by Donna Amos
Being successful with cold email is tricky business and in a lot of cases you may not be successful right from the start. The good news is that there are cold email strategies that you can use that will allow you to start strong, and give you the opportunity to generate leads as you continue improving your campaign. In fact, there is one strategy that’s always been a favorite of solopreneurs; email marketing templates.
When to Use an Email Template
While email marketing templates are a powerful tool, they shouldn’t be used in every situation. A good example of this would be if you’re sending out a small number of cold emails that would be better off if they were 100% personalized for each recipient. On the other hand, if you’re sending out a large number of emails, then templates are almost always a necessity since it would be unrealistic to fully personalize them all.
That said, a good email template should also leave room for some degree of personalization, such as addressing each recipient by name at the very least. Just saying something like “Hello friend,” or using a similar generic introduction shows a lack of caring on the part of the sender, and will negatively impact conversion rates.
Now that we’ve gone over when to use cold email templates, let’s take a look at three powerful examples that are widely used for a reason. Each of these examples is situational, but have all been proven to preform well when used intelligently.
1. The Problem/Solution Template
This style of template revolves around using one of the most powerful approaches in all of marketing; the problem/solution approach. Basically this template will identify the recipient’s problem, then present the sender’s product and/or service as the solution.
This is typically a very short email, and the template would be something like this:
- Introduction
- Identify the Problem
- Present the Solution
- Call to Action
Why it Works
If you can identify a legitimate problem that someone has, then selling them the solution is simple in most cases. The key is to have a strong CTA that tells the reader exactly what they need to do to get more information on solution, rather than trying to sell it to them right then and there in the email itself.
2. Case Study Template
This email marketing template only works if you’ve had success with previous clients and customers, but if you have, then you can leverage that success to your advantage in the form of social proof. As you may have guessed, this type of email is all about showing the recipient the results you’ve gotten for others, and telling them that they can expect similar results from your services and/or products.
A case study email template is also very short and will flow like this:
- Introduction
- What You’ve Done for Another Client
- State That You Can Do The Same for The Recipient
- Call to Action
Why it Works
The reason this works is because humans operate on a herd mentality. If you can convince the recipient that you’ve helped a previous client, they will be more likely to believe that you can help them. Two things you need to keep in mind is that the bigger the name of the previous client you’ve worked with the better, and that you also want to try and show the best results you’ve gotten.
3. Offer Value Upfront
While all cold email templates should offer value, this particular template will go above and beyond by directly offering the recipient something for free. This could be a free guide, an invite to a free webinar, or something of that nature. It could even be just a free video as long as the video is all about value and not just trying to sell to the recipient.
Something that you need to remember when it comes to using this kind of template is that you have to be careful about the language you use or the spam filters will throw your email into the spam folder before your recipients even see it. The word “free” is a major spam word, as are many other words associated with free offers.
In any case, a value based cold email template will look like this:
- Introduction
- Present the Offer
- List the Benefits of the Offer (optional)
- Call to Action
Why it Works
Once again this is just basic human psychology. People love getting something for nothing, it’s how we’re wired. If you can convince your recipients that you are truly offering them value with no strings attached, you should get a lot of clicks. Of course the biggest hurdle to overcome here is the skepticism that they will have. This is natural since there usually isn’t anything truly free in life.
Understanding an Email Template’s Place in Your Sales Funnel
When it comes to email marketing many people get it wrong and end up going for a hard sale right there in the email itself. While this may work in some rare cases if you’re marketing to a list of loyal subscribers, it’s a very bad idea when it comes to cold email. This is because when you first approach someone, be it through email or any other method, you need to build up trust before anything else. Trying to sell to someone you haven’t build up trust with using cold email will likely get your messages thrown in the spam folder, deleted, or even reported.
A cold email is the very first step of your sales funnel, not the last, so save the selling for later. Instead look at your emails as a way of getting a person from Point A to Point B so that you can lead them further down your sales funnel. Build trust, credibility, and prove to them that you have true value to offer. If you can do this, you will get the click, and you will get the chance to sell to them when the time is right.
Keep it Short, Keep it Simple
Another fundamental rule of cold email marketing is the fact that you need to keep your messages short. The recipient doesn’t know you and has no reason to give you any of their time. This being the case, respect their time by keeping the email short. Also, if an email is long enough that it looks like it would be a pain to read, then no one is going to read it.
Your CTA should also be simple, and focused. Don’t ask the recipient to watch a video, call you, and/or email you all in the same message. In most cases all you need to do is tell them what they need to do to get more information on what you’re offering. If for some reason they want to contact you, they can use the contact info that should be in your sig at the end of your message. Just remember to load your CTA with value, and use a “do something simple, get something amazing” kind of approach.
If you can follow these guidelines and convince your recipients that you’re offering them something truly useful, then you’ll be successful like the other solopreneurs using email marketing templates. Keep it short, keep it simple, and don’t oversell. Do this and your email campaign will be off to a great start.
Donna Amos is passionate about helping Solopreneurs grow their business using everything digital and publishing. She has 30 years experience in sales and marketing for small business. She believes the best gift you can give another is a word of encouragement.
