Why Should You Write A Follow-Up Email After No Response?
Your potential clients are probably busy people who receive many emails every day. This means that your initial email may get lost somewhere in the mix. Writing a follow-up email after getting no response reminds them of your offer and encourages them to take action or move to the next step in the buyer journey. In fact, statistics show that sales reps get a 26% reply rate on their follow-up emails compared to 16% on their first messages. But when should you send a follow-up email when no response is provided from people in your email marketing list? Well, you may send such emails during all stages of the buyer journey.
For example, someone may be in the middle of a trial or have already finished it. In the first case, you ask them whether they need extra guidance or help. In the second, you ask them if they are happy with your service and whether they are ready to buy. However, it’s not always the recipient’s fault for not responding. To capture new leads, your emails must have a clear subject line and a short body. There are various mistakes that may cause people to close and delete your email and avoid answering any follow-up attempts.
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The Benefits Of Writing Follow-Up Emails
To get a positive response to a polite follow-up email after no response, you might need to send out five different messages. Instead of giving up after the first email, put your selling skills on full display and make your next emails even more appealing. Following up and responding to emails professionally and politely can increase conversions. That’s because you remind prospects of your previous email, helping them locate it within their inbox’s chaos. Therefore, you show them how much you care about doing business with them. The more personalized your approach is, the more easily you’ll trust them.
Another tip on how to close a sale is that follow-up emails after no response help you filter out cold leads. Maybe a few accounts are only interested in your free trial, and once that finishes, they are not willing to purchase. Removing them from your list allows you to focus on hot leads and prospects who are genuinely interested in your service or product. It’s pointless to invest time and effort trying to convert people who are completely disinterested.
Types Of Follow-Up Emails After No Response
1. The “Thank You” Email
You may wonder, how is it possible to get no response and send such a follow-up email? Saying “thank you” requires an action, right? Correct. But let us explain. Let’s say a customer has purchased a subscription to your product. Apart from thanking them for trusting you, you also want to build trust and advocacy. Maybe you want them to provide you with feedback or upgrade their plan. One of the best email marketing practices is to show gratitude and thank people for being your customers. Therefore, it’s much easier to get a reply and encourage them to take further action, including subscribing to your newsletter, following you on social media, or referring their peers.
2. The “Check-In” Email
Sending a follow-up email after no response doesn’t mean that someone has never interacted with your company before. Maybe they clicked on a lead magnet, watched a webinar, or downloaded a marketing plan template. However, if they fail to reply to your retargeting emails, you can make your approach even more personal. Ask them how they’re doing and provide actionable solutions to their current challenges. You can offer them additional resources, including eBooks, podcasts, and tutorials that align with their needs. Additionally, you may request a meeting so you can discuss their pain points in depth.
3. The Free Trial Email
To get more customers in the SaaS industry, free trials are necessary to prove value. You must know when to send a follow-up email after no response. For instance, a client might click on a lead magnet but fail to take any further action as indicated in your first emails. Offering a free trial may be just the push they need to go further down the sales funnel. No matter how many case studies they read, they may still need practical experience with your solution. Along with your free trial invitation, you should provide them with a few tips on how to navigate your tool.
4. The Lead Magnet Opt-In Email
Your lead magnet ideas often generate many potential customers who visit your website to read articles, download eBooks, and sign up for your newsletter. However, when double opt-in is available, subscribers are required to confirm their subscription. Unfortunately, not everyone pays attention to the confirmation email. A second follow-up email after no response reminds them to confirm their subscription so they receive valuable insights and unique offers. Don’t forget to mention the benefits of signing up and all the great opportunities they are missing out on.
5. The Re-Engagement Email
Are you noticing a serious drop in engagement? One of the most common types of follow-up emails encourages people to start engaging once again with your business. Maybe it’s clients who purchased something one time and didn’t return. One of the best email marketing solutions is to send a message with a catchy subject line and various incentives. For example, you may offer a unique discount or simply mention your product’s upgrades and new features. You want them to realize that you haven’t remained stagnant and you have so much more to offer. Be friendly and honest with them and tell them why you’re following up on this email.
6. The “Can I Help You?” Email
Let’s say your lead generation techniques prove successful, and you generate targeted prospects, with some of them buying your solutions. However, they stop responding to you when you send emails about new offers and upgrades. This may be because they are still figuring out their current situation. So, say that you just wanted to follow up and ask whether they need any additional help. No matter how many tutorials and step-by-step guides you send them, a conversation can make onboarding even more efficient. Also, you show how much you value and respect them.
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10 Tips To Craft Winning Emails That Attract Clients
1. Wait And Define The Purpose
You must know when to send a follow-up email after no response, as timing plays a pivotal role. Wait for 2–3 days after your initial message before you send your next email. Contacting people too soon may be too much pressure. Remember that many professionals have hundreds of emails that take them more than a day to answer. To increase your email reputation and bump an email, you should get personal. Remind each potential customer why you’re sending this email. For example, if you met them at a conference, introduce yourself once again and explain exactly why you’re contacting them. Your subject line should make the purpose of your email as specific as possible. You don’t want your message to stay unopened and sent to the bin.
2. Add Value
For high-quality business leads to come to you, they must see the value of your offer. What’s in it for them? So, to politely follow up on an unanswered email, the main body should offer personalized, actionable tips and solutions, not generic advice. Depending on the different sales funnel stage each account is in, you may offer varying things. For example, someone at the awareness stage may be interested in a free eBook. On the contrary, someone in the conversion stage may require a free trial, demo, or case studies. This approach proves that you truly care about their needs.
3. Use A Powerful Subject Line
Email subject lines are the first thing recipients see and decide whether they’ll click on your message or disregard it. Therefore, your open rates depend on them. For starters, a follow-up email after no response should have a short subject line, as longer ones don’t appear fully on mobile screens. The quicker someone understands what your email is about, the higher the chances they click on it. This means that it should also be specific. What is it about, and why should anyone click on the email? It might sound hard, but you can convey the full message within a few words. Lastly, you want to keep your prospects on their toes. So, choose an engaging and crafty subject line. Maybe a short pun can capture the message and intrigue people.
4. Make It Personal, But Stay Professional
Have you ever received an email that started with “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Dear recipient”? There is no bigger turn-off than these types of greetings. Sending a follow-up email after no response must feel personal. So, use every recipient’s name before discussing the reason for reaching out. However, you don’t want to sound like you’re trying too hard to be their friend. A customer acquisition strategy requires a perfect balance of professionalism and friendliness. Even if this is your fourth email, you should not sound impatient or annoyed that all previous messages went unanswered.
5. Be Clear And Concise
If we take a look at some of the most successful email drip campaign examples, we’ll notice that messages are brief. No one has the time or interest to read long paragraphs of uninteresting and generic information. If your first email featured too much text, maybe it’s one reason why your open rates were disappointing. So, when you send a follow-up email after no response, keep the main body of your message short and concise. Don’t recount all your previous emails and what you mentioned in them. Mention exactly why you’re contacting someone and what you would like them to do next.
6. Add A Call-To-Action Button
Talking about the next steps, CTA buttons are the cherry on top of the cake. They show potential clients the purpose of your email and what they can do next. When you contact someone in the consideration stage, you may request a meeting. For instance, if your link building suffers, you can book a free strategy call with eLearning Industry’s experts to get personalized advice. In other instances, you may need feedback and reviews from clients who purchased a subscription. Or you can contact a disgruntled client who left your business. Book a meeting so you can understand what drove them away and how you can improve.
7. Reference The Last Email
Do you remember every professional encounter you have and what it is about? Probably not. Your potential buyers may feel the same way. That’s why when you send an email follow-up after no response, you need to remind them of your last conversation, where it happened, and what you talked about. For example, you may say, “I really enjoyed meeting you at X conference and chatting about AI lead generation,” or “Remember when we talked about X matter about 1 month ago?” Your reference shouldn’t be more than 1-2 sentences. At the end, offer them an action, which can be a phone call, virtual meeting, or feedback.
8. Be Grateful
If you’re wondering how to send a polite follow-up email, gratitude should be at the top of your priorities. How do you show this, though? Saying things like “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me” and “I appreciate you making time in your schedule for me” instantly makes people feel valued and respected. Targeted leads want to feel like they are a priority for you and not just another box on your list. You may send these emails after a meeting where you made an offer but didn’t get a reply.
9. Proofread
Double-checking your emails is necessary if you want to catch any grammatical issues, spelling errors, typos, or phrasing that doesn’t make sense. We advise you to read your follow-up email out loud before pressing send. Short emails won’t take you more than a few minutes to proofread. Once you’re satisfied with the final result, you can send them. Remember that messages with mistakes can make a really bad impression.
10. Know When To Stop
Now that we’ve explained what to write when someone is not replying to your emails, when should you drop your efforts? You can’t keep sending them messages when it’s clear they are not interested in answering. There is persistence, and then there is plain annoying. You don’t want to be the latter. Even when someone doesn’t want to communicate or purchase, you have to let them go gently with your reputation intact.
Disastrous Follow-Up Mistakes You Should Avoid
One of the main email marketing benefits is that it allows you to be specific and add value. However, many sales reps and marketers create generic follow-up messages that repeat the same things again and again. Instead, you should offer new information in hopes that this time people will reply. Mention that you just wanted to follow up for a specific reason. That’s why a CTA is necessary to encourage prospects to take the next step in their buyer journey. If you forget to include one, your recipients may not know what to do next. Another huge mistake is mentioning the words “follow-up” in your subject lines. This tactic brings no value to the email and even decreases its chances of being opened. It might even create the feeling that recipients are to blame for not responding to your first message.
One of the most common email marketing challenges is not knowing when to send a follow-up email after no response. We already said that 2-3 days is the optimal waiting time. Don’t wait 10 days, as people may have completely forgotten about you or chosen your competitors. This doesn’t mean that you should bombard them with new messages every single day. This spammy tactic will only help you end up in the trash folder. Lastly, many people confuse email marketing with cold emailing and end up sounding too salesy and pushy. Don’t expect to receive a reply anytime soon with this strategy.
Successful Follow-Up Email Templates To Close Deals
Short Follow-Up Email
Hi {{first_name}},
I hope you are doing well. I just wanted to know whether you have thought about upgrading your subscription and have all the new features at your disposal. Let me know if I can answer any questions you may have.
Best Regards,
{{Your_name}}
Follow-Up After No Response
Hi {{first_name}},
I sent you an email about 2 weeks ago regarding our payroll software and how it would be a perfect fit for your company.
Our existing clients have witnessed a 30% decrease in time spent processing payroll and calculating benefits. Additionally, we are offering a 10% discount for first-time customers.
Let me know if I can answer your questions. I would be more than happy to arrange a quick meeting for us to chat.
{{email_signature}}
Post-Meeting Follow-Up
Hi {{first_name}},
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. Our meeting was very informative. I wanted to follow up regarding implementing our company’s software to your tech stack.
I have checked with my manager and am happy to say that we would be able to satisfy your special request. Let me know if you are ready to move on so I can arrange the next steps.
Regards,
{{your_name}}
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Key Takeaway
No one said that B2B lead generation strategies are easy to facilitate. That’s why the first and even second emails may not bring a promising response. Knowing how long to wait before sending a follow-up email is as crucial as knowing how to respond to a professional email. There are many reasons to follow up, including offering a free trial, reminding them of email registration confirmation, thanking people for meeting you, and asking them whether they need additional help. Whichever the case, your messages should be clear, short, and personalized to each recipient’s needs. A CTA and a powerful subject line can work wonders for your open rates.
Yet, don’t take it for granted that people remember you and your offer. Instead, reference your last discussion in a few words. Always proofread your emails and know when to stop messaging people. If five emails don’t get you a response, maybe it’s an indication that nothing will.