We send and receive emails on a daily basis. They are among the most used modes for formal communication. Missed a payment or had a submission delay. Everyone prefers receiving a formal email. A basic text over WhatsApp doesn’t carry the weightage that a well-written email does. Very often, it so happens that we don’t receive a reply. All our inboxes are so flooded that it is very possible to miss an email or two. Therefore, a reminder email becomes important.

Things are the same with email marketing too. For instance, you launch a new product or are having a crazy event lined up. You may tend to think if your customers remember about it. A small and soft reminder about such things goes a long way. 

No one wants to keep waiting for a reply back but you don’t want to look pushy too. This is why sending a reminder email is a social dilemma. It is tough to figure out how long to wait before you send one through. It is also tough to figure out how you phrase an email like this. You don’t want to sound too pleasing or too rude. So, how do you find that balance? 

What Is Reminder EmailAn email (or electronic mail) is a method of exchanging communications through the internet. It is one of the most used features on the web and the number one mean...?

It is very easy to understand a reminder email from the term itself. An email that contains a reminder. What is the purpose of this email? It is not just meant to remind. It is to make the receiver act. In addition, reminder emails are sent for various topics. People tend to forget to read emails. If not, they just tend to forget having read one.

For instance, You may send a reminder email to remind someone of something due or an upcoming meeting. Be it missed deadlines or lapsed communications. Reminder emails help take things further. Strong email communication is very important in email marketing. Therefore, you do not want to make a mistake there. Many times when you take up free trials of OTT services, a reminder email from such companies helps build their value. Payment reminders and even leaving your cart filled without buying. However, all these reminders when communicated must always lead to one result – action. Therefore, your consumer must have the urge to go finish that purchase or make that payment.

Reminder emails can really help increase the effectiveness of your marketing plan. It makes the customer feel that the company wants to hold onto them. In addition, it makes them feel that the company knows them well. 

Pros and Cons of Sending Reminder Emails 

The advantages and disadvantages of reminder emails depend on your trade. The way sending a reminder email benefits you depends on the purpose. If it’s a marketing reminder, your purpose is driving sales. If it is a payment reminder. Your purpose is immediate payment. Therefore, the pros and cons of sending it highly depend on that.

Although some advantages of sending reminder emails are :

• Saves you time: Sending a reminder email is much better than calling up several people. Imagine sending payment reminders to 20 customers. You don’t want to call each one. Instead, an email makes it easier.
• Helps develop relationships: Reminder emails help you establish a connection with your client or customer. It ensures consistency and makes one feel that you are interested in them as potential buyers.
• Response: The primary goal of a reminder email is to get a response. It could be positive or negative. In addition, you avoid wasting resources. Be it manpower, money or time.

Some disadvantages of reminder emails are:

• Could lead to misinterpretation: Reminder emails if not crafted well are open to misinterpretation. That could cause problems with potential clients and customers. They might misinterpret the tone of your email.
• Makes you look pushy: Like it or not, people hate when asked to do something too many times. This disadvantage depends on you and your receiver. Therefore, it is your responsibility to not irritate your receiver while it is upon the receiver to not feel so. This could lead to unsubscriptions or negative replies.

How To Send a Reminder Email 

Email etiquette is important. Your email should be kind and have clarity. It should be clear-cut and straight to the point. These are 6 essential components that your email must have:

• Subject: Most people open an email by looking at its subject line. Your subject line should make the contents of your email look worth the time. Therefore, try having a crisp and clear subject. Don’t make it too fancy and complicated. Keep it simple.

• Greeting: the way you greet sets the tone. The way you greet can also be based on the content of your email. It could also be based on your relationship with the receiver. For instance, Companies that have a very friendly and informal representation would like to go for happy greetings.

• Body: This has the main part- your message. Your reminder shouldn’t feel hollow. Try to include everything. Give context to the previous communication. Mention dates and deadlines clearly. Don’t get your numbers wrong. However, ensure to make it look like a reminder but be humble in tone. You do not want to look rude or pushy.

• Conclusion: Now is the time you mention why this is important to you. This part of the email is what generates the action. Request and remind the receiver what is expected of them. For instance, add a call-to-action for immediate response. Urge your receiver and explain why this matters.

• Email Sign-off: Always end your email professionally. Email sign-offs are very typical. For instance, the number of times you might have used “looking forward to hearing from you!” Have a friendly and professional closing to your email. This is the part where you wrap up.

• Email signature: Having a professional email signature adds to your credibility. It makes the receiver feel that it isn’t just any randomly generated email.

6 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Sending Reminder Email to Client

Who doesn’t make errors? Be it a typo or the wrong salutation. Mistakes can happen anywhere. However, professionals cannot risk such mistakes. You cannot make errors while writing any email to your clients. Therefore, these are some common mistakes you must avoid while writing a reminder email:

• Removing the context: As mentioned, our inboxes are always filled. No one remembers the previous communication unless it is on the same thread. Even so, no one has the time to scroll through it all. Therefore, don’t remove the context of your reminder. Ensure giving your client the whole picture. They must know to get the complete gist by solely reading your email.

• Get to the point: Never beat around the bush. Make your email worth anyone’s time. However, try to sound professional and not confused.

• Be focused: Avoid embarrassing yourself. You don’t want to feel sorry for sending a reminder. Don’t apologize for doing so. You are just doing your job. In addition, don’t point fingers and call out. Your reminder email shouldn’t be unnecessarily harsh.

• “Follow up” emails: Don’t have a subject line that says just follow up. No one likes to pay attention to such emails. Your subject line should reflect your content inside.

• Duration: Avoid sending a follow-up email after two weeks or within a day. You must understand how long to wait. Wait 5-6 days or depending upon your previous communication. Take action. Don’t look desperate.

• Call to action: Your reminder email must fulfil its purpose. It must be able to make your client act. It is not necessary for this CTAA CTA is a phrase or word designed to get an immediate response from the reader. As the name suggests, it's usually something that involves a precise action performed by... to be a link. It could be a sentence urging a reply. It could be contact information. Therefore, your purpose should be to somehow encourage communication from the client’s end.

Tips and Best Practices 

We now know the common mistakes one can avoid along with how to write. Let’s look at some tips and practices you can keep in mind before sending that email.

• Subject line: A subject line should be your priority. You may have a poorly written email. The subject line is the only way you can make your receiver read that mail though. Therefore, use urgency. Use words which will make one stop and think. For instance, phrases like “action required”, “urgent” or “help” really work.

• Be crisp: No one enjoys long emails. Be it a friendly reminder or an email marketing campaign. You cannot write long stories. Therefore, note down the points you want to make and then start writing. You can even try using pointers to make your email look clean. However, it should look short and easy to skim through.

• Don’t be too friendly: Don’t go overboard with sweetness. You don’t want to look like a pushover. Sweet reminders are really off-putting. Therefore, try sounding humble instead of friendly.

• Timing: You must figure out the correct duration to wait for. This should be decided based on the context of your email too. No one likes a payment reminder two months before the due date. That’s just crazy! Similarly, try sending emails during work hours. More chances of your email being seen.

• Have a specific request and reminder: You will not achieve anything by leaving your receiver confused. You must ensure that your closing lines must specify your expectation. If you are expecting a reply by tomorrow. Make it clear to the receiver. 

• Maintain a thread: Maintaining threads for similar communication is the advantage of email communication. Even if you miss providing context, having a thread helps. 

Top 3 Examples

Let’s look at these examples to understand this concept better:

• Create a good subject line

The subject line is to the point and simple. This helps the receiver understand what the email is about without opening the email.

• Add an email greeting

Be professional and polite. It’s the right way to send emails. You should always address the receiver by their name. You can also add “Dear” to make it more personal.

• Encourage users to take action

Tell the receiver what you want from them. If you want them to subscribe, tell them. If you want them to purchase your product, tell them. However, don’t be pushy or threaten them.

In Conclusion

All in all, email writing has always been an art. There is no science to it. It is completely upon how your receiver takes it. All you can do is keep a few things in mind before sending one. There is a reason why it is taught in schools to date. For instance, some people still prefer writing “Respected John” instead of “Dear John.” On the other hand, some find dear too formal. They just write “greetings of the day.”

Digital marketing holds email campaigns in high regard. Therefore, it becomes necessary to ensure what works with your audience or clients. Sending a reminder email is tough. It is so primarily because of the tone. It is very easy to pick up your phone and slide a reminder into the conversation. However, that’s not the same with emails or texts. These have to be carefully written to get a positive response. 

Even the timing of your email shows a lot about your attitude. You may unintentionally make your receiver feel a certain way. For instance, following up a day after your job interview. Human Resource departments have to deal with tons of applications and interviews. It takes time for an organisation to reach a decision within a day. Following up a day after may only annoy the HR of that company. This entire example is pretty subjective too. Some might take the desperation positively while some might take it negatively. 

Therefore, think twice before sending reminder emails. Compose them so well that you don’t have to wait for a reply anymore.

Do you send reminder emails? Which strategies do you use? Tell us in the comments section below!