Omnichannel marketing isn’t a cutting-edge strategy anymore, it’s a necessity. Buyers expect their experiences across channels to be seamless, and marketers have taken note—for the most part.

According to “Unleash the Power of Acquisition Email,” a recent study from Data Axle conducted by SurveyMonkey, 77% of marketers believe an acquisition campaign delivers higher ROI when it includes email. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s using it. When asked if they are using email to acquire new customers, 14% didn’t even know it was an option! Additionally, 28% of respondents say they don’t use email for acquisition marketing because they aren’t sure if it’s compliant with consumer privacy laws and guidelines.

It’s time to shine the light on “cold” acquisition emails and dispel some of the common myths. Acquisition email campaigns are critical to growing your customer base, and new data strategies mean you can seize the benefits of third-party email data in light of privacy regulations. Here’s how:

Privacy can be maintained.

The study showed that 53% of respondents are using email to acquire new customers and it’s working well. For those who haven’t used acquisition email until recently, nearly 28% said they didn’t think it was compliant. Not surprisingly, 58% of respondents say they would utilize email for acquisition outreach if the vendor could prove the emails are privacy-compliant.

The issue with privacy isn’t that data is being used, it’s that it is used without permission. Marketers building an audience for acquisition campaigns need to ensure the third-party data they’re using has been obtained with permission. At OMI, we’ve built one of the largest B2B contact databases in the industry with opted-in data – even though user permission isn’t a requirement in the U.S. (Our data adheres to the strictest privacy guidelines and is always acquired with the user’s permission.)

Additionally, people-based identity solutions can offer greater visibility into online and offline data while maintaining privacy. Identity graphs pull data from multiple quality sources and anonymize the profiles to ensure privacy. This is ideal for delivering campaigns that reach prospects where they are, on all channels.

Use the right email platform.

It’s common for CRM platforms to follow strict guidelines for data privacy and reputation management, with many not allowing the use of third-party data. Sending acquisition campaigns through a CRM is not only potentially against the platform’s policy, but it can also have significant deliverability issues and result in lower open rates.

The survey indicated 23% of respondents said they weren’t aware they could email contacts not in their CRM. So while most CRMs don’t allow you to use third-party data emails, there are other ways to send your acquisition campaign emails. Acquisition email platforms have different standards for white-listing, reputation management, and IP address cleanliness, making them ideal for third-party data campaigns. 

Warm up cold emails.

At OMI, we often recommend “warming up” contacts by sending the first “cold” email through our email prospecting transmission platform. From there, we can transfer any contacts that open or click the initial email to a CRM platform for ongoing outreach, such as sequenced nurture emails and automated follow-ups.

Intent monitoring can find prospects that are looking to be found.

Digital intent monitoring allows you to zero in on the right decision makers – including people who are in-market for your solutions right now. Intent insights are obtained when buyers’ online activities are anonymously monitored, captured and analyzed to uncover purchase intent signals. Combining intent insights matched to contact data from an identity graph, marketers can build even more custom audiences that are in-market for their offers and remain in compliance with privacy requirements.

The thing is, the best acquisition emails aren’t really “cold.” It’s not about sending a bunch of emails to random prospects, like the “spray and pray” mentality of years before. Today’s acquisition campaigns can be highly targeted with opted-in data that maintains consumer privacy. Done right, acquisition emails should be like you’ve read the prospect’s mind and delivered the right information directly to their inbox.

Did you know? Over 75 million of OMI’s 80 million manager- and professional-level and above contacts are matched to the LiveRamp RampID graph, including 65 million records from our SMB and medical market databases. Contact us today to learn more about building a custom audience.