After all of your hard work to gain clients, it makes sense that you want to keep the relationships built for as long as possible. Even if you are a freelancer, you should have a client retention strategy that includes reconnecting with old clients through email.
But, how can you reconnect with your past clients and not sound desperate?
A well-curated follow-up email might help you re-start your conversation.
You will need a robust win-back follow-up email strategy to keep in touch with your old clients. In this article, we have prepared reconnecting with old clients email templates for you to use and laid down the benefits of reconnecting with previous clients in the first place.
- Reconnecting with old clients can be an effective way to generate new business, as they already know and trust your work.
- It’s important to be genuine, strategic, and authentic in your approach.
- You should also follow up with the client if they don’t respond to your initial email. Follow-up is everything.
- Maintain positive relationships with clients over time, even if they don’t immediately lead to new business.
5 templates to use to reconnect with old clients
According to Backlinko, sending a single follow-up email may increase your response rates by 65.8%. However, it can be perplexing to compose a professional and polite follow-up email campaign after receiving no response.
You don’t know how many follow-ups you should send, how frequently, and what you should send in a way that doesn’t harm your reputation with your old clients.
So, the first thing to consider is that you should only send follow-ups if you have a reason. For you as a freelancer, the reason may be to hire you again, show your new skills, ask for referrals, and so on.
Then you will need to warm up to reconnect with some of your old clients and leads. You may run a drip campaign, which is essentially an automated series of emails sent over some time, generally several months.
With that said, here are five email template examples that you should use in your follow-up campaign.
1. The No-Pressure Strategy
When you send your email to reconnect, you must be personal, very conversational, and specific. It will not work if you send a generic email to your old clients.
Assume it has been several months since your last contact with your old clients and that emailing “Hey, it’s been a while, here’s a 30% coupon” will not elicit any action on their behalf. Instead, use an email like this one to conduct a human-to-human, friend-to-friend, or family conversation:
Hi [Name],
I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. I’m just checking in to send you some love in these uncertain times.
We might all be a little uneasy and anxious about what the future holds for us, but just to let you know, I’m sure we’ll all make it through together.
Let’s spread the love.
Best,
Your Name
SOURCE: TheFreelanceFiles.com
That’s what we call the reciprocity phenomenon. The principle is simple. When we do pleasant things for people, they return the favor (they should, at least). With this reconnecting with old clients email template, you remind your old clients, in a subtle way, that you exist.
You can also send a simple, friendly email, like what Moe’s Southwest Grill has done. They send out a well-designed newsletter that includes amusing animated text messages and emojis. They also replace “you” with “ya” in the header “check in on ya” to make it sound like the email is from a friend.
It’s critical to use a friendly tone without being too pushy and appealing subject lines to persuade the recipient to read your email.
It’s also a good idea to encourage people to respond by including CTAs like “reply to us if you need anything” or “we can’t wait to hear back from you.” Those statements will make your old client feel like you genuinely care about them.
2. The Objection Identifier
When you’re a freelancer, you’re selling your services online.
To have a consistent flow of customers and leads, you should strive to understand your customers and potential customers better to craft messages tailored to them.
So, in the case of old clients who are no longer interacting with you, you need to understand why they’re no longer interacting with you in the first place. Perhaps they found a lower price from a competitor, their circumstances have changed, or their purchasing needs do not match your offers.
Collecting this information is beneficial since it enhances your marketing efforts and helps you adjust your email marketing campaign. Here’s a reconnecting with old clients email template you can use to know why your old client is no longer engaged:
Hi [Name],
We miss you, and we’d like you back.
We put together a survey so you can provide us with some feedback and so we can find ways to satisfy your needs.
Please click here to take our 5-minute “How Can I Better Support You?” survey.
It would mean a lot if you let us know what you think.
Best,
Your Name
SOURCE: TheFreelanceFiles.com
This reconnecting with old clients email template gives you insights into how you can enhance your method of communication with your clients.
Don’t be afraid to ask why they are no longer engaging with you. Just make sure you don’t make it difficult for them to provide feedback. Don’t send them a five-page survey they’d have to spend a lot of time on to complete.
This type of email is also beneficial when your customer decides to unsubscribe. When you get data about why they unsubscribed in the first place, you can adjust your email campaigns as needed. You can also use software for ecommerce to help you with this process.
Consider Barneys New York’s email unsubscribing; it employs a good subject line “You will be missed” message and a simple survey to ask consumers why they no longer want to receive content from you.
3. The Email with the ‘Y/N?’ Question
If you’ve already sent multiple follow-up emails and haven’t received a response, trying one more time to encourage your prospect to respond isn’t a terrible idea. The sender merely needs a YES or NO response. So, they may decide whether to continue sending their emails or not.
Hi [Name]!
I’m checking up on you since it’s been a long time since we last talked.
I’d like to know if you’d like to continue receiving content from us.
Please click on the Yes or No button below, whichever applies to you (I really, really hope, though, that you choose the Yes button).
X Yes, I’d like to continue receiving content from you
X No, I’d like to unsubscribe.
Thank you for taking the time to answer this email.
Thanks,
Your Name
SOURCE: TheFreelanceFiles.com
It’s evident that in this reconnecting with old clients email template, you’re not trying to pitch your service again; instead, you’re reminding them about the previous communication they didn’t respond to.
You can use more fun, engaging templates, just like what Urban Outfitters did in their break up process. They build their yes/no question in a messenger template and make it look like a chat between friends.
Ideally, this email should be the last one you send. However, the email should be short, straightforward, and clear, indicating the sender’s desire not to disturb the recipient.
4. A Content-Based Offer
You need to give your old clients a compelling reason to return. You must give something of value, such as access to content that the receiver would love, coupons, a recommendation, a gift, a certificate, and so on.
It’s critical to provide something that meets customers’ expectations rather than making them accomplish what you want. Consider this example:
Hi [Name]!
I’m sure [client goal] is a high priority for you. I thought I’d give you a copy of [resource that helps clients reach their goal] for your consideration.
It’s a great resource and can help you know the basics of [relevant field]. It can help you improve your [client goal] efforts, trust me.
Try it and let me know what you think afterwards 🙂
Happy reading!
[Signature]
SOURCE: TheFreelanceFiles.com
However, try to keep your promotional email when reconnecting with old clients concise and encourage the reader to click the link. It’s also a good idea to break up the text using bullet points, video, and graphics to make it simpler to digest for your readers.
It’s a good idea to send them your offer on special occasions, such as holidays, events, anniversaries, and seasonal events. Or, as H&M did, make them feel special without an occasion.
“Here’s 15% off to say we miss you” is the brilliant subject line from H&M, which sends an offer email to old clients to reconnect and encourage them to come back.
Promotions and special offer emails are indeed popular, and customers aren’t as pleased by these offerings anymore. However, the difference with this one is that these customers used to buy from you; thus, it may persuade them to do so again.
5. The Quick-and-Easy Method
Unlike the Y/N email, this reconnecting with old clients email template was intended to say “what can we do” and check-in with the unengaged client if they have a problem.
You should include an introduction to refresh their memories, offer value by providing context for the urgency (if applicable), or emphasize the necessity of the next steps. Also, make it short, clear, and to the point. Here is the example:
Hi [Name]!
I hope you’re doing well.
I didn’t hear back from you about [service you can provide or problem you can solve] :(.
If you’re still interested (I’m hoping you are), you may book a meeting [Link to your calendar] so that we can talk.
Just let me know when works for you, and I’ll make sure to clear my schedule.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
[Signature]
SOURCE: TheFreelanceFiles.com
It’s direct and clear what you want from them and why it’s essential. It’s also a good idea to make your email sound like you’re sending it to help them rather than to get anything from them.
Just look at this email from Wave.video. The email is personal and straightforward. Then it talks about how to address an issue rather than how to conduct business.
It is critical to make this email look professional and personable by including a photo, signature, and by using a professional email address.
5 Reasons why emailing previous clients is beneficial to your business
The most obvious reason is that acquiring a new client is five times more expensive than keeping an existing one. They also know and trust you since they already previously trusted you with a transaction or purchase.
So, it’s critical to make sure you follow up at least once a month, giving them a call, sending them a postcard, or something similar.
There are, however, other reasons for reconnecting with old clients:
1. You can get more work
If you have provided a service or materials that focus on problem-solving to your old clients, you will be more likely to get referred by them and get more work from them. They will think of you whenever they have a new problem or need your services.
In other words, since you have credibility with them and you frequently interact with them, you’ll stay top of mind with them.
So, when you send your email using your reconnecting with old clients email template, you should take the time to define your old clients’ current issues or those they may confront as their markets and needs change.
Then, deliver high-value solutions to them while emphasizing your service and skills to make them consider you for more work. Solving clients’ problems will make you convert issues into opportunities.
2. You can update old clients on your new skills
New abilities may persuade them to stay rather than seek new business since you have acquired new skills that fit their new needs. Reconnecting with old clients to offer new services based on your new skills is a great strategy to boost and reinvigorate your business, mainly if you’ve provided satisfactory service in the past.
They trusted you before, and they can trust you again. You just have to make yourself visible by checking in once in a while.
With these new skills, you can improve the effectiveness of your marketing strategy while increasing profits and client retention. So, you should adapt your skills to new technologies, platforms, and strategies.
3. You can ensure good client relationships
When you reconnect with your old clients and provide an experience with each piece of material you generate, you bring a human touch to your business, making it friendlier and fostering client relationships.
Relationships can enhance your company’s goals and encourage your clients to take action. It also boosts engagement, grabs attention, and creates an emotional connection, among other things.
It’s more powerful to emphasize the benefits of your products and services through a story than it is to enumerate them in text. It will help you build a relationship while convincing your target audience that your products and services are a good match for their lifestyle.
Furthermore, offering your old clients specialized resources is one of the biggest game-changers you can add to your approach. Resources might help you rebuild the relationship and reestablish authority with your list.
So, you should focus on becoming a resource to your clients, fulfilling all of their needs, and educating them while simplifying your service or product.
4. You can get referrals
When you create strong relationships with your old clients, recipients will be open to referring you and giving positive feedback to help you get more clients. They also will be more inclined to share your work with their networks.
So, ensure you add social sharing buttons, an “Email to a Friend” button, and a call to share action to encourage your old clients to share and forward the materials you send to them.
Also, you may create a referral email template in your email to make it easy for your old clients to refer you, or you can simply offer a link to your portfolio where they can post their review immediately there.
In other words, reconnecting with old clients should be part of your customer retention strategy. There are many benefits you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
Wrapping up
There are endless follow-up email templates available online. However, reviving a dead list isn’t a simple task; it can be difficult. You should not send just a single cold email and expect people to respond. You need to have the best follow-up practice and a solid strategy.
You’ll need to understand how to compose a successful follow-up email and when to send it. Here are some points to consider:
- Follow up only when there has been no response or engagement.
- Before following up, identify and analyze your old clients’ intent, as well as their availability.
- Keep track of the email’s open and click rates.
- Focus on the subject line of the email.
- Be concise, to the point, and build valuable relationships.
If you follow these tips, you won’t need to send nearly as many follow-up emails. Those you do send should be far more successful.
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