.”
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