What is the best cold email software? Back in “the day” members of sales teams visited businesses without first making an appointment. These visits were “cold calling.”
Today, a cold email campaign is part of doing business. If you do it right, with a great cold emailing tool, the result may quickly go from cold to warm.
What are Cold Emails?
Businesses launch an email campaign as a sales outreach which targets new customers. By using software, the cold email outreach campaigns go to the inboxes of likely customers.
What is Cold Email Software?
Cold email software develops a list of email addresses and sends a message to each address. The business owner can compose the message.
These emails may be follow ups to recent purchases or website visits. Or they may be sources from a list. The cold email is sent to a specific audience, which in comprised of likely customers.
The best cold email tool gets these emails into inboxes. Some cold emails head to a spam folder, but let’s face it – most of us check that folder to make sure we’re not missing anything.
How to Choose the Best Cold Email Tool for Your Business
There are a number of cold emailing tools available. Nearly all cold email tools have a free trial. Taking advantage of a free trial is a great way to try this marketing tool.
They have a fairly broad range in pricing, based on the number of emails that will be sent and based on specific features.
We’ll list specific features for each of the 10 software companies we’ve chosen.
Key features of Cold Email Campaigns
We’ll list specific features for each of the 10 options we’ve chosen. Here are main things to consider:
Target the right audience and get into the primary inbox.
Timing – Send during workday hours
Follow Ups – Make sure your first email has a follow up, to a response, or to “no response.”
Security – As the sender, be sure your information is safeguarded.
Automation – Campaigns can be timed for certain seasons or peak sales times.
Our Methodology: The Best Cold Email Software
In guiding businesses to choose the most effective cold emailing software for their marketing and outreach efforts, we use a specific set of criteria. These criteria help in identifying software that offers the best combination of features, usability, and compliance with email marketing standards. Each criterion is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates the least importance and 5 the highest importance in our review process:
- Email Template Quality and Customization
- Importance: 4
- The availability of high-quality, customizable email templates is essential for creating professional and engaging cold emails.
- Ease of Use and Interface Design
- Importance: 5
- The software should have an intuitive interface, making it easy for users to create, send, and manage email campaigns without extensive technical knowledge.
- Deliverability and Email Optimization
- Importance: 5
- The ability to maximize email deliverability rates, including features that optimize emails to avoid spam filters, is crucial.
- Integration with CRM and Other Tools
- Importance: 4
- The capability to integrate seamlessly with CRM systems and other marketing tools enhances workflow efficiency and data consistency.
- Segmentation and Personalization Features
- Importance: 4
- Advanced segmentation and personalization options allow for more targeted and effective email campaigns.
- Compliance with Email Regulations
- Importance: 5
- Adherence to email marketing regulations, such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM Act, is vital to ensure legal compliance and maintain recipient trust.
- Analytics and Reporting
- Importance: 4
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools to track the performance of email campaigns, including open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
- Automation and Workflow Capabilities
- Importance: 4
- Features that support email automation and efficient workflow management, such as scheduling and auto-responders, are important for scaling campaigns.
- Customer Support and Resources
- Importance: 3
- Reliable customer support and access to educational resources are beneficial, especially for businesses new to cold emailing.
- Pricing and Cost-Effectiveness
- Importance: 4
- The software should offer competitive pricing and cost-effectiveness, providing value for the features and capabilities offered.
By applying these criteria, we aim to identify cold emailing software that not only facilitates effective email campaigns but also ensures user-friendliness, compliance with regulations, and efficient integration with business operations.
10 Best Cold Emailing Software Options
Sending cold emailing as a marketing tool may have been something you hadn’t considered.
Here are some things for you to consider:
An average response is 1%. That doesn’t sound like much. But if you have a good cold email marketing software, responses range from 5% to 20%.
According to estimates, for every $1 you spend on cold outreach, you’ll get $44 back.
| Software | Key Features | Pricing | Unique Offering |
|---|---|---|---|
| MailChimp | Transactional email, automated follow-ups, personalized templates, optimized timing | $17-$299/month | Versatile plans, good for varied business sizes |
| Klaviyo | Text and email campaigns, analytics dashboard, detailed reports | $30 for 1,000 emails | Multi-channel outreach with robust analytics |
| Reply | Multi-channel, tracks progress, import from LinkedIn | $70 for unlimited contacts | Integration with LinkedIn for building contacts |
| Outreach | Personalized emails, automated responses, tracking tools | $29/month | Peer-to-peer network for a personal touch in cold emails |
| SmartReach | Superior support, reply automation, time zone delivery | $59 for unlimited emails | Excellent customer support, ideal for beginners |
| Velocity | Easy setup, dedicated account management, email list management | $125 for 100,000 emails | Fast setup and hands-on account management |
| Woodpecker | Deliverability algorithm, automatic campaign reports | $39/day for 50 emails | Specializes in B2B link building and sender reputation |
| Mailgun | Email verification, burst sending, deliverability checks | $35/month for 50,000 | Burst sending feature for high-volume campaigns |
| MailClickConvert | Personalized campaigns, list cleaning, sales automation | $199/month for 100,000 | Focus on personalization and list quality for better delivery |
| ConstantContact | Unlimited templates, list growth tools, social posting | $9.99/month unlimited | Access to a wide range of tools at a competitive price |
1. MailChimp
There are lots of choices within the various plans offered by MailChimp.
Key features: Transactional email, prebuilt automated follow ups, custom triggers for responses, personalized custom email templates and optimized timing for sending.
Pricing: Ranges from $17 for 500 contacts to $299 for 10,000 contacts.
2. Klaviyo
Klaviyo offers multi-channel cold contacts (text and email outreach campaigns).
Key features: text and email cold campaigns, automated follow up emails and email tracking, prebuilt templates for email content, a data analytics dashboard and detailed reports.
Pricing: $30 per 1,000 emails, $40 for 1,000 texts.
3. Reply
Reply uses contact info supplied by your business or from other tools to build your email outreach list using mail merge.
Key features: multi-channel, tracks progress, analyzes responses, supports multiple users and can import contact info from sources such as LinkedIn sales navigator.
Pricing: $70 for unlimited contacts for up to 3 users.
4. Outreach
Outreach relies on a peer-to-peer network of users to send personalized cold emails.
Features: personalized emails, peer-to-peer email network, automated responses and email tracking, tracking tools to integrate your data (such as mail merge) and affordable pricing.
Pricing: $29 month for unlimited emails.
5. SmartReach
This software company is noted for superior customer support for your email campaign. SmartReach is recommended for those new to cold emails as a sales engagement platform.
Features: Good customer support, account-based sales productivity, reply automation tool includes automatic stops, email delivered in customer’s workday hours based on time zone and focus on email deliverability.
Pricing: $59 for unlimited emails.
Read More: cold email template
6. Velocity
Just as it sounds, Velocity features easy and fast account setup.
Features: Drop email template builder, email validation, dedicated account person to manage cold email campaigns of client accounts, online support, and email list management including a mail merge feature.
Pricing: $125 for 100,000.
7. Woodpecker
Just as it sounds, Woodpecker chips away at barriers to success in a cold outreach campaigns, helping you reach potential customers.
Features: Unique algorithm to enhance deliverability, automatic campaign reports, separate database for each company, focus on B2B link building, and builds sender reputation with email service providers.
Pricing: $39 to send up to 50 per day.
8. Mailgun
Mailgun has a unique “burst” capability for a hard-hitting cold outreach campaign.
Features: Verifies email addresses, tools increase effective delivery, “mailjet” feature for fast moving campaigns, burst sending for bulk emails (up to 15 million per hour), and deliverability checks.
Pricing: $35 a user month for 50,000.
9. MailClickConvert
Personalized email campaigns are the focus of MailClickConvert. You can create personalized campaigns using its cold email template.
Features: Choose the outgoing domain, indepth reporting on email marketing campaigns, email personalization including personalized images, sales automation tool to schedule by date and time, and “cleaning” of email lists to improve deliverability.
Pricing: $199 a user month for 100,000 emails.
10. ConstantContact
You’ll get access to most cold email tools with ConstantContact.
Features: Unlimited email templates, customer support, customer list growth tools to help you create an outreach campaign, social posting and unlimited sending (including follow up email) to cold emailing prospects.
Pricing: $9.99 per month, unlimited.
Read More: cold email
Benefits of Using Cold Email Software
Cold email campaigns are a strategic tool for businesses to broaden their reach and connect with potential customers. Cold email software streamlines this process by efficiently managing large-scale outreach efforts. Here are five benefits small businesses can reap from utilizing cold email software:
- Precision Targeting: Cold email software often includes advanced segmentation features, enabling businesses to tailor their outreach to the most receptive audiences, thereby increasing the relevance and efficacy of their campaigns.
- Timely Follow-ups: Automated follow-ups are a key feature of cold email software, ensuring that every lead is nurtured promptly. This consistent communication can significantly improve response rates and potential conversions.
- Enhanced Deliverability: Using cold email tools can improve the chances of your emails landing in the primary inbox rather than the spam folder, thanks to sophisticated algorithms and sender reputation management.
- Data Security: Reputable cold email software ensures that both the sender’s and recipients’ data are protected with high-grade security measures, maintaining trust and compliance with data protection regulations.
- Effortless Automation: The software allows for the automation of email campaigns according to specific seasons, events, or sales cycles, saving time and enabling small businesses to focus on other critical operations.
Implementing cold email software can transform a cold lead into a warm prospect, potentially elevating your business’s outreach endeavors from a shot in the dark to a strategic strike.
How to Send a Cold Email
Teach your sales team how to use an email automation tool.
- Choose a sender name, and add “from” your business name.
- Fill out the subject line.
- Use a generic greeting (no genders) such as Hello or Hi.
- Keep the body of the email short and professional.
- Be sure to include an Opt Out button or an Unsubscribe link.
What is the best cold email software?
Our choice is MailChimp. We chose MailChimp because of its myriad of choices within plans, allowing you to customize the types and numbers of sales emails you send as you create outreach campaigns. We also like the custom triggers and transactional emails, which allow you to follow up on contacts.
How do I automate cold mail?
Automation is a standard feature of a cold email marketing tool. It allows you to time your campaigns.
Once you choose a software provider, you can select dates and times for your campaign launches.
Image: Depositphotos
This article, "10 Cold Email Software Options" was first published on Small Business Trends