Follow-up emails are a vital part of a successful plan for growing your business. It’s important to stay in touch without being annoying. For that reason, we’re sharing some follow-up email samples that you can use as you work to use email more effectively.
Follow-up email is important because it conveys a personal touch and can help you retain current clients in addition to helping you gain new clients. Remember that sending multiple emails to follow-up is okay because people are so busy and often appreciate the reminder!
Why A Follow-Up Email Is Important
If you’re a business owner, part of your job responsibility is networking with potential clients. Once you’ve met a potential client–whether it was a personal meeting or through an online contact form–you’ll want to reiterate what your company has to offer.
By following up on your first contact with the client or potential client, you’re showing them that their first contact with you was important. That they matter. And everyone wants to feel like they matter.
Another message you’re sending when you’re diligent about follow-up emails is that your company’s team members are on top of things. Follow-up emails send the message that the business is important and that team members don’t let things slip through the cracks.
Sending that message to clients and potential clients is vital to business growth. This is because no matter what your business, people still value great customer service.
Why Email Communication Is Vital To Your Business
In today’s world where we have so many options for communicating with others, email sometimes seems cumbersome. However, in this survey by MarketingSherpa, over 70% of people surveyed preferred email as their primary form of communication from businesses.
Why would people prefer email communication when other forms are often more readily accessible? It feels personal.
For me personally, if someone chooses to email me I feel like they must have something important to say. So, I’ll often give emails more attention than I do to other forms of communication, such as social media message.
A text or a tag on more mobile forms of communication is easily gone and forgotten. However, when people check email, they often choose to set aside some time to really focus.
And the fact of the matter is that even in today’s mobile communication world, nearly everyone checks their email at some point or another during the day. This is just one reason why follow-up emails can be so important to a company’s success.
When To Send A Follow-Up Email
Timing is everything when it comes to writing a successful follow-up email. Following up quickly after your first connection is important.
It probably goes without saying that you’ll want to follow-up when your potential client’s need is still fresh in their mind and in yours. We suggest following up within one to two days of that initial contact.
With some caveats.
For example, try to avoid sending your follow-up email on a Monday morning. Monday mornings at work are extraordinarily busy for most people. They’re working on catch-up tasks from having the weekend off.
Similarly, Fridays aren’t the best day for a follow-up email either. By the time Friday rolls around, most people are emotionally checked out of work mode and focusing on the weekend to come.
A survey by Mailchimp found that the best day to send emails to most subscribers is Monday through Thursday, with Tuesday and Thursday having the highest scores (though not by much).
Regarding time of day, the Mailchimp survey found that most people chose an optimal read time for emails of about 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in their own time zone.
To summarize, send your follow-up email within a day or two of your initial contact (the sooner the better), and send it on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in the customer’s time zone.
Following these rules gives you the best chance of a positive response.
Related: Why You Should Be Using Text and Email To Market Your Business
How To Write A Follow-Up Email
So what are some tips on how to write a follow-up email? To begin with, it’s important to start with a powerful subject line. We have some samples below, but just keep in mind that your subject line needs to grab the reader’s attention.
In other words, the subject line needs to make the reader think “I need to read this email”.
Another tip for writing a follow-up email is to define your purpose early on in the email. Remind them of where you met if it’s a new relationship. Remind them of what you talked about in your last communication.
Explain how you can help with a need that you discussed with them. Define your purpose and be clear about how you can help them or their business. Explain why you’re the best candidate for their needs.
And finally, give them just ONE thing to do or one call to action.
That call to action might be one of a variety of things. Do you want them to click on a link or a button to sign up for a service or order a product? Do you want them to call you to schedule a meeting?
Related: 12 Networking Tips To Help Your Business Thrive
Choose the one thing that will benefit them the most and put a call to action for it in the follow-up email. The point is to be clear and direct and to ask for what you want.
Hint: One survey found that a Call-to-Action button increased the click-through rate by 28% over a simple link.
Five Follow-Up Email Samples
Now we’ll share some ideas for follow-up emails that have the best chance of helping you achieve your goal, whether that’s gaining a new client, selling a new product or service or developing a new relationship.
The Follow-Up After Meeting At An Event
This follow-up email is one you’d send after meeting a potential client at an event.
Subject Line: Great meeting you at [event]
Hi [First Name]!
It was really nice to meet you at [event]! I loved learning about [your company] and how you [what service company provides that you thought was cool].
I know that [company need or objective] is really important to you and your team.
And I believe our [your company’s product or service] can help you achieve your company’s goals.
What would be a good time for us to meet to discuss how [your company’s product or service] can help you [meet their company’s needs]?
Here are some times I’m available:
- Tuesday between 9:00 and 11:00am
- Wednesday between 10:00am and 1:00pm
- Thursday anytime after 2:00pm
Which time slot is best for you? If none of those work let me know your availability and I’ll get you scheduled.
I look forward to meeting with you!
The Follow-Up After A Personal Meeting Or Phone Call
These follow-up email samples are ones you’d send after a meeting or phone call where you’d pitched your product or service.
Subject Line: Here’s a summary of our call
Hi [First Name]!
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me yesterday! I believe [your product or service] can help you and your company with [individual or company need or goal].
[Summarize main points of discussion and include any resources you may have mentioned during the meeting.]
When you’re ready to sign up, just go to our website page here.
I’ll call you tomorrow to answer any questions you may have and make sure you have everything you need to get started.
We look forward to serving you!
Or, you could try something like this:
Subject Line: Thanks for taking time to meet with me
Hi [First Name]!
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me regarding [what you talked about being the customer’s/their company’s needs].
Our company can help you by [insert information about the product or service that can help them].
I can have you set up with [product or service] as soon as next week. Just click on this link to get the setup process started–it takes less than ten minutes!
Our team looks forward to a successful and prosperous partnership with you!
The Follow-Up After A General Inquiry
Send a follow-up email similar to this if you’ve gotten a general inquiry from a client who wants more information.
Subject Line: Thanks for the inquiry!
Hi [First Name]!
Thanks for inquiring about [company’s name]’s [product or service]. Our [product or service] can help you meet your goals in a number of ways.
[add a few lines about how your product or service can help].
I’m available tomorrow and Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. to tell you more about how we can help you [explain the benefits you can offer them].
Simply hit reply on this email and let me know whether Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning works best for our phone call.
I look forward to chatting with you!
The Follow-Up After No Response To Your Follow-Up Email
This type of follow-up email sample (or something similar) can be used when your initial follow-up email gets no response. It’s best to provide something of value in the email. Perhaps it’s a link to an article they may find interesting. Or a PDF that will help them solve a problem you know they have.
This gives you a genuine reason to be emailing them–and you should email again even if you got no response.
Subject Line: Saw this article and thought of you
Hi [First Name]!
I remember when we talked last you mentioned you were struggling with [issue]. When I saw this article about [issue]I thought you might find it interesting.
If you are still interested in [your product or service] let me know. I’d love to help.
Here are some times I’m available:
- Tuesday between 9:00 and 11:00am
- Wednesday between 10:00am and 1:00pm
- Thursday anytime after 2:00pm
I know you’re busy, so if none of those times work for you let me know.
Thanks!
Sending Multiple Follow-Up Emails Is A Good Thing
You might be wondering when you stop sending a chain of follow-up emails to what might seem like a disinterested party. Here’s the deal: People are busy.
They have a lot to do, and busy schedules make it easy to forget about new products or services–even if those products or services will help them. This is why it’s important to keep sending those follow-up emails.
I know it can be discouraging to ask potential clients repeatedly and get no response. But before you get discouraged, consider these recent lead follow-up survey results from Marketing Donut.
- Only 2% of sales occur during the first meeting
- 63% of people requesting information about your company will not buy for at least three months
- 20% of the people will take more than 12 months to buy
- 80% of non-routine sales occur after at least five follow-ups
The point? The majority of your sales will come only after you’ve repeatedly put your product, service and name in front of a potential client.
And the reason for this isn’t always because they’re not interested in what you have to offer. The more likely scenario is that they’re busy, or that they want more time to research your service or product.
So, don’t give up!!!
Keep asking with a clear call-to-action until they buy your product or service or until they tell you to go away. In other words, continue to send those follow-up emails time and again!
Summary
Follow-up emails are highly important to a company’s sales success rate. And so is following up in a manner that makes it easy for a client or potential client to buy your product or service.
As you follow-up, keep reiterating what you have to offer and how it can help your potential client improve their life or their business success.
Clients and potential clients often ignore emails simply because they’re busy. Your job is to keep reminding them how their life or business can get better courtesy of what your company has to offer.
