Let’s assume that you own a business. And let’s assume that you have already picked out what your business is about and who your target audience is. You’re all set and ready to begin and you’ve already decided that an email campaign is essential. That’s a great call.
In this day and age, email marketing is not only widely accepted and used, but it is also considered to be a classic method to reach a broader audience. Perfect, isn’t it? Yes. But is it an easy way to reach out to more people and make them see the value of your product? Well… No. But why is that?
The answer is simple. The bigger the outreach, the less personalized the emails. Now, cold emails can only be two things: either engaging and interesting or boring and delete-worthy. And there is a very fine line between the two. So, if you’ve already sent a bunch and you haven’t seen results, you’ve probably fallen into the latter category. If you’re wondering how you managed to set yourself up for this, just continue reading.
Table of Contents
1. The crucial subject line
This may determine the success or failure of your cold emailing campaign, so you’ll need to be very careful. Spend as much time as you need browsing through your emails. Go check your trash folder and ask yourself, “Why did I delete this email without ever reading it?” The answer will most probably be “It looked boring” or “It seemed to be clickbait”, perhaps “It went through to the spam folder” So, so avoid long or shady titles at all costs. And if you get lost or stuck on what to do, perhaps you should try a subject line tester.
2. You used something that would never capture your own attention
Let me explain. First and foremost, you should think like a potential prospect and not as a salesperson or a business owner. Remember, the email is about the prospect and what your business can offer them, not the other way around. So, focus on your prospect’s needs and not how great your product is. Why did they sign up to your newsletter? What did they see in what you’re trying to offer them?
3. You didn’t take into account that H2H is the new B2C
Sounds strange? Nope, not at all. It’s been a few years now that people are working for/buying from/accepting services from or offering services to people and not other companies. You should rethink your strategy if you didn’t have that in mind while writing your cold email. People like to feel like they’re special, pampered, that you’re taking their needs into account. Personalize the email as best as you can. And no, a mere “Hello John” at the beginning won’t work.
4. You didn’t think of your prospects’ specific needs
What solution does your product provide when it comes to their day-to-day lives? What is their annual income? What time do they come home from work? Look for the demographics. That data will help you answer the above questions. After that, you’ll definitely be able to write cold emails that look and feel personalized-at least for the better part.
5. Your email was a bit too long
You’ll need to keep it short and simple. Nobody wants to see long sentences or huge paragraphs and you can save your business details for another time-maybe let your social media links at the bottom of your email do the trick.
6. How many CTAs did you use, really?
You need your audience to get to know you, follow you on social media, and subscribe to your newsletter. And while these things make CTAs look like the only reasonable choice, there is a huge chance that you just used too many. Instead of calling the prospects to follow you, contact you, download your product or order it online, just use what you think works best for that specific campaign you’re working on. A clear, concise CTA that will have to do with what the email is offering-whether it’s “Buy the offer” or “Click here to read more”-and a generic CTA that will be calling prospects to get to know you better by subscribing or following your social media accounts would suffice.
7. You underestimated the power of a follow-up email
It’s common for someone to just forget about a prospect and move on with their lives after sending that first email. Don’t fall into that same trap. You’re trying to build a relationship with the prospect, you’re trying to build rapport, and this won’t happen with just one email. Take the time to send them a second one. Be creative and don’t send just reminders; ask for their opinions and data with surveys or maybe a questionnaire. This will make your prospects feel like you’re working for them and that you include them.
In conclusion
So, the next time you set up a cold email campaign for your business or product, keep that list and KPIs in mind. It will definitely help you build a relationship with your target audience and make a lasting impression.
What are your thoughts on these methods? Do you have any tips and tricks when it comes to cold email marketing not being so “cold”? Please leave us a comment.
