Like most small businesses, we at Feed. The Agency used to get 90% of new clients from referrals. Inbound marketing would generate leads if we had more time. We would purchase more than $30,000 in advertisements or sponsorships if we had more money.
The problem was that we were limited in both time and money. In order to solve this problem, we had to come up with a different solution - email sequences.
Email marketing ROI can reach 3800%, generating $38 for every $1 spent. Email sequences add even more value due to their time-saving capabilities. Additionally, they generate 320% more revenue than non-automated emails.
Consequently, we created a follow-up email sequence.
What is an email sequence?
Email sequences are automated emails sent automatically to prospects, users, or customers. Emails are sent based on predetermined criteria, such as time delay or action.
As a result, if you build your emails in advance and set them up with email marketing automation, you can follow up with prospects at scale without having to click "Send" repeatedly.
At Feed. The Agency, we built our own follow-up email sequence — using the free Email Templates tool from HubSpot Sales — that generated $100,000 in 30 days. Since we started sending these templates in sequence, our revenue has increased by 215%.
Here are a few tools you'll need to start creating an email sequence:
- - Lead Generation Form: Before you consider your content, the platform you'll use, or how you'll segment your lists, you'll want to decide how you'll collect the information you receive from these emails. Working backwards from the goal of sending an email is a good way to approach this.
- - Email Builder: Choosing an email building tool that has list segmenting capabilities, an intuitive design interface, and a reasonable send limit for your pipeline will be the top priorities you'll want to look into.
- - Subject Line Checker: The subject line is the first part of your email sequence that your readers will see — whether they open the email or not. By using a subject line testing tool, you can make sure that it is perfect.
You can build personalized email sequences that target your prospects or customers with HubSpot's Email Marketing Tool.
How long should an email sequence be?
Email sequences don't have a set length. Depending on the buyer persona, the buyer's journey stage, and the average sales cycle length at your company, the length of the sequence and number of emails will differ. The sequence will also depend on what you want to achieve.
Let's say you are creating a nurturing email sequence to motivate a prospect to take action. The purpose of such an email sequence should be to do the following:
- - Educate them along their path to purchase.
- - Handle any objections they have along the way.
- - Become their provider of choice when they're ready to buy by establishing your authority and credibility in the industry.
- - Keep you top-of-mind until they're ready to buy.
In order to get the prospect from where they are to where you want them to be, each email must play a specific role.
There are several factors that will determine the number of emails and duration of the process. As an example, a first-time homebuyer may begin their journey years before applying for a mortgage loan, while someone seeking an emergency HVAC repair requires no nurturing sequence at all.
Furthermore, someone who downloads your ebook on "How to Prepare My Credit for Buying a House" is much further along in the process than someone who fills out your contact form and isn't ready to buy.
How long is your buyer shopping around, where are they in that process based on what you already know about them (actions they've already taken on your site), and what information do they need to know during that time? You can determine how long a sequence should be by understanding these factors.
How to Create an Email Sequence
After you've learned what email sequences are, when you'd use one, and how long a sequence can/should last, let's talk about how you can create one:
1. Determine the sequence's purpose
The main goal of most email sequences (especially those created in a sales context) is to earn new business. While there are many ways to "earn new business," context plays an important role in delivering the right message at the right time. In structuring your automation logic, crafting your emails, and measuring success, you will benefit from focusing on your reasons.
Let's say you want to convert a conversation into a demo using a straightforward follow-up sequence. A successful meeting would be booked through your scheduling software in this case.
You may also want to trigger an automated nurturing campaign after they download an ebook or content offer. The goal would be to convert them into a sales qualified lead (SQL), so you'd provide information and opportunities for them to take action. When they do, your system can send them to sales.
If you're strategic, you can create endless opportunities for targeted experiences.
2. Identify the enrollment criteria (or trigger) for the sequence
As with any tool, automation software cannot read minds (yet?); we must tell it when and how to work.
This is where enrollment criteria come into play. When you set up your sequence, you'll specify the conditions that must be met for the automation to operate. By using your CRM or email marketing software, you can manually enroll them in a sales follow-up email sequence.
If your automation software allows it, you can use more advanced criteria. Trigger examples include:
- - When a contact fills out a form
- - When a contact visits a particular page
- - When a contact enters a new lifecycle stage
- - When a contact books a meeting
There are many more. You may be able to automate around it if your CRM records it, and if the data in your CRM is reliable. In case you're using HubSpot, you can find more information about HubSpot's enrollment criteria here.
3. Determine the duration of the sequence and the number of emails required
In addition, there is no set timeframe or number of emails. It's important to think strategically about the touchpoints and frequency needed.
If my buyer persona has an average sales cycle of 30 days and I want to contact them twice a week, I would need to map out around 8 emails. To get the prospect from point A to point B, we need a framework to plan our messaging.
Alternatively, if it's a follow-up email sequence from a face-to-face conversation, you might consider sending yourself fewer emails before calling (yes, it can be automated).
4. Write the emails for the sequence
It's time to put pen to paper once you've created your framework and identified which emails are necessary.
To assist you, here are some resources:
It is likely that each email will be sent to multiple prospects at different times. The information you include in your emails should be universal enough to apply to any prospect who meets your criteria. To add a personal touch, personalization tokens can be added.
You can scale while still making each prospect feel like you're speaking directly to them by finding the delicate balance between universal and specific.
Additionally, each email should have a single purpose. Overloading each email with information will water down the message. Keeping it to one purpose, one goal, and one call-to-action eliminates confusion and increases success chances. In case one email isn't doing enough, you can always add more.
5. Build the emails using email software
It's time to put all your emails into the system once they are in text form.
- - In sales emails, it's often best to keep things simple as if the rep sent them personally.
- - Email marketing, however, has more room for branding flair and eye-catching graphics.
You can copy and paste your text into your email builder regardless of your approach. You can tell your automation software what to send by putting them in your system.
6. Set up the automation
You can think of this part of the process as instructing your automation software, step by step, how to perform the tasks you desire. Included in this are:
- - Specifying the enrollment criteria you decided on.
- - Designating which actions (e.g. email sends) to perform and when.
- - Setting up how much time should elapse between each action and what to do when specific scenarios happen (if/then logic).
When creating these "instructions," be sure not to take anything for granted or leave any stone unturned.
In order to get the most out of HubSpot's automation tool, here are some resources:
7. Test the sequence
It helps to test the sequence before launching to ensure it behaves as expected. By setting it live and enrolling yourself, you can do this.
Test emails can also be sent as an alternative. Check that the emails look good across devices and that the personalization tokens are working properly.
Testing saves a lot of heartache, trust me.
In order for this sequence to be successful, it must be able to affect the psyche of your prospects. The feelings of pride, gratitude, and regret can motivate people to take action. Prospects are drawn to this sequence by appealing to their pride, being provided with content they can be grateful for, and being left with a sense of regret if they miss out.
Are you ready to see this sequence in action? Here's how we earned $100,000 in 30 days.
Step 1: Find prospects who are mentioned in the news
Our majority of clients are doctors and dentists as a branding agency in the healthcare industry. In this sequence, we begin by looking for news stories that mention doctors. As soon as we have a list, we reach out to congratulate them. This not only warms up the initial email and catches their attention, but also plays to their pride. Chances are, your prospects also equate a news mention with success. Congratulations will allow you to establish a connection with them, as they will likely be proud of this mention.
Two resources for monitoring the news are Google Alerts and Feedly. With Google Alerts, you can monitor the web and receive email notifications for particular keywords. It's easy to create a Google Alert. You can send the alert to your email address by typing the keyword and saving the alert.
The example below tracks the keyword "orthopedic surgery." After entering the keyword and my email address, I click Create Alert. Any time an orthopedic surgeon or orthopedic surgery is mentioned in the news, I will receive an alert.
Feedly is another tool for monitoring news topics. It is a place where you can organize and research topics that are relevant to you privately. This is an alternative tool Feed uses to discover doctors mentioned in the news. Adding websites to your "feed" will notify you when a website you're monitoring publishes a new article.
KevinMD.com is an example of a website we follow in our industry. In order to add it to our feed, I will:
- - Click +Add Content
- - Enter the URL in the search bar: KevinMD.com
- - Click the green +Feedly button
- - Click Add
As a result of those four steps, KevinMD has been added to our feed. Other websites we've used to acquire new customers include TEDmed.com, AdWeek, and Advertising Age. I have added these websites to my Feedly account as examples.
Clicking on the Health tab displays all the content from these websites.
Step 2: Send an email congratulating them on their news coverage
Send the first email using Sales Hub's free email template builder once you find a prospect.
Our best-performing initial email template is as follows:
Free to chat?
Dr. [Last name],
Because I work so closely with [targeted industry], I keep up with industry news constantly. Recently, I noticed that you [insert company action here].
As a result, [insert business issue] becomes a priority. This is why I thought you might be interested in hearing how we helped [similar firms] move quickly in their new direction.
Take a look at our patient advertising and brand campaigns here. Let's set up a quick call if you'd like to learn more. Schedule 15 minutes here on my calendar.
Regards,
Carter
P.S. If you're not the right person to speak with, who do you recommend I talk to?
Step 3: Send a follow-up email with helpful content personalized to their industry
Adding value to someone's life or profession will increase credibility and strengthen the relationship. This email template always generates a lot of responses because of that.
I send physicians a branding survey tool we use to help clients differentiate themselves.
As an example, here's what it might look like:
Free physician branding tool
Hello Dr. [Last name],
Following up on my last email, here's a free tool I think you'll like.
A brand analysis survey I created just for you (literally, your name is on it), that will help you understand how your practice differs from others.
Click here [add hyperlink to survey] to begin the brand differentiation analysis survey. I'll compare your responses to the top physician brands around the country when we speak.
I'm sharing my calendar (click here) so we can schedule a convenient time to discuss.
Enjoy your weekend,
Matthew
When possible, add names. Our response rates skyrocketed after adding a doctor's name to the survey. Although it was a small tweak, personalization can have a big impact. I will send a second follow-up email using the "Trying to Connect" template if this email fails to get prospects to reply or book time on my calendar.
Step 4: Send the "Trying to Connect" email template
I'll follow up with this email template for prospects who haven't responded:
Trying to connect
Hi Dr. [Last name],
My apologies for not being able to connect with you. Again, I understand how hectic things can get at work and at home.
Please feel free to contact me during weekends, before or after work hours if that is more convenient for you? Although I don't want to bug you, I want to help you manage your team so you can achieve your [insert custom goal].
To schedule a time on my calendar, just click here.
Best,
Matthew
Of all the templates, this one has the highest response rate. Why? There is no way to know for sure, but offering extended hours might be the key. Prospects might assume that scheduling times would be during their business hours without explicitly mentioning them. Prospects may be more likely to act if you offer times outside of regular "9 to 5" hours.
Step 5: Send the final "Permission to close your file?" follow-up email template
In the case of silence, you should send them a final email that prompts them to respond. When we ask for permission to close the file in our final follow-up, we handle this.
Is it okay to close your file?
Hi Dr. [Last name],
I'm writing to follow up. We are in the process of closing files this month.
It usually means either they're really busy or they're not interested when I don't hear back from them. Would you mind if I closed your file if you aren't interested?
Do you have any recommendations for the next step if you are still interested?
Thanks for your help.
Regards,
Matthew
This email performs well. Why? It's a combination of two things. The first reason could be FOMO, or fear of missing out. The last thing anyone wants is to feel like they're missing out on an opportunity.
The second reason is that some people want what they cannot have. Prospects might jump on an opportunity if it feels like it's close to slipping away. Frankly, I’m not entirely sure. It's likely they realize, "Oh, I'll never hear from this guy again.". Maybe I should look into the offer…”
The last step in measuring the performance of the email templates is to drive a prospect's reaction to reply or close the communication.
Step 6: Improve your email templates by measuring their performance
With HubSpot's free email templates tool, you can measure open and click rates. At Feed. The Agency, we constantly measure email performance and make improvements as we see fit.
You can measure email performance to determine which templates are performing well and which need improvement. Due to a lack of data, it would be extremely difficult to make decisions without this tool.
We're still in the early stages of this sequence, but the return has been tremendous. Until we find the "perfect" email template, we will continue testing these templates.
We were able to close $100,000 in just 30 days. You can achieve similar results using these templates. Give it a try. To use the HubSpot email templates tool, you have to create a free HubSpot account.
Email Sequence Examples
In addition to the follow-up email sequence we sent, there are a few types of sequences you can send to engage prospects.
1. Nurturing Email Sequence
The nurturing sequence introduces the prospect to your company. The customer may have downloaded an ebook or opted into a content offer, but they are not sales-ready. By providing social proof, handling objections, and establishing value, a nurturing sequence gets them there.
Moment's nurturing sequence email example:
It is best suited for companies with short sales cycles, such as consumer packaged goods or simple B2B digital technologies. Your nurture email sequence will be most successful if you focus on educating your prospects rather than selling to them. By doing so, you build trust and familiarity between your brand and the recipient. You'll be top of mind when they're ready to buy.
2. Engagement Email Sequence
Email is used in engagement email sequences to build rapport with prospects. Engaging your audience with your content will build interest and keep your organization at the top of their minds. You can use this type of sequence to identify subscribers who open, click, and take action on emails to enroll them in other sequences tailored to their needs.
Here is an example of an email from A Kids Book About's engagement sequence:
For brands with frequent events, the engagement email sequence works well. Using these emails is best once the relationship has been established and the recipient looks forward to receiving them. It is ideal to send an engagement email sequence after previous emails have generated meaningful engagement.
3. Conversion Email Sequence
When you want to ask a prospect for something (e.g., scheduling a call or meeting). You will use the sequence to get the recipient to take the desired action by focusing the entire copy around a single call-to-action.
Yokel Local's conversion sequence email example:
A conversion email template will be useful to SaaS companies and other service providers who rely on booking calls and demos to close deals. The final email in your email sequence should be this one, as it does not educate or inspire the prospect, but rather asks for something, their time. Therefore, make sure this email sequence is reserved for those who have opened, engaged, and even responded to previous emails.
4. Follow-Up Email Sequence
If a prospect doesn't respond to a sales outreach email, it doesn't mean they aren't interested. It may take a few "impressions" for them to notice and take action. In a follow-up email sequence, you touch base with your prospect after a few outreach attempts. Sales reps can reduce the number of manual emails they send and admin work they have to do by using this tool.
Every business can benefit from a follow-up email sequence. Follow-up messages can help you nudge prospects in the right direction if they've had otherwise great engagement and open rates but haven't taken action on a conversion email sequence you've already sent. Email sequences of this type work well when they're personalized and empathetic - assume positive intent and relate genuinely to the receiver.
5. Reminder Email Sequence
Whether a lead has booked a demo, registered for a webinar, or even attended an event, your organization has a chance to delight them (and possibly earn their business). If the lead doesn't show up, you won't be able to provide that delight. A few reminders can make a big difference in attendance rate over time, increasing the number of opportunities for you.
Using reminder emails is a low-friction way to make sure the lead doesn't forget about the event or appointment and to provide necessary logistical information.
Dyspatch's reminder email example:
When communicating with potential customers, reminder emails are similar to follow-up emails. These sequences work best when the subject line is simple, the copy is straightforward, and the call to action is prominent. Getting the prospect on the phone is the goal here.
6. Re-Engagement Email Sequence
Using email as a channel requires a healthy database. Email addresses change over time, and prospects lose interest. Even if you generate new leads at a rapid rate, you'll get some data skew from uninterested or deprecated contacts.
You can deploy a re-engagement sequence as a last-ditch effort to win back some of those contacts. Your goal with this type of campaign is to get the user to open emails and take some action, otherwise, you'll remove them from your database. You will be able to maintain a healthy and accurate email list this way.
From Return Path, here is an example of an email in a re-engagement sequence:
Your brand might see an opportunity to nurture prospects with a nurture email sequence, but it will need to make sure your messages don't go to the wrong person, or worse, bounce. If you intentionally ask people to opt out of your email subscription, it can have a profound effect on your engagement metrics. If you don't have a bloated list of contacts, you can focus on the individuals who are most interested in your email content.
Create Your Own Email Sequence
With email sequences, you can nurture your leads into customers without having to write a new email every time. Get started with your own sequence based on the examples above.