Four Crucial Stages Of Outreach Marketing
Learn the step by step process of outreach marketing to come up with a winning strategy in attracting your prospective clients. The Internet is probably the best thing ever created by mankind. While this is essentially a good thing, competition between industries has drastically increased as well. Some companies dominate the market, and others either struggle or fall apart. There is one thing that separates good businesses from the bad: The Ability to Do Outreach Marketing Effectively.
Importance of Outreach Marketing
Technology is continuously progressing. Nowadays, it’s easier to reach to a global audience. Digital marketing gives companies and entrepreneurs a more significant opportunity to attract a chunk of the growing population. Unfortunately, some of these methods are good, while others are annoyingly bad. If you’re sick and tired of being pestered by email marketers, then you know what I’m talking about.
Effective outreach marketers know when to hit the right spot and when to draw the line. It may take some time to master techniques on how to pull your customers’ heartstrings, but you definitely need to follow a methodology. It sucks, but that’s just how it is. Like any other discipline, outreach marketing has steps you need to go through in order to succeed. Eventually, you can go creative with your out of the box tactics, sure, but these fundamental stages serve as your guiding light if you wish to dominate the market.
Stage 1: Engaging the Right Prospects with the Right Method
The first step is usually the hardest. Similarly, this is also the stage where marketers fail the most. While there are a ton of strategies to employ in recruiting prospects, many businesses fail to execute them effectively. There are two factors you need to consider: the category of people you’re recruiting and the method of engagement you’re conducting. Applying a specific tactic to the wrong group of people is just a waste of effort, as these people may get the wrong idea. They will just ignore your emails or requests 99% of the time, believe me. Now that’s out of the way, let’s specify these group of people and determine the right strategy, shall we?
High-profile individuals or companies
These are the high rollers. We can say that they are the movers and shakers of the industry. They have established a name which already cements their existence in the market. Naturally, they receive a ton of emails and requests, so the chances of them responding to you is relatively low. It’s still not bad to try though, right?
Method
There’s no going around it, you need to convince them using clear, concise, and catchy words or phrases. Sugarcoating doesn’t apply here. It’s crucial to position your pitch directly on the subject line of your email or letter. You need to take note that if the pitch is too bland, there is a high chance that they will ignore you.
Minor influencers
They are not as big as the top tier movers, but their audience size is still respectable. Basically, they receive fewer emails as well, meaning you can assure that they are more likely to respond to you. Capitalize on this advantage by sending messages with a more personal touch.
Method
Knowing specific details about your target can help you execute this method. The body of your email has to include your familiarity with their business and their connections. Flattery works here big time, but there is a right balance. They will know right away if you are merely kissing their ass, so maintain a balance between professionalism and personalization.
Beginners and builders
They comprise the general population. Compared to the other two categories, they are still fledglings trying to gather their audience. You may fall into this category as well. Good news is that outreach marketing is highly possible as the playing field is just the same.
Method
The reality is that these people are struggling to increase their market value, so their content is still rough on the edges. When conducting an outreach, make sure that your pitch fills up what they are lacking at the moment. I prefer to call it complementary collaboration, as you scratch their back while they scratch yours. A call to action (CTA) is essential when addressing your pitch. This will help them acknowledge the need to enlist your assistance. Simply lay down the concern, then link them to your content.
Stage 2: Establishing and Growing Relationships
Once your prospects have taken the bait, make sure that you’ll never let go of the hook. Establishing a connection is just the beginning, so don’t feel complacent. At this point, the trust level between you and your prospects is quite low, so you need to grow it with outreach approach tactics such as:
Continued Personalization
A person feels connected when his output is being treasured or valued by another. Maintain this connection by ensuring consistency. They have agreed to partner with you because they have seen that relatability in you, so continue doing so. Share stories that are more realistic, touching and approachable. What this method does is it turns the mechanical, boring problem-solving method into something more human.
Be True to Your Word
Nothing is more heartbreaking than broken promises. Sadly, many marketers claim so highly that they end up not delivering well. Mind you, this will badly hurt your reputation, especially now that the word of mouth is even more powerful thanks to the Internet.
Interaction and Integration
This method works perfectly as prospects will get a chance to share their input while engaging in fun activities. Marketers usually stimulate this excitement with games and contests. These activities contain prizes to ensure that more will participate.
Build a Community
We humans have been wired to collaborate with each other. Together, we form communities of shared interests and insights. Outreach marketing works the same way as well. By creating a sense of belongingness, you guarantee a communal connection with your prospects. This makes it easier for you to gather their feedback as well, which will be discussed further in the next step.
Disruptive Marketing
Let’s view this in a different angle – no one wants a monotonous, bland relationship, whether it’s with your spouse, a friend, or the company you work in. Always surprise your prospects to keep them hooked. This is what disruptive marketing is all about. For instance, flash mobs and viral videos seem to be the trend nowadays. It appears to be cool-looking especially when the video went viral, which happens most of the time. These videos add charm and appeal as it breaks through the traditional advertising.
Stage 3: Gathering Quantitative and Qualitative Feedback
A winning strategy undergoes three stages: Formulation, Implementation, and Evaluation. This stage merely falls under the Evaluation phase. An effective outreach marketer employs various tracking methods to measure his progress and performance. These include the following:
Evaluate Your Engagement with Prospects
Going back to the first step, you do realize at this point that not everyone will respond to your outreach. It can be possible that you missed out on something. Maybe your pitch wasn’t convincing or personalized enough, or it your CTA doesn’t fully explain your objective. We get busy sometimes that we tend to overlook these details.
Seek Responses from Your Audience
This method is standard protocol already, and you can do it more efficiently if you have built a community already. Positive feedback feels warm and all, but you can never please everyone. Expect negative comments and do not let it get to you. Address them accordingly and if possible, recompense them to possibly earn back lost trust.
Suggestion Box
There will be times when we’re running out of ideas, but you don’t have to worry. Some of the best ideas may just be lying around the corner, and they may come from the audience itself.
Product Reviews
Thorough reviews and social media posts will be more apparent. It can influence the success or failure of your business. In a way, it gives you ample pressure to strive for better results.
Step 4: Patching Up and Branching Out
Now that you have considered every feedback you can gather, it’s about time to correct faulty errors and possibly extend your outreach to widen your audience. Basically, you’re back to the first step, but this time with more ambitious goals to achieve. With a wider network, you are now more confident to reach new heights. Chances are, your patrons would have recommended you already to their contacts. If that’s not the case, then you can encourage them to promote your products and services. Remember, the key term here is "encourage", not force. You’d want it to be more genuine, anyway.
Wrapping Up
With outreach marketing, possibilities have become endless, and expectations are now higher. You must be able to adapt to these evolving trends. It is only possible when you follow these steps. These methods primarily strengthen your connection with your audience. Gone are the days when traditional marketing dominated the market. The 21st century has a brighter future with more innovative outreach marketers making a move.
References:
- https://www.sendible.com/insights/successful-email-outreach-strategy
- https://www.grouphigh.com/blog/3-stages-outreach-marketing/
