If you want more sales, faster responses, or just fewer leads slipping through the cracks, follow-up automation is worth your time. This guide is for anyone using sales or marketing outreach—whether you’re tired of copying and pasting emails, or you just want to stop losing track of who needs a nudge. We’ll go step by step through setting up automated follow-up sequences in Spiky, what actually helps conversion, and what’s mostly hype.
Why bother automating follow-up at all?
Let’s be honest: most leads don’t reply to your first email. Or second. Manual follow-up works, but it’s a grind, and you’re bound to miss people. Automation saves you time, but more importantly, it keeps your pipeline moving. The real win is consistency—every lead gets the right nudge, right on schedule.
But automation isn’t magic. If you send the same generic message to everyone, you’ll end up in spam or get ignored. Good automation is about making follow-ups timely and relevant, not robotic.
Step 1: Map Your Follow-Up Sequence Before You Touch Spiky
Don’t jump into the tool yet. First, sketch out your sequence on paper or a whiteboard:
- How many touchpoints? (e.g. 3 emails, 2 SMS, 1 LinkedIn ping)
- Timing between messages? (e.g. 2 days after first, 4 days after second)
- What changes each time? (Do you add value, ask a new question, reference a resource?)
- When should you stop? (After 4 emails? If you get no reply after 10 days?)
Pro tip: Less is often more. Three to five follow-ups is plenty for most B2B or SaaS sales. More than that just annoys people.
What to ignore: Fancy “AI-generated” message variants. Nine times out of ten, they sound weird or off-brand. Write your own, then tweak as you learn.
Step 2: Set Up Your Contact List in Spiky
Once you’ve got your plan, it’s time to get your contacts into Spiky.
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Importing contacts: Spiky lets you upload a CSV, connect to your CRM, or add contacts manually. Start with a clean, well-tagged list—bad data will hurt you later.
- Columns to include: Name, email, company, and any variables you want to personalize (“{{industry}}”, “{{last_activity}}”, etc.)
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Segment your list: Don’t blast everyone with the same sequence. Tag or segment by lead source, interest, or stage in your pipeline.
What works: Start small. Run your first sequence on 20-30 leads you know well. Iron out kinks before you scale.
Step 3: Build Your Sequence in Spiky
Now for the nuts and bolts. Inside Spiky, look for the “Sequences” or “Automation” tab (names change, but it’s usually obvious).
3.1 Create a New Sequence
- Give it a clear name (“Inbound Demo Request Follow-up – June 2024” beats “Sequence 1”).
- Set the trigger (e.g. “Added to list,” “Tag applied,” or “Form submitted”).
3.2 Add Steps (Emails, SMS, Tasks)
For each step:
- Choose the channel: Email, SMS, maybe even LinkedIn (if Spiky supports it).
- Write your message: Use simple, human language. Keep it short. Avoid “Just circling back…” unless you want to sound like everyone else.
- Personalize: Use merge fields for name, company, or specific details. Just test them—broken personalization is worse than none.
- Set delays: Spiky lets you specify when each step fires (e.g. “2 days after previous email”).
Pro tip: Include manual tasks, like “Review LinkedIn profile” or “Send custom video.” Not every touch should be automated.
What doesn’t work: Blindly copying templates from the web. Everyone’s seen them. Customize for your audience.
Step 4: Set Smart Stop Conditions
Automation gone wrong is a nightmare—nothing’s worse than emailing someone who already replied “Not interested.” In Spiky:
- Set reply detection: Stop the sequence if the lead replies. (Double-check this feature works with your email setup.)
- Manual removal: Make it simple for you or your team to pull someone out of the sequence if needed.
- Other triggers: If a lead books a call or moves to a new pipeline stage, they shouldn’t get another “Just checking in!” email.
What to ignore: “AI sentiment” triggers that claim to know if someone is interested based on their reply. Usually unreliable. Stick to clear, binary rules.
Step 5: Test Your Sequence (Don’t Skip This)
Before you hit “Go” on hundreds of leads:
- Send to yourself and a colleague. Make sure emails look right, links work, and merge fields are correct.
- Check for spam triggers. Avoid ALL CAPS, too many links, or weird formatting.
- Review timing. Are delays sensible? Will people get messages at 3 a.m.?
What works: Use a test Gmail or Outlook account to see how messages land in real mailboxes.
Step 6: Launch, Monitor, and Adjust
Hit launch, but don’t walk away. For the first week:
- Monitor replies: Are people responding? Or ignoring you?
- Check deliverability: Watch for bounces or spam complaints.
- Tweak: Adjust copy, timing, or steps based on what you see. Don’t be afraid to remove steps that don’t work.
What doesn’t work: “Set and forget.” Sequences are never perfect out of the gate. Iterate every week, especially early on.
What Actually Boosts Conversion (and What Doesn’t)
What works
- Short, clear emails: Get to the point. Respect your prospect’s time.
- Spacing out your touches: Don’t send 3 emails in 3 days. Give people room to breathe.
- Adding value: Share something useful (a resource, insight, or specific suggestion).
- Being human: Humor, honesty, or even acknowledging you’re using automation can work.
What doesn’t work
- Over-automation: If every touch is robotic, people tune out. Mix in manual review or a personal note.
- Generic templates: “Just checking in” is the fastest way to get ignored.
- Endless sequences: More isn’t better. Stop after 3-5 touches.
Ignore the hype
- “AI will write the perfect follow-up.” Maybe someday. Not today.
- “Sequence timing hacks.” There’s no magic time of day. Test what works for your audience.
- “All-in-one dashboards.” Use them if they help, but don’t get lost in charts. Focus on replies.
A Few Quick Extras That Make a Big Difference
- Track unsubscribes: Make it easy for people to opt out. It protects your sender reputation.
- Review bounced emails: Clean your list regularly.
- Set reminders: Even with automation, calendar reminders for key leads help you stay personal.
- Stay compliant: If you’re emailing in bulk, make sure you’re following local laws (CAN-SPAM, GDPR, etc.). Spiky handles some of this, but you’re still responsible.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Automated follow-up sequences in Spiky are a powerful tool, but they’re not a magic wand. Start with a simple, well-thought-out sequence. Watch what happens, tweak what doesn’t work, and keep it human. The best results come from regular, thoughtful adjustments—not from adding more steps or buying into the latest automation gimmick. Experiment, learn, and don’t overcomplicate things.
Now, get your first sequence live. You’ll learn more in a week of real replies than a month of reading guides.