The emails I'm going to refer to here are for individual bespoke email approaches - not volume automated HTML email marketing campaigns.

Emailing prospects has been around now for about 20 years and is viewed by some as a bit old school compared with using social media platforms such as LinkedIn for business approaches.

Is one method better than the other? Well both channels have their strengths that should be a part of a New Business Developer's toolkit. How effective each method is will depend on factors such as e.g. the service you are providing, your particular target market, the level and function of the contact you're trying to reach as well as you're writing and communication skills (very important).

A bespoke email or LinkedIn message might suit some while others may bristle, so you do need to understand and carefully consider your methods of introduction. 

Main Advantage of Introducing via eMail
Better Personalisation & Branding - So you get more flexibility with message appearance. You can add company logos, images, formatting e.g. font, bold, colour, etc to help produce a more aesthetic and visually pleasing message. I think it gives a more human touch and feel as well as a more individual professional branded look.

Main Advantage of Introducing Via LinkedIn Messages or Inmail
No Spam Filter - You can go directly into a connections LinkedIn inbox or by-pass a connection request if you purchase LinkedIn Inmail. Having mutual connections that really do know and can vouch for you may help to increase your chances of a response.

My Conclusion - A Combined Approach is a Much More Effective Strategy
There's no silver bullet so to overlook one method for another is bound to decrease your chances of engagement and therefore limit how many new business opportunities you can generate.

To optimise your efforts a strategy including both bespoke emails and LinkedIn is surely a better plan. So experiment, refine, test and adapt your approach.

Happy Prospecting!

It does feel like as soon as we more or less get past one seismic event another one comes along with another set of headwinds to navigate. Economic and political turmoil seems to be the new norm over the past few years.

But at least Covid seems to be in the rear view mirror now so that's a positive that helped business conditions and more confidence return earlier in the year.

Roll on six months another fast changing economic backdrop emerged. Inflation headwinds picked up pace and no longer looks that 'transitory' anymore (as predicted by PHD bankers). Rising interest rates are trending everywhere too.

​Many companies will still be reviewing the impact of these conditions to their products and services and in turn you should too as some degree of recession still looks a possibility - assuming we're not already actually in one. Hopefully with all the tax breaks it will be short-lived with a soft landing but it would be wise to plan ahead for something more pro-tracted just in case. Or you could just try holding your breath for the next six months!

With the government announcing they're going for growth and productivity with a very bold and reforming misnamed 'mini budget' (it was anything but mini), those tax reductions should encourage more business investment for 2023. Maybe some of those scaled back, paused and wobbly looking projects will now get the thumbs up?

​The generous help with energy bills will make a big difference but it's still about double from a year ago. It's made me wonder if hybrid working may loose some of it's appeal? Will some make a bit of a stampede back to the office full-time soon?! Reaching out may just get a little bit easier 😊.

Have a great Autumn.
Ilse​

To help get going with a new prospecting campaign, here are some shortcut links to my thoughts of what to consider before and along the way:

• Strategic Profiling & Customer Profiling
• The Importance of Data Quality
• Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
• Is It Time to Reshape or Evolve Your New Business Plan

Happy Prospecting! 🙂
​Ilse