Does anyone like being interrupted by unsolicited promotional emails in their inbox? Because that’s what cold emails are—and they’re not the only form of cold marketing. Let’s talk about why we don’t like cold emails and discuss some better alternatives.
Why we don’t like cold emails
- They’re an interruption in a place you don’t want to be interrupted.
- They feel like an invasion of privacy.
- They don’t stop even after being ignored.
- It’s frowned upon by email service providers.
Why do people send cold emails?
- Because it sometimes works (at a large scale)
- Because it’s the easy way out
- Because it’s a brute-force approach
What’s the alternative?
- Permission-based marketing lets people self-select into your marketing funnel.
- This “warms” people up before you hit them with a sales pitch
- Always allow people to unsubscribe and opt-out of the funnel.
- Introductions and networking. We send great leads to a lot of other web companies that are a better fit.
- Proper advertising (Google Ads, TV ads).
- Other digital marketing (SEO, etc).
Why permission marketing is better
- It’s more focused and has higher success rates.
- It takes more time but works by cultivating a relationship.
- People are more willing to talk to you when you provide value to them first.
How to build a permission-based marketing funnel
- Create valuable content (eg. blog posts, podcasts, videos, downloadables)
- Create a place where people can subscribe for updates
- Gate some of the content so people need to provide contact info
- Nurture this list with more value before you ask for the sale
- Create automated email series and newsletters to reel people in
- Don’t forget to occasionally make a strategic ask
