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MARKETING
I recently hosted a webinar on mastering the art of cold reach-outs, and the feedback from attendees was amazing! So I decided to share some tips and insights to anyone who may have missed the webinar (or if you just enjoy a refresher!). Who wouldn't want to make their marketing initiatives more effective, right? Keep reading for some valuable tips and insights. Note: Before continuing, I just want to say if you have different strategies that work for you, then great! But these are what have worked for me, time and time again, and/or are cold-hard stats from surveys conducted. 1. Check Company's Website First things first, before reaching out, always check the company’s website for submission guidelines. Many production companies have specific instructions for voice talent looking to get on their database/roster. Skipping this step and reaching out directly can make you seem like you don’t follow instructions or didn’t do your research - both of which can come across as careless and might annoy the recipient. Not a good look. 2. Don't Clutter Message When writing the email, the body is your prime real estate. Don't clutter it! Keep it short, to-the-point, and focused on them, not you (i.e. how you can provide them with value). I try to keep cold marketing emails to 1 - 2 paragraphs max. Don't risk falling into the TLDR category! 3. Seek A Reply Finish with a question. Make it as easy as possible for them to respond. It's a natural human tendency to want to respond to a question. 4. Pack Your Signature Line I call this my super hero side-kick to the email body: The signature line. Instead of listing my equipment, home studio set up, website address, past clients, etc. in the body of the email, I put all that general info in the signature. 5. No Unrequested Demo! Do NOT attach your demo unless asked to do so. Aside from it possibly coming across as presumptuous, many companies will automatically redirect an email from an unknown sender that has an attachment to spam; or even worse, block the email altogether. To get around this, having my website listed in my signature allows them to check out my demos there if they want to. 6. Compelling Subject Line Don't undervalue your subject line. Convince & Convert found that 33% of people decide whether to open an email based on the subject line. 7. Short Subject Line 82% of email marketing experts keep their subject lines under 60 characters (under 50 is even better). This is because most email service providers (and mobile phones) don't show full subject lines longer than that. 8. Fun Fact Personalizing the subject line can increase open rates by 26% (i.e. adding the person's name). 9. Follow Up Twice Belkins.io concluded the optimal number of follows ups is 2 (so that's 3 emails total, including the initial and the 2 follow-ups). But no matter what, ALWAYS folow up! You can keep it short, but just make sure to follow up. 10. It's About People Remember to be friendly, approachable, and professional. We're in a people business. If you provide a good service and they like working with you, that's the ultimate combination! And lastly, just something to keep in mind: Some people might not ever reply, but could keep your info on file for when the right opportunity comes up. I’ve had it happen to me (and many colleagues, too), where we’ve gotten emails about jobs or auditions from prospects we'd contacted years before and never heard anything from them before then! These are just some tips I thought might be helpful to you. I hope it increases the effectiveness of your cold emailing initiatives! Now go out there and do great things. Web: www.vokickstartprogram.com |
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By Dervla Trainor
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