Cold emailing is one of the most efficient techniques used by companies in their efforts to reach out to clients, get potential customers, or establish mutually beneficial partnerships. Nevertheless, the controversy over personalization against automation of cold emailing remains an interesting issue for marketers. Is it better to spend time creating highly individual and unique messages or should you already use bonuses of automation? Again, the balance between the two can make a lot of difference between sending an email and hearing the proverbial crickets or coming up with an email that will prompt some action. In this article, we’ll explain what personalization and automation mean in the context of cold emailing and how you can decide which of these approaches is best for your outreach workflows.
Even when all the emails you receive are advertisements, the only one that stays on your mind is the one that came from a close associate who forwarded it to you. Researcher has shown that target emails generate six times greater transaction rates than if they contain general messages.
Consumers are bound to be interacting with content they feel is helpful for their needs or something that they are interested in. Whenever you ensure that you take time to identify with your audience, then they will likely respond to your message in the best way that you expect.
Personalization garners goodwill, whether being used in cold emailing or not, by speaking to the recipient’s needs, pointing out more on the recipient or their company or speaking to them in their business capacity. It makes them feel somewhat other than simply being a number on your list of contacts.
Cold emailing personalization means that whenever you are sending an email to somebody chances are you’ll change your plan of approach depending on who you are sending the message to. This can be as simple as adding the recipient’s name or company and as complex as reminiscing on their most recent achievement or mentioning trends that are present in the recipient’s line of business.
Automation, on the other hand, is the process of using cold emailing software to send large volumes of emails without manually crafting each one. Automation helps scale cold outreach efforts efficiently, allowing marketers to engage more prospects with less manual effort.
Modern automation tools can even incorporate some degree of personalization, such as dynamically inserting names, job titles, or other basic information into the emails. However, finding the right balance between scale and personalization is key. Over-reliance on automation can result in generic emails that are more likely to be ignored or marked as spam.
Effective cold email personalization requires attention to detail at every step of the email. Here’s how to personalize different elements of your cold email:
Your first presentation to the audience is in the subject line and it has been seen that subject lines when targeted can boost open rates anywhere from 30 to 50%. It is recommended to begin by using the recipient’s name, the name of their company or the particular problem they seem to encounter. For instance, “How [Recipient’s Company] Can Boost Productivity in 2024” is way more click-worthy than “Ways to Boost Your Productivity.”
The entire goodwill of the email, therefore, lies on the first few lines so that the recipient does not stop halfway through reading it. Always begin the letter in three ways, that is, addressing yourself to the recipient, mentioning something that has recently impacted their projects or area of specialization, or something that concerns them. This goes to an extent to show that your email is not some corporate bulk mailing campaign.
Example:
Hello [Recipient’s Name], I have recently come across the information that your company [Recipient’s Company] is entering new markets. Congratulations! I think that with our solution, it could be possible to scale even more rapidly.”
Within the body of the email, it is always important to explain what it is that your product or service can do to help the specific recipient that the email is being sent to. There is always a temptation to come up with a list of all the features that can be associated with the organisation’s offering. Don’t do that instead show them how it can solve a problem they are facing as discovered by your research.
Be sure your offer is interest-specific for the addressee. Providing them with a solution that seems specifically targeted to their needs is a far more effective way to encourage a response. Do not create broad statements such as ‘Let’s reach out for a call’ without giving the background.
Example:
“I would really like to bring you through how this tool will increase the collaboration within [Recipient’s Company] team by thirty percent.”
Your CTA should feel natural and relevant. Rather than using a broad, one-size-fits-all CTA, personalize it to the recipient’s situation. For instance, if you’re reaching out to a CEO, you might ask for a quick 10-minute chat about company strategy. For a department head, your CTA could focus on exploring tools to boost team performance.
Personalizing cold emails can be challenging, but the right techniques and tools make it easier. Here are some tips to get started:
Always ensure that you have researched your audience before sending an email to them. Go on to their company website, or LinkedIn or whoever has been in recent news regarding business. You can find information that will help you to be more specific about their problems and effective working conditions when customizing your email. It is important to note that the more specific your study is, the more pertinent the message that you convey will be.
To enhance the effectiveness of cold email campaigns, consider using an email lookup tool to gather accurate contact information. For example, tools like Hunter.io, VoilaNorbert or Snov.io can help you find verified email addresses, increasing the chances of your email reaching the right person. Additionally, cold email software such as Snov.io allows you to insert dynamic variables like names, job titles, and company details into your emails. You can also use CRM systems to track your prospect’s behavior and segment your audience, enabling you to send more targeted and personalized emails.
It is useful to personalize messages, but there are moments when some parts of the process can be effectively escalated. Having some means to send highly personalized emails is required if you are going to run some sort of large-scale marketing campaign. Besides, getting the variations of your emailing campaigns can assist you in determining what works best. There is only so much you can tweak with the email’s mobile-friendliness but you can do A/B testing of the subject line, call-to-action and the offer.
Subject: How [Recipient’s Company] Can Tackle [Specific Challenge]
Hi [Recipient’s Name],
I have realized that [Recipient’s Company] is now expanding fast within the [industry] niche. Congrats on the success! The following focus on treating companies similar to yours for [particular issue]. I’d like to show you a simple tool that can potentially increase [pain point] by [X%].
Is it possible to schedule a 10 min call for the next week to speak about how we can be useful?
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Subject: Can You Help Me Find the Right Person?
Hi [Recipient’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out because I believe our solution could help [Recipient’s Company] achieve [specific goal]. If you’re not the right person to talk to about this, could you direct me to someone who handles [specific area]?
Thanks for your time, and I hope to connect soon.
Best,
[Your Name]
Finding the right balance between personalization and automation is key to successful cold email campaigns. Personalization makes an email relevant and appealing to a specific recipient, and automation lets you use less time and effort. Using cold emailing software and doing the right research, you can develop a legitimate cold emailing campaign that will yield results, and retain the essence of being personal and not robotic.
