If someone challenged you to win a new customer by the end of the day, would be able to do it? Sounds like a crazy proposition, right? Well, it shouldn’t be.
For businesses taking a sort of “if you build it, they will come” approach to marketing, acquiring new customers often feels like a game of “wait and see.”
And while there is certainly are benefits to inbound marketing, nothing can replace an effective cold outreach campaign.
Cold emails in particular allow you to be proactive and start seeking new business now rather than hoping for it to fall into your lap.
But while cold campaigns can certainly be a goldmine, they’re definitely not without their challenges. In this quick guide, we’ve highlighted some common tips for businesses interested in building better cold outreach campaign. Whether you’re totally new to outbound marketing or just want to improve your current outreach efforts, any combination of these tips apply.
Use a Mass-Sending Tool
For starters, you can’t run an effective outreach campaign without a mass-sender. Writing each and every email by hand is tedious and totally unnecessary.
On the flip side, tools such as GMass allow you to use templates, blast emails to multiple addresses at once and ensure deliverability. The fact that GMass works within Gmail without requiring a native download is a nice added bonus.
Fine-Tune Your Outreach Templates
Speaking of templates, relying on a template doesn’t not guarantee that your emails are going to resonate with readers.
Think about it like this: if everyone is dipping from the same pool of outreach templates, they quickly become cliche. While templates are totally fair game and you should use them for the sake of your sanity, you need to make sure what you’re sending actually makes sense and can encourage a reply from your targets.
For example, personalizing your templates and avoiding overused sales email phrases is a good start. Ideally, your template shouldn’t feel like a template. If you are using an existing template, make sure you adapt it based on your business’ tone.
Leverage Your Linkedin Presence
Doing your homework on your outreach targets is an absolute must-do. There’s arguably no better place to research than the likes of LinkedIn.
For example, analyzing a prospect’s LinkedIn presence can clue you in on everything from what content they’re digging to the specifics of their employer. Your prospects’ LinkedIn activity is a treasure trove of talking points for your outreach emails, if nothing else.
Make Touchpoints Prior to Reaching Out
Spoiler alert: your cold emails don’t have to be ice cold.
Ask yourself: how would you respond to an email from a total stranger?
Following the marketing “rule of seven,” it’s a smart move to make some previous touchpoints with outreach candidates before you ever craft an email. Social comments, shares and blog comments are all small points of contact you can make so that candidates are familiar with your name and face.
Don’t Rush Your Campaigns
This might seem like no-brainer, but don’t try to knock out all of your emails in one fell swoop. Giving your individual emails a few extra minutes of attention can make a world of difference.
For example, are you referencing those previously noted touchpoints? Are you letting your personality shine through your copy? Trying to reach an arbitrary quota won’t do your open and response rates any favors. It’s better to knock out a few emails per day rather than cram dozens into a single blast.
Time Your Messages to Perfection
Although the best times to send an email is up for hot debate, it’s important that you schedule your emails during a time when folks are actually going to read them. For example, it probably makes more sense to send your messages during typical work-week hours as opposed to the weekends or the middle of the night.
Learn from Your Mistakes
If you’re wondering where your campaigns are going wrong, look no further than your data. For emails that score responses, what are the common threads between them in terms of your data? The same logic applies to your emails that get no response. Experimenting with length, templates and send-times based on your data can help you understand your mistakes.
When in Doubt, Don’t Give Up
Few people can crush an outreach campaign during their first go-around. If your response rate is low at first, don’t despair. Instead, consider cold outreach to be an ongoing exercise that you’ll be fine-tuning for the long-term.
Cold outreach is undoubtedly one of the best ways to secure new clients and customers that doesn’t require you to play the waiting game. Although an effective campaign requires some patience, mastering the art of cold email is a worthwhile skill that pays dividends over time. Hopefully these tips can help you optimize your cold campaign sooner rather than later.