Cold Email Marketing has unbeatable advantages as part of a B2B sales strategy: exceptional reach, relatively little time required to prepare and send the mailings, and relatively low financial expenses. As a result, a high ROI (return on investment) can be expected.

We are also in the visual realm, and in contrast to cold calls, the potential customer is already given information in your message, and written information is better received. In addition, the reader can decide when it is the optimal moment for him to open the email. Despite these advantages, there are, of course, rules that should be respected. This article will give an overview and list all the important factors.

The benefits sound tempting, but do you have doubts about their legality or maybe about the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)? Or do you even have the popular dirty four-letter word on the tip of your tongue? …”Spam!”
It is necessary to get some prejudices out of the way. What exactly has to be considered in order to be able to use the enormous advantages of cold emailing without making any legal mistakes?

The most important takeaway is that you must operate within the B2B market. That’s a matter of fact. Do not use personal data, as this is particularly protected by the GDPR. B2C (business-to-consumer) is unfortunately strictly to be avoided. If you are interested in more detailed information, please visit this dedicated Bancomail website page.

Email lists or address databases

The in-house creation of an address database for direct marketing is very common for many companies. Most of the time, marketing results are needed quickly. Acquiring new email subscribers or customers is time-consuming, and in addition, the creation of your own database can be quite costly and therefore out of the question.

A reasonable solution might be to purchase qualified email address lists from reliable and trustworthy sources that fully comply with all legal requirements. With 20 years of experience in databases for marketing and now over 8,000 customers worldwide, Bancomail S.p.A. is definitely one of these ideal services.

Targeted email lists for successful marketing

Using a mailing list that precisely reflects your target group is the only way you can expect to sell your products or services. Otherwise, you will only fall on deaf ears, or, in the worst-case scenario, generate rejection or even frustration on the part of the addressee.

Furthermore, this is also of legal importance because the content of your email must have relevance to the recipient! Meaning that the content of our email has to somehow match its business field.

For example, sending a cold email to a hotel to sell construction equipment does not meet this requirement. Might hotels be interested in mattresses? Yes, absolutely!

What exactly is to be considered when it comes to the content of your first cold email?

No concrete offers should be made during the first contact. Do not send any prices for your products and do not write about special discounts or the like.

Instead, the first email should introduce your company with a first shy contact.
You are allowed to include a well-dimensioned link to your home page or landing page anyway, so don’t miss this opportunity.

If the recipient’s interest is aroused, the decisive step has already been taken. Because now he or she might already be interested in a business contact or in a newsletter. To establish a further and deeper business connection, your first email must offer the DOI (Double Opt-in) function. The recipient sends his email address again to indicate his consent. Since this is a “Double Opt-In” and not the simple “Single Opt-In” variant, he must then confirm again by clicking a link on an email that is sent to him. Once this is confirmed, the email address can be added to the list to be used in future email campaigns. An additional tip: Make the “Opt-In Function” visually appealing and inviting, clearly visible, and also easily accessible. This guarantees higher acceptance and, thus, more positive feedback. At best, this can already be combined with added value, such as a discount code, which would also increase motivation and acceptance.

What else needs to be included in the cold email?

Company details

The company details, which should contain the complete data of your company, in particular a physical address, are extremely important.

This has definitely its purpose because in this way we offer transparency which builds trust, a crucial factor in the sales process.

Opt-Out function

What if the recipient is not interested in further contact with you?
In this case, there must be the possibility of withdrawing the consent of the recipient at any time. This is already given with a simple “Opt-Out” option. If the recipient chooses this option, it must be ensured that he will no longer receive any messages in the future. 

A tip: Make it as easy as possible for the recipient to actually unsubscribe. For example, a clearly visible link or a sufficiently large button is helpful. This also helps to underline your professionality and to prevent resentment or even frustration on the part of the recipient.

Conclusion

After receiving the confirmations with the “Double Opt-In” procedure, the task of cold emailing is fulfilled, because there are practically no more limits for further mailings and newsletters. You can now inform your contacts about products, services, prices, or even special offers. Of course, never forget to give the possibility of “opting out”.