So you’ve got a pile of B2B leads sitting in Sharefable, and you know you should be following up. But let’s be real: manual follow-ups are a slog, and most automation tools promise more than they deliver. If you’re looking for a practical, honest guide to automating your follow-up emails in Sharefable, you’re in the right place. This is for marketers, sales teams, and anyone tired of letting good leads slip through the cracks.
Let’s skip the fluff and dig into how you can actually use Sharefable to nurture B2B leads—without drowning your prospects in spam or wasting hours fiddling with settings.
Why Automate Follow-Up Emails (and When You Shouldn’t)
Before jumping into the how-to, let’s clear up why automation is worth it—and where it falls flat.
When automation helps: - You have more leads than you can humanly follow up with. - Your leads share common traits, so a “template” doesn’t feel totally impersonal. - You want to keep your brand top-of-mind while you focus on other work.
Where it doesn’t:
- If your deals are huge, complex, or hinge on personal relationships, automation can backfire.
- If your lead list is tiny, you’ll probably get better results by writing 1:1 emails.
Bottom line:
Automation is great for keeping the conversation moving, but it won’t close deals for you. Use it to open doors, not to replace real conversations.
Step 1: Get Your Leads Into Sharefable
First, make sure your leads are in Sharefable. Obvious, yes—but you’d be surprised how often this step gets skipped or botched.
Options for importing leads: - Manual upload: Good for small batches. Export from your CRM or spreadsheet, then upload as CSV. - CRM Integration: If Sharefable supports your CRM, use it. Saves time and errors. - Forms or API: For ongoing lead gen, connect your forms directly to Sharefable (if you have a developer).
Pro Tip:
Double-check your fields. A mismatched column header can mess up your whole sequence. Test with a few dummy leads first.
Step 2: Segment Your Leads (Don’t Skip This)
It’s tempting to blast everyone with the same follow-up. Don’t. Segmentation is where automation stops feeling like spam.
Ways to segment: - Industry or company size: Tailor your message to who they are. - Lead source: Did they download a whitepaper? Attend a webinar? The context matters. - Engagement level: Warm leads vs. cold contacts.
In Sharefable:
Tag or group your leads as you import them, or use built-in filters. The more specific, the better—just don’t overcomplicate.
Step 3: Write Honest, Useful Follow-Up Emails
Let’s cut through the “personalization at scale” hype. Most people can spot a mail-merge from a mile away. Here’s how to write automated emails that don’t annoy your prospects:
- Keep it short. No one reads long emails from people they don’t know.
- Be clear about why you’re reaching out. “Saw you downloaded our guide on X and thought you might have questions.”
- Don’t fake personalization. If you can’t say something specific, don’t pretend.
- Have a clear call to action. A question, a link, or a short reply request works best.
Example follow-up:
Subject: Any questions about [Topic]?
Hi [First Name],
Noticed you checked out our [Resource/Feature]. If you have any questions, just reply—I can help or point you to the right info.
Otherwise, I’ll send over a couple tips next week that might help.
Thanks, [Your Name]
What to ignore:
- Gimmicky subject lines (“Quick question…” when it’s not).
- Heavy-handed personalization (“I see you went to [College]…”) unless it’s genuinely relevant.
Step 4: Build Your Email Sequence in Sharefable
Here’s where Sharefable actually makes life easier—if you set it up right.
To create a sequence: 1. Start a new campaign or workflow. Name it clearly so you’re not lost later. 2. Choose your segment or list. The groups you made earlier come in handy now. 3. Add your first email. Paste in your template; use placeholders for fields like [First Name]. 4. Schedule follow-ups. Set delays between emails—usually 2-5 days apart is about right. 5. Set conditions. For example, stop sending if they reply, or branch the sequence by engagement.
Tips for Sharefable users: - Test with yourself first. Always send the sequence to your own inbox before going live. Formatting and links can break in surprising ways. - Don’t go overboard. Two or three follow-ups is usually enough. More than that, and you’re just noise. - Watch your timing. Avoid weekends and holidays. Sharefable may let you adjust delivery windows—use it if you can.
Step 5: Monitor, Tweak, and Actually Respond
Automation isn’t “set it and forget it.” The best results come from watching what happens and making small adjustments.
What to watch: - Open rates: If they’re low, your subject lines probably stink or your list is off-target. - Reply rates: This is what matters. If no one replies, tweak your copy or timing. - Bounce and unsubscribe rates: If these are high, your list quality is poor or your emails are too aggressive.
What matters less than you think: - Open rates alone. If people open but never reply, you’re not moving the needle. - Fancy graphics or HTML. Plain text works best for B2B follow-ups.
Pro Tip:
When someone replies, stop the automation and jump in with a real, human response. Nothing ruins trust faster than a robot replying to a real question.
Step 6: Stay Out of Spam Folders
No one wants all their hard work sent straight to spam. Here’s how to avoid it:
- Authenticate your sending domain. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Sharefable should guide you, but if not, ask your IT person.
- Don’t buy lists. Ever. It’s spammy and will tank your deliverability.
- Keep it conversational. Spam filters hate “FREE!!!” and massive images.
Bonus:
Send a few emails manually from your domain before starting big campaigns. It “warms up” your sender reputation.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
Works: - Simple, honest emails that address a real need. - Following up 2-3 times, then moving on. - Segmenting leads by what they actually care about.
Doesn’t work: - Overly slick templates that look like ads. - Hammering people with generic content. - Ignoring replies or automating every stage—people want to talk to people.
Ignore the hype:
There’s a lot of noise about AI-written emails and “hyper-personalization.” Most of it doesn’t move the needle. Focus on clarity, relevance, and timing.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
Automating your follow-up emails in Sharefable can save you hours and help you stay on top of your B2B leads—but it’s not magic. Set up a simple sequence, watch what happens, and tweak as you go. The best campaigns are the ones you actually launch, not the ones you endlessly perfect.
Start small. Be real. Adjust based on what’s actually working. You’ll get further than most.