Email Sequences Using HubSpot

1. What Are Email Sequences in HubSpot?

A sequence is a set of timed emails (plus optional task reminders) delivered to a contact on a 1-to-1 basis. Commonly used for:

1. Sales Follow-Up: If a lead doesn’t respond to your initial outreach, you can schedule multiple touchpoints spaced a few days apart.
2. Consulting Proposal Follow-Up: After sending a proposal, you can queue up a friendly reminder email if the client hasn’t replied within 3 days, another gentle nudge after a week, etc.
3. Client Onboarding: You might create a short sequence to walk a new client through the next steps, sending them resources or instructions.

Unlike Workflows (which are more robust, multi-step marketing automations), Sequences focus on 1-to-1 communication that appears to come directly from your personal email address—though it’s scheduled and automated behind the scenes.

2. Subscription Levels for Sequences

2.1 Free Plan

• No Access to Sequences
  • HubSpot’s free plan does not include the Sales Sequences feature.
  • You can, however, do manual one-off emails or rely on free plan’s basic forms and single follow-up emails for marketing.

2.2 Starter (Sales or All-in-One)

• Limited Sequences
  • Sales Hub Starter includes Sequences, but with limitations on the number of sequences or total enrollments per month. Often you can enroll a smaller volume of contacts in sequences.
  • Lacks advanced sequence branching or logic; typically it’s linear emails spaced out by preset days.

2.3 Professional & Enterprise

• Full Sequences
  • Sales Hub Professional (or Enterprise) offers higher or unlimited sequence enrollments, plus advanced features like tasks within sequences, direct enroll from Gmail/Outlook add-ins, and better reporting on open/click data.
  • If you plan to rely heavily on sequences for lead follow-up, Pro (or Enterprise) is likely more suitable due to higher send limits.

3. Creating an Email Sequence

3.1 Navigating to Sequences

1. Go to Sales > Sequences: This is typically found under the Sales tools in HubSpot.
2. Click “Create sequence”: You’ll be prompted to choose or write the content of each email in the series.

3.2 Building the Sequence Emails

1. Draft Email Templates
   • Each email can be written from scratch or use a Sales Email Template you’ve set up.
   • Personalize tokens like {{ contact.firstName }} or {{ company.name }} where possible.
2. Spacing & Timing
   • For each subsequent email, decide how many days after the previous email it should send if no reply is received.
   • Example: Email #1 on Day 0, Email #2 on Day 3, Email #3 on Day 7.
3. Add Tasks (Optional)
   • Insert a step that reminds you to call the contact or check in manually instead of sending another auto-email. Useful for a more personal approach.

3.3 Sequence Settings

1. End on Reply: Typically, sequences stop if the recipient replies, preventing awkward extra emails.
2. Work/Business Days Only: You can choose to only send follow-ups on weekdays, so emails don’t land on Saturdays or Sundays.
3. Time of Day: Some plans let you pick approximate send windows, ensuring your emails land at a good hour.

3.4 Save & Test

1. Save the Sequence: Give it a clear name (e.g., “Proposal Follow-Up Sequence”).
2. Preview/Send Test: You can send a test to yourself or a colleague to check formatting and tokens.

4. Enrolling Contacts in a Sequence

1. From the Contact Record
   • In a contact’s record, click Sequences or “Enroll in Sequence.”
   • Choose which sequence to enroll them in.
2. From the Sequences Tool
   • Go to Sales > Sequences.
   • Select the relevant sequence, click Enroll contacts, and pick from your existing contacts or lists.
3. Email Client Add-In (Gmail/Outlook)
   • If you installed the HubSpot Sales extension, you can enroll a contact directly from your inbox.

5. Monitoring Sequence Performance

1. Sequences Dashboard: Shows open rates, reply rates, click rates, and which email step the contact is on.
2. Contact Timeline: Each email in the sequence will appear in the contact’s timeline, noting whether it was opened or clicked.
3. Stop, Pause, or Unenroll: If you see someone has replied or your context changes, you can manually unenroll them.

6. Best Practices

1. Keep Emails Short & Personal: Sequences are meant to mimic a personal email thread, not a marketing newsletter.
2. Use Personalization Tokens: Insert the contact’s name, mention their company, or reference past interactions so it doesn’t feel generic.
3. Pace the Follow-Ups: Don’t bombard leads daily. A 3- to 5-day gap often works better for professional follow-ups.
4. Stop on Reply: Ensure the sequence halts if the prospect responds. You don’t want an automated second email going out after they replied with interest.
5. Test Different Approaches: Subject lines, intervals, and content can all be iterated to find what fosters the best engagement or reply rate.

7. Differences vs. Marketing Workflows

• Sequences:
  • 1-to-1 style emails that appear from your personal address, typically used for sales or personal follow-ups.
  • Stop if the contact responds.
  • Usually, short multi-step sequences.
• Workflows:
  • Bulk marketing automations that can trigger more complex branching, used for group campaigns or entire marketing funnels.
  • Emails come from your marketing email address and subscription preferences apply (often unsubscribes, etc.).
  • Typically a Marketing Hub feature with advanced logic in Professional or Enterprise.