Cold Email SPAM
There
is a difference between bulk pharmacy product emails (which accounts
for 81% of spam) and one-to-one emails to a targeted business
audience.
Under
the CAN-SPAM act, you are able to
send emails to business people that you do not know. However, you want to make
sure you are complying with the rules that the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) has outlined.
Luckily,
that isn’t difficult to do. Here are the seven things you need to incorporate
when sending cold emails:
- Don’t misrepresent who you
are – Basically, your “From”,
“To”, and “Reply-To” information needs to identify who you are.
- Don’t use misleading subject
lines –
Using a subject line of “Your receipt” when pitching your product/service
would be misleading. Keep it real.
- Identify if the email is an
ad – If your email is an
advertisement or special coupon offer, just make sure it is labeled as
such.
- Include your business address – This can be a PO Box or
your physical address, but you have to include it. Ideal placement for
this information would be in your signature.
- Give them an opt-out option – You don’t have to use
an “unsubscribe” link which takes away some of the personal aspects of the
email. Instead, ask them, “Please let me know if you are not the right
person to contact for this.” It’s a good alternative that keeps things
personal.
- Honor opt-outs – If they don’t want any
future emails, make sure they don’t get any more emails. I don’t even
respond to the request, I just make sure they don’t get any more
follow-ups.
- Know what others do/send on
your behalf –
Even if you hire a company to handle your email outreach, you are
still legally responsible. Make sure whoever you have working on your
email outreach understands these seven rules.
Cold Email Best Practices
Put yourself in their shoes
How
do your customers view the problem you are trying to solve? Have your message
meet them where they are at, and help them solve a legitimate problem.
Write Like You Talk
People
can sniff out “marketing copy” right away. Write your message like something
you would send to a coworker, not giving a speech to 1,000 people.
Forget the Introduction
When
someone views your message on their mobile device, and the first line reads,
“I’m Mike with ABC Corporation,” you make it very easy for your prospect to
delete the message and not read any further, especially if you hit them on a
busy day. Ditch this intro! There will be an appropriate time for an
introduction later.
Get to the Point
You
have a very short window to get your prospects attention. Lead with your most
compelling piece of info, and make it good!
Keep it Short
If
your message is a burden for your
prospect to read and/or respond to, they won’t. So keep it short and simple.
Personalize What You Can
If
you can, adding your prospects first name is good, but not essential.
Especially if you can jump right into a conversation they are excited to talk
about.
Put All Contact Info in Your Signature
Make
it easy for your prospect to do a little
detective
work by architecting your signature to include the links you want them to see.
Be subtle about this, less is more in many cases.
Avoid Images
Images
can hurt deliverability, and may be better served on a landing page after your
prospect clicks your link.
Include a P.S.
You
can use the P.S. to satisfy the opt-out requirement, keeping the message
conversational rather than having the obnoxious opt-out link.
Close with a Question
Asking
a quick question can be a great way to entice your prospect into a conversation
with you. A great way to begin the relationship building phase towards the
sale!
Follow Up, then Follow Up Again!
If
your prospect doesn’t reply to your initial message, go ahead and follow up.
They may still be interested when they have more time to respond!
Test Your Messages
Try
different hooks in each of your messages. Try giving them more or less details,
and try different links and educational resources.
Consistency
Don’t
ever quit! It can be a numbers game on some level, and a dedicated commitment
to sales prospecting can bear a lot of fruit over time
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