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Help me please with effective email marketing letter.

by avoleoo
7 replies
I'm referring to all the pros that do email marketing and have experience in it. Hopefully you can help me to make an effective email letter that will produce better results.

I've tried several attempts and my results are very poor. Basically what I did is, I wrote a letter: Hello my name is John and I would be interested to work with you as freelance graphic designer, my portfolio can be found here and im good at this and etc etc. and In the subject field I would put something like "freelance graphic design services."

I'm targeting various companies one by one that are in need of my services and I do it by carefully selecting my audience. I know for sure they do use freelancers, however the response rate is very, very bad.

I'm experienced in my field and hold a good portfolio and have no problems getting freelance work from other places and don't think that my ability to produce work is an issue.

I feel like whomever reads my email already may have established cooperation with someone else or it's just not the right time or lack of time to actually read my email and give me a change to prove that my service may be better.

How would you overcome this problem, or how to write a letter that would capture their attention and explain that that im real, good and reliable designer that is really worth to work with?

I will highly appreciate your help.
G.
#effective #email #letter #marketing #subject
  • Profile picture of the author John Taylor
    The bad news is that most emails of that nature go straight into the spam
    folder. Simply because a lot of people have spammed people with similar
    emails.

    I never hire a "freelancer" who emails me telling me about his portfolio, his
    experienced team or anything else for that matter. I go to places like Odesk,
    Freelancer, etc. where I can look through feedback from previous clients and
    post a project request.

    My advice would be quit wasting time on emails and build a presence in the
    freelance marketplaces.

    John
    Signature
    John's Internet Marketing News, Views & Reviews: John Taylor Online
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesfreddyc
    Originally Posted by avoleoo View Post

    "Hello my name is John and I would be interested to work with you as freelance graphic designer, my portfolio can be found here and im good at this and etc etc. and In the subject field I would put something like "freelance graphic design services."
    Make it 100% about them. Leave yourself out of it.

    I'm targeting various companies one by one that are in need of my services and I do it by carefully selecting my audience. I know for sure they do use freelancers, however the response rate is very, very bad.
    You are confusing "need" and "they use freelancers". What they (the business owner) "need" is a resolution to their problem(s). If they have a great designer already then you really aren't offering to solve a problem for them.

    I'm experienced in my field and hold a good portfolio and have no problems getting freelance work from other places and don't think that my ability to produce work is an issue.
    YOU have no problems getting freelance work. There you go again with the "you, I, me".... who cares! Forget what you can do and the amazing stuff you have in your portfolio!

    How would you overcome this problem, or how to write a letter that would capture their attention and explain that that im real, good and reliable designer that is really worth to work with?
    The bottom line: you are trying to make a sale FAR too early in the process. What exactly is this letter for? If you say, "to sell", then your response will be very low (kinda like how you've discovered). Slow the heck down, simply use the letter as a way to START a conversation.

    1. You have not even stated who your target customer is. Pick ONE small niche, find out the typical problems that you think they might experience as it relates to your solution.
    2. Make the letter 100% about them, bring up the typical pain they might have in that business.
    3. Don't offer your whole solution in the letter. You want them to respond, not make a decision on using your services.
    4. Keep it short and to the point. You are not trying to sell anything, just trying to get them to reply.
    5. Put something about them in your subject line, as if you were having an actual conversation with someone.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesfreddyc
    Here's an idea: focus on one problem, 1 solution. Infographics are tough to put together but can be very powerful tools for a business, maybe dig around to see if your prospects actually have one, and if so, ask to see it.
    Subject: Can you point me to your product infographic?
    Body: "Hi,

    Do you have an infographic for the product/services there? Is there a point of contact I should ask for?

    Thanks,
    avoleoo"
    Any replies would just be a continuation of a conversation you attempted to start. So, you should be able to gather a bit of intel from the questions you asked and incorporate that into your second reply:

    Do they have an infographic?
    Yes: Evaluate it and see if you can provide beneficial comments on improving it.
    No: Well, there you go! Now you have uncovered a potential problem. Build upon that.
    Did they provide a point of contact?
    Yes: Well, there you go! Now you have a specific person to have a conversation with. Dig deeper and find out if they are a decision maker (hopefully). If not, get that info from them!
    No: Ask for the decision maker
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  • Profile picture of the author lukeguy
    Another thing to realize is that they don't know you. You're like everyone else to them.

    My suggestion: Offer to create them a free piece of art. Any Logo, any job (or whatever you afford to give). Bring something to the table of value. Something different than most. Your market is very saturated. So cheap won't be the way to make it. Either free, or high prices is the way to go.

    Also know that for every 20 emails, you should get 1-2 response. If not, retry your presentation.
    Signature

    Get growth for business by reading my blog: www.lukeguy.com

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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Besides the spam folder problem mentioned above, and the lack of focus in your offer, you may be battling two things that you have no control over, yet will kill any chance of getting work.

      First, as someone mentioned, they may already have a graphic designer they like. Your solution in this case is to try for a spot as #2.

      "I know you may have a suitable designer already, but everyone gets sick, goes on vacation or just plain gets overbooked sometimes. Please take a look at my portfolio, and keep my information on file for the future. If you don't mind, I'd also like to touch base with your company from time to time. Who should I contact?"

      Second, there may be no need for your services at the moment. It's damned tough to sell a burger to someone with a full belly.

      Here, I'd combine the approach above with a drip campaign, with a combination of industry news items (theirs, not yours) with your comments - reread the infographic post above. Keep your name in front them in a positive way so that when a need does arrive they already "have a guy" - you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Javisito
    Why don't just pick up the phone and cold call them?
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    • Profile picture of the author jamesfreddyc
      Originally Posted by Javisito View Post

      Why don't just pick up the phone and cold call them?
      Well... from the OP I'd say they wouldn't really know what to say. Which of course would lead to:

      100 calls, no appointments and filled to the eyeballs with rejection.

      Look, I here you. And it'd be great if it would be enough to say, "just cold call them!". But you know, we ALL know that this is a pointless piece of advice unless you provide some understanding or help on how to actually cold call.

      OP, if you are interested in a "just call them!" approach, then go over to the offline section and search posts made by Jason Kanigan. Everything you would need to know about cold calling and getting appointments can be found. From there, after a bit of research, try and put together a call script and then get some feedback from the members there. You will get GREAT advice.

      To start, I'd recommend:

      1. Use Jason's "Little unsure" technique to figure out who the decision maker is and get past gatekeepers.
      2. Make sure the DM is paying attention by asking if it's a bad time to talk.
      3. Deliver a quick 30 second commercial with a pain point or two, starting with "John, I work with business owners that are struggling to..."
      4. See if this resonates with them. "John, not sure if you have this issue there or not, but maybe it's something you'd like to talk with me about?".
      5. Shut up and wait for a response. If they don't have the pain you brought up, okay! Move on to the next dial. It's all about sorting thru enough people to find the ones you WANT to work with.

      That's a SUPER condensed version and you should go over to offline and start to research.
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