The Importance of Adding Personalization to Your Follow-Up Messages

Building a business isn’t just selling a product or service, it’s about building relationships; which is why personalization in your follow-up messages is so important, keep reading.

Personalization to Your Follow-Up Messages

Ever had a friend that ignored your text messages?

It’s not a great feeling. You wonder if you should leave them be, or follow up with another text.

If you want to build a successful business, this feeling is something that you’ll need to get used to. You’ll be sending a lot of follow-up emails.

But not just any email will do. Think about the number of emails that you get in a day. From promotional letters to questions from clients, your inbox is constantly being updated with new messages.

The same is true for the customers that you’re emailing.

We’ve all developed an internal filter that helps us sort spam-like emails from the important ones. We skim the subject line, check the sender, then either open it or delete it.

How do you prevent your message from getting lost in a sea of new emails?

It all starts with personalization.

Clients don’t want another bland promotional email—they’ve read generic sales copy a hundred times, and they can spot it from a mile away. What clients really want is to feel like you took the time to write to them personally. If you want your follow-up emails to get noticed, you need to be direct and specific.

 

Personalization is More Persuasive

First, let’s talk about why you should personalize your emails.

It can be nerve-wracking to send a follow-up; you worry that you’ll be ignored, or that you’ll annoy your client with repeated messages. But following up with your client can make the difference between a lost connection and a great sale. Often, emails will get responses after the 6th or 8th message. In other words, don’t be afraid to follow up!

Engagement is an important metric when it comes to email campaigns. Take a look at this data from 2016, which showed that emails with personalization had an open rate of 18.8%. Without personalization, that number drops to 13.1%.

Convinced yet? Now we need to find out how you’ll write those emails.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach that will do here—instead, you need to tailor your emails depending on your industry and their purpose.

Next, let’s consider how the context of your follow-up will change your approach:

 

E-Commerce Follow-Ups

Once a customer engages with your website (either by adding an item to their cart or using the live chat), don’t delay in following-up with them. They’re at a pivotal moment in the buying cycle, and your next action will determine whether they go through with a purchase or not.

  •         Give them more information.

Did the customer inquire about a product? They might need a bit more information to seal the deal.

Attach a few links that give them more specifications about your range of products. If they were looking at a shirt, send a few similar designs their way.

  •         Offer a discount.

When you’re on the fence about making a purchase, a 10-20% discount is often enough to make up your mind. When a customer abandons a cart full of items, reach out to them and offer a fair discount. Not only will this persuade them, but it may convince them to become a repeat customer. Here’s an example,

“Hey there,

         We noticed that you added (the item) to your cart. Great choice—we love that product, too! And we want you to have it, which is why we can offer you a 15% discount on your purchase.”

Following up with an e-commerce customer often results in more sales. It’s a no-brainer!

 

Meeting/Sales Call Follow-Ups

When writing copy, we know that we have to be engaging, relatable, and easy to understand. Emails are a little different. You can’t write to engage a broad audience—you’re dealing with an audience of one, and you need to capture their interest alone.

Personalize your follow-up by mentioning a few talking points from your meeting. Dig out your notes for this one—the more specific you are, the better. It shows the client that you aren’t just using a template.

If you had discussed any common interests, mention them in your email, like a hobby that you both enjoy or your favorite cuisine.

End your email with a plan for how you want to move forward. Perhaps that’s another meeting or phone call later this week.

 

Using Emojis

Most of us can get behind the idea that personalized emails have a higher success rate—the problem is, how do you write them?

We see emojis everywhere these days—new keyboards even have an emoji button built into them. These characters have almost become a second language, each with a nuanced meaning.

Taking an unorthodox approach is a great way to get your email noticed. Using emojis won’t be appropriate for every follow-up, but it’s highly effective for a select few.

Let’s go over an example to illustrate the point. First, imagine that you received an email like this:

“Hello,

         I was wondering if you had more time to discuss a partnership this week. Let me know what times you are available.

         Thanks!”

That email is pretty generic. If you tested response rates with this email, you could expect some pretty low numbers. Now consider this message:

“Hi (insert name here)! 👋

         Hope your first night with the new babysitter went well! 👶 Let’s set up another time to talk over a cup of coffee ☕. I’d love to hear more about your business and how a partnership can benefit us both! 💁‍

         Looking forward to hearing from you soon! 🙉”

Which one did you find more engaging to read? We’re assuming that you chose the second one—most of your customers would agree with you.

Emojis are certain to grab their eye, and maybe persuade them to schedule another call. Just be careful not to overuse them. Otherwise, it might look like spam, and raise concerns about email security

Follow-Ups for Specific Industries

A general email marketing campaign won’t reap the success that you’re hoping for. While automating the process with a copy + paste is a time-saver, it’s not nearly as effective as a personalized message. Tailor your follow-ups based on your industry:

  •         Health care services.

Remind your customers about the benefits that your services have to offer. Go beyond the average tagline—tell them why they need what you offer, even if they’re on the fence about it.

Let’s say that you’re a massage therapist. Mention that it’s been a while since your client’s last appointment; they might feel the tension in their shoulders. One appointment can help them melt that stress away!

The point here is to put the benefits of your business at the forefront of your email.

  •         Food & drinks.

Capitalize on your customer’s cravings to craft a highly-converting follow-up. If a customer hasn’t been to your restaurant in awhile, send them a photo of new items on your menu. But make sure to tell them that their old favorite meal isn’t going anywhere!

 

Tailored content will connect more with your customers; it’s the edge that your emails need to convert more potential clients. You can’t give up on a sale after the first email is ignored. Keep communicating with your client by sending multiple follow-ups. Better yet, personalize them to include specific details.