How to create a killer e mail campaign

Transcription

1 How to create a killer e mail campaign

2 How to create a killer campaign When you start your very first outbound campaign (or even when you have already sent hundreds of messages), you need to keep in mind that each target and each prospect is different. There is no universal template that will deliver dozens of customers for everyone. The only thing that will get you successful results is constant testing. Improve your templates, compare results and remember to change only one part at a time. This way, you will be able to say which approach works better. This may sound a bit overwhelming at first, but don t worry. Here are some basic guidelines we would like to share with you. Subject line Your aim is to turn a cold prospect into a client. To do that, you need them to read your message and respond, but you first have to convince them to open your . And that s where a subject line can either save or drown your campaign. Here are few guidelines for a good subject line: Personalize it s more convincing and less likely to get into spam when large bulks are sent. In general, people like to see/hear their name, and they will see you as more friendly. Keep it as short as possible it s best to keep it to four words or fewer. Never mislead your prospects it may give you higher open rates, but once they see that your and subject line have nothing in common they will probably get mad and (a) not take any interest in your product, (b) report you as spam or (c) give you bad press. Avoid using salesy words or terms such as buy or offer they trigger spam and that s not how you want to be perceived. Here are few lists of words to avoid:

3 Make it casual you can write a question or even start a full sentence that you finish in the body of the message. Another idea is writing subject lines completely in lower case letters. Send 3 4 messages in one thread try to make it continuous, but once you see that one approach is not working, switch to something a bit different. Body The subject line is only one factor which will encourage a prospect to open your . The other crucial part is the preview that s the opening of your visible in the inbox without entering the message. It s crucial for your message, so remember to: NEVER start by describing you or your company! put yourself in the recipient s shoes: would you care about some stranger s name and occupation? Probably not. Start with something you have in common mention a conference you both attended, the same type of company, anything that will make them feel like you re not just a random guy but someone who will understand them. When they see that in their inbox they will be more willing to read your . Give it a personal touch write like a friend, not a salesperson. Address a problem say something relevant to them. Mention a problem which can be solved by your product; understand what may be a pain for this person and show them how you get it. This approach is called event and is one of the most effective in cold mailing. It appeals to both the recipient s head and heart, because you can make their job easier, and spare them stress and time. After writing the opening it s time to move on to the rest of the message. Here s another important fact: most people don t read s (especially sales s) thoroughly. They just skim it and decide if your offer is worth their while when something catches their attention. So remember about:

4 Keeping it as short as possible most people check their on mobile devices and don t bother to even skim long s. Your first contact should be about getting their attention. Paragraphs they make the message clearer and easier to read, and also help you keep it better organized. Put keywords in bold or italics or underline them that will draw their attention to the most important stuff. However, if you overuse it, the message may look sloppy and unclear, so follow the rule of the three most important pieces of information. Use bullet points or lists same thing as above. List the three most important benefits or features. Use short, simple sentences three simple sentences are easier to tackle than one long elaborate one, especially for non-pros in your domain. Try to keep it casual try to make it sound like you re sending a message to your friend or colleague. Use positive language avoid using negative terms, as they are countereffective. Show the benefits your product can bring, and create a positive image of your company and product. Dumb it down use as simple vocabulary as you can. Anything written in the Queen s English seems canned. Avoid colloquial vocabulary as well. Another inherent part is pitch. You want to sell, so you need to show how special your offer is. Sell value remember to always put emphasis on you and your rather than I, me, and our. Keep it casual just like the rest of the message. BENEFITS, not features s should serve the customer not the product. So show the results you ll deliver, not the advantages of the product. Don t show all your cards in one message it won t be as clear as pointing out the most important part (like the one that answers the problem you described in the opening sentence), and you won t have anything new to add in following messages.

5 Bring in some numbers they stand out in plain text, draw attention and give solid information about your product. Give social proof show how you helped other companies, preferably similar to your prospect s. Talk about solved problems. After you have addressed the problem and showed the solution, you need to show the prospect how they can get to know your offer better. So this is the time for a Call-To-Action: your proposition which will provoke an appropriate action. It should be: Short choose one CTA; it s easier to respond. Direct propose a date for a call or meeting. You could also give some options to choose, but remember to stick to one action. The last, but certainly not least, part of the message is the postscript don t underestimate it. The P.S. is one of the most frequently read parts of s. It stands out from the rest of the message, which makes it a great place to give some additional info, something important about your product, company or offer. Keep it short don t ruin the advantage of the P.S. by adding more than one or two short sentences. Timing You might write amazing messages, but it is not only what you write that matters but also when you do it. Timing may not be everything in this case, but it definitely matters. Keep in mind a few facts: Choose random times 8:37 looks much more natural than 8:00. Remember that you want your s to look as though they were sent to a friend. Morning you ll end up at the top of their inbox when they check their messages after getting to work. Most people start the day by reading s, so why don t you add yours to their pile? Afternoon lunchtime is not a good idea, but after 2 p.m. should be fine.

6 E v e n i n g this might be good idea on Sundays: the weekend is nearly over, and most of us are starting to think about work and planning the following week (i.e. they check their inbox). Try a few different approaches to find out which one works best with which target. People have different working habits, so think when they ll be the most responsive (startups are probably online 24/7, people in big corporations may be available only 9 5) How to pick the best day: Monday good choice; people plan the whole week and may put you in their calendars, but they may also have a lot of things to run through to catch up after the weekend. You need to test this out. Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday best shot Friday people are already thinking about the weekend and focusing on closing things they planned for the week. Avoid sending first messages then, but a soft follow-up may be a good idea. Saturday/Sunday Saturday doesn t seem to be a good idea (the weekend has just begun), but Sunday evening might be your shot. Follow-ups Your first should be just an opening of a whole chain of communication. As a good salesperson you need to be persistent. You need to show your prospects that you believe in the value you provide, and that you know they will benefit from it. That s why you must remember not to show all your cards at once. Here are few successful follow-up strategies: Pitch them. Show another angle of your product; answer another problem. It should be: slightly different to the first message; show various benefits of your product, short but on point, and relevant to other messages.

7 Remind them about your previous messages. Your s might have got stuck in the inbox of a prospect in need. Don t let bad timing ruin your conversion. short message to move you up in your prospects inbox and remind them about your offer polite but firm possibly link to an article of yours; something that may be valuable for your recipient and relevant to your messages. Tease, and give them something they want. Show a potential value for your prospect offer them a trial account, a teaser of your services. Let them see how they will benefit from your solution before purchasing. Not every person contacted will be up for your offer, and most of them won t even reply to your messages. That s why you need to add a break-up at the end of your thread. Leave only two options it s a take it or leave it situation. Ask the recipient directly whether they are interested and want to see your offer or not, and tell them you won t message them again. You can add one more killer pitch (if you haven t used it before). Just like with the first message, you need to take care to time your follow-ups appropriately. Instant follow-up send a one-line addition a few minutes or hours after the first message. Make it casual, as if you forgot to mention something. Keep at least a two-day-gap between messages you don t want to end up labelled as a spammer. Try different days of the week and different times this way, you give yourself a better chance of catching the prospect on their daily check-up. Think about the long term don t bombard your prospect with five messages in one week and then stop. Plan the whole campaign for at least two or three weeks instead, and if you still haven t heard back, remind them about your offer few weeks later.

8 Direct pitch vs. referral That s the question you need to ask when you re defining your target and campaign approach. There is no universal answer to this just like with everything else in cold mailing, you need to test it until you get satisfactory results. Big companies in many cases you can t tell for sure who is responsible for a certain aspect (e.g. in our case it might be Sales, Marketing or Business Development), and it s good to ask for referrals (or intros from higher executives). Startups and small companies most decisions are run past CEOs and executives, so you should try a direct pitch. And one last thing: don t get discouraged if you get poor results at the beginning. After a few attempts you will get to the point when you ll read your prospects like a book and answer their questions just before they ask them.