Can you automate cold emails?

Whatever it is that you're doing, one thing's for sure: if you want to succeed at this new gig and grow your career as fast as possible, you'll need some kind of automation tool. You might be thinking about starting your own business or making a move from the corporate world into freelancing or even becoming self-employed. Whatever it is that you're doing, one thing's for sure: if you want to succeed at this new gig and grow your career as fast as possible, you'll need some kind of automation tool.

Automation tools allow us to make our lives simpler by taking on tedious tasks. They also help us save time so we can focus more on other things like working on our businesses. When we use these tools, they take care of all those little details while we sit back and relax. But let's face it - automating certain processes isn't always easy -- especially when it comes to sending out emails. If you've never tried to automate your cold emailing process before, then rest assured there are ways around this obstacle. So here we'll show you just how simple it is to get started. Let's go over everything you should know about using automation tools for cold email.

Can you send automated emails in Gmail?

When first setting up your automation tool, it's important that you understand which features work well within each program. Here's a quick rundown on the main programs available on the market today:

MailChimp

Yesware

KlentySoft

PersistIQ

SmartReach

EmailOctopus

If you haven't already heard of MailChimp (or any of its competitors), it's very likely because most companies don't offer a free version anymore. That being said, you still have options. For example, you could try SmartReach instead. However, both MailChimp and SmartReach require users to buy credits every month to keep their inboxes full. While this may not sound bad per se, it does add extra costs to your bottom line. Plus, depending on how much money you spend per month, you won't actually see results until months later. That means you have to pay for something you don't yet receive anything valuable in return. With that being said, let's look at how you can start sending automated emails in Gmail.

How do I set up an automated email?

Before you can create an automated email campaign, you must first install a plugin inside your email client. Most clients come with plugins preinstalled but if yours doesn't, you can download them easily through Google Chrome. Once installed, click Tools " Extensions  and search for Automated Email Plugin. After installing the extension, open your email account once again and click the plus sign next to the Plugins tab. From there, select Add Extension. Next, enter a name for your plug-in (I suggest calling mine "Automatic Emails") and choose whether or not you'd like to enable notifications. This allows you to know whenever someone opens your message and sends it to your recipients. It's a great way to ensure your messages reach the right people without having to manually check your inbox.

After clicking Enable, click Save Changes to complete the installation. Now, you're ready to begin creating automated emails! Follow along below for step-by-step instructions.

Can you automate an Outlook email?

Outlook has become the standard email service used by many professionals. Even though it hasn't been updated since 2013, it remains popular among marketers who prefer Microsoft products. As such, it makes sense to find tools that support Outlook rather than ones designed specifically for Gmail or webmail services. Luckily, there are several apps that can accomplish this task.

The two most prominent examples are Automation Anywhere and Sendoutdlyr. The former automatically creates personalized messages based on data stored in your contacts' profiles, whereas the latter uses advanced AI technology to deliver messages directly to specific individuals. Both services provide similar functionality, allowing you to schedule automatic replies, auto responders, follow ups, and reminders.

However, neither app fully supports Outlook 365, meaning you'll only be able to access basic functions via desktop versions. Fortunately, there are plenty of third party tools that can bridge this gap. One good option is SendOwl, which offers robust scheduling capabilities and works seamlessly with Outlook.

Once downloaded, simply launch the application and log in with your credentials. Select Create New Campaigns under My Projects and click +Add Campaign. On the next screen, type Subject Line & Message in the text box provided. Then, hit Schedule Date/Time and pick the day you would like to send the email. Finally, input Recipients and add in your desired contact information. Click OK and enjoy!

How are automated emails sent?

Now that you know the basics behind automated emails, you can finally learn why they're useful and how you can integrate them into your workflow. Before moving forward, however, it's important to note that different methods vary greatly regarding efficiency. Some tools allow you to send mass emails, while others prioritize personal touches. In order to determine which method is better suited for your needs, consider the following factors:

Number of leads generated

Target audience size

Cost of implementation

Whether or not you'll need to maintain the system yourself

With that being said, you now know how to create an automated email campaign using either MailChimp, SmartReach, or another service provider. Whether you choose to use one of the aforementioned providers or build your own custom solution, remember to implement the following tips:

Keep your subject lines short and sweet. Don't worry too much about grammar or spelling errors, unless it becomes distracting.

Use bullet points to break down long blocks of content.

Avoid copying and pasting entire paragraphs onto your campaigns. Instead, summarize key ideas and highlight relevant facts.

Don't forget to include call-to-actions. These are buttons that prompt recipients to act upon your message. Examples include signing up for a newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, or requesting further clarification.

Include links where applicable. Links give readers the opportunity to dig deeper into topics discussed.

Lastly, test your campaigns thoroughly. Most importantly, measure the number of leads generated. Not only does this tell you whether or not your efforts were successful, but it also gives you insight into which strategy was most effective.

There you have it! Hopefully, after reading this article, you learned enough about cold email automation and created a plan for implementing your own strategy. Good luck!

For additional resources, check out:

Best Cold Email Software 2019

Cold Email Marketing Guide: How To Find Prospects And Close Sales Online

10 Best Cold Email Templates for Every Industry

7 Steps to Creating Your Own Cold Email Template

If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner, chances are good that at some point during the day you've received an email from someone -- whether it's your client, boss, friend or family member asking if they could buy something from you.

It may not be easy to get back to them, but if done right, this can lead to sales and new clients. It might also help build relationships with people who already know you, which opens up opportunities to grow into more than just a single sale.

One of the most effective ways to connect with potential customers is through sending out personalized emails. But unless you're using one of the many tools available online (like MailChimp), there's no way to ensure every message gets read by its intended recipient. And even after setting up a template, you'll still need to spend time crafting each message individually. 

So we asked ourselves, "can you automate cold email?" The answer is yes, and here's why...

How do you email a cold?

Cold email is defined as any email sent without prior contact between sender and receiver. While cold emails aren't necessarily less personal than other types of messages, they tend to lack warmth and personality. They're usually focused on selling, rather than building rapport. If you were to use cold emailing to reach out to a friend about a topic unrelated to their interests, would you feel comfortable doing so? Probably not.

So while cold emailing does include all those elements of regular emailing, it lacks emotional cues like tone, body language, eye contact, etc. Instead, cold emails focus on content alone -- making sure everything conveys the same information, regardless of whom you're writing to.

This makes cold email ideal when trying to sell products or services, since it allows you to quickly convey the benefits of whatever product or service you're offering. In fact, according to Hubspot, 80% of respondents said they'd prefer to receive cold e-mails over warm ones.

In addition to being quick to write and efficient to deliver, automated cold email has several unique advantages:

You don't have to worry about having a bad response rate because you won't waste time responding to uninterested prospects.

You can target specific audiences based on criteria such as geographic location, age range, gender, education level, income bracket, job title, company size, etc. This helps you avoid wasting time and money on irrelevant leads.

Your list of contacts grows automatically, allowing you to increase revenue faster.

And finally, once you start receiving replies, you can reply directly to anyone on your list, instead of having to wait until you manually review your responses.

Now that you understand how cold email works, let's talk about why you should consider automating cold email outreach.

What is cold email for business?

While cold email is primarily used to market yourself and offer products and services, it can also be used to introduce others to your brand. For example, if you own a clothing store, you can leverage cold email to promote your latest fashion trends. Or if you run a restaurant, you can share tips on how to make your food taste better, or provide helpful advice on eating healthy.

Or maybe you work in customer support and want to give prospective buyers useful feedback before investing in a particular solution. Maybe you work in HR and want to inform employees about upcoming training classes. Whatever the case, cold email can be used to spread awareness about your brand, create credibility and engage individuals interested in learning more about your offerings.

That's why cold email is often referred to as B2B marketing. Because unlike traditional advertising, where companies rely heavily on paid media campaigns to push specific offers to consumers, cold email reaches businesses directly.

For example, I recently reached out via cold email to my first employer, a nonprofit organization located in Washington D.C.. After reading our pitch, I was invited to participate in a webinar hosted by the organization. During this event, I learned about their initiatives and got introduced to different members within the group. All I had to do was show up.

Yes, cold email takes some effort upfront, but it pays off big time. As mentioned above, it gives you access to a targeted audience. Unlike traditional methods of reaching out to people, your cold email recipients haven't been filtered by a third party into groups based on demographics or interest. So you can effectively communicate with whoever wants to hear what you have to say.

And while these days it seems like everyone uses automation platforms like SmartReach to manage their lists, cold email doesn't require anything special. Most popular platforms allow you to add your email address to a file, then download it later whenever you want. That means you can set up automation rules that trigger emails to go out automatically depending on certain conditions, like number of subscribers or total amount spent.

Is email marketing going away?

Email marketing isn't dying anytime soon. According to the Email Marketing Benchmark Report 2018, 63% of marketers plan to continue using email as part of their overall strategy. However, the outlook looks bleak when compared to years past. The report states that only 15% of respondents expect to see growth in 2020, down from 27% last year.

Still, despite declining numbers, email remains one of the most cost-effective forms of digital advertising. A study conducted in 2017 found that direct email costs around $1 per subscriber, whereas social networks and search engines charge upwards of five times as much.

Another reason email continues to thrive is due to its ability to drive conversions. For example, studies have shown that emails containing links that take users to landing pages result in higher clickthrough rates than text-only emails. Also, emails with images and videos outperform plaintext emails and links.

But perhaps the biggest advantage of email is that it's built to stay relevant. People check their inboxes regularly throughout the day, meaning you have multiple chances to capture attention and encourage engagement.

On average, consumers open approximately 4.5 pieces of unsolicited communication daily. It's clear that email is an important tool for growing your network, expanding your influence and increasing revenues.

However, it's worth noting that email is no longer a replacement for face-to-face interactions. Socializing offline creates deeper connections that translate into greater trust and confidence among peers. These factors can ultimately boost a person's perception of value, leading to increased willingness to pay.

Does email marketing have future?

Even though the industry appears to be stagnating, experts predict that email will remain vital for brands looking to expand their reach. One reason is that, unlike social media, email requires little effort on behalf of the user. Another factor driving its continued success is the sheer volume of data collected by organizations across industries.

The Email Marketing Benchmark Report indicates that 92% of people actively use email newsletters, and 90% believe that email marketing provides high ROI. Although the latter statistic is a bit misleading, considering that nearly half of people surveyed never opened their newsletter, these figures indicate that email remains highly valuable.

As long as email keeps delivering results, it shouldn't disappear anytime soon. Even if you decide to stop using automation platforms, you can always send manual emails to your existing list in order to keep things simple. Just remember to tailor each message to fit individual preferences and needs.

But what if you want to try something else entirely? What if you want to ditch email altogether and switch to another form of communication? Here are three tried-and-true alternatives to email that will improve productivity, save you time and boost your bottom line.

Chatbots  offer instant messaging solutions that enable real-time conversations between two parties. There are plenty of options to choose from, including Slack bots, Facebook Messenger chatbots, Microsoft Teams bots, Google Assistant and Amazon Echo devices.

Slack Bots are especially convenient, given that they integrate seamlessly with your team's workflow. By adding a bot to your workspace, you can instantly respond to questions, update projects, schedule meetings, and collaborate with colleagues anywhere you have internet connectivity.

Video calls  are another great alternative to email. Thanks to recent advancements in technology, video calling now functions almost identically to texting. With apps like Zoom and Skype, you can hold live video conferences with hundreds of participants simultaneously, all from your phone.

Whether you're meeting with clients or collaborating with coworkers, video calls are a fantastic option for remote teams. Plus, you can easily record sessions and turn them into presentations that showcase your expertise.

Voice assistants  such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana and Google Home make life easier for busy professionals. Rather than typing lengthy texts or sending emails, simply speak commands into your device and watch AI interpret your request.

Once again, voice assistants are particularly well suited for remote workers and freelancers. Using speech recognition technology, you can issue orders to your assistant to perform various tasks, such as scheduling appointments, checking weather forecasts, ordering groceries, etc.

You know the drill. It's time for your next sale. Time to reach out and touch someone on social media or via a phone call. But wait... why are we still talking about this? What if there was an easier way to get more leads without having to spend hours manually sending these messages?

Well my friend, now is the perfect time to start automating all of those emails you're sending right now. And let me tell you why it's so important for you to begin doing so.

First off, most people don't like cold calling (I'm not going to lie). They think it's rude and annoying and they just don't care enough to make a commitment to follow up after the initial contact. So when they see that you've contacted them, their first reaction might be "oh well screw him/her".

But guess what - you don't need to worry because here at Leemlist we actually love cold calls. That's right, we believe that getting in front of prospects as early as possible is one of the keys to success. Why? Because once you're able to connect with people who aren't familiar with you yet, they'll definitely become interested in learning more about your product or service. This is where automation comes into play.

If you use our system correctly, you won't even have to talk to anyone anymore. All you have to do is sit back and watch as new subscribers sign up from every single person you sent an email to. Then you can go ahead and focus on finding ways to convert those prospects into paying customers instead of wasting your time trying to convince them to buy something.

Now, before you automatically assume that cold emails are dead, let me explain. Cold emails work great when used properly but unfortunately many marketers fail to take advantage of them due to lack of knowledge.

So today I'd like to show you how to create automated campaigns using some of the world's top tools including MailChimp, SmartReach, PersistIQ, and much more. The good news is that everything you're going to learn will only require around 30 minutes of your time per week. After that, you'll never have to deal with cold emails again. Well, unless you decide to change careers and join us in becoming a copywriter. In which case you could always write cold emails yourself. Ha ha, pun intended ;)

How do I legally send cold emails?

While it may seem obvious that sending unsolicited emails isn't legal, there are certain laws that govern how you should operate within the United States. First thing you must understand is that spamming is illegal. However, if your message contains any sort of solicitation then it doesn't matter whether you're targeting free users or paid members. If you ever receive a cease & desist letter regarding this issue, simply respond immediately and apologize for violating their terms. Don't give in or continue to violate their policies. Instead, hire a lawyer to help resolve the dispute professionally.

Once you feel comfortable continuing, you'll notice three main types of emails that fall under different categories. These include business-to-business, business-to-consumer, and direct response. Let's discuss each type individually.

Business-to-Consumer Emails

This includes anything you send to a consumer looking for products and services such as eCommerce websites, online stores, digital agencies, etc. Now, before you proceed further, ensure that you meet all FTC guidelines for email marketing. For instance, you cannot promote any specific brand name nor link to any particular website(s) until you obtain permission from the owner. Once you submit your request, the company has 10 days to approve or deny it. Otherwise, you'll face penalties ranging from $16,000 to $110,000 depending on the severity of your offense.

The reason why you need to comply with these regulations is simple - consumers have no idea that they're being spammed. As soon as they open your email, they assume that it's legitimate and so they click through to whatever site you linked in the subject line. This means that you're losing potential revenue while also potentially damaging your reputation with both companies and individuals alike.

However, if you're following the rules and complying with all industry standards, you shouldn't have too much trouble. Just remember that your goal is to offer valuable content to your audience and build relationships along the way.

Business-to-Business Emails

These emails are usually sent between businesses and other organizations. While they often contain advertisements and solicitations, they're still considered part of the B2B market.

Direct Response Emails

Finally, this category consists of emails that target individual consumers directly. Since these emails come from brands themselves, they're generally viewed as trustworthy. Also keep in mind that the FTC does allow direct responses to be sent to consumers provided that they disclose clearly that it's coming from the sender.

For example, if you were selling furniture, you wouldn't necessarily say that you're "from Ikea" would you? No, because that makes it sound like you're impersonating them. Instead, you'd probably state that you're offering discounts to college students or that you're currently running a promotion on clearance items.

In fact, according to the Direct Marketing Association, a total of 94% of Americans received promotional emails last year alone. And since most of those emails came from reputable sources, they didn't cause any harm. Which brings us to another point - you absolutely cannot advertise products or services that are against the law.

How do you automate prospecting?

Automation can be incredibly effective when done correctly. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Create a list of targeted subscribers on your chosen autoresponder platform.

Step 2: Send personalized emails to everyone on your list.

Step 3: Sit back and relax while your contacts subscribe to your mailing list.

Sounds easy, huh? Not really. There are several things that you must consider before proceeding forward. Some include:

Your Email Subject Line

First impressions count. Make sure that your readers recognize that this is an auto-generated email. Avoid long sentences filled with jargon and buzz words that might confuse your reader. Instead, stick to plain English and try to avoid using unnecessary punctuation.

Email Copy

Don't forget to provide value to your recipients. Your message needs to convey confidence and trustworthiness. Always avoid sounding desperate or needy.

Optin Form Design

It may be tempting to skip over the design aspect altogether but if you want your visitors to opt-in quickly, you need to have a compelling form that captures attention instantly. A good rule of thumb is that a minimum of 95% of your copy should consist of headlines.

Auto Responders

Unless you plan on spending hours upon hours writing emails, you need to leverage auto responders. Most platforms allow you to set up multiple templates and customize them to your liking. Simply choose the template that matches your niche and fill it with relevant information.

When setting up your auto-responder, make sure that you add additional features such as tracking codes, landing pages, polls, surveys, lead magnets, etc. Basically, you'll want to make sure that you cover all bases so your subscribers remain engaged throughout the entire process.

How do you automate sales emails?

There are two key parts needed to successfully sell your goods and services online. The first involves building a solid relationship with your customer base. Without this foundation, nothing else matters.

Therefore, it goes without saying that you need to establish rapport with your followers. To achieve this, you'll want to constantly engage with them through likes, shares, comments, retweets, and mentions. Keep in mind that engagement is one of the 5 biggest influencers when it comes to making purchases.

And although creating a successful community takes time, you can greatly accelerate this process by leveraging automation technology. By scheduling tweets and Facebook posts, you can easily share useful tips and tricks among your followers. Additionally, you can schedule videos and articles as well.

Another area worth exploring is drip email marketing. Using this method, you'll gradually introduce your followers to the benefits of your product or service over a period of weeks. Eventually, you'll be able to turn them into loyal fans who will eventually turn into buyers.

What do you mean by cold emails?

Cold emails are emails that are sent uninvited. Usually, you'll find these on listservs or websites, especially ones made specifically for business purposes. Although they may appear to be spammy, they're actually beneficial. Many times, you'll find that they generate higher conversion rates than regular emails.

Because they're highly personal, you'll likely develop better connections with your prospects. Plus, you can test various strategies without having to invest months of research and development. On average, cold emails tend to cost less than traditional methods and therefore yield higher ROI.

In conclusion, cold emails are extremely powerful when leveraged effectively. With the proper training, you can increase your profits exponentially. It's crucial to note that cold emails are NOT dead. Rather, they're merely experiencing a resurgence thanks to modern technologies and advancements.