Cold emails have a bad reputation - they're pushy, annoying, and often completely irrelevant to the recipient. Despite this, many B2B companies rely on this form of outreach. With success. We show you how it works.
The introduction of the Data Protection Regulation on 25 May 2018 marked the death of cold emails. Nowadays, you can't send such emails because you'll be liable to prosecution. Right?
No. At least in B2B, cold emails are still commonplace. The only thing that matters is how you structure them
In this article, we would like to show you what a simple and effective way cold emails offer to acquire new customers and provide you with ten "ready-to-use" templates with which we have had good experiences so far.
It was never the purpose of the 2018 Data Protection Regulation to ban cold emails. The priority was to protect personal data and the privacy of individuals. B2B marketers can still send cold emails. And they do.
The average office worker receives 120 emails a day, and there's a good chance they find the sales emails they get irrelevant.
Nevertheless, interested parties want to be informed about new products. The majority of them prefer to be contacted by e-mail.
Despite the strong competition, cold emails still work. The key is to target the right person at the right time with the right message.
To ensure that your cold email is not perceived as mass advertising and marked as spam, you should consider the following points:
Always choose the right contact person and the most up-to-date information
Always explain your reason for contacting you.
Always have an easy and quick way to unsubscribe.
Always respond to questions and complaints.
Most B2B marketers think that the right contact is anyone who buys their product or service. That's too simplistic of an idea. The right contact for you is the person who is ready to buy. To locate that person, it takes some upfront work. You need to do good lead research and have in-depth knowledge of your contacts' situations and pain points.
Good lead research and good personas or Ideal Customer Profiles (ICP) are essential to ensure your cold email reaches the right person. You need to know who your target audience is, what they are interested in and what content they need. Based on this, your email must be relevant and personalized - mass newsletter spamming is out (and not even allowed without specific registration).
Therefore, always explain in your email why you are contacting a person. In accordance with data protection regulations, it is usually appropriate if there is a "legitimate interest" for contacting the person. This results, for example, from the fact that your offer helps the addressee to achieve his or her goals. This can look like this:
"Hello [name],
is your company struggling with [biggest pain point of your contact] right now? This is a tough problem that most businesses in your industry struggle with and it's costing them dearly. [Statistics and source.]
Our [product/service] will help you solve this problem by [advantage or pitch].
Important: The recipient must always have the option to reply to you and unsubscribe. Therefore, update your data.
In the following, we've put together ten templates for B2B cold emails that we've had very good experiences with in the past. Feel free to copy them, adapt them to your needs and send them out.
"Hello [name],
I would like to introduce myself as your contact at [name of your company]. I work with companies in the [industry] and saw that you recently visited our website.
This inspired me to check out your website to see what strategy you use for [sales/marketing, etc.]. I discovered a few areas where we can assist you
Do you want to have a chat about it? You can book an appointment with me here [link]."
"Hi [name],
I saw that you recently downloaded a whitepaper about XY. I've worked with similar companies in [industry], so I'd like to get in touch with you.
Your company seems like a perfect fit for ours. Accordingly, I'm curious what your goals are for this year. We often help companies grow with [solutions/results]
I would be happy to exchange ideas. Why don't you take a look here right now to see which date suits you best: [link]."
"Good day Mr [name],
I am very direct, I have a free tool that I would like to show you. It's an analytics tool that allows you to see how they stand with your business compared to the competition
Book an appointment here to discuss the details with me [link]."
"Good afternoon [name],
I am contacting you to be your contact for [your area] at [your company]. In the past, I have worked successfully with your predecessor [name] and would be happy to continue that with you.
Whenever it is convenient for you, you can schedule a meeting with me so we can get to know each other better: [link]."
"Good afternoon [name],
Unfortunately, I did not reach you by phone today. I called to discuss [reason] with you. I will call you again on [date/time]. Of course, you can also contact me before then "
"Good afternoon [name],
A few weeks ago we discussed the details of a possible collaboration. Unfortunately, so far without opportunity for a conclusion.
Therefore, I would like to inquire if there is an opportunity to assist you with [marketing/sales, etc.]. Let me know if you have time this week so we can present some ideas."
"Good afternoon [name],
Quick question: who manages the marketing budget at your company? This is a marketing tool he or she should definitely check out before the end of the quarter, it can save you and your clients a lot of money. I won't bore you with details, just know that our top clients [name of companies] swear by it
If you're the right person to talk to - when can we talk? If not, who may I contact?"
"Good afternoon [name],
I've been watching your startup for a while and am impressed with your growth!
At [your company], we have great software developers that we can quickly leverage to implement new product ideas. I'm sure we can support you with our expertise to further accelerate your growth.
When do you have time to talk this week?"
"Hello [name],
I'm writing to you in your role as [decision maker] at [company]. In short: We help companies like [name] and [name] make [your benefit]. There are interesting opportunities for collaboration. Do you have time to talk on [date and time]?"
"Hello [name],
I've been a loyal reader of your newsletter for a long time. I just published an infographic where I analyzed data on [relevant topic]. It would be great to get your thoughts on it
Let's chat about it on a quick call. See my calendar here: [link]!"
You can have the best subject line and the most original text - your emails are worth nothing if you don't do proper research beforehand. Good research will tell you what works best and gets the most clicks. In the tough battle for attention with cold emails, thorough research is your ace in the hole.
Cold emails are a great way to acquire new customers. If you want to be successful, make sure they are relevant and go out to the right person.
One final tip: Keep your emails short and to the point. This way you don't waste your contact's time unnecessarily.