Mass Market Outreach vs. Personalized Outreach

Why should you focus on personalized outreach, and why is it so much better than mass-market outreach? On Boundless Media’s latest podcast, Our CEO, Nico, COO, Larissa, and Content Manager, Justine, sat down and got to the nitty-gritty of personalized outreach, what it takes to be successful, and how you can implement this to take your outreach to new heights.

The first topic they dove into was data. So, how does data play into the number of messages you need to send each day to run a successful campaign? “Research separates bad campaigns from good campaigns,” says Nico.

He also recommends spending 97% of your time on data acquisition. This will help you create more impactful messages making mass-market outreach no longer necessary. This will also help you stay out of spam folders. Everyone gets spam emails or emails that are only semi-custom. With semi-custom emails, you run the risk of using outdated data, and having incorrect information is worse than having no information at all. You don’t have to know their life story; you just need to have relevant data bout them. Sometimes the simplest data can make the biggest difference. Of course, if you don’t know WHO you need to market to, the data won’t matter. Before diving into your data, make sure you have your ideal customer persona (ICP) in mind, and the data matches your target market.

Now that you have the data, how do you use that data to craft a message to your leads? Larissa says, “It’s super important to use data to craft messages to your leads. Not just the initial message, but every message following.”

If you reach out to a lead who lives in an area with a bad snowstorm, you can mention that in your message. You don’t have to see where their house is; just look at a weather map to see what the weather’s like in the area they’re in. Starting with something about them is a great way to pique their interest. When you jump right into “look at my product, do you want to buy it?” Your lead will be more likely to send your email to the trash. When you come in with a human touch, you have a higher chance of starting a conversation. Having a conversation with someone before they buy from you helps you build a relationship with them. This means when they are ready to purchase the solution you offer, you’ll be on top of mind. When was the last time you bought a $100,000 product from a cold email, after all?
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Ok, so this only works for email, right? Wrong! You can use any platform for this super custom outreach. The most important thing is to know WHERE your ideal customer is. Is the best way to reach out to them by email or through a social media platform? You should leverage the platforms they’re on and meet your leads where they’re at. Just because they have an email doesn’t mean they check it daily, and the same thing goes for social sites. Just because they have a profile on LinkedIn doesn’t mean they check their messages. Find out where they’re active and use it as part of your data acquisition strategy.

Is there a way to use your lead’s social profile to help with your data acquisition? The simple answer is yes! When you’re researching your ICP, look at their about section. You can find out things like where they want to take their company, or maybe even something fun and interesting about them. Don’t just use their profile to find out where they are. That’s something that everyone does, and it’s not personal enough. Profile headers and profile pictures are also good to use. It’s something that’s not widely used when sending messages. Maybe they have a pet or classic car in their picture. You can use that as a talking point. Everyone wants to talk about things they are passionate about.

Now that you got your first response, what’s next? Nico says it perfectly, “Getting the next response.” You want to keep with the personalization and talk about them. Don’t jump right into trying to arrange a meeting. It’s tough to get booked on a CEO’s calendar. When messaging them, start building that relationship with them and finding out if they’re a great fit. You want to add value to your leads. At the end of the day, their time and your time are too valuable to jump right into a call without knowing if you truly offer a solution they need. Now, if their response is, “Hey, let’s have a meeting,” then, of course, schedule a meeting with them asap. Now getting a response is great, but how soon should you follow up, and is timing important? Yes! Timing is so important. We have a ton of automated systems in place, so we know when someone replies right away. Larissa tells us, “It’s much easier to continue the conversation when you reply right away.” If you respond right after they reply to you, then you’ll stay top of mind. Replying to every message as soon as possible is so important, not just to keep on top of mind, but also to keep your inbox unclogged.

Can you reach out to someone on a different platform than the one you initially reached out on? Yes, and no. There are some unspoken rules about that. If you send a message on LinkedIn and that’s where they reply, you don’t want to respond to them through email. But, if you reached out on LinkedIn and haven’t heard from them, then maybe you can find a different platform where they’re more active. However, you don’t want to seem too pushy.

What are some tips to get a prospect on a call? Sometimes, after you’ve qualified them and built that relationship, they’ll ask you for a call. Naturally, that doesn’t always happen, so here’s what we do if that’s not the case. Reference what they’ve told you about their business where your solution can help them and let them know you think they can add value. Maybe you shoot a quick Loom video about their website or send them some resources that will get them to see the value you can add to their business.

What are some other ways to differentiate yourself from a mass marketer to be more successful? It is crucial to have a database of everyone you’ve reached out to and where they are in the process. This can help you keep track of a lot of information, including stats, to see how your campaigns are performing. Utilizing systems like this can also allow you to see seasonal patterns. An analytical view of your campaign can show you a different side of your campaign progress. You can’t get emotionally attached to campaigns. Use the data to drive your decisions, and make sure your sample size is large enough to provide accurate data.

If you need any help with hyper-specific outbound campaigns, generating leads for your business, or automating your systems, you can reach out to Boundless Media. We’re here to help you!