[The Start] Emailing leads

[copylover]

Hey Everyone

including @Franklin , @WordyWordpecker, @TheWauchulin, and @SARubin .

I have some questions before I start my copywriting again which has been bothering me.

How many of you buy B2B, B2C lead lists is it worth it? If you don't buy list's how do you find leads? Ads? What do you guys prefer

From my last post and the first attempt I made for my copy if the prospect has limited time to view your email(because they have 1000 other things that demand their attention and not just my email) how do you provide proof of what you are selling? I doubt if you had a case study they wouldn't read it right off the bat right?

Out of hundreds of emails your potential customer receives you only have the subject line and snippet of the body, how do you connect with the lead/potential customer on their propensities and likes?

For any of you who use email tracking software to monitor opens, in your experience the ones who keep opening your emails why do they keep reading and not take the CTA(Call to Action)? Have I not "connected with them enough"?

Thank you as always.

[SARubin]

Whoa, slow down there brother. You're asking a whole lot of questions all at once

I admire your ambition and your desire to hit the ground running.
But let's back up a step...


Based on your post here, is it safe to assume you're either doing, or are interested in, some sort of email marketing?


If yes, then what are you selling and who are we selling it to?

Are you selling a product? Or are you looking for clients to write for? Or something else?

A more focused question might lead to more helpful guidance for you.


As for the questions you asked, I'll try to answer a couple of them...

How many of you buy B2B, B2C lead lists is it worth it?

Haven't bought a list in years because my current clients have in house lists. So I can't recommend which list brokers to go with.
But, yes it can be worth it as long as you're buying a targeted list of likely buyers.

Keep in mind, the more targeted the list the more expensive it usually gets. But the better chance for higher conversions from better customers.

From my last post and the first attempt I made for my copy if the prospect has limited time to view your email(because they have 1000 other things that demand their attention and not just my email) how do you provide proof of what you are selling?

Those are 2 different questions.

Getting someone's attention is not the same thing as providing proof.

Proof is logical. Getting someone's attention is almost always emotional.


Yes it's true, people have 1000 other things to do. But qualified prospects are not limited for time. They're just selective about where they spend it.
If what you have makes them feel better about themselves, they'll find the time for you.

Also, selling by email is not the same thing as selling from a sales page.

Sales pages often have just one shot to make a sale. That's why our copy needs to pack in all the benefits (emotional), and try to address objections (logic) for an instant close.

Email on the other hand has the benefit of ongoing contact, where we can build a relationship over time.

But again, it all depends on what we're selling and who we're selling it to.

in your experience the ones who keep opening your emails why do they keep reading and not take the CTA(Call to Action)? Have I not "connected with them enough"?

That's probably the reason.

But it might be something else...


if they signed up to your list just to get a freebie - they might, or might not, ever buy anything from you.

If it's a list of people who recently purchased something similar to what you're selling, and they still don't respond to your offer, then it's probably your copy that needs fixing.


I'm going to circle back around to my first question...

What are you trying to sell and who are you selling it to?

Let's start with that. And then we can talk about how to write copy that gets people to respond to your offer.

.

[copylover]

Hey @SARubin I read your entire post word by word because I know it will have depth and experience. Always appreciate your wisdom.

Ok well to take it step by step. The main thing I am selling is a service to both B2B and B2C clients in the technology space. Something individual customers and business owners can use.

My issue is I am finding my ideal target clients, but I only see my emails being read and no CTA's(schedule a time on my Calendar) being taken.

I also read a lot about how one should email and the language being used.

Proof is logical. Getting someone's attention is almost always emotional.

I have read a lot about that.

Email on the other hand has the benefit of ongoing contact, where we can build a relationship over time.

where we can build a relationship over time

That's the main issue. How can one do that if all you know is they can buy your service, have some interest, and they are your target customer?

I mean isn't that the goal really to create a relationship so you can make the sale? We can't just post their social feed in the email and say "Hey I like the same things".

[Franklin]

Hi copylover -
Have you tried telling any stories in your emails? Most people love short stories.


Hi [FIRSTNAME] -
I just heard a great story from one of our clients, and I thought you might enjoy hearing it too

Jim was stuck with [insert problem here] and he was getting frustrated trying to [solve problem]. Then he he used the [feature of our service] and almost instantly the problem was fixed.

How great is that???

I never get bored hearing success stories like Jim's. If you're having any issues with your [thing our service fixes] let me know.
You can reply directly to this email and I'll be happy to help.

Sincerely,
Copylover


You can have multiple stories about all the problems your service fixes

[SARubin]

The main thing I am selling is a service to both B2B and B2C clients in the technology space. Something individual customers and business owners can use.

I don't know what your product is, or what it does, but my first thought is to separate your prospects into 2 different lists (B2B and B2C)

Even though we're always dealing with "people" when we sell, the immediate buying motivations can be different.

Your B2B customers might respond better to words like "efficiency, profit, cutting costs" (assuming that's what your service does?)

Where a B2C customer may respond better to words like "personal, relaxing, free-time, family".

Separating the two lists will allow you to present different offers, for different buying motivations, for the same product.

My issue is I am finding my ideal target clients, but I only see my emails being read and no CTA's(schedule a time on my Calendar) being taken.

If your email is being read, but not responded to, it's usually your offer or your CTA that isn't doing its job.

Can you copy and paste one of your emails here? Maybe there's something I can spot that's missing or could be improved?
Sometimes we're too close to our own work, and it never hurts to have a second set of experienced eyes take a look.

where we can build a relationship over time

That's the main issue. How can one do that if all you know is they can buy your service, have some interest, and they are your target customer?

If they can afford to buy what you're selling and they're your ideal target customer, but they're still not responding...

I'd say it's time to go back and do some more market research.

What are these people talking about or complaining about that your service can help with? What kind of language do they use in their daily lives? These are the things we need to address in our copy.

Also, how did these people get on your list in the first place?
Did they sign up to be on your list? Or are these cold emails? Or did you meet them on social media (or scrape their email from social)? Something else?

Because how they ended up on your list will have a direct impact on their expectations from your emails.

It could also be that they're just not ready to buy from you yet. Maybe they don't think they need what you're selling, or they don't think there's any urgency to buy it now. This is something we can address in our copy also.

We can't just post their social feed in the email and say "Hey I like the same things".

Have you tested that idea?

[copylover]

If your email is being read, but not responded to, it's usually your offer or your CTA that isn't doing its job.

Can you copy and paste one of your emails here? Maybe there's something I can spot that's missing or could be improved?
Sometimes we're too close to our own work, and it never hurts to have a second set of experienced eyes take a look.

Mark, your thoughts

Mark,

Are you looking for ways to scale your customer service and improve engagement?
Based on current insights I see many other sales organizations and sales reps spend most of their day missing important client texts or customer IM’s on their website.

With our SMS service with mobile app compatibility.
Your sales teams will see missed actions on follow-ups and missed customer inquiries cut in half.

I would love to explain more on phone, when would you have 15 minutes to learn more?

If they can afford to buy what you're selling and they're your ideal target customer, but they're still not responding...

I'd say it's time to go back and do some more market research.

This, so when you say market research, look more into buyer profile's?

Also, how did these people get on your list in the first place?
Did they sign up to be on your list? Or are these cold emails? Or did you meet them on social media (or scrape their email from social)? Something else?

Because how they ended up on your list will have a direct impact on their expectations from your emails.

Mainly it's finding lists and buying them..so the leads are super cold but in the domain, I am targeting.

It could also be that they're just not ready to buy from you yet. Maybe they don't think they need what you're selling, or they don't think there's any urgency to buy it now. This is something we can address in our copy also.

The scary customer lifecycle .... aka Buyer's Journey.

We can't just post their social feed in the email and say "Hey I like the same things".

Have you tested that idea?

No I haven't I don't know if that's even allowed...or would instantly kill my chances...

Hi copylover -
Have you tried telling any stories in your emails? Most people love short stories.

I do receive tons of emails like that...that is an amazing idea

[SARubin]

Well, it looks like Franklin gave you an excellent answer (Good one Franklin. I bow down to you sir :-P)

Since I can't top his reply, I guess just I'll stick with an analytical point of view for now...

Mark, your thoughts

Mark,

Are you looking for ways to scale your customer service and improve engagement?
Based on current insights I see many other sales organizations and sales reps spend most of their day missing important client texts or customer IM’s on their website.

With our SMS service with mobile app compatibility.
Your sales teams will see missed actions on follow-ups and missed customer inquiries cut in half.

I would love to explain more on phone, when would you have 15 minutes to learn more?

OK, you said this SMS service is for B2B and B2C customers?

Then I'll repeat what I said above...

"Separate your list in two different groups"

The reason is because this email is only talking to a business market.

There's nothing about "family", or friends, or how your service can help with day-to-day contacts in a personal context.

In all fairness, you might still get a response from a business owner who just happens to receive it in their personal mail, at just the right time, when their biggest problem at work is customer response time ...

But that's a long shot, and we'd rather increase your odds of a response, right?

So let's eliminate the B2C customers from this particular email, and only look at it from a B2B perspective.

You can still send the B2C customers a different email, but the language must be changed to reflect the buying motivations at the time they receive your message.



Now, for B2B clients, the email itself doesn't suck. But it's generic, and looks similar to hundreds of other emails that are probably being sent to the same people.

You say these are "super cold" leads?

Then the first thing I would try is warming them up a bit in the first 2 sentences.

Build a little rapport, and maybe even flatter them to give them a good feeling about you "before" you try to sell them anything.

Something like...

"Hi Mark.

My name is [your name] and I just visited your website at www. marks-site .com,
I love what you're doing, and your website looks good, but I have one question..."

Are you looking for ways to"


This shows that you actually took the time to visit their website, and then it adds a quick compliment before pitching your offer.

It might work, or it might not. That's what testing is for.
But few cold emails ever take this approach, which will help you stand out from the crowd of noisy "push" marketers.

And warming people up a bit can give you better odds of a positive response.



As for the rest of your email...

I don't know your market well enough to know if you're touching on any trigger points (I'm not really even sure what you're product is), but from a strictly sales copy point of view I would add some scarcity to your email.

Maybe mention how we live in a fast paced world, and every lead your sales people don't respond to quickly is one more customer who goes to your competition.

I'd say it's time to go back and do some more market research.

This, so when you say market research, look more into buyer profile's?

Yes, but I was really referring to digging deeper into your buyers personalities and buying motives.

Have you tested that idea?

No I haven't I don't know if that's even allowed...or would instantly kill my chances...

I was only joking about that one I haven't given any real thought into the ramifications of spamming people with their own feeds.

It might come across as flattering, or you might come across as a stalker. (there might also be some illegal aspects to it?) I would give serious consideration to the the good, and bad possibilities, before trying something like that.

[copylover]

I will reread this post and the thread and readjust my efforts. This is all so helpful I truly appreciate it @SARubin, @Franklin . Hope everyone here had a great July 4th Weekend.

Well, it looks like Franklin gave you an excellent answer (Good one Franklin. I bow down to you sir :-P)

Since I can't top his reply, I guess just I'll stick with an analytical point of view for now...

Mark, your thoughts

Mark,

Are you looking for ways to scale your customer service and improve engagement?
Based on current insights I see many other sales organizations and sales reps spend most of their day missing important client texts or customer IM’s on their website.

With our SMS service with mobile app compatibility.
Your sales teams will see missed actions on follow-ups and missed customer inquiries cut in half.

I would love to explain more on phone, when would you have 15 minutes to learn more?

OK, you said this SMS service is for B2B and B2C customers?

Then I'll repeat what I said above...

"Separate your list in two different groups"

The reason is because this email is only talking to a business market.

There's nothing about "family", or friends, or how your service can help with day-to-day contacts in a personal context.

In all fairness, you might still get a response from a business owner who just happens to receive it in their personal mail, at just the right time, when their biggest problem at work is customer response time ...

But that's a long shot, and we'd rather increase your odds of a response, right?

So let's eliminate the B2C customers from this particular email, and only look at it from a B2B perspective.

You can still send the B2C customers a different email, but the language must be changed to reflect the buying motivations at the time they receive your message.



Now, for B2B clients, the email itself doesn't suck. But it's generic, and looks similar to hundreds of other emails that are probably being sent to the same people.

You say these are "super cold" leads?

Then the first thing I would try is warming them up a bit in the first 2 sentences.

Build a little rapport, and maybe even flatter them to give them a good feeling about you "before" you try to sell them anything.

Something like...

"Hi Mark.

My name is [your name] and I just visited your website at www. marks-site .com,
I love what you're doing, and your website looks good, but I have one question..."

Are you looking for ways to"


This shows that you actually took the time to visit their website, and then it adds a quick compliment before pitching your offer.

It might work, or it might not. That's what testing is for.
But few cold emails ever take this approach, which will help you stand out from the crowd of noisy "push" marketers.

And warming people up a bit can give you better odds of a positive response.



As for the rest of your email...

I don't know your market well enough to know if you're touching on any trigger points (I'm not really even sure what you're product is), but from a strictly sales copy point of view I would add some scarcity to your email.

Maybe mention how we live in a fast paced world, and every lead your sales people don't respond to quickly is one more customer who goes to your competition.

I'd say it's time to go back and do some more market research.

This, so when you say market research, look more into buyer profile's?

Yes, but I was really referring to digging deeper into your buyers personalities and buying motives.

Have you tested that idea?

No I haven't I don't know if that's even allowed...or would instantly kill my chances...

I was only joking about that one I haven't given any real thought into the ramifications of spamming people with their own feeds.

It might come across as flattering, or you might come across as a stalker. (there might also be some illegal aspects to it?) I would give serious consideration to the the good, and bad possibilities, before trying something like that.

[SARubin]

I will reread this post and the thread and readjust my efforts. This is all so helpful I truly appreciate it @SARubin, @Franklin .

I believe you're on the edge of a breakthrough, copylover.
Good copywriting is all about understanding our market, and our product. And then testing different approaches to see what works. If you stick with it, one day soon it'll all start to click for you.

Looking forward to hearing your selling stories, and if you bring the results of your emails back here I'd be happy to collaborate with you to make them even better.

Hope everyone here had a great July 4th Weekend.

Thanks, I hope you had a great weekend too. I didn't do anything special (just a couple sparklers and boomers out in the back yard )

[copylover]

Hey everyone @Franklin , @WordyWordpecker, @TheWauchulin, and @SARubin.

Hope everyone had a great new year it's been a while.
Had COVID so recovering and getting back on the horse .

I want to ask does anyone have or know a 14-day email sales sequence template or maybe a
tutorial how can I build a sales sequence myself.

Thanks for all the help, looking forward to becoming active again here and always learning from you guys.

[Franklin]

Hey @copylover.

Welcome back. I'm sorry to hear that you caught the COVID bug, but happy to hear that you are recovering.

Can I ask, how did folks get on your list? Why did they sign up?

I'm asking because any email sequence that you send should fit with the reason that those folks signed up. What I mean is if they signed up to receive special offers then your emails should present them with special offers, but if they signed up to receive daily tips and you only send them special offers they will not like receiving your emails.

I want to ask does anyone have or know a 14-day email sales sequence template or maybe a
tutorial how can I build a sales sequence myself.

[SARubin]

Hi copylover,
Glad to see you're getting back on the horse. Covid is no fun at all. I caught it last year and I was out of commission for nearly a week, and then I couldn't taste or smell anything for around 6 months (which, in some cases, was more of a blessing than a curse )

Franklin made a good point... An effective email sequence should fit with the personality of intent - (aka. the reason people signed up).

I have a bunch of email swipe files. Also some PDFs with tutorials and trainings. I'll need to dig through my archives to find them, but when I find them I can send you some.

What type of niche or offer are you promoting so I know which ones to look for? (an MMO email sequence won't do you much good if you're selling weight loss programs or fashion accessories, etc.)

[copylover]

@Franklin-

Thanks Franklin hope all is well with you. COVID is rough but glad things are on the upside.

Can I ask, how did folks get on your list? Why did they sign up?

Two sources , one is direct contact for leads in Software Consulting field and the other is purchased list Opt-In for Insurance.

Glad to see you're getting back on the horse. COVID is no fun at all. I caught it last year and I was out of commission for nearly a week, and then I couldn't taste or smell anything for around 6 months (which, in some cases, was more of a blessing than a curse )
What type of niche or offer are you promoting so I know which ones to look for? (an MMO email sequence won't do you much good if you're selling weight loss programs or fashion accessories, etc.)

@SARubin
I know I'm so glad COVID was rough. I'm glad you got better .
Lol yea when I lost sense of smell and taste, at times I agree it was a blessing.

There are two niches I am trying; Software Consulting and Insurance Leads.

Software Leads are direct contact , Insurance leads are from Opt-In Leads.


So I'm really confused how to start and with the little knowledge I have,
all I know there is a period of time you keep emailing with gaps in between.
I'm unsure of the cadence and the wording with every new email.

I have the basics, the essence from the book you mentioned way back who I think co-wrote the
Mad Men series. Maybe if there are tutorials more things to read?

Any and all input you guys give is really appreciated.
Many many thanks as always.

[SARubin]

There are two niches I am trying; Software Consulting and Insurance Leads.

Software Leads are direct contact , Insurance leads are from Opt-In Leads.


So I'm really confused how to start and with the little knowledge I have,
all I know there is a period of time you keep emailing with gaps in between.
I'm unsure of the cadence and the wording with every new email.

I have the basics, the essence from the book you mentioned way back who I think co-wrote the
Mad Men series. Maybe if there are tutorials more things to read?

I started cave diving through my email archives for you, but so far haven't found anything specifically related to software or insurance. I'll keep looking.

I did find a couple of PDFs that I believe can help you on your journey.
One is just a bunch of subject lines that are designed to help you STAND OUT amongst the clutter of your subscribers inbox.
And the other one is a complete course on email marketing (it's about 10 years old, but the wisdom inside is timeless)

I'll try sending them to you via private message. I've never tried sending attachments through a PM before, so not sure how well it works? If you don't see them in your inbox soon just let me know and I'll send you a link where you can download them.

All the best,
Steve