Email marketing is a great way to connect with your customers on a personal level. With email, you can build relationships, promote products and services, and increase customer loyalty. But crafting the perfect follow-up email strategy to win over your customers can be a challenge.
Many people are reluctant to open a branded email because they’re sure all of the messages are telling the same: asking them to buy a product. Sometimes such email messages can be annoying, specifically when the body email does not offer any value to the customer.
However, if you use the right techniques in your follow-up emails, then you can successfully engage with customers and convert them into paying customers.
15 Best Practices for Successful Follow-up Email Strategies
Sending emails can be an effective way to stay in touch with customers, prospects, and partners. However, a successful follow-up email strategy requires careful planning and execution. Here are 15 best practices for creating a successful follow-up email:
1. Understand the purpose of your email
Before sending an email, make sure you know why you’re sending it. What is the goal? How will this help your business? Knowing these will help you craft your email better because you’ll have a more focused approach.
For example, if you’re a restaurant owner who wants a customer to come back for dinner, you should know what kind of message will make them want to return. Here’s what you should write in your email: “Welcome Back! We can’t wait to have you at our restaurant again. Come join us for dinner this week and enjoy a delicious meal with us.”
And make sure to give customers something they appreciate. Your follow-up email should provide value to your customers. Offer them something that will be useful, such as a discount or free shipping, etc., and explain why it is valuable. Let them know what’s in it for them if they decide to take advantage of the offer.
2. Use an appropriate subject line
The subject line of your email is one of the most important parts, as it’s often the first thing readers see when they receive an email from you. Craft a catchy, relevant subject line that accurately reflects what’s included in the email body so that readers are more likely to open it.
Whenever possible, personalize your emails by using the recipient’s name or addressing any specific concern they may have brought up. This will help to create a more personal connection with the reader and make them more likely to read through your email.
3. Keep the content relevant
Your follow-up emails should be targeted and personalized to each of your customers. This means that you need to do some research on their background and interests so that your messages are tailored specifically to them.
For instance, if you own an online clothing store and have a customer who’s interested in modern fashion trends, sending them emails about vintage apparel won’t be relevant or helpful for them. Instead, send emails about the latest fashion trends or new arrivals in modern styles that could potentially appeal to the customer.
You may also add a link to your social media videos that explain your products in detail. That way, recipients will be more interested in clicking your link and watching your product explanation.
4. Keep your email short
Don’t send long emails that readers won’t bother reading through. Try to keep things as brief as possible while still getting your point across clearly. Make sure your emails are concise and clear because most people won’t read lengthy emails. Try to keep each sentence under 15 words and divide longer sentences into two or shorter ones.
You should also use simple language that every customer understands. For example, try not to use technical terms or industry-specific jargon. Aim for a customer-friendly language that communicates your message effectively and quickly.
5. Send a welcome email
The first email you send to your new online customers should be a welcome email. This is the ideal time to ask your new subscribers for their contact information so that you can stay in touch with them and send them more information about your products and/or services as appropriate.
The welcome email is your first chance to impress new subscribers and get them excited about what you have to offer. If you’re not sure what to include in your welcome email, try including the following:
– A brief introduction of yourself and your business
– A welcome gift for new subscribers
– An explanation of how you plan to use the subscribers’ contact information
6. Keep the conversation going
Once you’ve sent a welcome email to your new subscribers, it’s important to keep the conversation going. You may want to suggest topics or items that you’d like to send your subscribers in the future.
You may also want to ask your subscribers if you can help them in any way. If you want to keep the conversation going, make sure to add the following messages in your future emails:
– Information about your business
– Suggestions of topics or questions you’d like to send your subscribers
– Information about new items or special offers you’d like to promote
– Questions or suggestions for ways your subscribers would like to be helped
7. Send a product review request
Product reviews are an essential part of any eCommerce and business strategy, but not every customer is likely to leave a review on their own. If you want to encourage your customers to leave reviews, try sending them a product review request. This can be done through an email or through a call-to-action button on your website.
These product review requests should be sent right after the customer makes a purchase, but before they’ve received their product. This is because asking for a review right after a purchase can make your customer feel obligated to review. When you send a product review request, be polite and genuine.
8. Send a discount offer
One of the best ways to show your customers that you appreciate their patronage is to offer them a discount on their next purchase. By sending a discount offer to your customers, you can encourage repeat purchases and show your customers that you appreciate their business.
Customers are likely to appreciate this gesture and feel more connected to your brand as a result. You can send discount offers through a call-to-action button on your website or through an email. When you send a discount offer, make sure that it’s something your customers can redeem in the near future. You don’t want to send an offer that’s too far in the future because your customers won’t be able to take advantage of it.
9. Send a product recommendation
One of the best ways to show your customers that you genuinely care about their interests and needs is to recommend products that you think they’ll love. When you recommend products to your customers, you’re not only helping them find something that they’ll be happy with but also further demonstrating your knowledge of your industry. You can send product recommendations through an email or through a call-to-action link to your product page.
10. Request customer feedback
Asking for feedback from your customers is a great way to show that you’re listening. This can help build trust and make your customers feel appreciated. If you’re wondering when to ask for feedback from your customers, you might want to ask for it right away. This can help you identify any issues your customers are having with your products or services.
It can also help you understand what your customers love about what you do and what they want to see more of from you in the future. If you’re going to ask for feedback from your customers, make sure to give a brief explanation of why this feedback is important and add a review link for your customers to let you know what they think about the product or service.
11. Always include a call-to-action (CTA)
Your emails should have an obvious call-to-action (CTA) that tells the reader what they should do next. A CTA can be anything from clicking on a link, downloading content, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase. Make sure your email copy clearly states what you want the recipient to do after reading it.
Examples of good CTA are:
– “Click here to learn more”
– “Request a free demo”
– “Sign up for our newsletter”
– “Buy now and get 10% off your order”
12. Send at the right time
Timing is key when sending follow-up emails. In general, you should avoid sending emails too early in the morning or late at night, as recipients may not be checking their inboxes then. Aim to send your emails during mid-day hours so they don’t get lost in a crowded inbox.
You may also need to use automated follow-ups to avoid missing the schedule. If possible, set up automated follow-ups for certain types of emails. This will help ensure that no potential customer slips through the cracks by automatically sending out follow-up reminders based on specific triggers like time delays or lack of response from a previous email.
13. Test different email formats
Testing is an integral part of creating a successful follow-up email campaign. Try experimenting with different email formats, such as plain text emails or HTML emails, to find out which works better for you. You can also test the subject line length, font types, sizes, colors, etc. Moreover, you should make sure your emails are eye-catching and look professional.
14. Monitor responses and adjust accordingly
Keep track of how people are responding to your follow-up emails. If certain content or approaches aren’t resonating with readers, modify or replace them and see if the response rate increases. Tracking the responses from customers will help you gauge how effective your follow-up email is.
Make sure you’re tracking the results of your follow-up email strategy. Monitor metrics such as open rates, click-throughs, and conversions so that you can determine what’s working best and adjust your approach accordingly.
15. Be consistent
Be consistent in your follow-up email strategy by maintaining a regular schedule for sending emails and sticking with it. Establishing a pattern will help you build trust with readers over time as they come to expect an email from you at certain times.
Consistency is key when it comes to following up with customers. If you send too many emails in one day, people might get annoyed and unsubscribe from your list. On the other hand, if you don’t send enough emails, then customers may forget about your business altogether. Finding the right balance is essential for a successful follow-up strategy.
Conclusion
Follow-up emails are an essential part of any sales strategy, but many businesses still struggle with exactly how and when to do it in order to get the best results. If you’re eager to improve your follow-up email strategy as it relates to your customers and their buying journeys.
You can also try sending a welcome email, keeping the conversation going, requesting customer feedback, sending a product review request, sending a discount offer, and sending a product recommendation. Doing so can help you build relationships with your customers and show them that you truly appreciate their business.
Author
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video production company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
Twitter: @breadnbeyond
Email/Gravatar: [email protected]
LinkedIn: Andre Oentoro