Are you tired of getting ignored when you reach out to potential clients? Do you feel like your emails are falling on deaf ears? If so, it might be time to rethink your cold email marketing strategy.
Cold emails are essential for entrepreneurs to connect with and nurture their audience. But, it can also be tricky to do the right way. If you’re not careful, your emails may come across as cold and unprofessional. Below, we discuss five steps to help you elevate your cold email strategy.
What is a Good Cold Email?
When was the last time you received a cold email?
Maybe you moved it straight to your spam folder. Or you opened it because the subject line was intriguing.
Now imagine what experience your audience has with your emails. What is your intention when sending a cold email to a potential client? Do your headlines spark interest? Does your cold email copywriting appeal to the reader’s needs and interests?
Cold emails should be well-written and personalized. The subject needs to grab the recipient’s attention, with concise but relevant content. Your call to action should be clear and simple.
However, getting the reader to take action shouldn’t be the only thing you focus on. The success of BME comes from creating heart-centered relationships with our clients.
If you’re only worried about the sale, you’ll ruin your customer connections. Your main goal should be to serve.
Show genuine compassion toward your audience and the rest will follow. Provide value that will keep your audience engaged. What can you offer the recipient that will solve their problem or make their life easier?
Build trust with them over time instead of trying to empty their pockets. It’s the only way both you and your audience will benefit.
Need to revamp your cold email strategy but not sure where to start? Contact our expert marketing team today!
How Do You “Do Cold Email the Right Way”?
Every cold email requires certain components to make it successful. Neglecting the key ingredients will only hurt your business and stifle results. The most important thing to avoid is taking an icy approach.
Have you ever received a text that seemed to be void of all human emotion?
The last thing your customers want is to read an icy email that doesn’t appeal to them or make them feel. Building that connection and trust starts with meeting your customers where they are.
Here are five ways to improve your cold email strategy and boost results.
1. Personalize Your Message
When you’re writing a cold email, always personalize your message. Many entrepreneurs use cold email templates, but they often sound impersonal and robotic. Personalizing your message is key to bridging the gap between business and customer.
So what does a personalized message look like?
- Address the person by name. This simple adjustment will make your audience feel special. You can achieve this by changing the settings in your email automation software. Even the smallest change can make a major difference.
- Talk about something that you have in common. Customers want to buy from companies that have the same beliefs as they do. Tell a story about a personal experience that’s like what your customer deals with. Customers are more likely to trust you if they can relate to you.
- Make it clear why you’re reaching out. No one wants to waste their time. Have a clear intention in mind behind your email. Inform customers of the email’s purpose so you can filter those who aren’t interested.
- Be polite and professional. No one wants to read a pushy email. Be polite about what you’re asking and professional in delivery. Respect your customers’ right to make a decision and the right customers will come.
2. Research Your Target Audience
Marketing for every business is based on one thing: the people you plan to serve. If you don’t send the right offer to the right audience, you won’t get results. Many entrepreneurs skip this process and assume they know what their audience needs. The truth? Most don’t dig deep enough.
There’s no way to rush the process of researching your target audience. The more effort you provide, the greater your chances of success.
What is a target audience and how do you identify it for your business?
A target audience is a group of people who are most likely to buy your product or service. They’re identified by demographics like age, job title, location and gender.
When you know who your target audience is, you can create content that appeals to them and offers them value. You can also design targeted marketing campaigns, which will save you time and money in the long run.
To get started, answer these questions:
- Are there too many or too few persons in my target audience?
- Will my offering assist my customer? Will they realize the value in it?
- Do I understand what motivates my contact’s decisions?
- Can I contact them by cold email? Is their email inbox reachable?
These questions will help you narrow down who you plan to reach with your message and offer. But how do you get crystal clear on what their pain points are, and what they need?
That’s where the research comes in. Research gives you the chance to become familiar with your potential customers. You can start by scouring forums or Facebook groups. Any place where your customer hangs out is the best place to gain insight.
Here are a few research tips to get you started:
- Use Google AdWords’ Keyword Planner tool to find out what people are searching for online.
- Check out your competitor’s websites and see who their target audiences are.
- Talk to people who might be in your target audience and ask them about their needs and buying habits.
- Look for demographic data on websites like the Census Bureau.
Being thorough in your research process will guide you in creating effective content.
3. Test and Optimize Your Copy
Let’s be real. Sometimes marketing campaigns don’t work the first time around. We’ve seen it happen plenty of times.
Maybe the offer wasn’t quite right. Maybe the CTA could have been better. Maybe the email list was stale. Testing and optimizing your email copy can help you avoid campaign flops in the future.
Start with your open rates. If you’re not hitting the goal you had in mind, try a different subject line. Remember: making it interesting enough for the customer to open the email is only half the battle.
You can also try out different offers to see what resonates with your audience. Split test different emails across your list and measure the results. Keep the copy that has a higher conversion rate.
If you’re still not seeing results, your CTA could have something to do with it. Experiment with different CTA buttons and links. It may seem useless, but sometimes one change is all the campaign needs to produce results.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and tweak your campaigns. It’s the only way to discover what works and what doesn’t. Optimization is part of the process, no matter the marketing campaign you’re running.
4. Create Original and Compelling Graphics
One way to make your cold emails stand out is with original and compelling graphics. But how do you create graphics that will keep your customers interested?
- Think outside the box: Don’t be afraid to try something new or different. Be creative.
- Make it relevant: Your graphic should be relevant to your email copy. Don’t just add a random image for the sake of it.
- Keep it simple: Sometimes, less is more. A simple graphic can be just as effective (if not more) than a complex one.
5. Monitor Your Cold Email Campaign
How can you tell if your email campaign is actually working? Here are some things to look out for:
- A high open rate: This means that people are actually reading your emails. A good open rate is around 20-30%.
- A low unsubscribe rate: This means that people find your emails valuable. A good unsubscribe rate is around 1-2%.
- A high click-through rate: This means that people are clicking on the links in your emails. A good click-through rate is around 5-10%.
Monitoring your cold email campaign is essential to its success. By keeping an eye on key metrics, you can make sure that your campaign is making the most impact possible.
Is Cold Emailing Effective?
When you’re first starting out, it can feel like you’re in the trenches with nothing to show. But don’t give up hope yet! When done the right way, cold emailing is one of the most effective ways to get your first customers.
It’s a great way to introduce yourself and your business. It can also help you build relationships with potential customers.
Sending a follow-up is another way to boost your cold email campaign.
If you don’t hear back from the recipient, follow up with another email or phone call. This shows that you’re persistent and serious about your offer. Adding a follow-up email to your campaign can boost your open rates by 4% on average.
Begin Planning Your Cold Email Outreach
Now that you know how to do cold email the right way, it’s time to take action. Research your target audience. Remember: sending your offer to the wrong people won’t produce results. This is the step that the rest of your marketing campaign relies on.
Get to know what their pain points are and identify how you can help them. Create a list of prospects from your target audience. When crafting your copy, be clear and concise.
Focus on building trust before making the sale. Personalizing the message will help you establish a connection with your audience. Make your subject line interesting and attention-grabbing.
As you begin sending your emails, monitor the results. Be open to trying different offers and copy until you find something that clicks. Despite what your competitors might say, marketing is never nailed on the first try.
The more comfortable you are with optimizing your campaign, the better your results will be. Ready to elevate your cold email marketing strategy? Contact our expert team at BME today!