Everything Your Follow-Up Email Template Should Include to Get A Response

Sending a follow-up email is an art not many take out time to practice. But, it’s a very powerful tool to help you establish and lock in leads. In the world of outreach and marketing, you need to send follow-ups if you haven’t heard back from your prospective clients. Nearly 70% of people stop after sending one sales email. That’s sadly not how things work in this world.

Cold emailing is an elaborate process, especially in SaaS, that has many nuances to it. It certainly starts with an attention-grabbing opening message, but follow-up emails should no way be second priority. Certain tricks can help you generate an email that’ll actually get an acknowledgment! Read on to find out what an effective follow-up email template should include for getting a response and who knows. They might just bite helping you land a sale.

Avoiding the dreaded “Spam Folder” after a cold call follow up

Our email has gatekeepers, namely Internet service providers (ISPs), that ensure we don’t end up receiving irrelevant emails disrupting our day. 

Even if you create an outstanding follow-up mail, when it does not reach the primary inbox of the prospect, it’ll be meaningless. One out of five emails is straightaway marked spam. You need to ensure you don’t become that email. But how?

Your email deliverability depends on a couple of factors, namely:

• Sender Reputation. This includes the frequency of emails sent by you, abuse reported against you, and whether you’re sending email to spam traps.

• Content Quality. Even here, content is king. If the nature of your email is too promotional, it will trigger the ISPs sending your mail straight to spam land.

• Bounce Rate. This means the total number of times you send emails to an undeliverable mailbox. Try to keep this at 5%. You need to ensure you're sending mails to only verified email addresses. Try using tools such as Kickbox or Brite Verify to clean your recipient list.

The first thing you need to ensure is that you have a crisp and professional email template. You can improve your deliverability by starting to send follow-ups in smaller numbers and then increasing it gradually. 

Make your email more personal by using a name in it. Would you be tempted to open an email from information@xyz.com? Exactly.

Become acquainted with the prospect before sending a follow-up email

You have already approached the prospective client about your product or service. But, they still haven’t gotten back to you. Next, you straightaway send a follow-up mail to them, right? No.

Before sending a follow-up email, try to make the prospective client take notice of you. This will increase your follow-up visibility to them. 

There are a couple of ways in which you can do this:

1. Follow their social media and try to engage in meaningful interaction with them.

2. If they have a blog, leave comments under it vocalizing how it was educational or useful for you.

3. Send them a personalized email, including the factors you observed about them..

4. Connect and engage with them on Linkedin.

5. Send them links to resources that’ll be helpful for them.

A catchy subject line can make a lot of difference for your email template

Subject lines are the very first thing that your prospective client will read. Think of it as an elevator pitch. In most cases, it’s your only shot at getting them to open the email. 

Certain words help boost open rates such as update, alert, and tomorrow.

Power Words to Use For An Effective Subject Line

You can use a few strategies to help you make your follow-up email subject line impactful. These include the following:

• Using Numbers or Statistics. The biggest advantage of numbers is that they’re direct. In fact, if you just observe your behavior, you’ll find that you’re more often than not clicking on links that have digit figures. You can also incorporate a fun fact with a statistic to make your subject line more appealing.

• Curiosity Provoking. Using this strategy can give you an open rate like no other. The entire purpose here is to have a subject which the reader just *has* to click. It doesn’t always have to be formal. You can opt for an unusual, double-meaning or sassy liners as well. Keeping in mind the risk factor, it’s better to know which theme would work for the client. For example, if your target audience is between the ages of 20 to 30, you can go for social media lingo. You need to keep your audience in mind.
  Subject Lines Can Increase Your Email Open Rate by 47%

• Keep it Short and Effective. Try to avoid the use of filler words that will only take up space without having any value. Aim for approximately 50 characters for your subject line, keeping it direct yet sweet. Using too much jargon can be off-putting, sending the mail straight to trash.

Create a professional email signature for your follow-up emails

A professional email signature is a digital business card that helps to give a good first impression. It includes all the necessary details that are needed to get in touch without taking up much space. The digital encryption of it also helps to keep your data safe, which, in turn, indicates the email is authentic.

Email Signature Do's and Don'ts

Creating a good email signature template can be a little tricky. It should be short and effective without being too loud. You need to create the color scheme of the signature considering the color of your brand. Try a design that appeals to the user and has a retainable value.

When you send out a follow-up email template to a client, your digital signature can give you a virtual personality registering your presence. Also, it helps the client to know your genuine and gives your data integrity. Let us also not forget the printing and storage expenses you'll be able to avoid by opting for this.

Develop an engaging and personalized template for your sales follow-up email 

Follow-up emails need not be very long. In fact, they should be crisp and to-the-point. Hence, you have to be even more careful to include phrases and keywords that get the attention of the client. 

For example, take a look at this:

The body of the follow-up email will vary depending on the purpose. For example, a follow-up email after a cold call and a follow-up email after contacting a lead would be different.

In addition to this, you have to ensure that there is a touch of personalization in the email body. Multiple studies have confirmed that personalized emails will get you better results with a 14% higher click-through rate. 

Let’s elaborate on this a bit more. 

A follow-up email after no response can include a few facts about the products or services offered by your company and their benefits to the client. And, always remember to end with a call for action emphasizing to get in touch with you to get more details.

The body of your follow-up email has to be effective. Making a custom copy for your client will require both effort and time on your part. But, the returns would be worth it.

Adding visuals such as GIFs, pictures, graphs, and so on can increase the appeal of your email. Also, don’t forget to add your company’s logo to strengthen the integrity of the email. 

Here are some of the ways to make your follow-up email template for trade shows or general follow-up more compelling

1. Use a personalized video talking about your company, and the goods and services you provide. This will help you in two ways. Firstly, you'll be making the email more personalized. Secondly, a mutual trust relationship can be built between your client and you.

2. Incorporate graphs that highlight data in areas that would be of interest to your client.

3. Use personalized assets to make the recipient more interested in your email. As mentioned above, using an email signature can help you look more reliable instead of a usual sign off.

4. By including pictures and YouTube links, you can capture the interest of the recipient as well. However, keep in mind to use HD-quality images to make your follow-up email look professional and crisp.

You can also try a friendly yet polite approach to get a reply from your client. Assess your email list to figure out whether your client would appreciate a not-so-formal follow-up email as they’re some who prefer the traditional and official approach.

Understand the timing of sending a follow-up after no response from a prospect

Nearly all of us ask the same question – “How long should we wait before sending a follow-up email?”

The answer is entirely client-centric. The usual rule of thumb is to contact after four days without spamming your potential client. It was found that the most suitable timings of getting a reply were around 9 AM, 1 PM, and after 8 PM to 9 PM. In short, either early in the morning or after work hours.

Anyleads’ prospecting tool can help in sending automated follow-up campaigns.

Email Opening Tendencies on the Different Days of A Week 

Invest time nurturing an efficient email list for your follow-up sales email

Email lists have two essential components - building up the list and following up with clients.

Building Email Lists

Building up an email list may seem like an extra task, but it is actually very useful when it comes to locking-in sales. Through an email list, you have direct access to your client with complete control. Leaving aside bounce back, nearly every email sent by you will make it to an inbox.

We have made a list of a few benefits that you can avail by building an email list:

• More Engagement with Your Clientele. Many entrepreneurs and business people think that social media is more reliable when it comes to securing feels. When, in reality, the case is just the opposite. Successful marketers have always put sending emails above social media when it comes to marketing, customer acquisition, customer retention, and lead conversion. Email Marketing is actually 40 times better at obtaining customers in comparison to Twitter and Facebook. In addition to this, there is complete secrecy of your engagement numbers. Here are the statistics to prove it:
  

  Image Source: Foundr

• Email Subscribers Actually Do Place Orders. As per the U.S Direct Marketing Association, every dollar spent on email is projected to bring in $35.02. The competition in email marketing will always be less than social media. This makes people less picky and more open to replying and expressing interest. If the email it catches the clients' attention, they will scroll through it especially since they've given you permission to send them follow-ups indicating that they're truly interested in what you can offer.

• Scope of More Insight into Your Clientele’s Interests. Marketing and sales are very dependent on the tastes and preferences of the clients. This gives you a first-hand experience of what your clients want. Through Google tools, you can keep track of the engagement, sure. But, knowing the exact interests remain vague. An email list can overcome this as you can get this and more. We would also suggest separating your email lists into different groups to send follow-ups that look more personalized.

As you can see, the benefits of building up an email list are immense and can actually help you expand your reach. In fact, there are a few SAAS software that provided free email lists as well.

Following Up With Your Clients

It should be noted that after you start an email list, you have to keep following up and remain engaged with your clients. You can send them a couple of things that can add value to your list. These include the following:

1. Sending alerts about your company, blogs, or new product/service launches.

2. Sending exclusive content that includes educational videos, invitations to launches, and so on.

3. Providing access to exclusive coupons and discounts on your products and services. Studies show that around 55% of customers were more likely to reply if they were offered price deductions.

4. Asking for feedback on their experience with your company. This can actually be a good way to interact with clients and maintain relations as well. Doing this will make a client feel valued, helping you score higher on their list.

5. Giving a sneak peek to special launches before it becomes public knowledge.

6. Sending offers for freebies and free shipping. Free shipping can be very effective when it comes to locking-in clients. In fact, customers are four to five times more likely to buy a product if the shipping is waived.

Your prime focus should be making your clients feel important and valued. They should not feel as they are only a money-making machine for you. A follow-up email checking in on the clients can go a long way, for sure.

Image source: Yesware

It is also crucial to include an “opt-out option” in your mail. If any recipient wants to stop getting emails from you, he or she can simply opt-out. This, in turn, will help you not to be marked as spam keeping your sender reputation intact. Use a formal statement making the recipients aware that they can unsubscribe from your mailing list.

Embrace the principle of reciprocity in the art of sending follow-up emails

Before we talk about how this theory can help in sending follow-up emails, you need to understand what the principle of reciprocity really is.

From a psychological point of view, we always feel obligated to return a favor done for us. For example, if somebody invites you for a party, you’re more than likely to invite them over for yours. Hence, there are higher chances for people to help you if you have helped them in the past.

In the case of sending follow-up emails, you have to provide them with content that has value for them. You can also alert them about an issue on their website or send them a potential lead for expanding their business. This tactic is beneficial for turning your cold follow-up email warmer. 

Another approach can be to invite them for a podcast or a conference consisting of experts. This will make them feel respected and recognized, increasing your goodwill. Only after you are sure you have left an impact on them, should you seek favors in return. Always remember to be sophisticated and subtle in your approach to your client. Asking a favor just after offering a solution may be a turn-off for them. Hence, bide your time and then ask.

Make use of available technology to make sending follow-up lead emails simple

The entire framework of securing a sale is to gain access to the right tools to make your job effective and easy. There are a few software available in the market that can help you create campaigns by generating leads via email. In addition to this, data enrichment, as well as verifying emails, can be managed as well. 

When we talk about the email list, it is important not to send to email addresses that don’t exist. This will affect your credibility and increase the chance to be marked as spam. Of course, cold email campaigns and newsletter campaigns are also quite beneficial for the acquisition and conversion of clients. 

There are Many Tools in the Market to Help You Verify Your Emails

When it comes to finding a potential client’s email, there are many ways to make your job easier. Depending on the availability, ease of use, time involved, the accuracy of results, and, of course, budget, you can choose an approach that works best according to your needs.

Don’t stop sending follow-up emails

When you are new at sending follow-up emails, you have to start slow. Too much activity can trigger the ISPs and filters, increasing your chances of getting flagged. Keep an eye out on Google’s quota to see your bounce rate. Once you find a consistent number, try to maintain that email volume and sending a schedule.

You may feel a tad disheartened when your client doesn’t revert. But, you have to take it in your stride and move forward. When you don’t get a response, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your client is not interested in your product or service. There might be a variety of other reasons such as packed schedules, prior commitments, lack of requirements, etc. You can send a follow-up email after no response from your client asking for an indication of their interest or disinterest.

You can start by talking about their prior interest in your product or service and then politely ask them whether they’d be interested in scheduling a call with you. Even if after a prolonged time of sending follow-up emails you still don’t get any response, you can try a final breakup mail asking them about their interest.

The Power of Sending A Follow-up Email

Takeaway thoughts

Always remember that your follow-up email templates should look professional and sophisticated. You don’t want to spam your clients into reporting you, nor do you want it to be ineffective. Develop an engaging email body by incorporating keywords and visuals to increase its appeal factor. Timing clubbed with personalization can help you get a reply (and if all goes well a favorable one!) from your clients. 

When you draft a follow-up email keeping in mind the points as mentioned above, the chances for you to get a reply, and acquiring a client will be higher. And, don’t be discouraged when you don’t get prompt responses, follow-up emails are more important than your initial email. The numbers don’t lie!