Cold emails are beneficial for entrepreneurs, marketers, small businesses and professionals in various fields. While a cold email can greatly improve lead generation, help you land your ideal dream job, and even assist with finding investors and business partners, it will also cost you nothing other than your time. If done correctly, cold emails are an extremely effective method of targeting individuals and companies of interest and raising brand awareness. However, if done incorrectly a cold email can potentially be irreversibly damaging.
Before deciding to send out a few cold emails, there are a few vital errors that you should avoid to ensure that your efforts are as effective as possible. ScopeLeads is an online tool that can significantly simplify the process of lead generation and email outreach while also assisting with personalized emails. Here are 5 of the most crucial mistakes that you should avoid when writing a cold email.
#1 Sending a Cold Email to the Wrong Recipient
Writing a cold email to the wrong person or company can be extremely damaging to your reputation as it may result in your email appearing as spam and it could eventually be marked as spam. This will undo all of your efforts. When sending out cold emails, it is essential to send an effective message to the correct person. Ensure that you are not simply targeting everyone and rather consider prospects carefully. Targeting the correct person can determine whether or not your email is effective. Additionally, always remember to address everyone that you have mentioned in the CC/BCC.
#2 Weak Subject Lines
The strength of the subject line will directly impact how the recipient will react, which is why weak subject lines should be avoided. A large portion of recipients will only open emails with significant subject lines and with correct grammar used. Avoiding spam triggers and sales tricks is a great way to be sure that prospects are actually opening your email. However, while weak subject lines should be avoided, vague subject lines generally result in higher email opening rates.
#3 Reusing Generic Messages
Reusing a template and forgetting to edit contact details is a huge mistake that will negatively affect the purpose of your email. It is vital to address the recipient by name and to double-check that all the details are correct. Additionally, it is best to steer clear of messages that may appear generic because it may appear as spam. Your message should be authentic as you will essentially be speaking to a real person. By focusing on quality rather than quantity, you are more likely to receive a desirable response from prospects.
#4 Long Emails
It is best to keep your email short and to the point, keeping in mind that 3-5 sentences are enough to draw interest from prospects. Keep your sentences short and readable. The purpose of a cold email is to direct attention and writing a long drawn out email that goes into extensive detail will not have the desired impact. Once interested prospects have responded, you can provide additional details. Aside from long boring emails, your email should be free of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Even minor grammatical errors can result in a noticeably unprofessional cold email.
#5 Leaving Out a Call-to-Action
Your email should contain a clear call-to-action that you intend for the recipient to act on, such as an information exchange, a meeting, or even a direct response to a question. Use only one call-to-action. The content of your email is as important as the strength of the subject line.
The Negative Impact of Lack of Credibility
Establish a credible online presence before deciding to send out cold emails. It is vital that prospects are able to look you up online through a business website that has significant content. Social profiles can also be used as credibility and including positive testimonials can encourage a positive reaction from prospects. Lack of online credibility may leave prospects feeling somewhat uneasy and they may opt out of responding.
Your email signature is another factor that can act as credibility. While your full name and accurate details are vital for an email signature, including a picture of yourself can make your cold email appear far more personal. Forgetting to include your email signature may promote a lack of trust from prospects.
