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Writing Effective Email Autoresponders

Autoresponders are often automated responses to client e-mails, but they can also be a series of short e-mails, which companies send to their mailing list to attract new clients. These are further used as an e-course to potential customers to get them acquainted with your company and new product. Client leads must be contacted regularly and kept up to date in order to secure a sale and ensure the contact becomes a recurring customer. Therefore, it makes sense to write an effective autoresponder message.

The subject line determines whether the recipient opens the e-mail or not. Make it as descriptive as possible without including unnecessary words. Including the name of your company in both the mailing address and the subject line will reassure the customer this is not spam. Consider putting the date, or at least the month, so that your recipients can go back to find previous e-mails when needed.

When writing the body of the mail, think of the customer and what they expect to see. Try to personalize the e-mail using one of the many automating programs1. Use the first few sentences to describe the reason for the e-mail – a response to a client request, a weekly update, a limited discount, etc. Note that big companies usually put their customer reference numbers before anything else for easier access. Consider using bullet points with topics and/or product names.

Think of the client when structuring the main text. Use non-technical language, which is easy to understand and follow. Do not assume that all your clients are specialist, so using a footnote can make your autoresponders informative and lucrative. Divide the body of the mail into separate sections with subheadings for quicker browsing. Don’t use misleading titles just to attract attention as it can lead to a lot of missed sales.

Consider the main paragraphs as a brief opportunity to describe your business products and explain why they are better than your competitors’. A narrative can elucidate the usefulness of your products as it puts them into context and matches them against a problem. Another approach is to put all the benefits into a single section and explain at length each advantage and the problem it solves. Customers love examples, as these are easier to relate to, while graphs and charts can be understood more easily than raw data. Pictures also work marvelously and are better than any description because they let the client imagine themselves owning it.

Any additional material such as charts, images, infographics, and animations should be incorporated into the e-mail where possible because users are generally hesitant to open attachments (mainly for safety reasons). You should also make sure that the e-mail uses and mentions all the resources of the business. For example, if there is a money back guarantee or any other special service for customers, make sure it is highlighted in the appropriate section. If your previous clients are fine with it, include their opinions and testimonials as well. Be aware, however, that each quote must be followed by an accurate name, company, and position for maximum effect. PSs are also well accepted and can be used to summarize the e-mail contents.

An effective sales campaign revisits the customer a couple of times2 to convince them of the seriousness of the problem, the competitors’ inferior product, the benefits of the product offered, and previously satisfied customers. These steps should not be rushed but spread out across two or three weeks so as not to annoy the potential client. Make sure that they are prepared for the incoming e-mails and have the option to opt out if they want. This will only improve the company image as somebody who doesn’t wish to buy will not change his opinion but can do a lot of damage.

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