If you’re new to cold email marketing, there are a lot of things to learn. The good news is that you can start small and even get free help from your email provider. Here are 14 tips for successful cold emails:
Takeaways |
---|
1. Learn effective cold email marketing strategies. |
2. Craft compelling email subject lines for higher open rates. |
3. Use data-driven insights to optimize your marketing campaigns. |
4. Implement successful email outreach tactics. |
5. Understand the importance of building an engaged email list. |
6. Leverage storytelling techniques to connect with your audience. |
7. Avoid common mistakes in cold email campaigns. |
8. Develop a comprehensive email marketing strategy. |
9. Focus on creating valuable and relevant content. |
10. Utilize email templates that convert leads. |
11. Use personalized and targeted email marketing approaches. |
12. Optimize your email marketing for mobile users. |
13. Build a strong community through effective email engagement. |
14. Embrace continuous learning and stay updated with industry trends. |
1. Set A Goal And Write Down Measurable Outcomes
It’s time to set a goal.
This is the first step in any successful email marketing campaign, and it’s important to get your goals right from the start.
If you’re not sure what kind of results you want or how many people will be affected by your email campaign, then it can be hard to keep track of whether or not your strategy is working.
The best way to figure out what your goals should be is by asking yourself questions like:
- How many subscribers do I want?
- How much revenue do I expect from this campaign?
- What are my competitors’ numbers for these stats?
Enhance your marketing game with these valuable insights. Discover a 14-step cold email marketing strategy that has proven to double conversion rates, helping you connect with your audience effectively.
2. Start Your Campaign On A Monday Or Another Weekday
This is a good rule of thumb: always start your campaign during the week. If you want to get the best results, Monday is the best day to start a campaign. However, any weekday is better than weekends (especially Friday).
Your recipients are more likely to open an email on a weekday because they’re in their office and have time for it, so don’t waste that opportunity by sending emails on weekends.
When should you send your first email? The best time is between 8:00 and 9:00 am. This allows your recipient enough time after waking up or arriving at work before lunchtime for them to read through your email and reply if necessary.
3. Send Your Emails At The Right Time Of Day
There’s a right time to send your emails, and there’s a wrong time. Sending your emails at the wrong time can lead to them being ignored or even taken as spam.
- Send your emails in the morning or early afternoon. Don’t send them too early (before 8 am) or too late (after 4 pm).
- Don’t send them on weekends, holidays, or other off-work hours unless you know for sure that everyone on your list is an early riser and will be checking their email at those times anyway.
- If you’re unsure about when people typically check their inboxes based on what day it is and what country they’re in.
Do some research about average business hours for different industries in different countries and use that information as a guide for setting up automated rules so that all of these rules are set up correctly according to the recipient’s location
4. Write An Email That Gets Noticed
To ensure your emails get noticed, try the following:
Use a simple subject line. A well-written subject line is not only short and to the point, but also personal and relevant to your audience.
For example, if you’re sending an email to a group of accountants who specialize in tax planning, consider something like “Reliable Tax Advice for Your Small Businesses” instead of just “Hire Our Accountants Now!”
This type of personalized approach will help your message stand out from the rest in their inboxes.
Don’t write too much. Although brevity can be a virtue when crafting an effective email marketing campaign (and therefore requires fewer characters), it’s important not to confuse succinctness with vagueness or ambiguity.
The latter two qualities can work against you when trying to establish yourself as an expert in your industry or sell a product or service that requires more explanation than what would fit into an abbreviated subject line alone!
Crafting a successful cold email campaign requires a strategic approach. Learn how to create a compelling outreach plan with 17 tips for creating a strategic cold email marketing campaign that will improve your chances of engagement.
5. Match Your Subject Line To The Contents Of The Email
When choosing a subject line, be clear about what you’re offering and make sure it matches the contents of your email. If you’re sending a sales pitch, then say “Sales Pitch” in the subject line. If you’re sending a promotion for a new product, then say “First Look at Our New Product.”
Don’t use a generic subject line like “Your Order” or “Important Info” because that doesn’t tell readers anything about what they can expect from reading this email.
Make sure that your subject lines are no longer than 15 words and no shorter than 7 words; anything longer or shorter will just look like spammy noise to recipients’ eyes.
6. Use Direct Email Marketing Language
While the tone of your emails should be professional, it’s important to remember that people are not usually reading them with their eyes glued to the screen.
Instead, they are likely skimming through the emails in their inbox and trying to get a sense of what they contain and whether or not it’s relevant for them.
Direct email marketing language makes this process easier because it includes shorter sentences that are easier to read quickly.
It also uses simpler words, fewer adjectives, and adverbs, contractions (e.g., “don’t” instead of “do not”).
Lists and numbers as ways of grabbing attention quickly so that readers can understand what you mean more easily. Lastly, boldface type allows you to use words or phrases like “Now Only!” or “Limited Time Offer!”
7. Use Proven-To-Get Clicks Ad Copywriting Formulas For Cold Emails
The reason why you need to use these formulas is that they are proven-to-get clicks ad copywriting formulas for cold emails.
You may be wondering what the heck I’m talking about. Well, there are a few ways to write an advertisement for your product, but all of them will get you similar results: not much. Most advertisers use the FAB formula (Features, Advantages, and Benefits).
This is fine because it works well in most cases and most people don’t know any better anyways (or at least they think they don’t). But if you really want to stand out from the crowd, then you should definitely try something else!
I recommend using this AIDA-S-S-S formula: “Get our product now!” You heard right that’s all there is to it! This simple sentence can bring so many benefits…
Looking for templates that convert? Save time and effort with proven cold email templates that can help you make a meaningful impact and establish connections with your target audience.
8. Personalize Your Emails As Much As Possible
- Use their name and the company name in the subject line.
- Use their job title or industry in the subject line.
- Use their location or website (if you know it) in the subject line.
- Include their social media handle in the body of your email when appropriate, so they can get back to you on Twitter if they’re not into emailing.
9. Include A Clear Call To Action In Your Email Body
Your email body should include a clear purpose for the reader because this will help them determine whether they need to act on it or not. A good call-to-action (CTA) is something that once read, compels the recipient to take an action such as “book” or “learn more” or “sign up”.
Bad CTAs are vague and don’t tell the reader what they will be getting if they follow through with it; e.g., “Read this article”.
10. Create A CTA Button: Should You Ask Readers To “Reply” Or “Schedule A Meeting”?
Use a button that will help you get the results you want. For example, if your goal is to have readers reply to your email, then use a “reply” button instead of a “schedule meeting” button.
This is because most people are more likely to click on something that sounds like it has an immediate benefit rather than something that could take days or weeks before any action takes place (which would be the case with scheduling an appointment).
Make sure the language used in your CTA button is clear and easy for readers to understand. If a reader has no idea what you mean by “reply” or “schedule meeting,” there’s no way they’ll respond!
Take care when creating CTAs so they convey how users can interact with them (e.g., copy/paste text from the email into their response).
Make sure your CTA is relevant to the email topic at hand; otherwise it’ll seem out of place and distract from what matters most: connecting with customers through targeted outreach efforts such as cold emails!
If someone receives an email about customer service issues but sees nothing about calling customer support right away why would they bother opening up another window just because there’s some fluff text written above where their mouse cursor stops moving around?
Get insights into effective email marketing strategies that yield results. Dive into our guide on email marketing strategy to explore practical tips and best practices for engaging your subscribers and driving conversions.
11. Follow Up Until You Get A Response (And Beyond)
It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget: don’t give up! Keep following up with your leads until you get what you’re looking for. If they don’t respond after a second email, then leave them alone for at least a week before trying again but don’t let that be the end of it.
Even if your prospect doesn’t want to hear from you anymore or isn’t interested in buying from you, there might still be value in keeping them around as an opportunity for later on down the line when something changes.
12. Make It Easy To Reply To Your Emails
Make it easy for your prospects to reply to your emails. This is particularly important in cold emailing because you don’t have the benefit of a personal relationship or an existing connection with your recipients.
You must work harder to keep them engaged and interested in learning more about what you have to offer.
The best way to do this is by making sure that your reply form is visible and easy to access at all times during the email sequence not buried at the bottom of an email or hidden behind another page link.
It should also be simple and quick for prospects to fill out, so they don’t get frustrated trying to navigate through several fields just so they can get back into reading more of what you’ve written!
13. Ask For Something Small First, Such As Feedback, Rather Than Asking For A Sell Right Away
Asking for something small first, such as feedback, rather than asking for a sale right away can improve your chances of getting through to the recipient.
A lot of marketers make the mistake of sending out cold emails without ever getting any feedback from their recipients. This is a missed opportunity! You could be missing out on valuable information like:
- If you’ve done your research properly, you already know what they’re looking for and how they would like it delivered (or not). So ask them: “What do you think?”
- If they say they don’t need anything at all, great! You just saved them money and added one more person to your email list who knows why they should buy things from you.
14. Don’t Ask For Too Much In One Reply (Stay Above The Fold)
Don’t ask for too much in one reply.
People are busy and usually don’t have time to read more than a few paragraphs. If you want them to take some action.
Try asking for feedback first, or a small action, or even just a small commitment (like signing up for your newsletter), before asking them to do something bigger. Don“t ask for too much in one reply (stay above the fold).
Ready to take your email marketing to the next level? Discover the secrets of successful campaigns with the ultimate cold email marketing strategy, offering comprehensive guidance on building relationships and boosting your marketing efforts.
Conclusion
To recap, here are the most important things to remember about cold email marketing:
- Set a goal and write down measurable outcomes
- Start your campaign on a Monday or another weekday
- Send your emails at the right time of day (morning or afternoon)
- Write an email that gets noticed (use personal language)
- Match your subject line to the contents of the email (repeat what the subject says differently) so readers don’t miss it!
- Use direct email marketing language (e.g., “Please respond” instead of “Please read this message”).
This makes it clear that you are expecting them to reply rather than just ignore it entirely or delete without opening). Proper grammar and spelling will always help too! So does being polite and friendly with your tone 🙂
Also, if possible? Include actionable phrases like “I would love to meet up for coffee sometime soon!”
Instead of ones that don’t make sense like “Hi there!” In short: write like someone who cares about his/her audience enough not only read but also take action based on what they’re reading at all times.”
Further Reading
14 Tips for Improving Your Marketing Department Strategies: Explore effective strategies to enhance your marketing department’s performance and achieve better results.
14 Great Digital Marketing Tips for Boosting Profits and Traffic: Discover actionable digital marketing tips that can help you increase profits and drive more traffic to your website.
Insider Insights: Inbound Marketing Tips: Gain valuable insights into inbound marketing tactics from industry experts to improve your marketing efforts.
FAQs
How can I improve strategies in my marketing department?
Enhance your marketing department’s strategies by focusing on data-driven decision-making, staying updated with industry trends, and fostering cross-functional collaboration.
What are some digital marketing tips to boost profits and traffic?
Consider optimizing your website for mobile users, utilizing social media advertising, and implementing effective email marketing campaigns to enhance profits and drive more traffic.
How can inbound marketing benefit my business?
Inbound marketing focuses on attracting and engaging potential customers through valuable content and experiences. It can help you build trust, establish authority, and drive qualified leads.
What role does data play in effective marketing strategies?
Data plays a crucial role in shaping successful marketing strategies. Analyzing data helps you understand your audience, track campaign performance, and make informed decisions to optimize your approach.
How do I stay updated with the latest inbound marketing trends?
To stay updated with inbound marketing trends, follow industry blogs, attend webinars, engage with online communities, and participate in relevant conferences to learn from experts and peers.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.