What Is Cold Email Marketing?

If you’ve not heard about it before, cold email marketing refers to the act of sending unsolicited messages to people you’ve no prior contact with. Is it spam? Does it even work? What’s the use of such a message? 

Read on to find out the reasons why cold messages are effective and the advantages of using such a method. Also, discover the five top practices to create a cold campaign that works. 

How Effective Is Cold Email Marketing? 

Truth be told, cold selling via messages is tougher than advertising to those who expect content from you. For starters, you have no bond with the reader. However, the best cold email platforms can work exceptionally well, if you use it right. For example, Growth Hackers ran such a campaign that gained them 500 leads within 72 hours. 

Here’s why this type of marketing still matters: 

• The email market is growing at a fabulous rate without lapsing for years, according to Statista 
• Decision-makers such as millennials and B2B business heads love this channel and prefer it over calls 
• Workers in the United States spend 3.5 hours per day on email. Moreover, its usage is growing at a rate of 3% at present 

Importance Of Cold Email Marketing

Cold calling may be annoying nowadays, but cold emailing is far from it. In fact, personalization can get you in the door with the right persons. Take a look at its perks. 

• Generate valuable leads: Sending unsolicited messages can produce new prospects 
• Build your network: Reaching out to potential customers who are sure to find value in your products improves your recognition
• Content that stays in the inbox: FB posts disappear from the feed of customers if they aren’t online. Unlike these posts, unsolicited messages aren’t time-sensitive

Cold Email Marketing: The Best Practices 

Unsolicited emailing is a smart way to gain new customers. Luckily, there are many tools to do so today. The cold email drip campaign is one such way of ensuring your marketing information lands in the main inbox of the recipient. 

Here are five more ways to use this mailing technique today. 

Take Extra Care Of The Subject Line 

Did you know that one-third of all emails are opened because of persuasive subject lines? Moreover, 69% of users mark emails as spam based on pushy subject lines alone. Hence, marketers have to be careful when trying to grab the attention of users without creeping them out.

The first step is to invoke curiosity in the reader. For example, if you’re a hairstylist then instead of writing ‘hairstyle options available’, write ‘do you want amazing hair?’ As a general note, never use misleading subject lines. 

Keep The Email Body Short And Snappy 

With humans beating goldfish for having a lesser attention span today, it’s important to avoid lengthy emails unless your readers ask for it. Every unsolicited message has four parts, as shown below:

• Introduction: Describe who you are 
• Purpose: Define your motive with a mutual benefit 
• Greeting: Thank the recipient for reading your message
• CTA:  Share one form of direct contact and clarify how you’d wish them to connect with you 

Try to minimize the content into two paragraphs to avoid boring prospects. 

Personalize The Email 

Just as it works with a person you know, strangers typically experience positive reactions when they’re addressed by names. Merely adding the first name or full name of your subscriber in the message can drive up the open rates by 22%. You should also validate yourself by disclosing your identity or pursue other ways for the recipient to relate with you. 

First things first, don’t use a generic template to pitch to hundreds of thousands of people at a time. Instead, customize the email for a small list. For example, marketers can use relevant details and compliments to create a positive impact on the reader. 

Plan The Delivery Time 

Optimizing the sending time for an unsolicited message is even more important than for newsletters or other campaigns. 

Here are two ways to determine the right time to send your pitch: 

• Day of the week: Tuesday and Thursday are the best days to pitch to B2B clients 
• Time of the day: An extensive study recently reported that 10 AM is the time that most emails are opened. On a side-note, never send these type of messages from 3 AM to 4 AM

Make Sure To Follow-Up 

One-hit-wonders work in movies, but seldom in real life. In fact, research shows it takes up to five follow-up emails to complete 80% of sales for businesses. This might be because of the shortened attention span or the busy lives that internet users live today. 

Either way, it’s smart and professional to follow up on your unsolicited email within two to three days. Moreover, if the recipient missed it before or forgot about it later, your follow-up will bring it back to their attention. The best thing is that nowadays there are several cold email automation tools to help create great follow-through messages.

Bottom Line 

Sending unsolicited messages to strangers isn’t easy. However, it's a great strategy for customer acquisition because email is far from dead when it comes to popularity. These types of messages can help you build your network, generate leads, and sales. 

Remember to optimize the subject line, condense the copy, personalize it, and send it at the right time. If you don’t receive any response in three days, follow up at once.