You sent an e-mail; you need a response but you haven’t received one, and now the lack of communication stops. We’re all there. You might have called or forwarded a follow-up already, but you need a clear answer.
Table of Contents
Be Short And Sweet.
Short emails are easy to read, and they usually get a response.
Such e-mails can be colloquial, effective or non-intrusive, like a fast text or a note from a friend. Above, Everlane’s clothing company keeps it to only two phrases. They also pack important information such as the $20 value statement, and the clear time limit for 11:59 p.m. ET on December 11 to make up for the reward.
Give The Right Amount Of Context.
Make sure the recipient knows what you are talking about, either by sending your original email or again. They might have forgotten what you needed if they hadn’t returned to you.
Using subtle text formatting differences – such as colour changes in the example above – can quickly help to differentiate between the first and second follow-up notes. If your recipient drowns in an email stream, it will take a long way to get the message as clear as possible.
Don’t Assume They Forgot About You.
Don’t assume they have forgotten you. Suggest that you have missed their answer. “Your email may have I missed, so I wanted to check it in.”
This keeps the thread running, makes it more like a conversation, and turns the follow-ups away into an uncomfortable series of notes.
Research shows that personal touch to win over your clients is more important than ever. With increasing competition to capture and retain users, small tweaks can make a huge difference.
Remind Them Of A Due Date (If One Exists).
A due date adds a subtle feeling of urgency to the email, as well as a valuable piece of information.
You do not need to set the deadline or make it large and audacious to affect a little FOMO (fear of missing out). It is important to strike a balance between a good recall and being pushy or bullying your readers – usually not working.
Working on the text like MailChimp makes it casual but helpful (above).
Remember to maintain a deadline in the time zone of the recipient.
Use Captivating Images.
Adding strategic pictures is captivating viewers across plain text.
A little research by the public can be done to select or craft imagery that really resonates with your readers and to enjoy your e-mail follow-up. This must not be a time-consuming or costly project. For marketers, like the VSCO and the Google Nik Collection, there are many free or inexpensive tools to add a professional look to.
 Give Your Readers Something Unexpected.
People who open up e-mail marketing expect some kind of reward or chance from the company. Lyft turns it around by reminding the voters to register!
Although this is not a traditional e-mail reminder, Lyft still has a great marketing approach. It emphasises the public-service commitment of the company at a time when its competitors mislead and trouble customers.
Spontaneous reminiscences such as this can double as fun and creative PR. Figure out what problems your readers have in common and add to the conversation can forge an in-depth relationship, leading over time to important relationships.
Keep It Simple
If you want just a reply, at the end of the day you will often send a “slight reminder” to the original email.
But if your time to be creative is a bit longer, there are a lot of small additions. Moreover, the same tactics can be repeated boring. Test the above-mentioned mixing strategies.
