Remember when everyone was predicting the death of email, with all the buzz around chatbots and social media? Here, we explore the experience of a seasoned CEO from a tech company, where email still reigns as a powerful tool for lead generation. In fact, 75% of their clients came through email outreach. Discover how old-school methods continue to dominate and learn the secrets behind their successful email strategy.
The success story of email lead generation
Contrary to any trends, email remains a tool for getting new clients. In this case, during the 8 years of work, email leads beat other channels like LinkedIn (4%) and inbound marketing (8%).
Have a look at this difference in the lead generation channels’ KPIs:
- Email: 75% of clients, high scalability, low resource consumption.
- LinkedIn: 4% of clients, high effort, platform limitations.
- Inbound Marketing: 8% of clients, resource-intensive.
- Other Channels: 13% of clients, varied effectiveness.
While platforms like LinkedIn take your time and effort, email automation gives a more efficient approach. Despite the less personalization compared to LinkedIn, email campaigns can reach a wider audience with lower overhead. Automated systems allow you to send hundreds of emails per day.
LinkedIn needs more effort, even with automation. Everyone’s on there; it’s a crowded platform. You’re constantly fighting for attention, and there are strict limits on what you can do. Plus, you need to put way more effort into each message. It’s like trying to hit a moving target in a crowded room. Inbound marketing and various alternative methods also take huge resources.
Emails are a convenient, pretty fast, and reliable mode of communication. They allow you to communicate with people in different time zones, making collaboration comfortable worldwide.
Another bonus — a written record of communication. When discussing key points, it allows you to refer back to previous emails. Emails are like receipts — they’ve got your back; you always have where to revise details. Additionally, email is an excellent tool for sharing documents and attachments.
Whoever, Elon Musk or Pope, relies on email for communication and reads their mailbox at least twice a day. In the following pages, Vlad Kitaynik shares how to write winning emails from his 8-year CEO experience at the American custom software development company — Kitrum
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Ground email writing rules
“Email writing, or as I call it, prompting the outer world — the most valuable soft skill in 2024 based on a survey of 800+ C-level executives.”
— Vlad Kitaynik, CEO at Kitrum
Have you thought about how many emails per day a person receives? Then, welcome:
- 2000 — 30 emails per day;
- 2010 — 70 emails per day;
- 2024 — 140 emails per day.
These numbers show that businesses fight for attention! But how do you convert emails into clients? You can be really surprised, but the central insight to build long-term relations can be care. Use simple rules to show your care for people who get emails.
- Respect recipients’ time by keeping emails to the point.
Why is the sample good? It offers ready options for quick decision-making. John must choose between 2 clear options, not create their own, saving time and effort.
- When setting up a new relationship via email, ask about the preferred frequency and communication channel.
Sample:
Olga, would you prefer Slack for weekly updates, or would
instead, stick to email? Alternatively, you can drop me a message
in WhatsApp +380000000000 if anything urgent happens, although I prefer to
keep it purely for personal communication; however, I would like to
have this channel as a backup.
Why is it good? You give specific options to your client and describe in which situations they can be helpful. You write about the quickest way to reach out to you.
- Acknowledge that you received an email ASAP if you need more than 24 hours to respond.
Sample:
Peter, I got your email and will reply by July 16th or within 2 business days.
Why is it good? You help your client prioritize their tasks, plan their time, and put the anxiety off them. Uncertainty is one of the top fears of humanity, as a fear of death. Do you want to keep your client in such strong negative emotions?
- Follow the thread
- Do not create new threads for existing context topic discussion.
- Create a NEW thread when there are more than 10-15 emails in the chain.
- If you have initiated the topic and didn’t receive a reply, → Follow up.
- Be proactive in your intent to show care → ask and answer, propose options, inform about progress and deadlines, follow up, and do a bit more at every communication step to save the recipient’s precious lifetime.
- One message — one project (or question)
Ever feel lost in an email thread bouncing between several topics? It’s a nightmare: Digging through a cluttered email for specific details is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Replying to a mix of tasks can be awkward, mainly when deadlines differ. The result will be missed deadlines and lost information. So, keep emails focused on a single topic or task.
- Don’t change anyone’s name.
Say, “Hi Michael,” unless your recipient prefers to be called “Mike.” To name the person correctly, be attentive to the person’s signature at the end of the email.
- Keep in mind that people from different cultures speak and write differently.
Miscommunication can occur because of cultural differences, especially in writing when we can’t see one another’s body language. Tailor your message to the receiver’s cultural background or how well you know them.
Email structure that wins
A clear structure makes your emails easy to read and understand, helping you get your point across quickly and effectively. This is key in today’s fast-paced world, where people are bombarded with information. Using headings, bullet points, and concise language helps your recipient grasp your message the first time. No frustration. Time saved. Happy client.
Subject Line
Use a clear and concise subject line. Your email’s subject line is the first thing the recipient will see. Avoid using vague or generic subject lines like “hello” or “update.” You aim to create a title that makes your email easy to find in seconds.
Include the following in your email subject line:
- The project or cause you’re referring to;
- What’s inside the email (report, documents, proposal, resume, question);
- What do you expect from the recipient;
- The deadline for when you want a response (if applicable).
Intro
It takes 2-3 sentences and consists of at least 2 of the following parts.
Warm Greetings. A salutation like “Dear [Name],” “Hello [Name],” or “Hi [Name],” or a special greeting between well-known people known as “Kitrumers” (in our cases) is a must.
Attention Grabber. To get the recipient’s interest, start with a relevant question, a surprising fact, a statistic, or a joke.
Sample:
John, remember you told me the robots are getting smarter enough to change dumpers 🤓?
Context Reminder. Briefly introduce yourself and your company (if applicable) or remind yourself or the deal you are reaching out to if you have already met. Mention a mutual connection, reference a previous conversation, or state the specific reason for your email.
Sample:
This summer, we caught up on developing the nursing robots at VivaTech. I want to share some of my discoveries with you.
Benefit for Your Recipient: Highlight how your email benefits the recipient. Think about what value you are offering them and express it.
Sample:
Since we have been partnering for the 3rd year, I propose our help with a cross-functional mobile app for your robots. Here’s how it can help to grow your business.
Thanks
It takes 1 sentence. Express your sincere appreciation for the recipient’s attention and time.
Samples:
- Thank you for finding the time.
- I respect each minute you spend on this call because I know you may be doing hundreds of other things 🤹
- Special thank you to those who joined over the weekend.
- Your attention brings quick progress to our mutual project.
The main part
The text should be easy to read and understandable. People are often busy, so keep it short and to the point. Express your main points using visual structuring such as paragraphs, bullets, lists, bold text, and a small number of custom emojis, if appropriate.
If you have something important to tell, do this by highlighting it.
If you have several things you’d like to list, use bullet points:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
Suppose you want to reply to a question or address a point. In that case, you can use the quotation marks.
“I have seen your question about the costs in July. Please check the Attachments to this letter to see the budget.”
Avoid too much visual structure and too long letters. Try to write letters at most half the standard page. Instead, add other documents to the Attachments and write a list with all the attachments you have sent.
Call-to-Action (CTA)
The best approach is to use only one call-to-action in one letter. Highlight it with a link, bold, or button in your email.
Samples:
- I’m looking forward to your response. Please provide it this week so we can finish our project on time.
- Please complete the survey by July 31st, 2024.
- I appreciate your effort. Please provide us with this information by the following Monday, July 15th.
- Please review the attached proposal and let me know your thoughts by this Friday.
- Please confirm if we are on the same page regarding the deadline date.
Contacts
It takes from 1 to 3 brief sentences. Share your contact information, which is the quickest way to reach you.
Samples:
I am always here for you; check my Calendly when needed.
Ready to catch up on quick questions on Team’s Slack or Huddle?
Text me on my WhatsApp at +30000000000 if you have additional urgent questions.
Ending
Add your signature, using some recognition titles if it is your new client and a brief version if it is your old client.
Samples:
Warm regards / Best,
Vlad Kytainyk, the CEO at KITRUM
Following these simple but effective (as you can see from the case’s statistics) email communication rules helps win new clients and keep reliable long-term partners.