Outbound Email Outreach Resurgence: Thrive In Economic Downturn

Time and again, cold email outreach has emerged as a phoenix during the economic downturn. A McKinsey & Company report says email, in general, shows 40 times better effectiveness than social media. And, when it comes to cold emailing, its key aspect, “personalization” gives 32.7% more response rate than average!

Thus, you can not miss this resilient strategy to thrive during challenging times.

But what qualities make cold email marketing best when your industry faces economic crises? And how can you use it for effective outreach?

We have the answers to these questions!

Let us explore the secrets of cold outreach for outbound lead generation and the best ways to use this tactic in times of uncertainty.

4 Reasons for Cold Email Outreach Resurgence

During a downturn, traditional channels like print, industrial event hosting, and inbound tactics often face budget cuts due to economic constraints. Moreover, display and social media ads may struggle as businesses tighten spending. 

This is where you get more precise about your inbound and outbound marketing channels. Among all, cold email becomes your best bet due to many advantages over other channels, such as:

1. Cost-Effectiveness

Amidst budget constraints, cold email marketing emerges as a cost-effective solution. Compared to traditional marketing channels, email campaigns require less financial investment. 

How? 

The reason is that email saves you expenses on print, postage, and ad space. Overall, email offers a way to achieve meaningful outreach without breaking the bank.

2. Targeted and Customized Content

65% of B2B buyers believe vendors lack a sufficient understanding of their needs. Moreover, 77% of B2B buyers require personalized content before purchasing.

wCold email marketing can deliver content that precisely targets your prospects' needs and challenges. Leveraging data-driven insights, you can tailor your brand messaging to specific recipients. 

Thus, this outreach tactic ensures high relevance and resonance. Moreover, such customization fosters a personalized connection with your audience.  

3. Automation and Analytics Access 

Here are two tech advantages you gain while reaching out via cold email: 

• Campaign Automation: 

Through marketing automation, B2B marketers saw a 10% boost in sales pipeline contribution on average. And you can easily integrate automation and AI into your email campaigns. 

One good example includes automated workflows to streamline processes using CRM (Customer Relationship Management). It enables you to send timely and relevant content based on user behavior. 

Furthermore, AI algorithms can analyze vast datasets. It optimizes targeting and personalization of your outreach for improved campaign performance.

• Email Analytics: 

Now, you can use advanced analytics tools to gain deeper insights into your email recipient's behavior. By understanding how recipients interact with emails, you can send content that aligns with their preferences.

4. High Scalability

Cold email outreach is highly scalable. Whether you want to reach out to a niche audience or conduct large-scale campaigns, this tactic offers the flexibility to adapt to your diverse business needs. Such scalability ensures no matter your business size, you can use this tactic to contact your target audience effectively.

How to Perform Cold Email Marketing in An Economic Downturn

Recalibrating your outbound email marketing strategy is crucial for sustained success during an economic downturn. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you navigate these challenging times:

1. Categorize Email Contacts Through Segmentation

Segmenting your cold email contacts directly gives you a green pass for the best personalized communication. In fact, 80% of companies reported increased sales with segmentation. 

But how do you do that the right way?

Let us tell you in simple steps:

• Decide the criteria for contact segmentation (e.g., demographics, behavior, firmographics, etc).
• Define specific parameters for each criterion.
• Apply filters to categorize contacts meeting the requirements.
• Save or create a segmented list for future use.
• Review and verify the segmented contacts.
• Use the list for targeted email campaigns.

A quick tip: Analyze purchase history customer engagement levels and gather feedback for effective segmentation.

2. Integrate Cold Emails with Other Outbound Strategies

Though we told you to focus on cold email marketing, leveraging other channels will help you expand. 

Thus, let us tell you steps to forge a robust multi-channel outreach strategy for better resilience.

• Identify the preferred communication channels of your target audience. For B2B buyers, LinkedIn, Twitter, phone calls, SMS, etc fit the best.

• Create a unified brand message across channels for a cohesive brand image.

• Integrate live chat or chatbots on your website for real-time interaction. So, when your prospects reach your website after reading your email, they get instant assistance. 

• Tailor messages format for each channel to resonate with specific audiences. 

• Monitor analytics to refine strategies and gather feedback for continuous improvement.

• Consider the best times for each channel based on audience behavior and preferences.

3. Streamline Essential Email Campaigns with Automation

The important campaigns while your cold outreach to focus on include: 

• Welcome emails
• Nurture email campaigns
• Re-engagement sequences

These will engage your audience throughout the customer journey.

Now, it would be the hardest thing to manually track each prospect's actions and send them your emails accordingly. 

Thus, automating these campaigns using action triggers in the CRM system is the best option. 

Action triggers involve setting up conditions that initiate certain actions depending on predefined events or user behavior. 

Here's a general guide:

• Use an outbound email marketing platform that supports action-triggered campaigns. Platforms like Mailshake, Yesware, Lemlist, or Outreach often offer outbound marketing automation features.

• Clearly outline the goals of your outbound email campaign. Understand what actions or responses you want from your recipients.

• Determine the key triggers that should initiate your campaigns. It could include actions like:
  • Opening an email
  • Clicking on a link
  • Making a purchase
  • Subscribing

For example, if a user clicks on a specific link, create a rule to send them a follow-up email with more information related to that link.

• Tailor your message to the specific actions or behaviors of the recipient.

• Analyze performance metrics including open rates, conversions, and click-through rates. Use this data to optimize your campaigns over time.

• Familiarize yourself with email marketing regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM. Ensure our automated campaigns comply with these rules.

4. Emphasize Sharing Valuable Educational Content via Syndication

Your prospects' psychology amidst economic challenges often becomes restrictive to purchase. In this scenario, you must position yourself as a trusted authority. 

 To do so:

• You can use cold emailing series that can syndicate high-value content and drop it directly on your prospects’ inboxes. 

 Also, you can share your gated content on Taboola, Outbrain, and other renowned B2B syndication platforms. Again, you will gain more contacts for your email list once people download your gated content.

 This way you will draw interested prospects into your marketing pipeline. Then, you can run follow up emails to keep your prospects informed, engaged, and willing to take action. 

 Here are a few tips for combining content syndication with your outbound email marketing: 

• Build a high-quality B2B email list.
• Choose the most relevant content for syndication for the targeted list.  Experts advise picking content that: 
  • Aligns with your target buyer personas segments.
  • Satisfies information requirements of prospects based on their position in the buying journey.  
  • Addresses industry trends, best practices, and prospects’ challenges/pain points. 
  • Showcases real-world examples of your products’ effectiveness.
  • Covers data-driven insights
• Craft engaging email subjects and copy related to syndicated content.
• A/B test syndicated emails and measure relevant metrics to adjust the copy: 
  • Lead Volume
  • Lead Quality
  • Conversion Rate

5. Collaborate with Non-Competing Businesses

Partner with a business that doesn't compete with you but complements your brand.

This way, you can perform cross-brand promotion through cold email marketing. 

Here are a few tips to do so: 

• Identify specific segments of your partner's email list that align with your target audience. It ensures the promotion reaches those most likely interested in your brand.

• Create co-branded content that adds value to both your audiences. It could be a joint newsletter, a special offer, or exclusive content.

• Work collaboratively to craft persuasive and concise email copy that conveys your value proposition effectively and encourages desired action.

6. Include Case Studies/Testimonials

Trust is one of the most important factors your prospects will consider during uncertain times. Thus, use this opportunity to showcase social proof of your expertise through case studies and testimonials in your email copy. Win loyal customers with trustful outbound marketing by using these social proofs.

Here's an illustration to add social proof in your cold emails: 

Subject: Elevate Your Business with [Your Product/Service]: Trusted by Industry Leaders

Dear [Recipient's Name],

We hope this message finds you well. We are introducing you to [Your Company], a leading provider of [Your Product/Service]. We understand the challenges businesses like yours face in [specific industry/problem], and we have successfully helped companies overcome these hurdles.

But don't just take our word for it—see what industry leaders are saying:

[Insert Testimonial 1]

"I was impressed by how [Your Product/Service] transformed our operations. The results were immediate, and the ROI exceeded our expectations." - [Name], CEO of [Client Company 1]

[Insert Testimonial 2]

"As a [industry] professional, I've tried various solutions, but none compare to [Your Company]. Their expertise and innovation set them apart." - [Name], CTO of [Client Company 2]

[Insert Testimonial 3]

"We saw a 30% increase in [specific metric] after implementing [Your Product/Service]. The team at [Your Company] understands our unique needs and delivers exceptional results." - [Name], CFO of [Client Company 3]

These endorsements highlight the impact [Your Product/Service] can have on businesses like yours. Our dedication to client satisfaction and excellence has earned us the trust of reputable companies in the [industry] sector.

We would love to discuss how we can adjust our solutions to address your specific needs. 

Allow us to schedule a brief meeting or call at your convenience.

We can make a significant difference for your business, just as we have for others.

Thank you for considering [Your Company]. We look forward to the possibility of working together.

Best regards,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Title]
[Your Company]
[Your Contact Information]

Highlighting such success stories builds confidence and reassures your audience. It emphasizes the value and reliability of your products or services.

Conclusion

In the face of economic uncertainties, embrace the resurgence of cold email marketing as the pinnacle of outbound strategies. Strategic use of this outreach tactic is vital to thriving in economic downturns. Follow our above mentioned steps for a successful cold outreach campaign. 

Choose Revnew as your outbound marketing partner to make your campaign more effective. Fill out the form here to elevate your strategy today!