The Dos and Don'ts of Cold Emailing

Is cold emailing part of your B2B company's sales strategy? According to a survey conducted by Emma Marketing Software, nearly six in 10 B2B sales reps say email offers the highest return on investment (ROI) of all promotional channels, including both offline and online channels. Cold emailing, however, is a little more difficult than warm emailing since it involves emailing leads with whom your B2B company has had no prior contact. When performing cold emailing, you should follow these essential dos and don'ts to achieve better results.

Do Research Leads Before Emailing Them

Prior to emailing a lead, spend a few minutes researching him or her online. If you know the name and job title of a lead, for example, you can probably find him or her on LinkedIn or Facebook. Researching leads allows you to learn more about their unique needs, and in turn, you can create highly effective cold emails that generate a strong response.

Don't Rely on Images to Convey to Sales Message

What's wrong with using images to convey the sales message of a cold email? Many email services block images by default for security purposes. Users can still view embedded images, but they'll have to click on a button or link to enable them. Rather than using embedded images, use text to convey your sales messages in cold emails. Text ensures that most, if not all, leads who receive your cold emails can see your sales messages.

Do Personalize the Subject Lines

Leads are more likely to open your cold emails if you use a personalized subject line. The subject line is a field that describes the subject of an email. It provides users with a brief description of the email from within their inbox, meaning a user can look at an email's subject line without actually opening the email. Statistics show that emails with a personalized subject -- information that's only relevant to the recipient's identity, such as his or her name -- have an open rate of 7.4%. To put that number into perspective, the average open rate for emails across all industries is less than 5%.

Don't Send Duplicate Cold Emails to the Same Lead

A common mistake B2B sales reps make is sending duplicate cold emails to the same lead. Some do it intentionally, believing duplicate emails are more likely to be seen by leads than single emails. Other B2B sales reps send duplicate cold emails by mistake. Whether intentional or unintentional, though, duplicate emails often get flagged as spam. When you send the same email two or more times to the same lead, it may end up in the lead's spam folder. To increase the chances of your cold emails reaching leads' inboxes, don't make the mistake of sending duplicate cold emails.

Do Include Your Contact Information

Not all leads will click the "reply" button to respond to your cold emails. Some may prefer other methods of communication, such as calling. Unless you include your contact information in a cold email, you'll experience a low response rate. At the bottom of each cold email, mention your name, job title, email address and phone number. You can even make this text bold so that it stands out. By including your contact information in cold emails, you'll benefit from a higher response rate, thereby fueling your B2B company's sales strategy.

Don't Talk About the Price

Cold emailing isn't the time to discuss the price of the product or service you are trying to sell. You can talk about the price in a warm email, but cold emailing requires a different approach. Leads are often hesitant to engage with B2B companies with which they've had no prior contact. If you discuss the price of a product or service in a cold email, it may discourage leads from responding to or otherwise engaging with your B2B company.

Do Ask Leads to Schedule an Appointment

Another tip to increase the performance of your cold emails is to ask leads to schedule an appointment. Towards the bottom of your cold emails -- but before your contact information -- ask the lead when he or she wants to schedule an appointment.

Don't Include Spam Words

Including spam words in your cold emails will result in a higher bounce rate. Emails "bounce" when they aren't delivered to a user's inbox. If you use spam words in your cold emails, email services may identify them as spam, at which point they'll reach the lead's spam folder rather than the lead's inbox.

Cold emailing typically offers lower open rates than warm emailing, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's ineffective. Assuming you target high-quality leads, cold emailing can drive substantial sales for your B2B company. Just remember to follow the dos and don'ts listed here to take advantage of this digital marketing method.