Sales Guide: Email Outreach Essentials for Success [with Templates]

Salespeople are the driving force behind many successful organizations, as they are responsible for selling products and services to potential customers. In order to be effective at their job, salespeople need quality sales coaching on how to reach the right people at the right time. This is where email marketing can be incredibly effective, as it allows salespeople to target specific groups of people and develop personalized campaigns to nurture them into making a purchase. With proper sales coaching on segmentation, personalization and developing buyer relationships, salespeople can leverage email to open new doors, engage prospective customers and ultimately drive sales.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing has an average ROI of 3800%, making it one of the most effective forms of marketing available. This is because email marketing allows salespeople to segment their campaigns and tailor them to specific groups of people, increasing their chances of making a sale.

In addition to its high ROI, email marketing is also a cost-effective way to reach potential customers. The average cost of an email campaign is just $0.12 per email, making it a much more affordable option than other forms of advertising.

Furthermore, email marketing can help salespeople turn past customers into loyal customers. By regularly sending personalized and relevant emails, salespeople can nurture their relationships with customers and encourage them to make repeat purchases. This can help increase customer lifetime value, as loyal customers are more likely to make larger purchases and refer their friends and family to the organization.

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Steps to Running an Email Marketing Campaign

Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help salespeople achieve impressive returns on their investments. By using targeted and segmented campaigns, salespeople can attract highly qualified leads and nurture them into sales.

In fact, studies show that email marketing has an average ROI of 3800%, making it one of the most effective forms of marketing available.

However, in order to take advantage of the benefits of email marketing, salespeople need to have the knowledge and skills to develop and execute successful campaigns. This requires a deep understanding of how to create engaging and effective emails, as well as how to segment and target different groups of people.

Fortunately, there are many resources available that can help salespeople learn the ins and outs of email marketing. Online courses, tutorials, and workshops can provide the knowledge and skills needed to develop successful email marketing campaigns.

By investing in this training, salespeople can position themselves for success and achieve impressive returns on their investments.

So we're going to take a look at what's needed to create a successful email outreach campaign. 

Let's dive in. 

Build a Targeted List of Subscribers

In order to run successful email marketing campaigns, it's important to have a targeted list of subscribers who are interested in your products or services. This means taking the time to build a list of people who are likely to be interested in what you have to offer, rather than sending your messages to a broad and uninterested audience.

One effective way to build a targeted list of email subscribers is to use popup forms on your blog posts or website. These forms can be promoted on social media and through pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to attract visitors who are interested in your content.

Once they fill out the form and subscribe to your newsletter, they can be segmented into different groups based on their interests and needs, so that they receive content that is tailored to their specific interests.

By building a targeted list of email subscribers, you can ensure that your messages are seen by people who are interested in what you have to offer, increasing the chances that your campaigns will be successful.

This can help you generate more leads and sales, and ultimately drive better results for your organization.

Clarify Your Email Marketing Goals

In order to increase sales and improve your return on investment, it's important to set clear goals and milestones for your email marketing campaigns. By defining your goals, you can create campaigns that are focused and effective, and track their success over time.

Some common goals for email marketing campaigns include increasing engagement with your content or business, nurturing current subscribers into customers, segmenting your email list to make your emails more targeted, re-engaging inactive subscribers, and upselling products or services to existing customers.

And this brings us to S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

One effective way to set goals for your email marketing campaigns is to use the S.M.A.R.T. framework. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound, and it can help you create goals that are clear, achievable, and effective.

For example, a S.M.A.R.T. goal for an email marketing campaign might be "to increase the number of email subscribers by 10% over the next three months by offering a free e-book in exchange for signing up for our newsletter." This goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound, and it provides a clear direction for your campaign.

Once you have identified the end goals for your email marketing campaign, the next step is to turn these goals into S.M.A.R.T. goals. This means making sure that your goals are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

For example, let's say your goal is to build readership for your blog and increase the size of your email list. These goals are reasonable and easy to track using tools like Google Analytics. However, in order to turn them into S.M.A.R.T. goals, you need to be more specific.

• A specific goal might be "to increase the number of blog readers by 10% over the next three months by promoting our content on social media and through our email newsletter." This goal is clear and specific, and it provides a clear direction for your campaign.
• A measurable goal might be "to increase the size of our email list by 20% over the next six months by offering a free e-book in exchange for signing up for our newsletter." This goal is easy to measure, as you can track the number of new subscribers who sign up for your newsletter.
• An actionable goal might be "to re-engage inactive subscribers by sending them a series of emails with personalized content and special offers." This goal is actionable, as it provides a clear plan of action for how to reach your goal.
• A realistic goal might be "to increase sales by 5% over the next year by sending targeted and segmented email campaigns to our most engaged subscribers." This goal is realistic, as it takes into account your current situation and the resources you have available.
• A time-bound goal might be "to increase the open rate of our email campaigns by 10% over the next quarter by testing different subject lines and email formats." This goal has a specific time frame, which helps you to stay on track and meet your deadlines.

By setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for your email marketing campaigns, you can improve your chances of success and drive better results for your organization.

Quick note: If you want to boost your list of email subscribers, you'll need to implement other forms of marketing to drive visitors to the sign-up form. For example, blog writing, lead magnets, and social media promotion. 

Also, this is an excellent time to determine who's going to be responsible for content creation, editing, formatting, and overall email marketing strategy planning and execution.

Identify the Different Email Types

Identify Your Audience

In order to create effective email marketing campaigns, it's important to identify your audience and understand their needs and interests. This will help you to create targeted and personalized emails that resonate with your subscribers.

To learn about your audience, you can use tools like Facebook Insights and Google Analytics, which provide valuable data on:

• Location
• Interests
• Demographics
• Other key metrics

By using this data, you can see who is visiting your website and showing interest in your business, and use this information to create targeted and effective emails.

By identifying your audience and understanding their needs and interests, you can create email marketing campaigns that are effective and drive better results for your organization.

Implement Email Automation 

One way to make your email marketing campaigns more effective and efficient is to implement email automation. This means using tools and software that can help you pre-schedule your emails and automate part of the process, so that you can focus on creating high-quality content without worrying about the distribution.

When it comes to choosing an email outreach tool, there are a few key features to look for. For example, you want a tool that integrates with the software you already use, such as WordPress. You also want a tool that is user-friendly, with easy-to-use campaign setup and automation features like sales email templates and workflows.

In addition, it's important to choose a tool that offers different methods for segmenting your audience, so that you can create targeted and personalized emails. Finally, you want a tool that provides in-depth analytics to show you how your campaigns are performing, so that you can make adjustments and improve your results over time.

By implementing email automation and choosing the right tools and software, you can make your email marketing campaigns more effective and efficient, and drive better results for your organization.

Create Compelling Opt-Ins

An opt-in is the offer you make in your popup window or form to get website visitors to sign up. To get more people to subscribe, you need compelling opt-ins. 

To create compelling opt-ins, consider the following:

• Focus on your headline and copy. The subject of the ad should draw attention and be relevant to the visitor's interests. For example, if they are interested in losing weight, a headline like "Learn How to Lose 10 lbs in 4 Weeks!" can be effective.
• Keep the form simple and easy to fill out. Most opt-in forms only ask for a name and email address. If you need more information to segment your campaign, consider asking for additional details like the visitor's desired weight loss goal, gender, and age. Just keep it to a limit and make these fields optional.
• Showcase your opt-ins in an effective way. Consider using welcome gates, lightbox popups, and exit-intent popups to grab the visitor's attention and offer them a freebie.

Overall, the key is to make your opt-ins compelling and easy to sign up for, without overwhelming the visitor with too many questions. By focusing on relevant, attention-grabbing headlines and simple forms, you can increase the number of website visitors who subscribe to your newsletter or email list.

Create an Email Sequence and Follow-ups

It's essential to have a strategy for the flow of emails your subscribers will receive. If the idea is to nurture them, then you want a sequence that isn't too salesly in the beginning. 

Design the Look of Your Email Marketing

To create effective and engaging email marketing campaigns, it's important to consider the layout and formatting of your emails. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Use clear and concise headings and subheadings to organize your content and make it easy to scan.
• Use bullet points and numbered lists to break up large blocks of text and make your emails more readable.
• Use font sizes, colors, and styles to highlight important information and draw attention to your calls to action.
• Use images, videos, and other visual elements to add interest and engage your readers. Just be sure to use high-quality images that are optimized for email, and avoid using too many images, as this can slow down the loading time of your emails.

In addition to the design and layout of your emails, it's important to consider the technical aspects of your email marketing campaigns. Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly and responsive so they look great on any device. And be sure to test your emails before sending them to ensure that they display correctly and that all links and buttons are working properly. By considering these factors, you can create email marketing campaigns that are effective and engaging.

Experiment, Experiment, Experiment

How to Use Email Outreach in Your Sales Strategy

Now, you'll find that planning an email outreach campaign is similar to email marketing campaigns. The only difference is that you're communicating with one person versus hundreds (or even thousands). 

To use email outreach as part of your sales strategy, it's important to follow a few key steps. These include identifying your goals, finding your prospects, learning email compliance measures, creating a compelling email, and tracking and analyzing your results. By following these steps, you can create an effective email outreach process that helps you achieve your sales goals.

To use email outreach as part of your sales strategy, follow these steps:

1. Identify your goals. What are you hoping to achieve with your email outreach campaign? Are you looking to prospect, close deals, or increase brand awareness? Your goals will determine how you approach your email outreach, as well as which metrics to monitor.
2. Find your prospects. There are many ways to find potential customers for your product or service. You can search online, attend networking events, use inbound marketing, or obtain referrals. Identify the methods that are most effective for your company, and create a list of potential customers, including their contact name, company, and email address.
3. Learn email compliance measures. To ensure that your emails are delivered and not marked as spam, it's important to follow best practices and avoid breaking any CAN-SPAM regulations. You can create an email address on a different domain, create an SPF record to verify IP addresses that can send emails from your domain, and create a DKIM record to ensure that your emails are authenticated.
4. Create a compelling email. To convert your prospects into customers, you need to create an email that is engaging and persuasive. Start with a compelling subject line that grabs their attention, and use a friendly and professional tone in your email. Include a clear call to action, and make it easy for them to take the next step.
5. Track and analyze your results. To improve the performance of your email outreach campaign, you need to track and analyze your results. Monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.

Begin Writing Your Emails

Alright, you have your list of prospects and guidelines, so you don't end up marked as spam. Now, it's time to craft your emails. 

Don't overanalyze the process -- keep it simple. Let's start at the top. 

How to Write Subjects and Snippets

When writing subjects and snippets for your email outreach campaign, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, keep your subjects short and sweet, using no more than five or six words.

This will help them stand out from the other emails in your prospect's inbox. Second, make your subjects personal by using the prospect's name or company name or the name of the person who referred them to you.

Finally, avoid appearing spammy by avoiding all caps, spammy offers, and incomplete sentences. Instead, make your subjects casual and friendly, like you're writing to a friend. 

How to Write the Email Body

When writing the body of your email for your email outreach campaign, it's important to focus on the prospect and their needs. Start by introducing yourself and your company, and then move on to discuss how your product or service can benefit the prospect.

Use hard-hitting facts or statistics, social proof, and a strong value proposition to capture their interest, and then finish with a clear call to action. Be sure to proofread your email before sending it, and include your contact information in the signature so the prospect knows how to get in touch with you.

Create Your Email Sequence

You click send, and you're all done -- right? Not even close. Before you click send, you should have your email sequence plan in place. 

In other words, you need to have follow-up emails and a schedule for delivery. 

Fortunately, you don't have to do this manually. Instead, you can use tools to automate the process. 

Now, the idea is to make your initial follow-up emails close together. Your schedule may look a little something like this:

• Day 1: Initial email to the prospect
• Day 3: Connect on social media (optional)
• Day 4: Send first follow-up email
• Day 7: Give them a call (optional)
• Day 11: Send second follow-up email
• Day 15: Engage with their social media posts (comment, like, share)
• Day 21: Send third follow-up email

Now, you don't have to end it here if you haven't succeeded in getting a response. Try sending follow-up emails once per month (you don't want to come off as pushy or annoying). 

It doesn't have to be on the exact same day (better if it isn't, so it's more natural). 

As for the best time of day -- it's good to experiment. However, some sources will say Tuesday mornings and early afternoons are best. So try somewhere between 10 am and 4 pm. Avoid 12 pm to 1 pm because that's when most people are on lunch break. 

Don't Forget to Test and Track Results

Now, you don't want to set and forget your email outreach campaign. It's essential to continually test your campaign and track the results. 

Otherwise, you risk running campaign after campaign without any favorable results. So what is it you should be looking for?

Let's review:

• Delivery rates: high rates show your emails are making it into prospects' inboxes. Otherwise, you need to verify emails better.
• Open and click-through rates: indicates a strong (or weak) subject line and whether your send time/day is optimal. 
• Conversion rates: most important metric (signup, purchase, call, etc.)

You'll need to wait until the conclusion of your email outreach campaign to measure its effectiveness. Take notes and tweak future campaigns so they can improve. 

Now, how do you go about writing these cold emails? Let's take a look.

The Best Sales Email Templates

The best way to learn how to write sales emails is to look at examples. But before we dive into those, let's go over the elements that every email should contain:

• Opening line
• Offer line
• Closing line
• Signature line

You'll see how to write them in the example email templates below.

AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)

This template is the traditional form of copywriting, which consists of capturing the attention, inciting interest, creating desire, and compelling action. 

Here's a look at a template using this format. 

Hey, {Name}

Would you be able to handle 30 extra leads per week?

The reason I ask is that my team of consultants is seeing drastic results with clients in {their industry}, in just two sessions. 

Does this sound like something you'd be interested in trying? Then let's talk next Monday at 3 pm. Will this work for you?

Look forward to your reply, 

{Your Name}

The Giver

In this template, we're going to focus on offering something of value right off the bat. For example, a book recommendation or link to a relevant article (such as from your blog). 

The topic of your email should, of course, match the resource you're providing. And the idea is to teach them something useful. 

You'll also find it's easy to follow up after this email (i.e., did you get a chance to read XYZ? How was it?). 

Here's the template:

Hi {Name},

I'm currently researching {their profession or industry} and found (relevant pain point) is a top concern in the market. Is this true for you?

If so, I came across this {piece of content} that may be useful to you. It discusses the origination of (pain point) and how experts (in their industry) are overcoming it. 

I've also found other valuable content during my research. Are you interested in talking about it over coffee Wednesday?

Talk to you soon, 

{Your Name}

The Referral (or Friend of a Friend)

When you mention the name of a mutual friend, it makes it easier to get your foot in the door. And that's what makes this template effective. 

You're being vouched for by someone they know (and hopefully, trust). So, make sure to include the referrer's name in the subject line.

Here's how the template looks:

Hi {Name},

I was having lunch with (mutual friend's name), and she told me you were searching for a way to {achieve specific goal} -- and as it turns out, my company specializes in {goal to be achieved}. 

She thought it'd be a great idea for us to connect since I recently helped {satisfied customer} improve their {goal-related metric} using our {service/product}. 

If you're up to it, we can discuss this more on a short call on Tuesday at 10:30 am. 

Sincerely, 

{Your Name} 

Building Rapport

There's nothing worse than cold-calling prospects. It's awkward and doesn't always end well. So, to help make your first call a success, you can build rapport with a cold email. 

Plus, it's an excellent icebreaker and conversation starter. Here's the template:

Hey {Name}, 

I see you're also a member of {Group Name} on LinkedIn and that you recently opened a Miami office. Since you're local now, I wanted to see if you'd be interested in meeting up at the upcoming {Group Name a} event in Miami this November. 

A fellow member of our group will be a keynote speaker -- he's well-known in the B2B marketing company. The conference is being held Nov. 15th in Orlando. Is it alright if I send you a registration form?

Kind Regards, 

{Your Name}

Promoting Action

If you've already reached out to a prospect and haven't heard back, you can follow up with an email prompting action. Ideally, you'd send this after several attempts to connect. 

You can use this email to find out if they're simply ignoring you or are too busy. 

Here's a followup email template:

Hi {Name}, 

I tried reaching out to you several times over the past month, and I know it can mean one of two things:

1. This isn't a priority for your company right now, or
2. You've been too busy to connect but would like to

If #1 is you, then let me know, and I won't take up any more of your time. If it's #2, then would sometime this week be a good time to connect?

Best regards,

{Your Name}

Tools and Resources for Email Marketing

It takes the right recipe to develop and execute a successful email marketing campaign. The necessary ingredients are one-part research, one-part writing, and one-part tools. 

We've already covered the research and writing portions, so let's dive into the email marketing tools and resources to check out. 

The Hemmingway App

This isn't an ordinary spell-checking application. You can plug it into your emails and get instant feedback about things, such as:

• Hard-to-read sentences
• Passive voice
• Wordy sentences
• Complicated phrases

Ideally, you want your readability score to be somewhere around 6th to 8th grade. This way, anyone can understand it.

It'll also help you to detect jargon. It's best to avoid using industry talk because it may go over your prospects' heads. No one likes to read content they can't grasp. 

Grammarly

Then to further assist with proofreading, you can use the Grammarly browser plugin. This too checks for similar issues, but goes a step further by checking for:

• Audience (general, knowledgeable, expert)
• Tone (Neutral, confident, friendly, analytical, etc.)
• Formality (formal, informal, neutral)
• Domain (academic, business, general, technical, casual, creative)
• Intent (inform, describe, tell a story, convince)

The settings you select will depend on the prospect (or segment) you're emailing and your intentions. 

It's better to go with the premium version so you can get access to its full set of features. 

MailChimp

Here's a popular email marketing tool used to automate campaigns. You can use it for everything, including:

• Creating signup forms
• Sending emails manually or on schedule
• Engaging with readers
• Collecting stats
• Subject line research
• Tracking email interactions
• Building new contacts

You can design your campaign however you like by adding images, logos, and video content. It also manages your unsubscription requests. 

Aweber

This is another email campaign tool that assists with building and adding to your list of subscribers. It's designed to help you engage with your audience at the right time. 

Some of the features it comes with allow you to:

• Import contacts
• Craft emails
• Preview email drafts
• Send emails
• Segment your lists
• Create reports
• Integrate with other tools
• Develop auto-responders

Cakemail

This tool is ideal for the salesperson who doesn't want an overly in-depth tool. It's an easy platform to work with.

Select your template design, create your message, and send the emails to your list of contacts. 

Then it comes with added features like spam assassin, campaign analysis tools, and A/B split testing. This way, you can manage your campaign effectively. 

Omnisend

If you're in a small or medium e-commerce business, then Omnisend is an excellent choice. It's a sophisticated marketing platform you can integrate with your other communication platforms. 

This way, you see everything in one place. 

In the free plan, you only get email. But that should be fine to get your campaign going. You can automate the process -- for example, you can send emails based on behavioral triggers. Plus, you can time your emails so they arrive when it's most convenient for your audience. 

The platform comes with simple design tools to make your newsletters attractive. Then, there are time-saving features, such as the Product Picker, which enables you to choose items to add to your emails. 

Then, to make your emails more engaging, you can add scratch cards, gift boxes, and discount coupon codes.

Jumpstart Your Email Outreach Campaign

To make sure your email marketing campaign is successful, it's important to have a well-thought-out strategy and to write effective emails. This includes focusing on the prospect and their needs, using strong subject lines and snippets, and including a clear call to action in the body of the email.

Tools like Hunter.io, Voila Norbert, and Clearbit can help streamline the process. If you need additional help, consider enlisting the services of a professional email marketing team like gardenpatch. We can provide expert analysis and assistance to ensure your campaign exceeds your expectations. Contact us today to get started!

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