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As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so does B2B marketing. Successfully launching a new SaaS product goes beyond simply putting it out there. The goal is to engage with the audience. Several key trends have emerged that are reshaping how SaaS businesses connect with their audiences.
One of the most effective ways to grab the attention of your audience is by using a countdown timer in email campaigns.
Imagine you’re scrolling through your inbox and you see an email with a countdown timer counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds until the biggest electronics sales of the year ends. Suddenly, you feel the need to act fast before you miss out on that amazing deal. That’s the power of the email countdown timer.
It creates a sense of urgency that compels us to take action. By showing your subscribers a ticking clock, you are essentially saying, “Hey, something big is happening, and you don’t want to miss it!”
So, if you’re looking for an effective marketing strategy for driving initial conversions, consider incorporating a countdown timer for email. It’s a simple yet effective way to inspire subscribers to take action.
At Vakulski-Group, we don’t just run email campaigns—we create revenue engines. Using data-driven insights, we transform customer behavior into high-converting email strategies. Curious how? Let’s talk!
In this post, we’ll talk briefly about countdown timers, why and how do they work, how to use them in email marketing campaigns, and everything in between.
What’s an email countdown timer and how does it work?
An email countdown timer is a visual representation of a digital ticking clock that counts down to zero. It constantly reminds your potential customers or subscribers that time is of the essence. They are particularly programmed to stop at a set time regardless of when you open the email containing it.
The idea is to create excitement and anticipation among subscribers. A countdown timer in email is like a strong visual call to action (CTA) that prompts them to take action before time runs out.
For example, phrases like “Three days until the offer ends forever!” and “You’ll never get this amazing deal again!” increase the urgency of the promotion. By adding an eye-catching countdown timer in email you can increase the urgency even more by showing customers exactly how much time they have.
When you see one, you automatically start thinking, “I don’t want to miss this.” And the best part: when you feel something is hard to get, it becomes more desirable.
When you’re persuading others to take some action, you are not just telling them what they will gain by using your products or services. You also need to tell them about your product’s unique value proposition and what they will lose if they don’t take your offer.
This is called science of persuasion, a concept extensively studied by a renowned psychologist and author, Dr. Robert Cialdini. In his seminal work, Dr. Cialdini intricately outlines seven key principles that drive human behavior and decision-making. The use of countdown timers in email taps into some of these principles, particularly the principle of scarcity and urgency.
The beauty of a countdown timer for email is that they are highly customizable. You can customize the design, content, and the messaging to match them with your marketing goals and the needs of your target audience.
A countdown timer can be an animated GIF or HTML code embedded in email content. The timer updates in real time when you open the email. It shows the current countdown based on the recipient’s local time.
Why countdown timers are so effective in bringing more conversions?
These countdown timers can be used nearly in any kind of email marketing campaign. But why are they so effective in driving engagement?
There are many reasons a countdown timer in email could be beneficial for B2B SaaS marketers, especially for optimizing their SaaS conversion funnel.
Here are a few of them:
- Urgency: It creates a sense of urgency and encourages recipients to take immediate action. We tend to make faster decisions when pressed for time. That’s a common human tendency.
- FOMO: Another great reason is the fear of missing out. These countdown timers trigger psychological emotions like the fear of missing out on a limited-time opportunity. They motivate people to act fast. It significantly helps you increase your SaaS acquisition and sales.
- Visual appeal: You know people have short attention spans. Dynamic elements make emails more eye-catching. The more engaging the email looks to the readers, the more they are likely to interact with it.
- Higher click-through rates: Adding a time-sensitive offer in your email campaigns can help improve click-through rates (CTR). This sense of urgency prompts readers to act fast. This may lead to increased conversion rates.
By adding countdown timers to emails, you can grab your recipients’ attention almost instantly, encouraging them to take immediate action.
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Types of countdown timers
Are you looking to generate more leads and sales through your email marketing campaigns?
Using countdown timers is a surefire way to drive engagement. It’s similar to creating a schedule a demo page for your product where you showcase its value in real time to drive conversions.
Generally, there are two types of countdown timers that can be embedded into your emails:
- HTML countdown timer: It’s a dynamically generated image created using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The countdown updates in real time, meaning you see an updated image every time you open the email. Most marketers prefer HTML countdown timers because they offer more customization options.
- GIF countdown timer: It’s a basic one with limited functionality. As the name suggests, a GIF countdown timer is an animated image that simulates a countdown and is activated every time you open the email. They are basically image files like PNG and JPEG that you can find online. There are tons of read-to-use GIFs on websites like Pinterest. You can use the one you like.
If you want the countdown to update in real time, you should go for an HTML countdown timer for email. Otherwise, you could use a GIF countdown timer. Remember, both have their pros and cons. You should choose the one that best aligns with your specific needs and overall marketing strategy.
When to use countdown timers
Countdown timers are a versatile marketing tool and can be used in a variety of ways. Here are a few of them:
Limited-time offers or discounts
Imagine you’re a SaaS company, and Black Friday is around the corner. You can use such high-stakes sales events to create your own Black Friday email campaign to get more traffic and conversions. You can add countdown timers to create a sense of urgency to a limited-period offer. For instance, time-sensitive offers like “Hurry, offer ends soon!” or “50% discount on annual subscriptions for 24 hours” prompt readers to take immediate action before they miss out on the biggest sale of the year.
Product launch or new feature release
When you’re launching a new SaaS product, you want prospects to feel the same excitement. By adding a countdown timer leading up to the launch date, you’re building anticipation. This goes for a new feature release as well. It reminds customers who are eagerly waiting for the new feature release exactly how much time is left.
Event or webinar registration
B2B businesses often host events or webinars to generate leads or keep their users informed about upcoming product releases. But getting them to actually register can be tricky. Add a countdown timer running up till the event day or till the registration closing date. Countdown timers in your inviting emails can help increase attendance. It serves as a final nudge for those who are on the fence.
Change in price
Picture this: Your company is increasing the price of your annual subscription packages because of added features, increased value, or whatever reason. A countdown timer in email tells your subscribers exactly when the new pricing structure will come into effect. This will give them plenty of time to prepare for the price change.
End of free trials
If you offer free trials, countdown timers can remind existing users when their free trial will expire. This way you can convert prospects into paying customers. A ticking clock sends a message exactly how much time they’ve left. When combined with a strong call to action like “Upgrade now before you lose access”, it motivates them to make a decision.
Subscription renewal
If you have a subscription-based SaaS model, countdown emails are a great way to remind existing subscribers that their subscription is ending soon and they need to renew. It creates a sense of urgency that’s almost hard to ignore. For instance, a countdown with a message like “7 days left” or “Last chance to renew” prompts them to take immediate action before they lose access to premium features. Remember that it applies to only those subscriptions that aren’t renewed automatically.
How to add countdown timers to your email campaigns
How do you add a countdown timer to email? Creating a countdown timer for your email campaigns isn’t as complex as you may think. Essentially, you have two main options to choose from:
- Use a third-party tool or service to create the countdown timer for you
- Create your own timer using HTML and CSS
The first option is the most preferred one among SaaS marketers looking to drive engagement and improve feature adoption. Another reason is that it’s simpler and doesn’t require strong coding skills. These tools help you create a snippet of code that you can copy and paste to your email template into HTML.
So, how do you insert a countdown timer in email?
Follow these steps to embed a countdown timer in email:
- Choose a countdown timer tool or platform.
- Generate a countdown timer.
- Specify its end date and time while considering the time zone differences.
- Customize its appearance as you like.
- Generate the HTML code for your timer.
- Copy the embed code.
- Paste it to your email template into HTML
Free countdown timer solutions
There are many email service providers (ESPs) that offer user-friendly features that allow you to add countdown timers directly within their built-in email editors.
Here are a few options for a free countdown timer for email:
Mailmodo
It’s a complete email marketing solution that gives users the flexibility to add their own custom HTML code right into the email editor. You can use Mailmodo to create and send personalized emails that connect with your audience.
Customer.io
It’s a recognized marketing automation tool used by many SaaS businesses to send triggered emails that resonate with their target audience. Customer.io is more of a customer engagement platform that allows marketers to build meaningful customer relationships through strategic and personalized email campaigns.
Omnisend
It’s a popular marketing automation platform that allows you to create email countdown timers in no time. You only need basic HTML skills. All you have to do is drag and drop the HTML content block to your email template.
It doesn’t have a built-in countdown timer feature, so you need to use third-party tools like MailTimers and Sendtric to create one.
Paid countdown timer solutions
Alternatively, there are several third-party tools you can use to create easy-to-design countdown timers for your email marketing campaigns. For those who prefer more control, these tools offer more customization options and flexibility to add a sense of urgency to your emails.
Boost Your Business with Data-Driven Marketing Solutions
Analytics Implementation
Level up your analytics to track every funnel step with precision and drive better results
Data Analysis
Uncover actionable insights and optimize every step of your business journey
CRO
Unleash the power of CRO and run experiments to boost conversions and revenues.
Over 90 satisfied clients & counting
Sendtric
It’s one of the most popular free online apps for creating intuitive countdown timers that perfectly align with your email campaigns. It allows you to create your countdown timer in over 30 languages. And the best part? Sendtric offers integration that is compatible with all major email service providers and CRM platforms out there.
MotionMail
It’s a standalone app that offers an effortless way to create easy-to-design countdown timers for your email campaigns. You can customize your timer to match your brand identity and marketing strategy. You can choose from four different timer designs, set the time, date, and timezone, and you’re all set. MotionMail also provides integration with all major email marketing platforms, so you can simply copy and paste the timer code into your email platform.
CountdownMail
It’s a feature-rich tool for creating attention-grabbing countdown timers for emails. CountdownMail offers tons of beautifully-designed templates that you can customize further to enhance your emails to drive engagement and boost sales.
17 adherence email examples with countdown timers
Here are some of the best real-life examples of countdown timers in action:
Key learnings on countdown timers in emails
Countdown timers in emails are an effective way to maintain customer engagement and improve retention. By using time-sensitive offers like limited-time discounts or promotions, you can not only create a sense of immediacy but also encourage recipients to act quickly.
It constantly reminds them that time is running out and they need to act fast. Time-sensitive offers are a powerful marketing tool, especially when paired with an equally powerful element like countdown timers.
But simply adding a countdown timer to your message is not enough. Whether you go for a free html countdown timer for email or choose a paid service, the key is to strategically place the timer in your email and pair it with a strong CTA so that it makes the maximum impact.
Excited to take your email marketing campaign to the next level? Contact us today for a free consultation and discover how we can assist you in optimizing your marketing campaigns and boost your conversions.
Frequently asked questions
Email countdown timers are a visual representation of a virtual ticking clock that displays a real-time countdown to a specific date or event. Most timers include days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Every time you open the email, the timer shows exactly how much time you have left until the offer ends.
Countdown timers create a sense of urgency and scarcity. They encourage recipients to make decisions faster. When you embed a countdown timer in email, you invoke the urgency of the offer that prompts immediate action. It might lead to higher-than-average open and click-through rates.
Unlike a static timer that displays a fixed time, a dynamic countdown timer shows a ticking clock that updates in real time and is quick to grab immediate attention. It counts down the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds remaining until a specific date and time. They are commonly used for limited-time offers or discounts, product launches, event announcements, and so on.
MailTimers is a widely recognized tool used for creating dynamic countdown timers for emails. It’s an easy-to-use online app that offers a free plan for up to 100,000 views per month. For more customization options, you’ll need to opt for a paid plan that starts at $9.99 per month.
Sendtric is among the most used tools for making countdown timers for emails, landing pages, and marketing touchpoints. More than 200,000 companies use Sendtric as their go-to platform for creating countdown timers to inject urgency and generate sales. The premium plans start from $99 per year if billed annually.
Written By
Ihar Vakulski
With over 8 years of experience working with SaaS, iGaming, and eCommerce companies, Ihar shares expert insights on building and scaling businesses for sustainable growth and success.
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