When you are trying to build relationships with potential customers or clients, it’s important to stay in touch and follow up regularly. Unfortunately, this can be a lot of work, especially if you have a large list of contacts.
Thankfully, there are ways to automate follow up emails so that you can save time and still make sure that your contacts are getting the attention they deserve. But first…
7 Reasons To Automate Follow Up Emails
Few reasons why automating your follow-up emails can be beneficial:
1. You can save time by automate repetitive tasks.
2. Automated emails can be personalized at scale with merge tags.
3. You can improve your open rates and click-through rates with automated email sequences.
4. Automated emails can help you nurture your leads and convert them into customers or clients.
5. Automated email sequences can be used to cross-sell and upsell your products or services.
6. You can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty with automated post-purchase follow-up emails.
7. Automated welcome emails can help you, onboard new customers or clients, efficiently.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the benefits of automated follow-up emails, let’s take a look at 13 tips to help you get started.
Here are 13 tips to automate your follow-up emails:
1. Use an email service provider that offers automation features.
There are many email service providers on the market that offer automation features. This means that you can set up automatic email campaigns that will send out messages at regular intervals, based on criteria that you specify.
Benefits of Using a Reliable Email Service Provider
There are several benefits of using a reliable email service provider:
- You can be sure that your messages will be delivered since these providers have high deliverability rates.
- You’ll have access to powerful features and integrations that will help you get the most out of your email campaigns.
- You can take advantage of their customer support in case you run into any problems.
Some popular email service providers that offer automation features include MailChimp, AWeber, and Constant Contact. These email service providers all offer free plans that you can use to get started.
2. Create a series of follow up emails.
When you are creating your automated follow-up email campaign, you will need to write a series of individual messages. These messages should build on each other, providing more information and value with each subsequent email.
The follow up email series should also have a specific purpose. For example, your goal might be to introduce a potential customer to your product or service, get them to sign up for a free trial, or schedule a consultation call. You can create follow up emails for the below:
- sales campaigns
- event promotion webinar
- product launch
When you create follow up emails, make sure to:
- Keep the emails short and to the point.
- Include a call to action in each email.
- Personalize the emails as much as possible.
- Use a friendly and conversational tone.
3. Set a schedule for your emails.
One of the great things about automation is that you can specify when each message in your series should be sent out. This means that you can stagger your messages so that they are spaced out over time, giving your contacts a chance to digest the information in each one before receiving the next.
The best time to automate follow up emails depends on your specific goals and audience. However, in general, it’s best to space out your messages over a period of several days or weeks.
You can set the time as:
- Immediately
- 1 day later
- 2 days later
- 3 days later and so on.
As you schedule the follow up emails to be sent periodically, also make sure to set an end date for your campaign. This way, you can be sure that your contacts are not bombarded with too many messages.
4. Personalize your messages.
When you are writing your follow up emails, be sure to personalize them as much as possible. Include the contact’s name in the subject line and body of the message, and reference any previous interactions you’ve had.
Why You Need to Personalize Your Follow Up Messages
- Personalizing your follow up emails is important for two reasons:
- It shows that you remember who the person is and that you value their business.
- It helps to build rapport and creates a more personalized connection.
How to personalize follow up outreach emails
- There are many ways to personalize your follow up emails, including:
- Including the contact’s name in the subject line and body of the message.
- Referring to previous interactions you’ve had.
- Mentioning common interests or experiences.
- Asking questions about specific pain points or needs.
Follow Up Email Personalization Examples
In the subject line: “Hey {First Name}, it was great to meet you at {Event}”
In the email body: “I noticed that you’re interested in {Topic}. I thought you might find this {Resource} helpful.”
5. Use triggers to send out specific messages.
In addition to setting a schedule for your follow up an email campaign, you can also use triggers to send out specific messages based on certain actions or events.
For example, you could set up a trigger so that a particular message is sent out if the recipient clicks on a link in a previous email.
How to Use Triggers to Send Specific Messages
There are a few different ways to use triggers to send specific messages:
1. Set up an email sequence so that each message is sent out based on a certain action or event.
2. Use conditional logic to send different messages to different people based on their actions or events.
3. Use “if/then” statements to send out specific messages based on certain conditions.
4. Use “else/if” statements to send out different messages if a certain condition is not met.
5. Use “case” statements to send out different messages depending on the value of a certain variable.
6. Use “switch” statements to send out different messages depending on the value of a certain variable.
6. Monitor your results.
As with any marketing campaign, it’s important to monitor your results so that you can fine-tune your approach and make improvements over time. Keep an eye on your open and click-through rates, and make adjustments to your campaign accordingly.
Why You Need to Monitor Your Follow Up Emails
You must monitor your follow up emails for two reasons:
- To ensure that your messages are being delivered.
- To see how recipients are interacting with your messages.
- How to Monitor Your Follow Up Email Campaign
There are a few different ways to monitor your follow up email campaign:
- Check your email delivery rates.
- Check your email open rates
- .Check your email click-through rates.
7. A/B test your messages.
One way to fine-tune your automated follow up an email campaign is to A/B test your messages. This involves sending out two slightly different versions of a message to see which one performs better.
You can conduct A/B tests on a variety of elements, including the subject line, sender name, email content, and call to action.
Benefits of A/B Testing Your Messages
There are plenty of benefits to A/B testing your messages, including:
- You can improve your open rates.
- You can improve your click-through rates.
- You can improve your conversion rates.
- You can increase your ROI.
How to A/B Test Your Follow Up Emails
There are a few different ways to A/B test your follow up emails:
Step#1. Use an email marketing platform that offers A/B testing.
Step#2. Create two slightly different versions of your message.
Step#3. Send each version to a small group of people.
Step#4. Monitor the results and make changes accordingly.
Step#5. Rinse and repeat.
8. Automate repetitive tasks.
There are many repetitive tasks involved in managing follow-up email campaign, such as adding new contacts, removing bounced emails, and sending out reminders. Fortunately, there are ways to automate these tasks so that you can save time and effort.
You can use an email marketing platform that offers automation, or you can use a separate tool that integrates with your email marketing platform.
Benefits of Automating Repetitive Tasks
There are plenty of benefits to automating repetitive tasks, including:
- You can save time.
- You can reduce errors.
- You can improve efficiency.
How to Automate Repetitive Tasks for Your Follow Up Email Campaign
There are a few different ways to automate repetitive tasks for your follow up email campaign:
- Use an email marketing platform that offers automation.
- Use a separate tool that integrates with your email marketing platform.
- Set up rules and filters in your email account.
- Use an automated email sales tool like Rangeflow.
- Hire a virtual assistant.
9. Use pre-written templates.
When you are first starting out, you automate follow up emails, it can be helpful to use pre-written templates — you can use dedicated guest post outreach templates or the below ones. This will give you a good starting point for creating your own messages.
3 Best Pre-written Follow Up Templates
You can find pre-written follow up templates online, or you can create your own. Here are three of the best pre-written follow up templates:
Follow Template #1: The Soft Sell
Hello ____,
I hope you are doing well. I just wanted to check in and see if you have any questions about ____.
If you do, I would be happy to answer them.
Best,
____
Follow Template #2: The Friendly Check-in
Hey ____,
I hope all is going well. I just wanted to check in and see how you are ____.
If you need anything, please let me know.
Best,
___
Follow Template #3: The Time-Sensitive Offer
Hi ____,
I hope you are doing well. I just wanted to let you know that we are currently running a special ____.
If you are interested, please let me know.
Best,
___
10. Set up reminders.
One way to make sure that you don’t forget to follow up with your contacts is to set up reminders. You can do this manually, or you can use a tool like Rangeflow to automate the process.
Why You Need to Setup Follow Up Reminders
There are plenty of benefits to setting up reminders, including:
- You can improve your response rates.
- You can save time.
- You can reduce stress.
How to Set Up Reminders for Your Follow Up Email Campaign
There are a few different ways to set up reminders for your follow up email campaign:
- Use an email marketing platform that offers reminders.
- Use a separate tool that integrates with your email marketing platform.
- Set up rules and filters in your email account.
- Use an automated email sales tool like Rangeflow.
- Hire a virtual assistant.
11. Use a call to action.
Every follow up email should include a call to action, such as asking the recipient to reply to the message, visit your website, or sign up for your newsletter.
Why Having a Call to Action is Important
There are plenty of benefits to having a call to action, including:
- You can increase your response rates.
- You can generate leads.
- You can boost sales.
How to Include a Call to Action in Your Follow Up Email
There are a few different ways to include a call to action in your follow up email:
- Include a link to your website.
- Include a sign-up form for your newsletter.
- Include a “Reply” button.
- Include an offer or discount code.
12. Get creative with your subject lines.
Your subject line is one of the most important elements of your follow up email, so make sure it’s attention-grabbing and compelling.
How to Come Up With Great Subject Lines for Your Follow Up Emails
There are a few different ways to come up with great subject lines for your follow up emails:
- Use keywords.
- Make it personal.
- Keep it short and sweet.
- Be creative.
13. Test, test, test.
As with any email marketing campaign, it’s important to test your follow up email campaigns before you launch them. This will help you ensure that everything is working as it should, and that your messages are being delivered to the right people.
How to Test Your Follow Up Email Campaigns
There are a few different ways to test your follow up email campaigns:
- Send yourself a test email.
- Check your spam score.
- Test different subject lines.
With the above tips, you should be able to automate follow up emails effectively and that will help you boost your response rates and achieve your desired results. However, you would also need the right cold emailing tools to get the most out of your email campaign.