Now, when you’re done sending out tailored emails to your users and you are waiting for each one of them to reply, don’t be surprised at getting a very few replies than you expected. That's because you’ve not reminded your users to look at the emails that you’ve been sending in. Here is when reminder emails kick in!
As the name suggests, reminder emails are sent to customers to remind them about any action they need to take. For example, the email can be about a pending invoice payment, an invitation to an event ceremony, or a reminder about the last registration date for some kind of course.
In SaaS, reminder emails keep communication open with users, maintain relationships, and ensure that users take the desired action.
Here’s another question, how can one know when to send out reminder emails? So, this depends upon the nature of the business you are serving, the type of service the client is using, and the terms and conditions you’ve agreed upon with the customer.
Tailored reminder emails are preferred upon sending out bulk reminder emails to the customer, which can certainly land in the user's spam folder, or the user can get tired of the same reminder repeatedly.
Email reminders can be a helpful tool for maintaining the timeliness of tasks and projects, but they must be used wisely at the right time to be effective. Sending a reminder email at the right time is important since only a few might cause deadlines to be missed, and too many can be seen as intrusive or bothersome.
You can send out reminder emails to follow up on a scheduled meeting or call. Say, you had a meeting scheduled with your prospect two weeks after the initial discussion; you can send out a reminder email a few days before the scheduled follow-up to ensure that the meeting remains on the recipient's calendar. To strike a balance between the frequency of reminder emails and the recipient's level of engagement, you can decide how many emails should be sent to the particular prospect and at what time.
Moreover, here’s a list of how you can utilize reminder emails for increasing engagement with your product.
This depends upon several factors, for example, the completion period of the onboarding or the schedule of the recipient. Confirmation of the completion of the onboarding period should be a must-have necessity, that should be well-documented. For onboarding processes that take several weeks, a reminder email can be sent once a week or at regular intervals to keep the process top of mind for the recipient.
Again, the duration of the trial period and the desired result will determine the most appropriate time to send a trial expiry reminder. Remember that the timing of trial expiry reminder emails should be tailored to the recipient's particular needs and the trial terms.
Short free trials that are about to expire can be notified two or three days before the expiry period so the user can decide whether they want to continue their subscription. If we talk about monthly or annual subscriptions, trial expiry reminders can be sent out mid-way through the service period, followed by final reminder emails.
Here’s an example from Screenhero to illustrate the concept.
Your subscription expiry email should first highlight the benefits of renewing the subscription and emphasize the consequences of letting it expire, such as a loss of access to certain services or products. This will allow the user to perform an action that can be a transaction or subscription.
To offer users enough time to renew their monthly or quarterly memberships, a reminder email can be sent a few days before the expiration date.
Email cancellation reminders should be sent out periodically and in a manner appropriate to the cancellation itself. The churn rate is one of the major problems that SaaS businesses face. But not all churn is intentional. Some may be due to a lack of effective communication. So, you can use reminder emails to inform your churning users about the situation.
If they feel they don’t want to cancel their subscription, that means you succeed in saving a user. If not, then you can use reminder emails to inform the details of their cancellation, i.e., the benefits they will be losing.
An email that reminds a prospective customer of an important deadline or milestone for a good or service they are thinking about is referred to as a milestone reminder email. A milestone reminder email can be sent a few days before the launch date to remind the user of the upcoming milestone and offer any discount or offerings to celebrate the milestone.
On the other hand, if we consider a deadline to take advantage of the limited-time offer, milestone reminder emails can be sent bearing instructions on how to avail of the offer.
An effective reminder email needs to be structured, concisely, and professionally. This structure should include a clear subject line, a friendly opening, a concise explanation of the reminder, a call to action, and a closing. Be mindful of the recipient's perspective and amount of engagement with your product.
A well-crafted reminder email can be a useful tool for maintaining consumers' interest and keeping them moving toward their intended goal. Here’s how you can structure your reminder emails:
The subject line of a reminder email is one of the most critical factors in determining whether or not the email will be opened and read. The subject line is the first thing the recipient sees, setting the tone for the entire email. Keep lines to 35 characters, making them easily visible on mobile devices. Use words like "urgent," "important," or "final notice" to create a sense of urgency that can encourage the recipient to open the email.
Your reminder emails greeting your potential customers should be friendly and professional. The greeting sets the tone for the entire email and can significantly impact the recipient's perception of the message. Use the recipient's name, be polite, and avoid being too casual and more professional with the recipient. It's important to greet someone nicely, but you should also avoid being too simple or informal, as this can be unprofessional.
Imagine yourself as the receiver and think about the information that would be most pertinent and useful to them. What details are essential for the recipient to retain? Depending on the situation, build a scenario that seems attractive for the customer and of benefit to your business. Behavior-driven emails are more likely to produce results as customers look forward to valuable information in the emails that they receive. For example, during the COVID-19 outbreak, every online business provided information in most of their emails regarding the outbreak that benefited the clients.
Your reminder email should not only serve the purpose of situation-based replies and timely responses. Still, it should also provide potential prospects with the ideal solution for them and their business. Inquire about the problems they are facing and the obstacles they have in signing up for your product.
Another purpose that your reminder email is serving is to persuade the user to take action. This action can be completing their onboarding or upgrading to a premium plan from a basic plan. You define the goal of your reminder email; it can be lead generation, it can be more conversions.
Aid your users by adding CTAs in your email that tie in with the goal of your reminder email. If you want your user to complete their onboarding process, then add a CTA that takes them to an onboarding checklist or a page.
Now, when you’ve persuaded the user, and the user has performed the action, or taken the decision you want them to take, now is the time to sign off with a good ending that seems mutually beneficial for the user and you. Being polite is the best way always, so be humble and polite while sending your email.
Thank the user for taking out time to read the email. Add a signature in the footer of the email describing your designation and personal details that can be beneficial for them once they.
Perhaps, it's important to be mindful of how the reminder is written and avoid common mistakes that can undermine its effectiveness or create a negative impression. Your prospects can get tired of receiving the same emails every time, and some of them will be annoyed by the long paragraphs you send them in the emails.
Let's discuss four mistakes while writing reminder emails:
Email reminders should be brief, precise, and to the point. Begin with a short salutation and clearly and concisely express the email's aim. Writing unnecessary details that have no use should be avoided in reminder emails. Not getting to the point in the email can lead to confusion, which can then distract the user from the true purpose of the email. So, ensure you are not going off context in any part of the email.
When sending a reminder email, it's important to be mindful of the user’s feelings and avoid embarrassing them. Use a professional and polite tone, and avoid being pushy or confrontational. Thank the receiver for their time and effort and extend assistance if necessary. The intention is to gently remind the customer, not to embarrass or alienate them. Mention the purpose of the reminder and give the information required in a concise and simple manner.
Try not to avoid a recipient if you don't know the reason for their problem. Direct the users to colleagues who can cater to their requirements. Ensure that someone from the company provides a solution to the problem rather than letting the user go away.
Not communicating properly with the customer can give the customer a wrong impression of the company. Make sure that you communicate confidently with the customer. This will help you bring the customer down the funnel and generate revenue. Your way of communicating will pave the way for the subsequent relationships between you and your users.
Here are the 15 best reminder email subject lines for your emails:
Here are eight different reminder email examples based on different events:
Let’s face it: keeping track of all subscription cancellations, trial expiries, and onboarding completion reminders, in all honesty, is a bit of a hassle. You cannot expect to focus on the more critical aspects of your business if your stuck sending reminder emails to your subscribers.
So, what’s they solution? Automation!
Email automation can help you put your reminder emails on auto-pilot. And if you want the best email automation solution for your needs, then AppFlows should be your first priotrity.
You can integrate AppFlows with your product and set up events for which you need to send reminder emails. Here is an example of a reminder email workflow:
Reminder emails are a very powerful way to keep in touch with your users. It allows you to connect with them, listen to their problems, and suggest solutions. This enhances the customer lifecycle journey and provides users with a flawless experience.
Depending on the results you want to achieve from your reminder email campaign, set goals and achieve them with a modular approach. Avoiding irrelevant information in your reminder emails can add value for the users. Let the user know that you are approaching a reputable company.
Content writer by day and a book nerd by night, Ammar Mazhar has been writing for 3 years for B2B and B2C businesses. As a wordsmith, Ammar knows how to write SEO-optimized content that your users will find insightful, igniting results for your business.
Ammar Mazhar
August 1, 2022
Ammar Mazhar
August 1, 2022
Ammar Mazhar
August 1, 2022