If you’re a B2B marketer, you may have heard the old adage, “Cold outreach is dead.”

 

 

While it’s true that cold outreach has changed over the years, it’s far from dead.

 

 

The digital revolution changed the way we do business. Consumers are more digitally-savvy than ever and expect companies to meet them where they are. That’s why B2B marketers must stay up-to-date with technology trends to maintain an effective and relevant cold outreach campaign.

 

 

It’s no secret that cold campaigns can be a hit or miss. But cold outreach (with the right approach!) is still the most effective way to reach potential customers and generate leads. Let’s discuss how it has evolved.

 

 

The New Norm for Cold Outreach

 

When most people think of cold outreach, they think of recipe-less canned emails sent out to hundreds of prospects. This type of approach has become outdated and ineffective in recent years because technology and automation tools are on the scene now and filter out impersonalized content.

 

 

Today, cold outreach is more personalized and targeted—it has to be to stand a chance. You can no longer just send generic emails with no value or thought behind them.

 

 

Let’s look at 5 of the most critical ways you should do cold outreach today to be successful:

 

 

#1 Have High-Quality Lists 

 

In the past, marketers could get away with sending out hundreds of cold emails without guaranteeing they would reach the right people. But, if you continue doing the same strategy, the outcome will also be the same—no valuable results while wasting your money and effort.

 

 

What should you be doing? 

 

 

Well, use your time to build a high-quality email list to reach the right prospects. Rather than purchase a list of prospects generated to your company’s focus, make your own list of people you’ve found who are interested in what your company offers. 

 

 

This means researching your target audience, finding out which outlets they frequent, and segmenting your lists based on job titles or company sizes to tailor your emails to their interests.

 

 

Once you’ve got a quality list, you’re ready to start crafting your emails!

 

 

#2 Automate Your Campaigns

 

Marketers used to track and follow up on cold emails manually. It was time-consuming, and they easily missed out on excellent opportunities. Nowadays, automation tools help maximize returns and speed along the cold email process. 

 

 

You don’t have to waste time manually tracking or updating data, and your prospects always get the right message at the right time—resulting in higher chances of getting clients. For example, you can create automated sequences of cold emails and follow-ups so that your prospecting campaigns can run multiple campaigns simultaneously on autopilot.

 

 

In short, automating improves your campaign target precision and is more likely to turn prospects into clients than old methods.

 

 

#3 Personalize Your Cold Messages

 

Most people can spot a generic sales email without opening it, and they usually delete it right away. So personalizing your cold messages communicates to your recipients that connecting with you is beneficial.

 

 

To increase your response rate, personalize your emails for each recipient by researching your prospect’s needs and tailoring your message to reflect them. And, most importantly, personalized emails go beyond simply writing “Dear [Name]” in the email subject line. 

 

 

In the email body, you should also reference the recipient’s work and how they could benefit from connecting with you. Why? Because 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a company that offers a tailored experience.

 

 

But remember, everyone works differently, and your personalization for one person is generic to another. 

 

 

For example, for a busy person, you might need to write a concise message with a straightforward call to action (CTA), whereas a longer message works for folks who have a taste for well-written text and the time to let it be their eye candy. Know them to sell to them.

 

 

#4 Focus on Value Proposition 

 

Marketers used to follow a one-size-fits-all approach to cold emailing, and their messages generally provided little to no value. So, to stand out among the mountain of incoming messages in a businessperson’s inbox, you need to have an obvious value proposition. 

 

 

An obvious value proposition clearly names what makes your product or service unique and why recipients should care about it. Focus on how your offering solves your prospect’s problems and meets their needs better than your competitors. 

 

 

Of course, you don’t need to go into too much detail—just enough to pique their interest. 

 

 

#5 Leverage Social Media

 

Social media platforms are a luxury marketing tool for businesses today. Channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram have become essential for reaching out to prospects in a non-intrusive way. 

 

 

Whereas such personal connection was difficult before social media existed, today, you can use these platforms to engage with potential customers without bombarding them with generic messages or offers. 

 

 

Including social media in your cold outreach strategy allows you to build relationships and engage with prospects on a personal level. For example, you can share valuable content, join conversations related to your industry, or reach out directly to potential customers.

 

 

Start by engaging with thought leaders and joining groups in your industry to gather information about your audience and gain credibility before offering your services. Keep your interactions light, informative, and friendly—and they’ll do the rest.

 

 

Launch a Successful Campaign with Updated Methods

 

We’re not believers in the “cold outreach is dead” thing. Cold outreach is very much alive and thriving—but only if you use the powerful marketing tool correctly. Our key tips to using cold outreach effectively can be summarized into three points:

 

• Build a genuine contacts list that you’ve handpicked through research.
• Personalize your emails according to specific market segments.
• Offer valuable content that makes recipients crave more.

 

If you’re looking for support in transitioning your cold outreach strategy, ScaleUpSales can help. We’ll get you on track to creating robust sales messages and connecting with high-quality leads to increase your conversion rate—which ultimately leads to higher ROI.

 

 

Contact us today, and you’ll be well on your way to maximizing cold outreach marketing.