How to Master Multi Channel Prospecting in Outbound Sales

You’ve probably heard of multi-channel prospecting or multi-channel outreach before.

Or some variation of it.

It’s become a common term in sales, but what does it really mean? It’s not just a buzzword but a practical approach to reach your prospects where they are most comfortable. 

It involves using various platforms and strategies to connect with potential customers, from emails and phone calls to social media.

In this blog, we will dissect multi-channel prospecting, breaking it down into manageable, understandable pieces. By the end, you'll have a clear roadmap on how to effectively implement this strategy in your sales process.Here’s what you’ll find in this post:

Benefits of multi channel prospecting

Multi channel prospecting lets you cast a wider net so you don’t only exhaust one channel. And by not limiting yourself to one channel, you can adapt and meet prospects in their preferred spaces, whether that’s through LinkedIn messages, emails, or direct phone calls.

Here are some of its benefits.

Expand reach and engagement

Multi-channel prospecting is like having multiple doors open to welcome your prospects. It’s about flexibility and presence; being where your prospects are, and communicating in ways that resonate with them. This approach allows you to better engage with a diverse audience, ensuring that your message gets across to as many potential customers as possible.

Improve prospect experience

Personalization is at the heart of improving prospect experiences. Multi-channel prospecting ensures that communication feels tailored, respecting prospects’ preferences. Whether a prospect prefers a well-crafted email or a direct and engaging phone call, being adaptable across various channels allows for a more nuanced and respectful way to foster connections and relationships.

Multi channel vs multi touch prospecting

While multi channel prospecting and multi touch prospecting sound interchangeable, but they serve distinct roles. Multi channel involves using different platforms for communication, while multi touch revolves around interacting with prospects multiple times across different stages of the sales process.

They complement each other. 

Tools like Mixmax’s sales engagement platform offer both of these options, allowing you to reach out to your prospects on multiple different channels, multiple different times. Plus it lets you automate the process through its custom rules and multi channel sequencing capabilities (more on that later).

Steps to nail multi channel outreach

Mixmax plays a significant role in achieving a successful multi channel outreach strategy. Let’s dive into each of the steps.

1. Identify your audience

As a salesperson, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of who your audience is. Once you’ve done that, you can segment them and create buyer personas. Here’s how.

Segment your target audience

Begin by categorizing your audience into different segments based on certain distinctive characteristics or behaviors such as industry, job role, geographical location, or business size. This allows for a more tailored approach in reaching out to potential clients, ensuring that your messages are not just seen, but also resonate and engage.

Create buyer personas

Take your segmentation a step further by creating detailed buyer personas. This involves crafting semi-fictional characters that represent your ideal customers, complete with a backstory, motivations, goals, and challenges. Having these personas helps in formulating messages that not only cater to what your prospects need but also align with their interests and pain points.

2. Select appropriate channels

Choosing the correct channels is a crucial step in multi channel outreach. It's about being where your audience is and communicating in a way that resonates with them. 

Here are some channels to consider:

• Email: Still a powerful and widely used tool for business communication. It’s excellent for cold outreach, sending detailed information, following up, and keeping a record of conversations with prospects.
• Social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook): LinkedIn Sales Nav is particularly effective for B2B communications and prospecting, while platforms like Instagram and Facebook are great for showcasing your business’s personality and sharing lighter content.
• Phone calls: Direct and personal, phone calls are great for immediate two-way communication. They allow for in-depth conversations, clarity, and a personal touch that’s necessary in building relationships.
• SMS: Quick, convenient, and to the point. SMS is useful for reminders, follow-ups, and brief check-ins. It’s an effective way to stay on the radar of your prospects, but be sure you have their permission before texting.

Leslie Venetz on how to set up social-heavy multichannel sales sequences in Mixmax

3. Craft engaging content

Creating content that engages your prospects is essential. But it’s easier said than done, amiright?

If you don’t have a marketing team that can provide you with this educational, lead-nurturing content (which would be a shame), then you’ll have to create them on your own.

Here are some examples of engaging content you can use in your multi channel outreach:

• Blog posts
• Webinars
• Podcasts
• Case studies (but don’t just paste the link—include snippets of it in your message)
• Industry guides and reports
• Infographics
• Expert interviews (like this series that’s literal gold for salespeople)

Once you’ve got your content, you can include them in your prospect nurture sequences via channels like email and LinkedIn.

Fun fact: Mixmax offers interactive email widgets like link previews, PDF previews, and video embeds that you can use directly in your emails, making the content more attractive and engaging.

How to set up multi channel sequences in Mixmax

Mixmax’s most powerful features are its Sequence Editor and Rules that allows sales teams to set up multi touch AND multi channel sequences across channels like email, phone, and LinkedIn.

Here’s an example of a multi channel cold prospecting sequence:

Multi-channel cold prospecting sequence example

Mixmax lets you create multi channel prospecting sequences with different stages, as shown above. You can set up an automatic email, followed by a LinkedIn connection request, followed by another automated email, followed by a call task, etc.

And you can set up rules to determine when each of these stages should be triggered.

For example, if you don’t get a response to an email after a certain number of days, then you can send an automated email with an interactive poll built in.

Here’s what the Mixmax Sequence Editor looks like:

Mixmax Sequence Editor

You can try out the Mixmax Sequence Editor (and a whole lot more) by installing Mixmax for free.

We also recommend watching this outbound sequencing masterclass with Florin Tatulea and Jack Wauson where they discuss multi channel outreach (click the image below):

How to monitor and analyze performance

If you want to ensure that your strategy is working as intended, you have to keep an eye on certain metrics.

Here are a few key outreach metrics you should track:

• Email open rates
• Email reply rates
• Content engagement (URL clicks, etc.)
• Best-performing sequences
• Best-performing stages

Mixmax offers interactive reporting and analytics features that allow for continuous monitoring and improvement of your prospecting efforts.

Quick tips and best practices for multi channel prospecting

Be consistent across channels

Ensuring a consistent message and appearance across different channels is good practice for building a reliable and strong brand image. This consistency is especially essential for SDRs and AEs when sending educational sales emails to potential clients.

For example, let’s say you're focusing on communicating a relevant value of your product to potential clients through a nurture campaign. You aim to inform them how your product can help solve a major pain point.

Here’s how to be consistent:

• Email: Begin with an email that is straightforward, outlining the pain your product will solve, perhaps using illustrative examples or a case study for clarity. Ensure that the email maintains a tone that aligns with your brand image and values.
• LinkedIn: Extend your outreach to LinkedIn InMail. Here, you could share a post or an article that complements the key points of your email, along with a reference to the email you originally sent.
• Call: During the call (or voicemail), refer back to the content shared in the email and LinkedIn message, reinforcing the main points. Use the call as an opportunity to elaborate further, answer any queries, and engage in a more personalized discussion.

Use analytics to continuously improve

Analytics help you understand which strategies are working and which need refinement. By analyzing these insights, you can tweak your approach for better results.

For example, if the data shows that engagement (clicks) skyrocket when you include a link to a relevant webinar in your emails, consider using it more consistently in your sales outreach strategy. You can also share that specific email template with your team so you can all up your chances at hitting quota together!

Key takeaways

Here are some key takeaways on how to master multi channel prospecting in outbound sales:

• Research and segment your target audience
• Select appropriate channels for your personas
• Create and share engaging content
• Set up multi channel sequences with sales engagement platforms like Mixmax
• Monitor and analyze your sale metrics
• Use analytics to tweak your approach

From identifying your audience to mastering the art of consistency and leveraging analytics, you're now loaded with insights to enhance your sales approach. Remember, it's not just about bombarding multiple platforms but making meaningful connections where your prospects feel most comfortable. 

Implement these tactics, stay adaptable, and keep the conversation going across various channels.