In the modern marketing space, there are countless strategies at your disposal. But when it comes to direct communication with potential customers or clients, the debate often boils down to email marketing vs cold email. Although they both utilize the same medium, the approach, purpose, and techniques can vary dramatically. This article aims to dissect these two strategies, highlighting their differences, benefits, and most effective use cases.
The Fundamentals: Cold Email vs Email Marketing
Email marketing strategies are a comprehensive approach that transforms prospects into paying customers and first-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers. On the flip side, cold email is a subset of email marketing. While cold emails are primarily used to connect with potential clients, email marketing extends efforts to build brand awareness, trust, and loyalty, regardless if the recipients are prospective or current customers.
Recognizing the difference between cold email and email marketing is crucial to effectively leverage these strategies for your business needs.
Distinguishing Cold Email and Email Marketing with Real-world Examples
One of the main factors distinguishing cold emails from marketing emails is the nature of the recipient. Cold emails are sent to potential clients that you’ve identified and chosen online, whereas email marketing targets a list of existing subscribers.
Let’s illustrate this with an example:
A cold email might look something like this:
Subject: Exciting Opportunity to Improve Your Business Operations
Hello [Recipient’s Name],
I recently came across your company, XYZ, and was impressed by your dedication to providing high-quality services…
An email marketing message, on the other hand, could look something like this:
Subject: Don’t Miss Out On Our New Collection!
Hello [Recipient’s Name],
As one of our valued customers, we’re excited to give you an exclusive first look at our new collection…
Advantages of Cold Email & Email Marketing
The potential return on investment (ROI) of email marketing is an astonishing 4200%, equating to $42 for every $1 you invest. As for cold emails, 78% of decision-makers have reported that a well-structured cold email can successfully schedule a meeting or initiate a conversation.
Let’s delve into the unique benefits each strategy offers:
Benefits of Marketing Email
- It fosters trust between contacts and businesses by maintaining regular communication, fostering a sense of connection with the brand.
- It provides insights into the engagement level of recipients with your product or service.
- It aids in moving qualified leads down the funnel into sales qualified leads.
- It can convert leads into paying customers.
Benefits of Cold Emails
- It broadens your business reach. This reach isn’t limited to potential clients – you can use cold emails even for recruiting affiliate marketers or reaching potential employees.
- It aids in building email lists.
- It brings prospects into the sales funnel, initiating the sales cycle.
- It can convert prospects using rival solutions.
Recipients of Cold Email & Marketing Email
Marketing emails target audiences who have already shown interest in your product/service and have agreed to receive emails from you. In contrast, cold emails are sent from a business to prospective customers with whom they’ve had no prior contact. These emails aim to raise awareness about your product or service, leading to lead generation and subsequent sales.
Purpose of Cold Email & Email Marketing
In essence, marketing emails aim to redirect the recipients to another platform, such as a blog, website, PDF, or podcast. The goal is to maintain contact with subscribers by providing valuable information.
Contrarily, cold emails aim to initiate a B2B conversation that can result in a business deal or a long-term business relationship. The goal of a cold email is to get a response, initiating a dialogue that can eventually lead to sales.
Level of Personalization in Cold Email & Marketing Email
The level of personalization is a significant factor in drafting a cold email. Businesses need to conduct thorough research to create a list of prospects and then draft emails that convey a genuine interest in the recipient.
Marketing emails, on the other hand, require high-quality content in the email copy. Subscribers have high expectations since they’ve chosen to receive your emails. Therefore, these emails must contain some degree of personalization.
Forms of Cold Email & Marketing Email
Marketing emails usually feature the brand’s logo, vibrant fonts, colors, images, and clickable buttons. However, cold emails are generally straightforward text emails, designed to resemble one-on-one emails that one might receive from friends or family.
Sending Volume of Cold Emailing & Email Marketing
While building lists for cold email campaigns, businesses usually aim for a smaller, more targeted list. This is mainly due to the personalized nature of cold emails. In contrast, email marketing campaigns can involve sending thousands of emails simultaneously to an extensive list of subscribers.
Sending Frequency of Cold Email & Marketing Email
The frequency of email sending can significantly differ between cold email and email marketing. Cold emails, being unexpected from the recipient’s perspective, should be sent less frequently. On the other hand, marketing emails should be sent regularly to keep the brand at the forefront of the subscribers’ minds.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Like any strategy, there are pitfalls to avoid when it comes to both cold emailing and email marketing. Avoiding these common mistakes can significantly increase the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
Cold Email – Common Mistakes
- Focusing on product features instead of benefits.
- Neglecting to include a Call-to-Action (CTA).
- Not warming up email accounts and optimizing deliverability.
- Drafting a lengthy email body.
- Failing to include a ‘from’ name.
Email Marketing – Common Mistakes
- Overloading the email with graphics and photos.
- Failing to maintain regular contact.
- Not properly segmenting lists.
- Neglecting to track campaigns.
Why You Should Not Use Email Marketing Tools for Cold Emailing?
Using email marketing tools for cold emailing can lead to several problems, such as getting your account blacklisted or your emails ending up in the the spam folder or never making it into the inbox at all. It’s also essential to note that sending cold emails is typically against the policies of many email marketing tools.
Use Instantly.ai for Cold Emailing
Instantly is an automated cold outreach tool that can significantly enhance your cold emailing campaign. It automates the sending of your emails mimicking human behavior, improving your sender reputation and deliverability, and allows easy personalization at scale.
Tools for Cold Emailing & Email Marketing
There are several tools available that can streamline your cold emailing and email marketing efforts.
Cold Email Outreach Tools
- Instantly
- Close
- Outreach
- ReachInbox
Email Marketing Tools
- Mailchimp
- ActiveCampaign
- Sendinblue
- Hubspot
- Keap
Start Making The Most Of Cold Emailing And Email Marketing!
While they may appear similar at first glance, the strategies of email marketing and cold emailing serve distinct purposes and have unique benefits. Understanding the differences between them can help you leverage these tactics effectively to boost your marketing efforts.
Funnelbug can help you with all your email needs. Book a call with us today and we can help you determine if cold email or email marketing or both are right for you.
FAQs
1. What is the purpose of cold emailing?
The primary purpose of cold emailing is to initiate a B2B conversation that can result in a business deal or long-term relationship.
2. What is the purpose of email marketing?
The purpose of email marketing is to redirect the recipients to another platform, such as a blog, website, PDF, or podcast, by providing valuable information.
3. Which is better: cold email or email marketing?
The choice between cold email and email marketing depends on your specific business needs and goals. While cold emails are used to connect with potential clients, email marketing extends efforts to build brand awareness, trust, and loyalty.