Imagine taking a semi-successful cold email campaign and turning it into your number one lead generator? Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Given the resources you put into your cold emails, from your copy to your list, it’s a shame to waste your efforts on an automation tool that isn’t optimized for the best results. 

If you’re using a marketing automation tool to send your cold emails, you could be doing better. Marketing automation tools have their place, but they shouldn’t be your cold email solution. Why are marketing automation tools not ideal for cold emails, and what are better tools to use? 

Let’s break it down to find the best solution for your cold emails.

3 Strikes Against Marketing Automation Tools for Cold Emails

Marketing automation tools have a useful place in your business, but they just don’t cut it for cold emails. Here’s why:

They’re Made to Inform

Marketing automation tools are made for customer engagement through sharing information about your products or services. Marketing is a presentation – a chance to tell your customers about your business, through a newsletter or a brochure. Informing your prospects is very different than having a conversation, which is the whole goal of cold emails. 

They’re Not Designed for Replies

Marketing automation tools are meant as a many-to-one tool, not a one-on-one solution that invites recipients to reply, set up a meeting, schedule time to learn more or ask for more information. Marketing automation tools send emails from their own servers, not from your account, so your prospects don’t reply to your real email even if you want to. 

They Lower Your Chance of Inboxing

Marketing automation emails have a couple of characteristics that can make it tougher for them to inbox, compared to more Gmail-friendly tools. First, marketing automation tool emails often end up in the promotions tab instead of your recipient’s primary inbox. Second, they can look automated with flashy HTML and images rather than plain text that reads like a one-on-one email conversation.

3 Cheers for Sales Automation Tools 

When it comes to sending cold emails, you need to chose a sales automation software (not a marketing one). Here’s why:

They’re Designed for Conversations

Sales automation tools come across as a one-to-one email, inviting your prospect to reply. They come straight from your own inbox, making it effortless for your recipient to hit ‘reply’ and get more information or set up a meeting. Remember that sales is a conversation, and the primary goal of a cold email campaign is to get one started, so using a tool that facilitates a dialogue is a must.

They’re Reply-Friendly

Sales automation tools are loaded with features that make it easy to manage replies on your end. To name a few, you can cancel follow-up emails based on your responses, you can track your replies, and you can also reply to your own emails automatically which makes sense to follow up.

They’re Customizable

Sales automation tools are easily configurable in ways that make them more effective for cold emails. For example, you can also tailor each email based on attributes for each unique prospect, making your emails more personal and genuine, without that mass-email feel. 

If you are seeing some results with marketing automation software, pat yourself on the back because chances are you’ll have much better results by simply moving to a sales automation software. Just as a carpenter wouldn’t use a wrench to pound a nail into a piece of wood, try using the right tools for the job and watch your success take off with less effort.