Conversions are the main goal of marketing experts. It’s the marketer’s responsibility to persuade leads to take the next step, whether it’s a sale, a new subscription, or an increase in social media followers.

Conversions may seem to be simple tasks. But don’t be deceived: 60% of individuals will either ignore or decline before converting. (Moreover, about half of those in sales will not follow up following the first decrease.)

Following up is critical to accomplishing your conversion targets. Continue reading for advice on writing the ideal follow-up.

What is the significance of follow-up emails in your campaign?

In various instances, follow-up emails act as valuable reminders to your customers:

• They allow you to reconnect with people you’ve previously spoken with about a problem or service.
• They may be used as reminder messages for visitors who left your site with products in their shopping basket.
• They may inform readers about important events or sales.

Follow-up emails, when done appropriately, have the ability to:

• When customized with the subscriber’s name, open rates increase by around 29%.
• Increase total phone contact rates by around 16%. (if a follow-up message is sent after a call)
• Provide almost double the return on investment of cold calling

The purpose of a follow-up email is to keep in touch with your customer. And the chances to follow up are almost limitless.

Popular follow-up email formats

If you want your follow-up emails to be effective, make sure you’re reaching out at every chance. Not sure how to accomplish it without seeming spammy? Here are some examples of popular follow-up emails that help boost conversions.

Emails from abandoned shopping carts

Messages about abandoned carts are a great example. When someone visits your website, selects a product or service, and then either chooses not to complete the purchase or gets abruptly ejected off the site, this is the ideal moment to send these.

You may collect information from users and send them a follow-up email that reminds them of what they were doing or looking at using technologies such as website cookies.

Adidas exemplifies this philosophy well. They not only skillfully injected comedy, but they also addressed a prevalent complaint for many customers.

Emails with inventory updates

Inventory updates are another excellent approach to follow up (particularly if someone was researching a specific product on your website that has already been updated). Again, cookies may be used to collect browsing history from specific subscribers: If they visit a website or product that is marked “out of stock,” they may be added to a segmented list to get information when it is restocked.

Emails from new subscribers

New subscription emails may take numerous forms, including thank-you and welcome emails. These are great since they allow you to continue communicating with a new subscriber in order to keep them engaged and, hopefully, advancing through the customer lifecycle.

Apple welcomes their new Arcade subscription to the community, not just thanking them but also encouraging them to start playing or learning other things they may find helpful.

Emails requesting testimonials or surveys

Finally, a testimonial or survey request addressed to people who have completed a purchase is an excellent follow-up email (or some other form of conversion). This demonstrates to the client that you value their company and value their input.

Now that you’ve learned more about follow-up emails and how to use them to achieve results and answers, it’s time to study these four best practices.

Timing is crucial

Timing is everything in business. You don’t want to abandon your reader, nor do you want to bombard them with emails minutes after the first one.

One solution to the timing problem is automation. Businesses who utilize this to nurture potential clients report a 451% increase in qualified leads and are 133% more likely to sync their communications with their consumers’ purchasing cycle.

Automation enables you to specify predefined triggers to automatically send the appropriate follow-up email to the appropriate recipient. Triggers might be action- or time-based, ensuring that you don’t miss out on an opportunity.

Not sure how long you should set your time-based automation for? Consider sending follow-up emails 4-5 days following your first contact.

2. You must have an excellent subject line and preheader content

The subject line of your email and the preheader (or preview) text are the first bits of material that your subscribers see. If you don’t fully use these sections to attract the reader’s attention, you may miss out on a follow-up chance.

Assume someone was looking for shoes on the Skechers website. They looked at a pair and then left for whatever reason. Skechers marketing assumed that the lead was concerned about paying when creating a follow-up email. Skechers went straight to the point in their topic and preheader:

Subject: Buy now… You can pay later!

Preheader text: Use Afterpay to get both pairs! Purchase now and pay later!

The idea is to catch their attention and get them to open your letter, which Skechers did.

3. Remind your readers of the reason you’re following up

With an estimated 306 billion emails sent and received each day in 2020, it’s simple for your customers to forget about prior communication with you. That is why, first and foremost, the content of your email should serve as a reminder of your earlier communication. However, be certain that you go straight to the point.

Remind them of what you’re presenting, then point them in the right direction, like Chimp Essentials did in this event reminder letter.

This message is unequivocal: It tells subscribers of the next live Q&A and what to anticipate. Then it concludes with a clear call-to-action (CTA) that directs subscribers to the event page.

4. Don’t overlook your CTA

You want to stress your CTA and make sure it is not just visible but also draws the reader’s attention. Avoid using standard sales rhetoric since it creates the idea that you are benefiting rather than the reader.

Use action-inducing language while creating your CTA. Marketers often use the following words:

• Read
• Start
• Order
• Register
• Learn
• Book
• Shop
• See

Each has the ability to compel action by promising something in exchange for a click.

Avoid using difficult words. The power of suggestion is enormous, which is why marketers avoid terms like “purchase,” “click,” and “sign up,” which are known as friction words.

A small tweak may significantly enhance conversions. Still not convinced? Michael Aagaard of ContentVerve tried this and discovered that altering one word in his CTA increased total conversions by over 15%.

Wrap up

Conversions may seem simple from the outside. However, most customers do not immediately say “yes” to your goods. So it’s up to you to craft excellent follow-up emails.

Follow email best practices and then follow these four strategies to send follow-up emails that generate responses:

• Timing is crucial
• You must have an excellent subject line and preheader content
• Remind your readers of the reason you’re following up
• Don’t overlook your CTA