Prospecting for Clients? Here’s How to Get Personal Without Getting Creepy

Remember the “good old days” of relentless cold calls? Those days are thankfully behind us. Today’s marketing and sales landscape demands a more targeted, personalized approach – but how do you personalize outreach effectively without resorting to creepy tactics that make prospects hit “unsubscribe”?

This article explores the problems with traditional cold outreach, the power of using intent data to warm up your outreach efforts, and how to leverage this data for highly personalized communication that drives higher response rates. The best part? We’ll achieve this personalization while avoiding that “Big Brother is Watching You” feeling.

The Pitfalls of Cold Calling and Spray-and-Pray Emails

Ari Cignarale, CEO of Nomad Marketing, aptly puts it this way: “Cold outreach isn’t working. I think it’s having the lowest success rates of all time”.  Generic messages, relentless calls, and a lack of personalization simply don’t work anymore. Here’s why:

• Low response rates: Prospects are bombarded with generic messages every day. Yours likely gets ignored or worse, flagged as spam. According to research compiled by GMass, the average cold email response rate is just 1-5%.

• Lack of relevance: Generic outreach fails to address specific needs or challenges, resulting in a disconnect with potential clients. Imagine receiving an email about “growth hacking solutions” when your biggest concern is lead nurturing. It feels irrelevant and inauthentic.

• Damaged brand reputation: Aggressive and irrelevant outreach can tarnish your brand image. Prospects may associate your company with spam or pushy sales tactics. What’s more, having too many recipients mark your emails as spam affects your spam complaint rate and deliverability. 

The New Frontier: Warming Up Outreach with Intent Data

Intent data is a game-changer, especially in the age of account-based marketing. As Cignarale highlights: 

Intent data has become the new ABM add-on and integration. I find that using the intent data is making ABM strategy move smoothly and be more successful. [We can] really just create these segmentations, hone in on the strategy, and make this the most personalized outreach that we’ve ever had. 

Intent provides valuable insights into a company’s online behavior, revealing not just their active interests, but a desire to find answers for those top-of-mind concerns. Best of all, it uncovers which prospects are actively researching solutions related to your offerings.

Here’s how intent data helps you warm up your outreach:

• Identify prospects actively in-market: Target companies actively searching for solutions you provide. This eliminates wasting time on those who aren’t ready to buy. According to a study by Demandbase, companies using intent data see up to a 65% increase in qualified leads and conversion rates. 

• Understand specific needs: Intent data can reveal the pain points and challenges prospects are facing, allowing you to tailor your message accordingly. You can see which pages they’ve viewed on your website, what content they’ve downloaded, and even the industry publications they read. This allows you to craft an outreach message that speaks directly to their current needs and concerns.

Personalization Without the Creep Factor

Now comes the personalization magic.  By leveraging intent data, you can craft outreach that feels relevant and helpful, not intrusive. Here are some tips to achieve this delicate balance:

• Focus on solutions, not sales pitches: “We’re not saying we know you’re looking at us, but we’re like, hey, you did. You are clearly expressing interest in solutions for what you’re experiencing. This is how we can solve it,” says Cignarale. Address the specific challenges your prospect is facing and showcase how your expertise solves their problems. Don’t just list features – demonstrate value.

• Leverage relevant data points: Mention specific pages or resources they’ve viewed on your website to demonstrate your awareness of their interests. For example, if a prospect downloaded your white paper on “Marketing Automation for Beginners,” mention this in your outreach and offer a consultation to discuss their specific needs within that realm.

• Maintain a conversational tone: Avoid overly formal language and write in a way that feels authentic and engaging. Imagine you’re reaching out to a colleague, not just another name on a list.

Here’s a breakdown of the difference between a traditional cold email and a personalized outreach using intent data:

Traditional Cold Email:

Subject: The Key to Growth

Dear [Prospect Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I’m reaching out from [Your Company] to introduce our  growth-hacking solutions. With our proven track record, we can help you achieve  exponential results.

Schedule a call today to learn more!

Sincerely,

Personalized Outreach Using Intent Data:

See the difference? The personalized email directly addresses a pain point identified through  intent data and offers a valuable solution. It feels relevant and helpful, not pushy.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Personalization Techniques

While leveraging intent data is a powerful first step, there’s more you can do to personalize your outreach and increase engagement:

• Personalize your landing pages: Don’t send generic landing pages after your outreach. Tailor the landing page content to the specific pain point you addressed in your email. This creates a seamless user experience and increases conversion rates.

• Use dynamic social proof: Showcase testimonials and case studies from clients in the same industry as your prospect. This builds trust and demonstrates the effectiveness of your solutions within their specific context.

• Personalize video content: Consider creating short explainer videos that directly address the prospect’s challenges. You can even use tools to personalize the video intro with the prospect’s name and company.

Crafting Compelling Subject Lines and Email Copy

Your subject line is often the first impression, so make it count. Here are some tips for writing  subject lines that grab attention and encourage opens:

• Keep it concise and clear: Aim for under 50 characters to avoid getting cut off in inboxes.

• Highlight a benefit: Focus on the value proposition and how your email can benefit the prospect.

• Use questions to spark curiosity: A well-crafted question can pique the recipient’s interest and encourage them to open the email.

• Personalize when possible: While you may not know everything about your prospect, consider including their company name, referencing a recent ad or post by their company, or referring to a downloaded resource.

Here are some examples of subject lines based on intent data:

When it comes to email copy, avoid generic templates.  Here are some additional tips:

• Focus on the recipient’s needs: Everything you write should address the specific challenges and interests of your prospect. Avoid the urge to lead with everything that’s great about you, your company, or your product features.

• Use a conversational tone: Write in a way that feels friendly and engaging, as opposed to overly formal or sales-oriented.

• Keep it concise and scannable: People are busy, so get to the point quickly and use bullet points, short paragraphs, and line breaks to split up the text.

• End with a clear call to action: Tell the recipient what you want them to do next, whether it’s scheduling a call, downloading a resource, or visiting your website.

Add Even More Prospecting Power with a Polished Brand Reputation 

While intent data fuels personalized outreach, a strong brand reputation is the secret sauce for prospecting success. Imagine prospects recognizing your company name in their inbox and finding glowing reviews and a trusted online presence upon further research.

Jabio is a comprehensive reputation management platform that helps you build trust and credibility online. By investing in your online reputation, you’ll be laying the groundwork for more successful prospecting. Prospects will be more likely to open your emails, convert into leads –  and ultimately become happy clients. 

Ready to get started?  Register your free business account with Jabio today.