Reaching your B2B buyers has become difficult nowadays. They just don’t sit in their inboxes. Either they’re scrolling through LinkedIn between meetings or checking emails while traveling. You have to show up where they’re across multiple touchpoints to reach them.
That’s why your top-performing sales team doesn’t rely on a single tactic; they use a multi-channel appointment outreach that works at every touchpoint.
So what exactly is multi-channel appointment outreach? It helps you connect with your prospects over various platforms like email, LinkedIn, phone calls, SMS, and more. You can increase your chances of engagement and improve your response rates with this method. It also allows you to personalize your communication that optimize your outreach efforts.
Through this blog, we’ll explore the importance of multi-channel appointment in B2B outbound, how to prepare before you launch your outreach, a multi-channel sequence to reach your prospects where they’re most active, and more.
Why Multi‑Channel Appointment Setting Is Essential?
As you know that B2B buyers are both demanding and challenging. A traditional call center isn’t enough to satisfy your average customer in this time of advanced technology. That’s why B2B companies are turning more and more toward multi-channel customer service.
The idea of using a multi-channel outreach in a B2B appointment setting is to offer your customers several options to interact with your brand. This method works like a mastermind when it comes to getting in touch with your difficult prospects. Because each of your prospects prefers a different outreach style.
Let’s say some of your prospects who are business executives like the nature of an email, and others may respond better to a quick message or phone call. This way, you can increase your lead generation and B2B appointment-setting success rapidly through various channels.
Expanding Your Outreach Methods
You need to increase the likelihood of securing your B2B appointments. You can use various outreach methods to greatly impact your appointment rates.
Depending on one method can limit your appointment rates. You can improve your connection with your prospects and overall effectiveness with emails, phone calls, and social media outreach.
Reaching Your Right Decision-Makers
B2B companies usually target several decision-makers within a company. Your sales team can target each of them with a multiple-channel strategy and the right message at the right time.
You can select those who have the authority to approve or reject a purchase, like executives, department heads, or technical evaluators, etc, depending on the purpose. Your multi-channel approach can help you reach each of them when they’re mostly active to receive a message or call.
Building Your Trust and Credibility
Being visible on different platforms, like emails, LinkedIn, phone, and even SMS, can make your company appear credible. It also shows your prospects that your company isn’t just any fly-by-night operation that is hiding behind a single inbox.
For example, they see your team is constantly engaging on LinkedIn, your brand name in professional emails, and a consistent message across various touchpoints. This repetition creates a sense of familiarity and builds trust toward your company.
Improving Your Response Rates
Reaching out to prospects through multiple channel platforms always makes sure that your messages are seen more often. You can capture their attention easily and encourage a response from your prospect.
Using different channels with a wider presence can help your outreach stay top of mind and more noticeable. One channel might succeed if one goes unanswered. Let’s say a prospect who ignores an email might respond to a follow-up on LinkedIn.
Foundations Before Your Multi-Channel Outreach Launch
Many businesses that are using a multi-channel strategy have seen a 287% increase in customer engagement compared to those using a single channel method. Research also said that 71% of customers expect companies to communicate with them through their selected channels that highlights the importance of personalized communication.
A combined multiple-channel approach will significantly improve your customer satisfaction rate. You can create a large brand presence and personalize your message to fit many platforms to provide your prospects with a great experience.
It can be difficult for you to understand where to focus your efforts since multichannel outreach involves different communication channels. A well planned multi-channel appointment setting strategy, like specifying your target audience, setting up a messaging framework, complying with data policy, etc, can be your powerful tool to drive more leads and set up more appointments.
Define Your Target Audience
You have to identify your audience for your successful multichannel outreach. You can do market research to make a list and profile of potential customers to better understand your audience.
Identify Your Ideal Customer Profile
- You can use age, gender, location, etc, to create your ideal customer profile. You can use other factors like industry, job title, company size, and more.
- You can use data analytics to identify which channels they prefer, like LinkedIn profiles, email outreach, cold calls, etc.
- You can make sure of a more personalized interaction by mapping out your buyer persona.
Create Your List of High-Potential Customers
- You can create your list of high-potential accounts that fit your ICP once you have created your ideal customers.
- You can involve your existing customers, prospects, and companies that are similar to your ideal customer profile.
- Companies that use account-based marketing generate 208% more revenue, according to a report by Aberdeen Group.
Conduct Your Market Research
- You can perform market research to understand your target audience’s needs, pain points, challenges, and more.
- You can include surveys, focus groups, interviews, etc, with your current and potential prospects.
- A survey by Salesforce says that 63% of buyers expect companies to personalize communications based on their needs.
Develop Your Messaging Framework
You can set your messaging framework, which is important for your successful multi-channel outreach strategy. You can create a value proposition, craft your message that resonates with your targeted prospect, and align your message with your value proposition.
Create Your Value Proposition
- Your value proposition is the unique benefit that your product or service will provide to your target audience.
- It should be clear, concise, and focused on the needs of your target audience.
- You can see up to a 34% increase in conversion with a proper value proposition.
Develop Your Personalized Messaging
- You can create your personalized messaging for each channel to keep your outreach important.
- Your tone, content, and CTA should match the platform and audience segment that you’re targeting.
- For example, you can write LinkedIn messages to make your outreach more personal and professional, or you can use email templates as a base, but you can customize them depending on your recipient.
Align Your Messaging with Your Value Proposition
- It’s necessary to make sure that your message aligns with your value proposition.
- This means all of your messaging, whether it’s your website or email campaigns, should reflect your unique value proposition.
- A report by Forbes has shown that consistent brand messaging can increase your revenue by up to 23%.
Identify Your Right Channels
You need to identify the right channels that align with your outreach purpose and audience segment. You can evaluate which channels your target audience is mostly active on, develop your plan to reach out through those channels, and combine your multiple channels to maximize your reach and effectiveness.
Identify Channels Your Target Audience Uses
- You can identify channels that your target audience uses the most.
- You can find them on social media interactions, email, phone, or even at in-person events.
- You can use LinkedIn as your most effective social media platform for B2B lead generation, along with Twitter and Facebook.
Develop Your Plan to Reach through Those Channels
- You can develop a plan for reaching out once you’ve found the most active channels that your target audience uses.
- You can see what produces the most responses and improve your focus depending on that.
- You can use email campaigns or phone texts as your content. You can use LinkedIn accounts for B2B outreach and phone calls or emails for other prospects.
Combine Channels to Improve Your Outreach
- You can optimize your reach by using many channels. That way you can spend your time where outreach matters by focusing on the right channel.
- You can use email to follow up on a social media interaction, or you can use phone calls to follow up on your emails.
- This is how you can retain most of your customers with your omnichannel customer engagement strategies.
Comply with Your Data Privacy Regulation
You need to make sure that your B2B database complies with B2B data privacy laws, not just for good practice, but as a legal demand. Regulations like the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), and the CAN-SPAM Act set clear rules on how your business can collect, store, and use personal Data for B2B outbound.
CCPA
- This act gives California residents the right to know how you’re using their data.
- They can request data deletion and opt out of data sales as well.
- You must implement reasonable security practices, provide the necessary public notices, honor consumer rights requests, and ensure non-discrimination while practicing this act.
CAN-SPAM
- This act regulates your emails in the U.S. It obliges your business to provide clear unsubscribe options and avoid misleading information while communicating through emails.
- This act also makes sure your emails are not junky and allows your recipients to opt out.
- You can comply with this act by avoiding misleading subject lines, making sure your “From” is mentioned properly, using your company’s address accurately, and allowing your recipients to opt out easily.
GDPR
- This act is mostly applicable to B2B marketing emails. You don’t normally need permission to email business, but sometimes you may need it.
- It is needed for companies in Europe to obtain explicit consent before collecting data.
- It also provides you with the ability to access, amend, or delete personal information.
Build Your Multi‑Channel Sequence for Your B2B Outreach
Your multi-channel sequence is not just sending a series of emails or making phone calls. Rather, it’s about carefully setting up multiple touchpoints across different channels to build a good connection, earn trust, and ultimately, close more deals.
Not all your prospects are the same. Some of your prospects may respond better to emails, others may respond to LinkedIn messages, or text messages, or some may need a mix of touchpoints, even before they engage. That’s why your sales team needs to prepare a multi-channel sequence to make sure they’re meeting the prospects where they’re most comfortable.
So what is a multi-channel prospecting sequence? It’s a combination of your emails, phone calls, LinkedIn messages, and text messages with a proper sequence and timing. The objective is to do your best to establish a strong connection with your prospect.
Select and Mix Your Channels
You can choose a mix of channels based on your ideal customer profile (ICP) and their preferred communication method. Your channels are your ultimate instruments for a proper B2B outreach, and each one of them has a different style, but they work better when they’re combined in a group.
You can select common channels for your appointment sequence, like email for the foundation of the sequence and a personalized introduction, phone calls for a direct human touch for high-value targets, LinkedIn for professional B2B networking, SMS for short reminders and immediate response, etc.
Design Your Sequences
Design your multi-channel sequence after selecting your channels. You can prepare a measured and persistent sequence for several days instead of tiring your prospects with high-volume messages.
It’s better to plan a specific order and timing for each touchpoint over the course of two or three weeks. For example, start your sequence with an initial email, then send a LinkedIn connection request, followed by a phone call and an SMS a few days later for a little reminder, and more.
- Day 1: Email Introduction
Start with a personalized email that introduces you, your company, and the value your solution brings.
- Day 3: LinkedIn Connection Request
Reach out on LinkedIn with a connection request, mention your email, and express interest in connecting to discuss mutual industry interests.
- Day 5: A Text Message
Remind them about your email and LinkedIn request, along with your proposition, by sending a short message.
- Day 7: Follow-up Email with Proof
Follow up by mentioning your earlier outreach and add a brief customer success story or industry-specific wins to build trust.
- Day 10: LinkedIn Message
Send a personalized LinkedIn message to remind them about your connection. Also, express your interest in learning more about their challenges.
- Day 12: Phone Call
Make your targeted phone call during your prospect’s business hours. You can also mention your earlier conversations and express your true interest in their paintpoint.
- Day 18: Text Message Outreach
Send another short and personalized message and remind them about your value proposition that aligns with their goals.
- Day 20: A Final Follow-up Email
Close the sequence with a final follow-up email as a gentle reminder of your proposition. Therefore, outlines the potential benefits they can get with your time-limited incentive.
Hyper-Personalize Your Messaging
Your generic templates are often ignored. You can personalize each message and add something related to your recipient, like their name, their role, or organization, to capture attention. It will also prove that the outreach is thoughtful and relevant to your prospect.
You can frame your message around your prospects’ pain points and how your solution can provide value. Your message should contain at least one clear and compelling CTA, whether to schedule a meeting or request a live demo; your message should encourage your prospect to take action.
Automate Your Follow-ups
Your effective B2B sequence needs a well-structured rhythm that makes sure your prospects are getting messages and content on a daily basis. You don’t want to tire your prospect with an endless amount of messages, so you can make sure that your name remains in their inboxes at regular intervals.
Even your best sequence can’t fall apart without a proper structure. That’s why you can use sales engagement platforms to smartly automate your tasks like sending your emails, tracking your open and response rates, etc, and make sure timely follow-ups and consistent communication.
Craft Your Right B2B Outreach Message For Each Channel
Your B2B brand messaging is the delicate art of knowing exactly what to say to inspire your prospect to take a desired action. Your B2B messages should aim to educate an individual purchasing on behalf of the entire company. It’s your way to tell how you can be the solution to a problem they’re trying to solve or a need they want to meet.
The key elements of a compelling message are adding a clear and concise value proposition, a compelling narrative, and a call-to-action. Your value proposition should clearly communicate the unique benefits of your products or services.
You have to understand your prospects’ needs and pain points before crafting a message. Then you can deliver the right message on your selected channels to optimize your B2B outreach strategy. You can use channels, like email, LinkedIn, phone, SMS, etc, to their full potential. engage your audience, and drive desired action.
Email Outreach
You can use email as a powerful channel for your B2B outreach. It delivers direct access to your decision-makers and helps you build long-term relationships. You can also drive consistent, measurable results from emails.
Your subject line is the most important element for getting your emails opened and the body must deliver the real purpose of your outreach. A simple subject line, like “Quick question about [Company Name], or “For [First Name]: thoughts on your recent blog?” can outperform your generic phrases.
You can refer to your research to show how much you’ve done your homework. It’s better for you to mention a recent accomplishment they have reached or industry trend they’ve started.
Hi [First Name],
I saw the news that [Your Prospect’s Company] secured [$X] in funding, huge congratulations! That’s a massive achievement and speaks to the growth you’re focused on.
I work with companies experiencing similar rapid growth to help them [insert value proposition, e.g., simplify their hiring process or manage new customer demand]. We’ve helped other organizations like [Similar Company] [mention your specific result,e.g., reduce onboarding time by 35%].
Based on your team’s expansion, it seems a good time to connect. Would you be open to a brief 15-minute chat next week to see what we can offer?
Best Regards,
[Your Name]
LinkedIn Outreach
You can use LinkedIn outreach as the art of connecting with new prospects on that platform. You can easily target potential buyers and business partners through this platform. You can use LinkedIn for networking within your industry and reach out to ideal customers for your company.
Your goal is to start a conversation, not just sell a pitch. You should keep your message shorter than an email. You need to make sure your headline, summary, and experience section clearly say who you help.
You can add a brief and personalized note under 300 characters. You can send a LinkedIn connection request message to start the conversation.
“Hi [First Name], I saw your post on [topic] and really appreciated your perspective on [specific point]. As someone also working in the [industry] space, I’d love to connect with you.”
[Your Name]
Post Connection Message
(You can send your first message within 24 hours of your connection)
Hi, [First Name], thanks for connecting! I’m interested in the work you’re doing at [Your Prospect’s Company] around [area of interest,e.g, cloud computing]. Our company helps with [solution related to their area of interest]. I’d be happy to share a relevant case study if you’re open to it.
[Your Name]
Phone Outreach
Cold calling has undergone a massive change, yet it remains very important across the B2B sales world. Your sales team will qualify and find leads using cutting-edge technology and analytics before making focused and relevant calls.
Your cold calls need to be conversational, confident, and empathetic. You should prepare a script to use as your guide. You can start with a polite greeting and a quick intro, and understand that you’re calling them cold.
“Hi [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [ Your Company]. I’ll keep it brief. This is a cold call. Do you have 30 seconds for me to tell you why I’m calling?”
You can briefly say why you’re calling and try to set up relevance if they say yes.
“Great. I saw that [Prospect’s Company] recently [mention a trigger event or a challenge. We’ve helped other [Prospect’s Role] in your industry, like [Similar Company], with [solution]. If it makes sense, we could schedule a quick chat. How’s your calendar next week?”
SMS Outreach
We all know that SMS is one of your most effective channels to reach people. Over 80% messages are opened, and 30-45% are interacted with, like responded to, or clicked through, etc. You can use texting primarily for promotional offers or informational texts, like appointment confirmations.
You may be communicating about your business, but you should keep it simple, conversational and do your research about the person you’re texting. You shouldn’t send unwanted cold texts and ask for earlier approval.
You can send a text to confirm details or strengthen a key point after a call or email.
“HI [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company Name]. Thanks for calling earlier. Just confirming our call is scheduled for tomorrow at [Time]. Looking forward to it!”.
You can also offer special and valuable content directly to your prospect who has opted in.
“Hi [First Name], here is the link to the [ebook/case study] on [topic] we discussed earlier. [Link]. Let me know what you think.
[Your Name, Your Company]
Final Words
From the earlier discussion, we understood that the power of multi-channel outbound is endless. You can reach a broader audience, increase your engagement, build a stronger network, and achieve the best outcomes by using different platforms.
You can make your outreach more reliable and effective using a mix of multiple channels, like email, LinkedIn, SMS, etc. Whether it’s your personalized email, engaging phone calls, or LinkedIn interactions, each channel plays a major role in optimizing your outreach efforts that will drive you more conversions and improve your digital presence.
FAQ
What Is Multi-channel Outbound Outreach?
Multi-channel outbound outreach basically helps you engage with your prospects through various communication methods, like emails, phone calls, social media, and others. This approach allows you to have more personalized and consistent messaging over different platforms, increasing the likelihood of making new contacts.
How Many Touches Are Needed to Set a Meeting?
On average, it can take 7-8 touches to set a meeting, but it varies widely depending on the industry, product complexity, and your prospects’ prior interest. For a successful sales process, you need to involve personalized and consistent interactions throughout different channels, rather than a fixed number of touches.
Should I Call or Email First in Appointment Outreach?
A multi-touch approach that combines both your email and phone call is often the most effective strategy in B2B outbound. However, email is considered ideal for your initial contact, as it appears natural and highly scalable.
Is SMS Effective for B2B Appointment Setting?
Yes, short message service, also known as SMS, is effective for B2B appointment setting, as it has a high open rate, around 98%. It also has a quick response time, like 90% read in 3 minutes. SMS is basically a personal channel to directly engage with your each prospects. By sending appointment invites, confirmations, and reminders through SMS, you can reduce back-and-forth communication as well.
What Is a Good Cadence for Multi-channel Outreach?
A good sequence for your multi-channel outreach typically includes 8-12 touchpoints, spaced every 1 to 2 days and spanning across 21 to 27 days. It often involves a mix of channels, like emails, phone calls, and social media. This creates a consistent engagement without overwhelming your prospects.
