Can Cold Email Selling Survive in the New Age of Domain Blocking?

The email marketing game is changing. It’s no longer about “getting around” the fence to deliver cold emails. And if this is your marketing strategy, you are in for a cold reality slap...

The rise of the domain-blocking feature in email clients is bringing seismic change for companies relying on cold email marketing to sell their products and services.

With popular email client providers like Mailbird Next, Outlook, and Google Mail, among others, embracing the full domain-blocking feature and making it more easily accessible to users, companies that have been buying email lists and sending unsolicited emails are now facing a major challenge: their days of spamming their way to market share are numbered. They will have to grow real relevance. Or perish.

Email client providers like Mailbird Next, Outlook, and Google Mail are leading the charge, making it easier than ever for users to block entire domains and shut down spammers for good. This is not just a minor inconvenience for companies using these underhanded techniques. It's a death sentence.

The domain-blocking feature allows users to block entire domains, making it impossible for spammers to reach inboxes. This is a game-changer for the advertising industry as it will have a ripple effect on how marketers reach their target audiences. With this feature, companies will have to think about ways to make the audience want to hear from them instead of trying to reach an audience without prior consent.

No longer is this a game of "we've got nothing to lose; we'll just create another email to send from". If a prospect blocks your domain, you will never be able to reach them from your corporate domain. Ever.

According to a study by the Radicati Group, the average office worker received 126 emails per day (2019), of which over 20% were spam. These figures only increased during the past three years of the pandemic, when all businesses moved online and invested in developing their email outreach tactics.

Other email clients that allow users to block domains include AOL Mail, FastMail, and Zoho Mail. These email clients also offer other anti-spam features like the ability to create blacklists, whitelists, and filters to further control the flow of unwanted emails and block not just the email but the entire domain of a spamming company.

Companies that are reluctant to change their email marketing strategies risk being left out entirely. Investing in desire-building marketing strategies, such as building a unique brand positioning, distinctive brand assets, and mental availability, will result in a more efficient use of marketing and advertising budgets and a positive customer experience. This will shape the way brands market products and services in the future.

But it's not just about avoiding cold email selling. It's about evolving and staying relevant. Consumers are tired of being bombarded with unwanted messages and solicitations, and they're taking control of their inboxes. If you want to stay in the game, you need to start thinking about how to make them want to hear from you, not just how to reach them without their consent.

Don't wait too long if you want to join the revolution and leave the spamosaurs behind. Change is here, and a new marketing reality is shaping up right in front of you. A reality that is kicking hard at these predatory practices and the companies that embrace them.

At Feral, we're leading the charge against predatory email marketing practices and advocating for strategies that put your brand and products in the hearts and minds of consumers without tracking and spamming them. If you want to join the revolution and leave the dinosaurs behind, get in touch with us now.

References
*Radicati Group, Email Statistics Report 2015-2019

https://www.radicati.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Email-Statistics-Report-2015-2019-Executive-Summary.pdf