Effective Channels Used for Multichannel Outreach
In an era where attention is scarce, employing a single communication channel may not suffice. The dynamics of audience interaction have evolved, demanding a holistic approach.
Multichannel outreach just increases your chances for success. Your goal should be to diversify your efforts and increase the likelihood of reaching your audience where they are most receptive.
Understanding the distinct characteristics of each channel
Multichannel, as the name suggests, comprises various marketing channels with unique nuances to each one, which can make your outbound sales efforts fruitful. Let’s discuss each channel and learn more about it in the following section.
It is estimated that there are 4,371 million email users in 2023, and this number continues to rise. Unlike the short-term nature of social media trends, email remains a fundamental aspect of our digital existence, rendering it one of the most potent tools for outreach.
Moreover, this outreach medium is a popular choice for the SDRs as it has 15.14% open rates, as reported by MailChimp’s 2023 B2B Email Open Rates study.
Another reason of its huge popularity among the SDRs is the audience you get here. Most business decision-makers will have an email ID and it’s easy to reach those and make your offers directly and promptly.
Some of its undeniable benefits, such as being cost-effective, scalable, and having targeted messages, make it a compulsory outreach channel in your multichannel strategy.
However, before you send out your first email campaign, make sure you understand some its challenges, such as deliverability issues and spam management, stand out in the inbox chaos as there will be many like you to reach the same prospect.
To overcome these challenges, we have published a cold email masterclass that gives you some best practices like making your subject line compelling and curious, making the body content relevant and concise, clear CTAs, adhering to the regulatory requirements, etc.
LinkedIn is another popular channel among the SDRs as the medium gets 3x more response than its earlier competitor emails.
According to LinkedIn State of Sales Report, 2023, 78% of salespeople view social selling as crucial to their multichannel strategy, signifying the increasing importance of LinkedIn outreach.
Besides, accessing a professional audience, networking opportunities, personalized outreach capabilities, etc. are some of the attractive benefits of using LinkedIn.
Based on LinkedIn’s advanced targeting features such as personalized outreach on criteria such as job title, industry, and company size, you can personalize your outreach. Because of its extensive network you can take your campaigns to a wider professional group and target your prospects.
However, while using Linkedn as one of your multichannel medium, make sure you are ready to pay some out of pocket expenses for its various in-built tools. Tools like SmartReach.io offer semi and full LinkedIn automation.
Also, as mentioned earlier, due to its huge popularity among the businesses, the platform is very competitive and everyone is vying for attention. So, cutting through the noise can be challenging.
Even before you start your first campaign on LinkedIn, here are certain steps you, as an SDR, should follow: Make sure you have a clear goal, a set target audience, your personalization looks rock solid, and you have a strong value proposition. You can check our blog on 6-Step LinkedIn Sales Sequence to Book Meetings in 2024 for more info.
Cold Calling
A lot of sales people get nervous about picking up the phone, but truth is, it’s one of the best ways to reach out. In a matter of seconds, you’re chatting live with your prospects, addressing their concerns, and really connecting with them in the moment.
We’ve talked about cold calling tips in our blog section to help you ace this channel, but let’s quickly go over some ways you can level up your cold calling as part of your cold email outreach plan.
With a conversion rate around 6.3% for cold calls, some top reps achieve success rates of 10% or higher with proper techniques and scripts. (Source: Gong.io)
Cold calling allows for direct and immediate interaction with potential customers. On the spot feedback, cost effectiveness, instant lead qualification are some of the benefits why cold calling is still in practice as one of the most effective sales arsenal.
However, it has its own set of drawbacks such as considered being intrusive, reaching the right prospects, handling objections, and managing gatekeeprs.
It’s essential to weigh these advantages and obstacles to consider whether cold calling aligns with your business goals and target audience.
Seasoned sales people will have their own set of practices before picking up the phone, which can be practiced by you as a starter. In fact, tonality also matters when calling your prospects. For more info you can refer to our blog 23 Cold Calling Scripts for B2B – Elements & Examples
Start with proper research about your target audience, know their pain points, keep a short and confident intro, have a flexile script, anticipate the objections and be ready to answer, etc.
If you can take care of these, cold calling can be your best channel for your multichannel outreach.
Other channels
Emails, phone calls, and LinkedIn are great starting points for reaching out in a bunch of different ways.
However, there’s a whole world of channels out there. It’s all about knowing your audience, figuring out where they hang out, and finding the best ways to catch their eye. These extra channels can really boost your outreach efforts and help you connect with even more potential leads.
SMS
No matter what industry you’re in, chances are your potential customers are glued to their phones. Alongside making calls, sending text messages is a smart move to connect with them.
It’s a bit of an untapped resource, which means using it well gives you a leg up over your competition.
But here’s the thing, only use text messages for prospects who’ve shared their number willingly, especially for inbound leads. That way, your messages are more likely to hit the mark, and you won’t risk ticking anyone off with spammy texts.
Moreover, with an average open rate of 98% and 45% response rate, SMS is another way to reach to your prospects with higher ROI. (Source: Mailmodo, ClickSend)
Most SDRs like you appreciate SMS as a powerful tool for quick, high-impact communication with prospects. ross-device compatibility makes SMS another popular channel among the reps.
However, this is not without any limitations. Often, this channel is hampered by limited characters conversation, making them unfit for complex communication.
Regulations and compliance-related restrictions can often make it less attractive. Also, lack of actionable insights can hamper your outreach.
Before you even start bombarding your prospects with SMS, make sure you have their consent and don’t forget to include an opt-out option. Also, make sure you’re sending messages to valid leads using external tools such as carrier lookup tool or other verification software.
Make your SMS concise to the point and always keep it value centric. Following these best practices will help you leverage SMS as an effective outreach channel to engage with your audience, drive conversions
Similar to SMS, WhatsApp boasts exceptional open and response rates can lead to better lead nurturing and quicker conversions. With open rates surpassing 90%, WhatsApp boasts excellent engagement for marketing and communication. Sharing images, videos, and documents helps showcase products, answer questions, and create more engaging interactions.
Unsolicited or irrelevant messages can be perceived as intrusive. Regulatory requirements regarding data privacy and consent needrneed close attention and responding to individual messages can be time-consuming.
Share customized tips and news on WhatsApp to keep that link strong with your other channels, making sure your outreach journey flows smoothly.
Where to start?
Given the numerous advantages of multichannel outreach, it might seem tempting to jump into every available channel or use them all in one sequence. Which, by the way, is possible with SmartReach.io
However, it’s crucial to recognize that multichannel outreach isn’t a shortcut for effective communication. Especially if you’re new to outreach efforts, consider starting with one channel initially and mastering it before expanding to others.
As a rule of thumb, focus on establishing a strong foundation using the channels mentioned below before considering integrating additional ones. This approach ensures a more strategic and well-executed outreach strategy.
Add the channels to your outreach strategy to make a holistic sales effort and see better results.