E-mail prospecting: how to get more returns?

In terms of prospecting, if an email is fast and inexpensive, the study entitled « Email Marketing attitude BtoB 2016 of the Sncd » showed that 43 emails on average arrive in the inbox of a professional, 10 of which are of an advertising nature. It therefore seems difficult to capture his attention given the quantity of messages. Today, we invite you to discover the techniques to write a powerful email, which your recipient will enjoy reading.

A powerful object

Having neat content is an obvious condition, but it’s not enough knowing that in less than four seconds, a person decides whether to read your email, ignore it, or just delete it. Your first goal will be to arouse the interest of your potential readers so that it opens your message. That’s why the subject of the email should attract attention. To prompt the email to be opened, the subject line must formulate a question, create an emotion, evoke a state of emergency, etc.

Please note that each email must have a subject line that is appropriate for its content. The stakes are not the same for a follow-up email and a first contact email, for example.

The subject of a first contact email is trickier to write. In practice, an object in the form of a question attracts more, by including a touch of personalization.

Examples :

  • Daniel, need a new family vehicle?
  • No gift for Christmas yet?
  • Benoît, want competent graphic designers?

A subject with a recommendation emphasizes the credibility of your message. Mentioning a common contact increases your email’s chance of being read. The technique of creating the mystery can also arouse the reader’s curiosity.

For a follow-up email, the goal is to move the prospect forward through the buying process. The prospect is already interested, but they still need a boost. The object must be light, friendly and must respond to a topic discussed in previous exchanges.

The use of the GDPR

Thanks to digitalization, it is possible to acquire and store data about your customers. But the handling of this data is governed by the supranational law (law that goes beyond the boundaries of the States and is not subject to the vote of the Heads of State), adopted in April 2016 and which entered into force on 25 May 2018.It aims to strengthen individual rights for the collection and use of personal data. This is the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR). The use of this data allows a personalization of offers to ensure that they are read and that a return is made. Indeed, a person who has given his consent to receive your messages is more able to react to your solicitations.

The structure of the email

  • The presentation: make a short presentation so that the prospect knows who they are dealing with. It must contain essentially your first and last name, as well as the name of your company (possibly the nature of its activity).
  • The introduction : allude to the problems of your prospects. It has to have an impact. In practice, it can take the form of a question.
  • The proposal : demonstrate how your product can help solve your prospect’s problems.
  • The call to action : it is the realization of your approach. It can initiate dialogue or lead to registration. To do this, you can add links in your email.
  • The signature : it must arouse the desire to interact with you. Recall your mission in one sentence. Always leave the choice on several means of contact (phone, email, social networks, etc.).

The content of the e-mail

It must be short, airy and easily readable on all media (PC, smartphone, …)

  • A single goal: the email should contain a single, concise subject so you don’t lose the reader. The ultimate goal is to call for action : an appointment, an event registration, a contract signing, etc.
  • A work based on customer file: also known as CRM, it allows you to know the personal data of your interlocutor and therefore to adapt your messages to his needs. A prior analysis of your prospects is therefore indicated. This personalization will ensure the relevance of your email. Here, don’t forget to go through the upstream segmentation stage.
  • Interesting content: before pushing to buy and boast products, take an interest in the prospect’s problems, objectives and projects. Offer a free service to solve one of their problems. The goal is to propose solutions related to your company. Also, the content should not only show texts. The visuals will also be useful, because they are very attractive.

Email automation

Automation improves your team’s productivity , especially for follow-up or first contact emails. However, even though the content will be much the same, never forget that you will need to add a custom touch.

There is software that calculates your open, response and responsiveness rates. This will allow you to know the performance of an email and possibly correct the shot.

The revival studied

Setting up reminders is necessary, after giving your interlocutor time to react to your email. A period of seven days is reasonable for this. A second revival can be envisaged. After relaunching several times, without getting any feedback, you can send a break up email (a last chance). The purpose of this email is to know the reasons why the prospect no longer responds. If he answers it, it will help you improve your approach.

The objective in sending a prospecting email is to get an appointment, move forward in the purchase process or complete a transaction. But in any case, it is not a question of passing for spam. For the prospecting email to be effective, its content must be relevant. Personalization is a key to hooking the interlocutor. But continue to send new emails to identify the most effective ones for your target prospect.

Sources
https://fr.slideshare.net/ContactSNCD/etude-ema-email-marketing-attitude-btob-2016-du-sncd
https://www.lafabriquedunet.fr/email-marketing/articles/exemples-emails-prospection/
https://www.technique-de-vente.com/mail-de-prospection-commerciale-5-conseils/
https://blog-fr.orson.io/web-marketing/reussir-mail-prospection
https://uptoo.fr/blog/modeles-demails-de-prospection-b2b-gagnants-a-copier-sans-moderation/

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