8 Tips for Effective Cold Emailing
A cold email starts conversations. And conversations lead to successful business relationships.
During social events, a salesperson will try to break the ice through conversation with strangers. Cold emails are the online version of this, and they are a surprisingly effective way of increasing your sales. By following these cold emailing tips, you can dramatically increase your own success with email marketing.
1. Find an Actual Contact
Cold emailing is an effective way to make new contacts. However, one of the most effective tricks to cold emailing is to make it appear as though it is not a cold call at all. Do research to find an actual contact among your target audience, identify their position in the company, and any important information about them. This will allow you to tailor your content to catch their attention.
2. Edit Your “From” Line
All the work you put into carefully crafting an email will go to waste if the email is never opened. More than anything, you want having your email sent directly to trash. How can you minimize the chances of this happening?
When you first create a new email draft, adjust your “from” line to make a positive impression. Many will not bother to open a new email if they don’t recognize the sender. For that reason, you want to create a “from” line that matches your campaign and creates a positive impression.
There are 5 possible “from” lines:
- First Name (Jane)
- First Name & Last Name (Jane Smith)
- First Name & Last Name, Title (Jane Smith, Executive Director)
- First Name & Company Name (Jane at WriterArmy.com)
- First Name & Last Name & Company Name (Jane Smith at WriterArmy.com)
The right “from” line depends on the type of campaign you are running. Ideally, you should your decision on the context of your message and who you are trying to reach.
3. Create an Eye-Catching Subject Line
After catching a prospects eye with a convincing “from” description, your next task is to really hook them with an engaging subject line. Prospects’ first opinions are shaped when reading subject lines. To avoid having your email sent to trash or worse, marked as spam, you can take the following steps:
- Appeal to your prospect’s curiosity. What are they interested in? What pain points do they have which you could help solve?
- Personalize your subject. This will demonstrate that you are not a spammer and that you do recognize the prospect’s needs.
- Hook the prospect. While you want to include just enough information to show the prospect that the email is relevant to them, you don’t want to give away everything. Give them just enough to know they want to read the rest of your email!
4. Send a Personalized Email
A strong cold emailing strategy should deliver relevant content to prospects. Get to the point fast and demonstrate that you understand their pain point. Also, be sure to use language which shows an actual human being wrote the email with thought and attention. You – an individual – are writing a custom email to a prospect. Your email should reflect this!
5. Subtlety is Key
If your email sounds too much like a sales pitch, you’re unlikely to make any sales. A standard pitch is generally focused on you and what you want the prospect to do. A successful pitch centers the prospect and their pain point. It proves to them that you are there to help them.
Storytelling is a particularly effective approach. It personalizes the message while giving a specific example of how your services can meet a particular problem. In particular, you want to demonstrate the specific benefits you can offer the prospect. For a successful sales pitch, put yourself in the prospect’s shoes and imagine what kind of email you would be receptive to!
6. Make Your Pitch Creative
For ensure you stand out among the competition, make your pitch incredibly creative. Personal charm, storytelling, and other creative writing methods will help save your email from spam filters. Creativity also helps establish your brand and image. More than anything, your email should show that your team has done the work to make a positive impression.
7. Include Value in Your Pitch
In addition to creativity, your pitch should have substance. Don’t be silly, cute, or fluffy. These prospects don’t know you after all, and they are unlikely to be impressed with anything that feels disingenuous or crosses the line! Provide significant value. This might come in the form of a complementary offer, relevant content, or offer to provide educational content.
8. End With a Call to Action
You’ve reached the end of your email. You have succinctly identified your prospect’s pain point and creatively offered a solution. Now, you want to guide the prospect to action. Identify the next steps they need to take to access your solution. This might be scheduling a Skype call or simply replying to your email. Your call of action does not need to be more than a sentence.
With these 8 effective cold emailing tips, you have the tools for success. However, an effective strategy does take significant time and energy. WriterArmy can help. We can help you create a comprehensive cold email strategy that will attract new prospects and increase your sales. Contact us today for a quote and consultation.
