How Personalization Will Make You Have a 900% Higher Email Response Rate
My cold email marketing campaign was blowing up fast. It was ineffective and inefficient, and most of my prospects ignored me.
I was pouring time and money into a strategy where none of my recipients opened, read, or responded to any of my emails. I was constantly being rejected and if I had any sales, they were slow to close.
I realized that I was being lazy and careless. My list quality was poor and the emails were clearly a generic, templated approach that lacked any personal warmth.
Put simply, my failure to properly get to know my audience and personalize emails was killing my marketing campaign.
If I ever wanted to scale my sales, I needed to create a truly personalized message — one that was specific to recipient and channel — that would convert leads into paying customers.
So, I developed a process to accomplish this.
I knew right away that the key to my being successful with a cold email campaign was directly tied to my buyer persona. I would need to develop a deep understanding of my target — knowing what makes them tick and how that is related to the product I am offering. My goal is to let them know exactly how they fit into my solution to their problem.
I targeted 25 leads and used “sequences” in Mixmax to automate a sequenced email drip. The software allows you to write in the stages of your email campaign and then does a great job of splitting the analytics for each stage so you can download on your own for further analysis.
I utilized this to closely monitor my metrics and tracked the percentage of people who replied to my email. Sales, however, is always the most important metric to track so you can determine how many individuals you emailed eventually made a transaction that generated revenue.
I sent well-personalized, highly targeted emails that contained relatable information specific to each intended recipient. The trick was that even though the email was automated, I worked hard to make sure it felt as personal as possible. I collected the standard variables but then went in for a deeper connection, looking for some kind of meaningful interaction I could have with a prospect. My aim is to establish rapport and build trust. I addressed each customer by name, included three personalized messages within the email, crafted a compelling subject line, and included a personal close.
With my approach, I could provide a personal touch at a scale. I was using templated emails but putting in the work to make them more personal.
I tracked my analytics carefully and had to make some minor adjustments, but before I knew it, my metrics had skyrocketed. My average response rate increased to a staggering 81%, of which I had an equally staggering 31% reply rate. This was truly a remarkable improvement.
I followed up with each prospect five times. In the fourth contact, I explain that I thought I would try one more time and the fifth email is my separation email. During that email I work to make one final emotional connection, hoping that it will trigger a response from the prospect.
I was finally standing out against the competition and I was doing it creatively.
Email outreach can be one of the biggest revenue sources for any business. So, the quicker you can get a grasp on your buyer persona and create a personalized message means the quicker you will increase sales and your ability to hit quota.
