What's the best way to get the attention of a new company? Do cold emails work, and what is the most captivating format for this?
eg. when emailing a production company about new work with their clients, how do you stand out from the crowd and try to ensure that they don't just skip over your message without reading it? Should you include a PDF of recent work or just links to social media / portfolio?
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- @Ashwani Jaiswal Thank you for this! Do you have any suggestions on what sort of subject lines could strike the right balance between eye-catching, not cringe/spammy?
- @Gavin Kemp Thanks so much Gavin! Loved reading this through and I'm definitely going to implement some of your suggestions!
- Hi FreyaIn answer to your first question…….What’s the best way……. in my view your instincts are right in ‘direct’ outbound marketing.For your second question……Do Cold e-mails work…….. again my view very very rarely – my only reason for not simply saying ‘No’ is they will have worked for someone somewhere.You need to do all the basic stuff well, know who you want to speak to, know why, know why you are a great fit to them and have a clear idea of what you can bring that others can’t, and have the prospect and 10 others in your database to target with similar levels of information and thought through detail. I could give you the jargon – but I know enough jargon to know that plain English is always better, easier and clearer!Do something different to get seen, give them something they can’t ignore, I know a designer who sent a mannequin torso to a brand to get seen - he got seen and got work from them, he has the style and salesman’s skills to get away with it.Get them to think….. ‘ I like this I just want to meet whoever made it' ……..’ This goes way beyond a portfolio (but you need it as proof of skills and experience) – despite howls of protest no doubt – people buy from people they like, people who interest them, people who share their values, people they feel comfortable with, and on occasions an element of patronage even if it’s just a recommendation, and that is a whole heap of soft skillsAs a Creative Director you should know how to fit a given piece of creative to a business need at a strategic level and get your Art Director to produce it. Seeing as you are a stylist, first step back and be your own Creative Director find the creative to fit a prospects need and then execute as a stylist – having already defined and qualified your target go and get em!!Don’t confuse a director who is creative with a Creative Director – they are very different animals.It’s old school but the term ‘marketing mix’ is as relevant now as in the past, you need to mix your marketing tools and channels with each prospect individually – don’t under estimate the phone, working with a small number of targets you can really tailor your approaches – don’t rely on one e-mail.Be under no illusion this is not easy, the world is far more competitive, people are out of the office more and are harder to reach. Don’t believe anyone who says do a,b and c and this works – particularly with social media you will just be following the herd and doing what everyone else is doing.Purely as a technical make sure you know how you are approaching someone within GDPR and legitimate interest rules.A big thing, cause mischief, have fun make a few people smile and they will want you!Let me know how you get on!GavP.S. in writing this for you I am also writing my own outline campain plan!
- Getting the attention of a new company can be a challenging task, especially if they receive a large volume of inquiries and proposals. However, there are several ways to increase the chances of getting noticed, including using cold emails.Here are some tips for creating captivating cold emails:
- Personalize your message: Do some research about the company and the person you are contacting. Address them by name and include specific details in your message that show you have done your research and understand their needs.
- Keep it concise and to the point: Be clear and concise in your message. Avoid lengthy paragraphs and unnecessary information. Get straight to the point and explain how you can provide value to the company.
- Show your expertise: Highlight your relevant experience and accomplishments in a brief and convincing manner. Explain how you can help solve the company's problem or improve their processes.
- Use an attention-grabbing subject line: Your subject line should be concise and compelling. It should grab the attention of the recipient and make them want to open your email. Avoid using click-bait or spammy subject lines.
- Follow up: If you don't receive a response to your initial email, don't be discouraged. Follow up after a few days with a friendly reminder that you are still interested in working with the company.
Overall, cold emails can work if they are well-crafted and personalized to the recipient. By following these tips, you can increase your chances of getting noticed by a new company and potentially win their business. @Freya Monro Morrison - Hey Freya, our online event with Today at Apple tonight might help with this, it's all about how to find new clients & customers. You can RSVP here: https://the-dots.com/events/how-to-get-new-clients-13813Hope to see you there!
- Great question @Freya Monro Morrison, I've just sent you a DM!
- There are no golden rules. The factors that discern how to go about getting attention include - what you do, who you do it for, how you want to position yourself, what you resources are, what territories you are targeting, and what your USPs are, among other things.As someone that's previously worked with top stylists and that knows the fashion industry well, having spent my early career working across the sector, and even when having left the industry full-time, continued to work on fashion projects of various kinds for a couple of decades, my advice would be that the following are worth considering if you're trying to get established in this arena...1. Curate a strong folio - it's not size of folio that counts, it's quality. Ensure that aspects of that folio are in all the right places - you need a strong Instagram page, as this is one of the primary platforms that creatives will look to when reviewing a talent that's unknown to them. It's also wise, if you can, to create a strong website, which again brings an emphasis to quality of content, not quantity.2. Submit your work to relevant competitions and prizes. I say this as someone that founded world's first online fashion arts awards, which included a styling category. When my cofounder and I ran those awards we put emerging talent infront of influential figures in the fashion world - both in terms of commerical companies that hire stylists for campaigns and shows, and editors and others that hire stylists for shoots. Again, go for quality of submissions, not quantity. The level of competition is too high to scatter your approach. You want to submit the best entry you can to the most relevant awards, even if that's just one or two submissions a year.3. Your most exciting collaboration opportunities likely will not be working exclusively with other fashion professionals. Seek to collaborate with a range of creatives, including film makers, musicians, and others that work in the arts. Be prepared to do some work pro bono, but ensure when you do that you are getting a fair exchange, i.e. a great opportunity to showcase your talent, and in a way that you can promote across all your social media and other comms channels.4. Be open-minded about where work will come from. For example, a friend of mine was a top make-up artist. Her folio included the most prestigous names in fashion publishing and retail. However, despite being repped by one of the most prestigious agencies in London, and indeed the world, so stiff was the competition in this sector, and so varied the fees, that she couldn't make a decent living. So, she diversified and went into music videos and film. Now she does the make-up to some of the biggest stars on the planet. The creative industries are notoriously difficult to make a living in - hence the old 'starving artist' cliche. Don't ever get stuck in rutts, but always look for how you can apply your talent in new ways, and recognise that, as in markets more generally, supply of talent vs. demand shapes factors including pay.5. I don't, to be honest, know anyone in fashion styling that cold calls. Typically, creative folks don't sell themselves - they work with people that do that for them. If you don't have an agency, aim to get one. Competiton is stiff, so be prepared to pitch to several. How? Show them your strongest work and send a bio/CV that includes any credits you have so far. This wont guarantee you get signed to an agency, but it will give you your best chance. If you get signed you can feel assured that your talent and skills will be put before relevant potential clients and opportunities.If you aren't working in fashion styling, but interiors, the same rules apply. Typically, fashion styling is one of those areas in which, until you get established you will have to side-hustle. If you do have to, know this is no big deal and many creatives - including some of the most influential ones on the planet, did their fair share of side-hustling until such time as the work flow and rate was enough that they could concentrate on thier passion.Good luck!
- I’m going to echo what most people have already said - and add from my own experience.The best way to engage is through real-world contact, build relationships by meeting with people, engaging, and understanding who they are and what they do. If there is a sector you’re interested in - make it your own.All of my best work has come through personal recommendation or because someone has decided they can trust me. If I get to sit down with people and make a pitch or just talk through a piece of work - I usually win it. If I have to do that from a distance - I usually don’t.Digital platforms, Linkedin, recruitment agencies and job boards are pretty much at saturation point now and nothing more than white noise. The need to get out there is as imperative now as it was 30 years ago when I started out. Use digital to support what you do and build relationships and ayour profile, see it as something to fall back on rather than lead.Good luck!
- In-person connections are always best, but it's not possible 100% of the time! It's much harder with cold emails because they are so easy to delete. If possible, try to get in-front of the person with a face-to-face meeting or video call and build rapport this way.Keep your initial email short, but personal! Explain why you'd love to partner with that company specifically and encourage a meeting.Good luck!
- @Daniel Hawley-Lingham This is so insightful, thank you Daniel!
- Your hit rate when going in cold will be much much lower than if you have a warm or hot lead. That's the nature of the beast. There are general notions that you need 7 touch points of contact to make a sale.What I have said for a long time and continue to beleive is that good commuincation is what will stand you above others. So many people are really really terrible at communication. It helps to build confidence in what you are offering. It helps to mitigate problems when things are going wrong. It helps to keep a team on board with a vision. It helps to let you boss know what's going on... and many many more positives.Add that to the fact that most people buy from people - i.e. they buy often because they believe in you and not just the product or service. Then you can start to figure out a way to utilise these two elements to your advantage to start to build a relationship with prospective clients or employers.To put it another way - if you just send stuff by email to someone who doesn't know you - you can expect not to hear back from them. This isn't easy to hear, but in effect one cold email will do nothing for you.What can you do?1. Find names of people to contact.2. Know a little bit about them.3. Call them up and ask if you can send some information.4. Be persistant.5. Follow up later with another call.6. Connect with them on social media.7... and don't stalk them!!
- As for myself i am automaticaly unsubscribe from all email listings and i think 80% off internet users doing the same. And if some email break through spam filters from companies that i even don't know i am trashing it at their arival. Also if the platform suggests me to follow companies i don't know and i follow some of them, after some time i go to the page who i am folowing and unfolow them with feeling a relieve. I think that the best way for involving people to your feed it is Simple Quality Product, that is catching the focus
- @Pip Jamieson any and all ideas would be great!
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