Effective methods to track cold email in 2024

Cold emails are typically sent out to introduce prospects with a new launch or product. So, creating cold emails take some extra effort on the team. 

Every prospect requires a different approach, unless you’re sending out a product launch email—you need to be aware of how you want to start interacting with prospects.

Here’s a cold email template of how you can start your email campaigns—

As you can see from the template that it’s a straightforward email with the purpose of introducing a tool that would help companies like the recipient to make its work easier in some way. Now, the answers to what, why, and how will be there in the follow-up emails. 

But, how do you control email campaigns? If you’d asked this question few years back, probably we couldn’t have helped you. In 2022, this question has more meaning. With advanced tools for email campaigns, it’s easy to control cold emails!

Tracking email links is now widely practised by marketers or sales people to better assess the effectiveness of campaigns. You can start off with adding links in cold emails—links help in tracking. Adding links has another advantage of letting your team know how many people have clicked on the link & how fast have their action was prompted. Links also tell you where the traffic has generated from—drive better marketing ideas this way!

So, what we are left with is a little problem. 

Trackable links aren’t that easy to add as it seems. Making mistakes while adding links to cold emails can send these emails into spam. Many times, the links notify with spam alerts to avoid the discrepancies. However, you must remember that any gaps while adding links would lead to reduced deliverability. 

In order to make the whole purpose of email campaigns successful, you must set up a custom domain to track emails and ensure high deliverability.

Why should you think about link tracking?

Links are added in the cold email content to increase traceability. Links can be anything— calendars, social media, blog, LinkedIn, websites, etc. Tracking links help in assessing how the email campaigns are performing. Your team would know where all to improve in writing cold emails while figuring out the issues.

The first indicator can be the CTR or click-through rate. It tells you who all have clicked to know about your products/services. Focus your efforts on the high-engagement prospects. 

Cold email tracking saves a lot of time as well as resources because you focus only on the prospects that matter to you. 

What is custom domain tracking?

You must remember that adding links to your cold emails would compromise the deliverability rates. But, to alter this situation, there’s custom domain tracking. 

Custom domain tracking acts is basically a URL that’s used in analytics to monitor open rates & others. Without impacting the email deliverability, it’s a safe way to collect data. It’s a much safer option to monitor or control the emails that you send out to prospects/candidates.

Since spam emails have been on the rise, emails need to be white-labelled. With SPF and DKIM authentication, custom tracking domain ensures high deliverability. 

Now comes the biggest question, How to track cold email links?

Tracking Cold Email Links

Default Domain Tracking

-Log into the email tracking tool

-Install the Chrome extension

-Change the settings of email accounts from the tool

-Look for settings that change plugin preferences

-Find option that allows ‘always track email links’

And, then there’s custom domain tracking. 

What are the benefits of custom domain tracking?

We have already touched the part where we spoke about how custom domain tracking is a safe option. 

• Guaranteed deliverability and sender reputation

Using custom domain tracking assures sender’s reputation. You speak through the email campaign. It has direct impact on the deliverability rates. 

• Custom domain name visibility 

Avoid hyperlinks—showing a different domain isn’t a good idea. Recipients won’t show any interest if the domain name isn’t convincing. 

Conclusion

One of the biggest benefits of having data collected from tracking cold emails through tools makes it easier for you.