There’s no question that email marketing is still effective in 2024, and there are so many ways to accomplish it these days. Email list segmentation, AI softwares, and analysis to prioritize high value email contacts are all commonly used to optimize email marketing. But what about good old cold email marketing?
Cold emails have a reputation for being seen as annoying or ending up in the spam folders with the modern prospective customer. However, their time may not be over in the B2B market. Let’s talk about whether or not cold emails are still useful in 2024 B2B marketing and how to use them.
What Are Cold Emails?
Cold emails are marketing or promotional emails sent to prospective customers with whom you’ve had no prior contact. Instead of those prospects asking to be emailed information about your brand or signing up for an email list, you initiate the conversation with them unsolicited. In the B2B market, you can easily find emails and contact information in business databases or by looking at the contact page on the business’s website. They may even have instructions on how to send cold emails.
Is Cold Emailing Still Effective?
Obviously, cold emails can be a risk. If your brand actually has something relevant and exciting to offer the business, your email could be seen as an unexpected boon. But it can also easily feel like just another junk email to be discarded without reading. However, most B2B marketers find that cold emailing is still an effective way to find high quality leads…if you do it right. The trick is to create a cold email that your prospective client actually wants to open.
How To Create Successful Cold Emails
So how can you write a cold email that the client actually wants to read? Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
#1 – Do Your Research (And Let It Show)
When sending out cold emails, don’t simply go wide and send emails out to every listing on the database you find. Casting a wide net may be tempting, but most of your emails will probably end up in the trash that way. Instead, do your research on each client before you email them. Comb through their website and take notes. Make sure that your brand has offerings that are actually relevant to them and could benefit their business.
Then let that research show in your email. If you can, address the decision maker by name and explain why your brand would be a good fit for their business specifically. Show them that you’ve done your research and they’ll know this isn’t just another generic cold email.
#2 – Have a Strong Subject Line
Your subject line should be engaging and catchy. You don’t have to break out all the bells and whistles, every clickbait tactic, to the point that it’s obnoxious. Some of the best subject lines are short and sweet. But it should be something that catches the attention and makes the decision maker of the business want to read on.
#3 – Develop an Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a breakdown of your brand’s offerings that can be given in roughly the amount of time a typical elevator ride would take. The goal is to keep things concise and engaging. This should apply to cold emails, as well. Your initial email should not be a long one. You want to keep it short and sweet so as not to lose your prospect in the details.
So develop an elevator pitch for your business and get it down to a fine art before you send the email. Your elevator pitch should give a pithy explanation in one or two sentences that tells the prospect:
- Who you are
- What you do
- How you can help their business
#4 – Use a Clear CTA
Once you’ve caught their attention and pitched your business, finish things up with a clear and inviting call-to-action. There should be no question about the next action to take: checking out your website, replying to the email, booking a consultation, and so on. Make sure you’re not begging in this section. Put the ball in their court in a way that is easy and accessible to them and then wait for their response.
#5 – Thank Them For Their Time
Ultimately, you are taking up minutes out of their day to send this email before building a rapport with the business. Respect that by thanking them for their time and letting them know you hope to hear from them in the future. This is a standard email signoff, but it really does help to be respectful of the fact that your prospects have their own business to run.
