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What is a Cold Email? Cold Email Definition & Importance

A cold email is an unsolicited email used as an email marketing technique to introduce your brand to a recipient who has no prior relationship with you or your company. This does not mean it is spamming – although it is quite easy to make it look like spam mail – it is just a way of saying hello.

woman typing a cold email on laptop

Why You Should Consider Cold Emails

Emailing, in general, is a strategy that does not take a lot of time of the potential customers or visitors, unlike a cold call. Also, since you will send these cold emails to your potential customers, you can personalize the email content according to them, creating a more personal bond.

These two factors result in higher return-on-investment rates – which is, according to Wikipedia, the ratio between income and investment.

Principles of Cold Emailing

There are several steps to follow if you want cold emails to turn into leads. Some of them are;

  • Authenticity. You don’t want to sound generic. This is your first interaction with a potential customer, you have to attract their attention to your email.
  • Sales play second fiddle. Imagine a salesperson coming at your door and they try to sell a product to you immediately. You should not disturb users with your emails, you have to make a connection.
  • Personalize. Since you are dealing with a small population, you can easily make your emails personal to the people you are reaching out to.
  • Gain trust. You are basically a stranger, you should point out some facts to gain the trust of your potential customers.
  • Be short and clear. Do not cloud the issue. This is a hello message, you don’t want to sound like Shakespeare.
  • Show them the value of your product. This is a simple principle. There is value to your product. For people to understand why they have to get your service, they have to know the value of your product.

There are several tricks to accomplish these steps. For example, you can make changes in “from” and subject lines. Starting the email with the name of the person you are sending the email to is a great way to personalize email. You have to track your performance to find the ideal emailing style.

What is the Difference between Spamming and Cold Emails?

We can list the differences between Spams and Cold Emails as following;

  • Audience. Spam mails are for everyone and anyone, while cold emails are targeted to potential customers.
  • Style. As stated above, cold emails have a personal style, whereas spams are generic and have that robotic feel.
  • Precision. Cold emails are to the point, they show what you want to show. Spams, on the other hand, aim to use tactics that will mislead people into accomplishing the task.
  • Canceling. If a person does not want to receive cold emails, it should be easy for them to opt-out. Spams have no opting-out option or it is way too hard.

You can also check out the instructions from the Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL) or CAN-SPAM Act. Another option is to check complaint rates to make adjustments to your emails.

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