How To Send a Follow‑Up Email to Customers

Why are follow-up emails important in marketing?

The customer journey is different for everyone, but follow-up emails are critical no matter where contacts are in the sales funnel. Many businesses are hesitant to send emails because they don't want to waste their time if the recipient isn't going to purchase anything from them. On the other hand, just because you heard a customer say no or never received a response, doesn't mean you shouldn't try again.

Sales follow-up statistics show that approximately 60% of customers say no to something 4 times before they say yes. Ultimately, winning your customer over might take a while, so you need to be persistent, follow up regularly, and think carefully about how you want to execute your strategy. That way, you can increase your chances of getting your customer to say yes.

How to send a follow-up email

With so many marketing automation tools available, you might be wondering how to send and write a follow-up email. Keep in mind that these emails come in many forms, so different options are available.

If you want to maximize the results of your follow-up email, there are a few steps to keep in mind. They include:

Identify your goals

First, you need to figure out your goals. Of course, you would like the customer to reach out to you, but what's the intended purpose of the email? For example, are you interested in getting a customer to restart their subscription? Or are you trying to invite a potential client to join a brief phone call and discuss signing up for a demo? You might also be trying to get a customer to provide you with their payment information so you can finalize their order.

You must figure out the specific goals of your emails before you can start writing them. The end objective will dictate the verbiage of each message.

Determine when to follow-up with customers

Next, you need to consider when you want to follow up with your customers. How long do you want to give your contacts before you follow up with them? Are there any triggering events in the customer journey that call for a follow-up message?

The answer to these questions may differ depending on an email's purpose. For example, you might want a customer to provide a response after trying out a software demo. Or, you might be waiting for a customer to supply you with payment information so you can ship a specific product to their front door.

Keep in mind that too many follow ups can annoy people, so think about how long you want to wait before you follow up with your contacts.

Craft your email

Now, it's time for you to craft the email. Whether you're sending a transactional email or a gentle reminder, you need to think carefully about the information you include. Subject lines are often the first thing recipients will see, so they have to make a good impression.

Then, you need to consider how much information you want to include in the body. You need to have enough information to communicate the point of your email, but you don't want to overwhelm the reader with a wall of text. Don't forget the overall goal of your message. It's also best practice to include a call to action. If you don't have a CTA, the recipient might not move to the next step in the customer journey.

You might have several emails you need to send. Even though you can write them individually, this might not be the best approach. Fortunately, there are tools available that can automate the process, making it easier for you to distribute emails to your audience.

Examples of follow-up emails

To help you create a follow-up email, here are a few examples that can serve as templates.

Example #1

Subject line: How was the demo?

Hi [customer name],

Thank you for taking the time to demo our product yesterday. We want to recap a few talking points to ensure we're on the same page:

• Point 1
• Point 2
• Point 3

We're confident that we can help remedy the issues outlined above and are excited to start working together.

If you want to schedule a follow-up call to discuss installation, don't hesitate to reach out.

Thank you!

Example #2

Subject line: Required payment information for order number 1234

Hi [customer name],

We're ready to ship your order, but we need to process your payment information first! Please give us a call to provide your payment details or use the link to supply the necessary information.

We hope you're looking forward to your order!

Example #3

Subject line: Your feedback is valuable - How can we improve?

Hi [customer name],

Thank you for purchasing our product. We're always looking for ways to improve, so we invite you to leave some feedback using the link here!

Please contact us if there's anything else we can do for you.

Use any of the examples above as a follow-up email template for your next follow-up campaign.

Tips for effective follow-up emails

If you want your emails to be effective, there are a few tips you should consider following. They include:

• Use personalized messaging. If you want your emails to be successful, you must use personalized messaging. That way, your clients will know that the email was created specifically for them.
• Keep emails simple. Your emails don't need to be complicated. Simple is always better. If you clutter your emails with unnecessary details, people may not open them or finish reading.
• Send at the right time. You need to think carefully about when you should send your emails. You must consider the day and time and how long you should wait between emails. Think about when you'll get the highest open rate.
• Include a CTA. Including a CTA with your emails is always best because it can help guide recipients to complete a specific action. Do you want them to call you? Do you want them to click on the link? Be clear when adding a CTA to your email, but avoid being too pushy.
• Be professional. Always be professional. Even though you want to use personalized messaging, you still want the email to have a professional feel. You might want someone else to look at the email before you send it out to ensure it's as professional as possible.

If you keep these important tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing the success rate of your emails.

Create follow-up emails with Mailchimp

If you want to start sending follow-up emails, you must think carefully about how you craft your campaign. Follow-up messages are important for helping you maintain strong relationships with your customer base. Advanced tools can help you expedite the process while increasing your conversion rate.

At Mailchimp, we have various tools to ensure you get the most out of your follow-up campaigns. Whether you want to automate your emails or find the best time to contact your audience, we're here to help.