Do cold email campaigns for B2B really work?

In today's business world, email is one of the most widely used forms of communication. While emails between co-workers or clients are generally considered polite and professional, there is one type of email that is often (and mistakenly) lumped in with spam: cold email.

Chances are you've ever received a cold email or two in your inbox. They usually come from someone you don't know who is trying to sell you a product, service or form a partnership.

Perhaps for this reason you may have heard that cold emails are spam. After all, how do you describe unsolicited emails sent to people who don't even know you? However, there is a big difference between spam and cold email. When done correctly, cold emails can be an extremely effective way to reach new customers or partners and grow your business. But is this always the case - can cold emails really be effective or are they just spam?

Consider reading this article as well: When to consider cold emails to generate leads.

Spam vs. Cold Email: How to Tell the Difference

You are focused on one of your activities, minding your own business, when suddenly you receive an email notification. You see it's from a sender you don't recognize, so you're instantly suspicious. Is it cold email or spam? How can you tell?

The Subject Line

One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between a cold email and spam is to look at the subject line. A good cold email will have a specific, attention-grabbing subject line that is relevant to the recipient. For example, "Company ABC & Skief Labs partnership discussion" would be a good subject line for a cold email about a new venture. A spam email, on the other hand, will typically have a generic or meaningless subject line such as "You won't believe what this person did!" or even more common subject lines like "Quick question", designed to entice the recipient to open the email without giving too much information.

The sender's email address and domain name

Another way to tell if an email is cold or spam is to look at the sender's address and domain name. A legitimate email will come from a person with a professional-sounding email address (e.g., johnsmith@companyinternational.com) from a domain name that matches the company's Web site (e.g., www.companyinternational.com). A spam email, on the other hand, will often come from an address with a strange or nonsensical domain name (e.g., www.amazingoffers4u.com) or from a free webmail service such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail. This should be a red flag that the email may not be legitimate.

The content of the email

If you're still not sure whether an email is cold or spam, take a look at its content. A well-crafted cold email will introduce the sender and explain why it is addressed to the recipient. It will also contain relevant information about the product or service being offered and how it could benefit the recipient's business. The latter implies that the sender did some research on who you are and why their services could benefit you.

In contrast, spam emails often contain vague or misleading information designed to trick recipients into clicking on links or revealing personal information such as credit card numbers. If an email raises any type of red flag, it is best to err on the side of caution and delete it or mark it as spam and block the sender.

Differences in Purpose

Another way to tell the difference between a cold email and a spam email is by looking at their purpose. As we mentioned above, cold emails are usually sent with the intention of building relationships and generating business opportunities. The sender takes care to research their target audience and craft an email that would be of interest to them. In contrast, spam emails are sent indiscriminately to anyone with an email address, with the sole purpose of selling a product or service. Because they're not interested in actually connecting with their recipients, spam emails often come across as impersonal and intrusive.

So, how can you make sure your emails don't end up in the latter category? Here are a few tips: 

1. Personalize your emails as much as possible. 
2. Don't send mass emails - take the time to write individualized messages. Or approach an expert in sending large cold email campaigns, such as Skief Labs. 
3. Keep your emails short and to-the-point. 
4. Avoid using overly sales-y language. 
5. Include a CTA (call-to-action), but don't make it too aggressive. 
6. 6 Double check your grammar and spelling before hitting "send." 
7. Make sure there aren't any typos in your email address or subject line - this often leads to emails being marked as spam. 
8. Consider using an email verification service, and even pages that scan your texts for possible spam words. This will help lower your bounce rates.
9. Avoid images in the first email as well to increase deliverability: many people view attachments as potential sources of malware.  
10. Include links to your website and social media profiles in your signature so that recipients can learn more about you and your business after reading your email.  

Do Cold Emails Really Work?

This is a great question and one that doesn't have a definitive answer. A lot depends on how you go about writing and sending your emails. If you take the time to personalize each email and craft a message that's relevant to the recipient, then you stand a good chance of getting at least a few bites. However, if you send out mass emails with generic messages, you're not likely to get much of a response. So, the key is to make sure that each email you send is carefully crafted and specifically tailored to its recipient.

When done correctly, cold emails can be an extremely effective way to generate leads for your business. However, it's important to keep in mind that they're not a magic bullet; don't expect to get a 100% response rate from your emails. If you can get even just a few businesses to respond positively to your cold emails, then it will have been worth the effort!

Cold emailing is all about building relationships. It's about reaching out to someone who you think could benefit from your product or service, and starting a conversation. The goal is not to sell them on your product right away, but rather to start building a relationship and laying the foundations for a future partnership. 

Of course, this means that your cold emails need to be well-written and carefully targeted. They need to be relevant to the person you're emailing, and they need to offer something of value. If you're just reaching out for the sake of reaching out, chances are good that your email will end up in the trash. But if you take the time to craft a well-thought-out message, you'll be surprised at how many people are willing to engage with you.

How to launch cold emailing campaigns.

The Pros of Contacting a Cold Email Expert

There are several advantages to contracting a cold email expert. First, a cold email expert can help you save time by doing the research for you and crafting personalized emails that are more likely to get results. Second, a cold email expert will have a list of verified opt-in leads, which means you won't have to worry about spamming potential customers. Finally, a cold email expert can help increase your conversion rate by using proven strategies and techniques.

1. Increased ROI: A cold email expert will work with you to create custom email campaigns that are targeted to your specific audience. This means your emails will be more likely to be opened and your readers will be more likely to engage, which will mean a higher ROI for your business.
2. Better Results: Cold email experts know how to craft emails that are both eye-catching and informative. This means that your target audience is more likely to read your emails and take action, whether that's signing up for your newsletter or making a purchase. But even more important than potential purchases, one of the great advantages of using cold email is the improved segmentation and the large amount of data you acquire. What good does this do you? A clearer picture leads to better targeting, and that leads to better results.
3. More Time for You: When you work with a cold email expert, you'll be able to focus on running your business while they handle the details of your email marketing campaigns. This frees up your time so you can focus on what you're good at and leave the marketing to the experts.

Email marketing is still an incredibly effective way to reach your target audience, but only if done correctly. When done poorly it can damage considerably both the company image and get domains blacklisted.

With so much competition in the inbox, it can be difficult to make your emails stand out from the rest. That's where a cold email expert comes in handy. By crafting custom email campaigns that are targeted to your specific audience, a cold email expert can help you get more ROI from your campaigns and better results overall. So if you're looking for ways to improve your email marketing efforts, consider working with a cold email specialist—it could be the best decision you ever make for your business.

You want your company to grow, but you don't know where to start. Growing a company can be tough, especially if you're doing it alone. It's easy to get lost in all the noise and confusion on the internet.

Skief is here to help. We're experts in Outbound Marketing and we'll help you find new customers, increase sales, and boost your bottom line. Contact us today for a free consultation!