Cold mailing - is it an effective customer acquisition tool?

To sell a product or service, a comprehensive approach is needed to help spread the word about it and encourage potential buyers to find out more about your offering. So think about the channels that will get your data straight into the hands of users. When preparing your action plan, don't forget about cold emailing, as this is one of the most effective means of reaching potential customers. Read in the article what cold mailing is, why it evokes mixed feelings and how to write cold emails to increase sales.

What is cold mailing and when is it used?

Cold mailing is an everyday occurrence for many salespeople and marketers. So-called cold emails are messages sent to potential customers with the aim of establishing a business relationship, in other words, selling a product or service. To better understand how cold emails work, think about how business relationships develop offline. One common scenario in B2B is as follows: a salesperson goes to an industry conference and during the event looks for an opportunity to start a conversation with potential customers. He wants to learn more about their business, to make contact. In simplest terms, he wants to start a dialogue. This is what cold mailing is in the online world. It is an attempt to start a dialogue.

Why are emails sent in this way said to be 'cold'? Because you are sending a message, to a person who most likely knows little (or nothing) about the company in question. He or she is hearing about it for the first time, and such contacts are referred to as 'cold' leads. Although they should not yet be called potential customers, there is a chance that they will become warm and hot leads in the future, i.e. interested in the product/service and determined to buy.

In which cases do cold mailing campaigns work?

Nowadays, it is difficult to find a person who does not use e-mail. This means that you can find your target group online, regardless of their age.

The most common uses of cold emails are:

• lead generation (lead generation) - according to data presented by Mailingen, up to 89% marketers use emails as the main channel for generating leads

• market research - cold mailing is one way of conducting research, for example when it is necessary to identify the needs and problems of a target group or to validate a start-up idea

• invitations - invitation messages can be sent, for example, when you organise a webinar, workshop or create a podcast

Cold email vs spam - can an equal sign be put between the two?

Not everyone has warm feelings towards cold emailing. Many of us equate cold emails with annoying and pushy offers clogging up our inboxes. It is even common to equate cold emails with spam. However, this is not correct. A cold mailing campaign differs (or at least should differ) from spam by a higher degree of personalised content. In order to achieve this, the target group must be researched before the message is sent out, its buying preferences and needs examined, and the message tailored accordingly. This is why properly prepared cold mailing is much more effective. See the other differences in the infographic below.

Cold mailing and RODO - are cold emails legal?

According to RODO, the General Data Protection Regulation, which came into force in 2018, you cannot target commercial offers to people who have not given their prior consent. Does this mean that sending cold emails is illegal? Not at all. Just remember a few important rules. First you should only send messages to contacts that you have acquired legally (buying mailing databases is not acceptable). Secondly, avoid sending an offer in the very first email to a contact. A far better option is to precede your sales offer email with one in which you ask for permission to send it. This is a great way to make a better first impression on the recipient and stand out from the competition.

How to write effective cold emails? 5 tips

Convincing recipients to read the content of your cold email is no simple task. However, there are a few tips that will help you design an effective message. One that captures the attention of your recipients and with which you can win new customers at a low cost.

Write an intriguing news topic

Recipients decide whether or not they will open an email when they read the subject line. Therefore, it is important to spend a lot of time on the subject line and make it arouse the recipient's curiosity. A badly written one will not only lead to the message being ignored. In some cases, a mismatched subject line can lead to the message being manually flagged as SPAM! This, in turn, can cause problems with the deliverability of emails sent from our inbox.

When writing topics, keep these three points in mind:

• take into account the viewpoint of the recipient - to be intriguing and inviting, the topic should promise the recipient a specific benefit

• sound "human" - avoid sounding too "salesy" and formal. The theme should have a relaxed, friendly and natural character

• link the subject line of the email to its content - whatever you put in the subject line, you should link it to the rest of the message. Avoid clickbait. It will only get on the recipient's nerves.

Take more time than usual to start your email

There's no fooling yourself. It is difficult to start a cold email. One usually falls into the trap of talking about oneself and the company. This, however, paves the way for the email to... the bin. So what should you bear in mind? The introduction should be no longer than 2-3 sentences. It is not intended to introduce us or our company. Instead, it should refer to the recipient of the message, their knowledge, achievements, work. In this way, you will effectively attract attention.

End the cold email with a call to action

The CTA is designed to persuade recipients to do what you expect them to do with your cold email. This could include feedback, signing up for an online consultation, making a phone appointment. The call to action should explain the purpose of the email in one sentence, be short, understandable and direct.

Do not overdo the number of links, images, unnecessary elements

Although the use of images and videos is an effective way to attract attention, try not to overdo it in your message. Also, oversized, pushy headlines and an excess of colour can make an email look like an advertising flyer. And you know that these usually end up in the rubbish bin.

Send follow up messages

One message is not enough, as there is a good chance that the recipient will receive it at the wrong time and miss your email. Therefore, a cold mailing campaign should include several follow ups, i.e. emails reminding. All messages should form a coherent whole and give the recipient the feeling that a human, not a bot, is writing to them.

Apply the principles of effective cold emailing and expand your business network

Writing cold emails that increase sales is quite a challenge. They should be both concise, intriguing and, importantly, compliant with Polish and European law. However, it is worth taking the time to prepare them, as cold mailing is one of the most effective online marketing tools available, even if you do not have a high budget.