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3. Outreach

What is multichannel outreach?

Multichannel outreach means contacting one prospect on several channels, for example email, LinkedIn and the phone, following a plan for which comes when. The idea is to meet people where they pay attention, without repeating the same message everywhere.

The parts

  1. Choose channels your buyer usesSome roles live in their inbox, others on LinkedIn or the phone. Start with the channels your buyers use for work.
  2. Different message per channelEach channel suits a different length and tone. A phone message is short; an email can carry one fact.
  3. A shared order of touchesThe channels are part of one cadence, so a prospect does not get three messages in a day.
  4. One record of contactEveryone on the team can see what was already sent, so replies and opt-outs are respected on every channel.

Worked example: 40 prospects over three channel mixes

Routewell Analytics, a fictional logistics company, divides 40 prospects into three groups by the channels used, then counts replies after the same period.

By hand

  1. Email only: 1 reply from 15 prospects, a 6.7% reply share.
  2. Email and LinkedIn: 2 replies from 15 prospects, a 13.3% reply share.
  3. Email, LinkedIn and phone: 2 replies from 10 prospects, a 20% reply share.
  4. Overall: 5 replies from 40 prospects, 12.5%. Groups this small only suggest a direction.
Email only6.7%
Email and LinkedIn13.3%
Email, LinkedIn and phone20%

Replies per prospect by channel mix (invented figures)

How to apply it

  1. List the channels your buyers use and pick two to start with.
  2. Write a short message per channel, each with its own single ask.
  3. Place the touches in one cadence with days between them.
  4. Log every touch in one place and stop all channels when someone replies or opts out.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Copying the same message into every channel at once.
  • Adding channels before the first one works, which spreads effort thin.
  • Forgetting to pause the other channels after a reply.

Sales cadence

A sales cadence is a scheduled series of contacts, spread over days and often over more than one channel, that a seller follows to reach a prospect.

Read more

Cold email

A cold email is a first message to a person you have not spoken with, sent because their role or company suggests you could help.

Read more

Questions

Is multichannel better than email alone?
It depends on your buyer. It can reach people who miss email, but it also costs more effort, so test it on a small group first.
Which channels should I combine?
Email plus LinkedIn is a common start. Add phone where your buyers answer calls.
Does multichannel mean more messages?
Not necessarily. You can send the same number of touches, spread across channels.

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