Cold email marketing is an effective way for freelancers to reach out to potential clients and land new projects. With the right approach, you can build relationships and generate leads that will help you grow your business. In this blog, we'll share some tips and tricks to help you get started with cold email marketing for freelancers. whether you're a full-time freelancer, a student looking to earn extra cash, or someone attempting to obtain exposure to this industry by using cold emailing, this post covers points that will make your email campaigns productive.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Before you start sending emails, you need to know who you're targeting. Consider the type of clients you want to work with and the services you offer. Then, research your target audience and gather information about their business needs and challenges. Only approach clients with whom you might see yourself collaborating.
Leave it be if you don't connect with their brand, style, or tone. You'll be able to produce greater results elsewhere. In addition, they will gain more by employing someone else.
It's just as vital to choose the proper customer for you to pitch as it is to make sure you're the perfect fit for them. This is something that not enough freelancers consider.
But even when you think about it, that might be tough to assess, right?
When assessing a prospect, examine the following questions to ensure that this is the proper customer for you (and that you'll be excellent for them):
• What makes you uniquely equipped to assist this specific client?
• Have you ever done anything similar before?
• Is the thought of working with this customer exciting to you, or is it solely a business decision?
2. Organise Your Prospect's Details
you'll need a system for tracking progress and keeping track of everyone you've emailed, followed up with, the answers you've received, and so on. The simplest method to accomplish this is to create a basic (but well-organized) spreadsheet. You could also use tools like Notion.
Create separate columns for the following categories:
· Name of the company
· Contact person (and what position they hold – i.e. Marketing Manager)
· The email address
· The date you contacted me
· Dates that you followed up on
· Response (if any)
This may take some efforts but will save you from experiencing chaos in the longer run. And when you are working independently, responsible for everything, this efficient method will save you more time for doing what you do best. creating.
3. Craft A Compelling Subject Line
Your subject line is the first thing a potential client will see, so it needs to be compelling and attention-grabbing. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point, and use a conversational tone to make your email feel more personal. If you don't get your leads to click on your email right away, your odds of getting a response are nil. The key is to tickle their curiosity.
According to a study by Aweber, 82% of experts send subject lines with 60 characters or less Leads are busy, and their inboxes are overwhelmed with pitches and offers. Explaining value with fewer words helps you win and gain attention.
4. Personalize Your Emails
Personalizing your emails will help you stand out from the competition and increase your chances of getting a response. Use the recipient's name, and mention specific details about their business or projects. This shows that you have taken the time to research their business and are interested in working with them.
You don't have to know them personally — you just have to know something about them to customize your message. You can find inspiration on their LinkedIn profile or their company's blog. The prospect may have written an article or posted about a recent accomplishment which you could use to draft your email.
5. Provide Value
The key to a successful cold email is to provide value to the recipient. Offer to help solve a problem they're facing or provide them with a unique perspective on their industry. This will make them more likely to respond to and engage with your email. Ultimately, if you can demonstrate how you can make their lives easier in some way, they will be more likely to give your email some time out of their busy schedules. The goal is to come across as someone who is willing to give more than they are asking for. By offering value to the recipient, you are more likely to make a strong impression that will create a lasting relationship.
6. Keep It Short And Sweet
People are busy, and they don't have time to read a long email. Keep your emails concise and to the point, and make sure your message is clear and easy to understand. According to Boomerang's study of 40 million emails, cold emails between 50 and 100 words get higher reply rates. Leads are busy, and their inboxes are overwhelmed with pitches and offers. Explaining value with fewer words helps you win and gain attention.
7. Use A Professional Signature
Your signature should include your name, title, and contact information, as well as a professional headshot. This will make your emails look more professional and give potential clients a better idea of who you are and what freelance services you can offer.
For various prospects, different signatures are effective. Even though it is customary to use a single signature for all emails, it can be beneficial to test different options and make adjustments to determine which email signature performs the best. A/B test your email signatures, and after a few campaigns, choose the one that has the highest click-through rates for you.
8. Use Relevant CTAs (Call-To-Action)
A call-to-action is a powerful tool for leading your audience to the next stage of the purchasing process. A well-written subject is important for increasing our opening rates, but the call to action (CTA) is important for increasing our reply rates.
At the end of our message, CTA's the sentence or question the addressee reads. That part is what convinces them to take some action, such as reply to us, click the provided link, or book an appointment for your services.
It's not necessary for your CTA to be a declarative statement. You can use a cold email to further the qualification of a prospect and to pose a question that will generate a response.
It's challenging to make a blind guess as to which CTA will persuade people to hire you for your freelance services. However, there is a quick and easy way to determine that based on reliable information. To find out which email version receives the most responses or clicks, create a few variations that only differ in the CTA.
9. Follow Up!
If you don't hear back from a potential client, don't be afraid to follow up. Just make sure to wait a few days before sending a follow-up email, and keep it short and friendly.
It can be challenging to determine when to send follow-up emails. You wouldn't want to send a follow-up email too soon. However, you also don't want to wait too long before following up. Additionally, you should think about what time of day you send your emails.
Your sales cycle will determine the exact timing of the follow-up email you send to cold prospects. You ought to follow up sooner if your cycle is shorter, like for just one freelance project. You can hold off a little longer if the cycle is longer (if you're aiming for a retainer). The majority of professionals advise sending your initial follow-up no later than three days after your initial
10. Establish A Daily Goal For Cold Emailing
So you’ve decided to start email marketing to get more freelance clients.
But how many and how frequently should you send for the greatest results?
This depends on your present schedule and how urgently you require new clients. Do you have a regular job? Do you have several clients? Do you have a lot of free time but no clients?
Full-time employees who do freelance work on the side should strive to send 5-10 cold emails every day. This will help you to gain clients at a reasonable rate while not requiring an excessive amount of time.
But suppose you need clients right away but don't have much time (whether because of a full-time job or something else). You'll need to increase your emailing to 15-25 every day. Although it takes longer than 5-10 minutes, it is more likely to result in more clients.
Finally, establish a goal of 20-30 emails every day for those with a lot of time (or who just need clients today).
11. Test And Refine Your Approach
Cold email marketing is an ongoing process, and it's important to keep testing and refining your approach. Pay attention to what works and what doesn't, and make changes as needed to improve your results. Put in the time to review their effectiveness right from the beginning regardless of the number of leads on your list.
Test and optimise your campaign for conversions, appointment booked or whatever your desired goals you may have. by using methods such as A/B testing, monitor metrics like bounce-rate, click-rate, and open-rate. With these you may get a better sense of the sorts of emails that are most appealing to your target clients, for your specific freelancing services.
With the A/B testing method, you can experiment with the following elements of the email before sending it out to the rest of your list:
Subject line
Body copy
Layout
Header images
Color schemes
CTA button placement
Email Signature
Conclusion
In conclusion, cold email marketing is a powerful tool for freelancers looking to land new clients and grow their business. By following these tips, you can increase your chances of success and build relationships with potential clients that will help you grow your business. Remember to be patient, persistent, and always provide value to your target audience. Good luck!
