Have a look at your inbox. Do you see folders like ‘promotional’ and ‘social’? And how many times have you actually taken the trouble to open the emails sitting there? You might not even recall it. Me neither! Technology is becoming super smart in filtering the ‘read-worthy’ emails. I receive plenty of spam emails across the day and sometimes I can’t help but think “stop emailing me”. Knowing this, you might wonder: Does cold emailing actually work these days? The truth is that cold emailing is still one of the most effective way of client outreach.
By using a few tricks, I have had my cold emails warmly received, with many thanking me for reaching out. So, with these tips, your cold emails can be well received too!
Personalise your cold emails
‘Make it exclusive’
Remember, you’re not the only one sitting in your client’s inbox. You have to stand out to maximise your open rates. Here are a few tips to personalise your email:
- Just saying “Hi” is not enough
Always use first names to open and close emails. The client should feel that the email was written by a human and not a robot generated. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you were simply another person on their list that they had to email.
- Make it conversational
Ask questions and write in a conversational tone that keeps the client reading throughout. Avoid cold tones like ‘To whomsoever it may concern’ which is something we would never say in real life. The conversational tone adds to that human affect and connection, not something that is clinical and mass produced.
- Be friendly and personable
It’s okay to wish your clients a good week or ask them about their weekend plans. It prompts them to think and creates an impression, plus you are a person after all!
Let’s see a ‘BAD’ example here:
This email is just COLD and does not have a chance of getting a reply.
Making it all about the client instead of you
‘It’s all about adding value’
Knowing what they would benefit from your email is a tactic to gain their perspective, not yours. Don’t boast about how good you are or how good your services are. Identify their pain points and focus on the solution, making the entire email for helping them and not selling them (even though our target is in contrast to it). A simple, one or two sentence paragraph identifying the problem you saw and how you can help them fix that is perfect!
Make yourself easy to reach out to
Cold emailing means that the client is not aware of you and there may or may not be any prior communication with you. Therefore, it’s really important for you to introduce yourself and your company. This makes it easier for them to reach out to you and gain more information through various social media channels or your website.
This introduction not only makes you more personable, but it also shows your credibility. The more trust you instil in the email, the higher your success rate and conversion rate will be.
Craft clickable/click-worthy subject lines
‘They didn’t read my emails’ is a myth.
They say don’t judge a book by its cover. However, the subject lines are the cover of your emails, and you’re definitely judged by them.
Those first 160 characters are your first impression for your clients. While scrolling on my phone, I receive a notification for a new email, I see what its subject says and honestly, I open it only if I find something interesting to read about, or else it usually sits in my inbox forever and I mean literally forever! I currently have over 5000 emails unopened (which is a constant reminder that I should go and clean out my inboxes). So, while everyone does read an email (the subject line) and they also judge your email content before they even open it.
What’s the most effective word range for a subject line?
The Martech’s study shows 6-10 word subject lines deliver the highest open rates.
Think of the subject lines that you feel are worthy of opening and see the difference.
Show social proofs
Social proofs are outcomes of your work with other people or businesses and can be used to communicate credibility to potential clients/customers. These testimonials can be about you personally, your company or your product, depending on the type of business you run.
You mention social proof in your emails with direct quotes, such as:
“We recently completed our XYZ project with ABC company, and here’s what their head of marketing/director has to say…”
In the case of products, it can be like:
“ABC company, who is well known in the XYZ industry has been using our PRODUCT since the last X number of years, and here’s what they recommend to their peers…”
This creates relatability and makes them aspirational about their goals, which pushes them to the next step of reaching out to you.
So, now you know the “do’s” and “don’ts” of cold emailing!
Remember, cold emails are always going to be a numbers game and it’s not always going to be successful. However, cracking the formula to convert them can make it the most effective marketing, sales and outreach strategy for your company.
Let us help you create some effective emails as a part of your digital marketing strategy. Contact us today!
