Cold emails are not a one-size-fits-all solution. You must know your audience, identify their needs, and craft an email that will inspire them to take action.
Using cold email marketing to connect with strangers isn’t easy, but it can be effective if you follow these simple rules. This will prevent your emails from landing in spam folders and increase the chances of responses.
Do Your Research
The quality of your cold email campaigns depends on your ability to understand your audience and their needs. It’s important to know what their pain points are, and how your solution can address those pain points. To gain this understanding, you must do your research. For example, if you’re trying to pitch a snowshoe technology to a golfer, you will need to demonstrate how your product can help them meet their specific goals.
Doing your research also includes identifying the right email provider. A paid provider will allow you to personalize your email domain and generally provides higher delivery rates. A free provider, like Hotmail or Gmail, should only be used to test your email campaign, but not for sending your real emails.
Using the correct email provider is essential to keeping your reputation and delivery rates high. It’s also essential to avoid using spammy words that trigger spam filters and discourage recipients from engaging with your emails. This may include words like “guarantee,” “free,” “earn money fast,” or excessive use of exclamation marks.
To increase your chances of getting a response, start each email with a question. According to Boomerang, emails that begin with a question get twice as many responses than those that don’t. Additionally, make sure that the name and email address of your company is clearly visible in both the “From,” “To,” and “Reply-To” fields.
Finally, it’s a good idea to use an email client that is tightly integrated with your CRM to simplify tracking and facilitate engagement. Mixmax, for instance, is a powerful email software that offers email personalization features to ensure that each recipient feels uniquely addressed. It also makes it easy to track opens, clicks, and replies from within the app so that you can see your progress without having to toggle between multiple tools.
Don’t Overdo It
Trying to impress prospects with excessive information can turn them off and possibly make them mark your email as spam. Aim for a one-sentence message that highlights the most important features and benefits of your product or service. Keep in mind that most people check emails on mobile devices, so be sure to test your cold emails on mobile platforms before sending.
It’s also crucial to avoid bragging about your company or talking about yourself in your cold emails. Your prospects aren’t interested in hearing about your business, they’re looking for a solution to their problem. Focusing on the person and their issues, and providing them with a clear value proposition, will help you create engagement.
Personalization is another key to successful cold email marketing. Adding a first name or last name can make your prospect feel like the email was sent to them specifically. This helps them forget that it is a cold email and gives your brand credibility. Here are free cold email marketing tools that you can utilize for your own ventures.
In addition to personalization, you should try to add a sense of urgency to your cold emails. Using a deadline or a special offer can be an effective way to encourage recipients to take action. You should also include a simple unsubscribe option to allow recipients to control their email preferences. Having an easy-to-find unsubscribe button will also show that you respect your recipient’s privacy and shows that you are a trustworthy and ethical marketer. You should also ensure that the email address you are using is valid and authenticated to prevent email deliverability issues. This includes utilizing an email verification tool and sending emails from a warmed up account to prevent your outreach being flagged as spam.
Don’t Be Flashy
When it comes to cold email outreach, you’ll want to avoid flashy language. Overly promotional language can turn off recipients and make them feel like you’re trying to sell them something. This can lead to low open and response rates. To avoid overdoing it, make sure your content is personalized and focused on providing value to the recipient.
This can be accomplished by including a personal icebreaker in the subject line and incorporating details that show you have taken the time to research their company or profession. This will allow them to see that you are a real human being and not an automated email bot. It also helps to include a personalized email address that reflects the business you are representing. This will help your email stand out in a sea of spam and ensure that the sender’s name is attached to their brand.
Another way to avoid overdoing it is by keeping your emails short. Long, overly descriptive emails can be overwhelming for recipients and may cause them to delete your message or mark it as spam. Shorter emails are easier to read and tend to have higher open and response rates.
Finally, it is important to respect your recipients’ time. If you’ve sent several follow-up emails and still haven’t received a response, it might be time to move on. This is a delicate balance that needs to be struck between being persistent and being a nuisance. By following these simple tips, you can improve your cold emailing strategy and increase your chances of making a positive impact on your prospects’ lives and businesses.
Don’t Include Attachments
When it comes to cold emails, the best way to grab someone’s attention is by demonstrating that you have done your research and are familiar with their work. Avoid including large document attachments, which may take up their valuable time, unless they are explicitly necessary for the purpose of your email. In such cases, it is recommended to provide tracking links or a brief outline of the content in question.
It is also a good idea to refrain from making implausible promises in your emails, which can lead to an unfavorable perception of your company and product. Instead, emphasize the advantages of your goods or services without exaggerating them.
Another common mistake is not clearly describing any attachments or links included in your email, which can cause the recipient to hesitate to click on them or may fail to understand their relevance. In the end, they may be inclined to send your email directly to the trash.
Using special characters or excessive numbers in your subject lines can also be a bad idea, as spam filters tend to interpret them as common tactics used by scammers. Instead, try to use subject lines that convey the value of what you are offering in your email and create a sense of urgency if applicable. Ultimately, it’s all about finding the right balance between professionalism and creativity when creating cold email marketing copy. Experimenting with different formats, lengths, and CTAs is a great way to find what works best for your particular audience. Once you have identified what works best, you can maximize the effectiveness of your campaign with data-driven analysis. This will allow you to improve your KPIs such as open and response rates.
Do Include a Clear Call-to-Action
Ultimately, the goal of any cold email is to encourage the recipient to take the next step, whether that’s clicking on a link to learn more about your agency or scheduling a call. The last thing you want to do is make it difficult for them to do so by including an unclear call-to-action. This can lead to a lack of motivation, and may cause them to ignore or delete your email altogether.
A Clear CTA is a Non-Negotiable
A clear call-to-action in a cold email is a must. Your email should have one goal and a corresponding call-to-action that is aligned with your agency’s objectives. By ensuring that your email includes a clear call-to-action, you can increase your response rates and ensure that you’re making the most out of your cold email campaign.
The first sentence of your email is your best opportunity to grab a prospect’s attention and persuade them to open it. However, some agencies make the mistake of starting their emails with an overly-cliched statement such as “I’m reaching out to you regarding your company’s need for a new marketing partner” or “My business recently published a blog post on the topic of digital strategy, and I wanted to see if we could work together”.
This type of subject line is not only overused but it also doesn’t convey a sense of urgency or value. Additionally, it can be a turnoff for prospects who may be overwhelmed with email and already have an negative association with sales pitches in general.
