8 Effective Outbound Lead Generation Strategies to Boost Sales

Dan Mowinski

Dec 13, 2024

20 minutes read

Pipeline problems? We hear ya’. 

Maintaining a steady, predictable sales pipeline is hard. It’s one of the biggest frustrations reported by sales teams. 

The Hubspot 2024 Sales Trends Report found that 54% of reps found their job more difficult than the previous year, with low-quality leads cited as one of the main reasons. 

But lead generation doesn’t need to be a never-ending battle. The right outbound strategies, executed well, can act as a foundation for a consistent, ROI-generating pipeline that adapts to shifting buyer habits and market trends. 

Let’s look at how to build an outbound lead gen strategy for optimal responses, meetings booked, and won deals. 

What is Outbound Lead Generation?

Outbound lead generation is the proactive acquisition of new prospects. It’s typically executed by a business development representative (BDR) and involves initiating contact with potential customers who have not interacted with your brand before. 

Inbound lead generation, on the other hand, focuses on facilitating the discovery of your brand through awareness campaigns, organic content distribution, and referral incentives. It’s also called “attraction” or “permission” marketing. Sales development representatives (SDRs) are responsible for nurturing inbound leads, although the terms BDR and SDR are sometimes used interchangeably. 

The key difference between outbound and inbound lead gen is that outbound is targeted more broadly and encourages potential customers to initiate contact with your brand rather than the other way around. 

Here’s an overview of the main outbound and inbound lead generation strategies:

What Does an Outbound Lead Generation Team Look Like?

Outbound lead generation teams tend to have five well-defined roles:

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  Marketer: While marketers are more associated with inbound campaigns, they often play a role in outbound lead generation campaigns. Marketing teams can assist BDRs in their outbound efforts, supporting outreach and targeted advertising.

  
  
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  Business development representative (BDR): BDRs are the engines of the outbound sales team. They are responsible for prospecting, filtering, and reaching out to leads and will often nurture potential customers right up until they become sales-qualified leads (SQLs), at which point account executives (AEs) take over.

  
  
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  Sales development representative (SDR): Where BDRs do outbound, SDRs do inbound. SDRs are top-of-funnel and pass leads onto AEs for nurturing. 

  
  
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  Account executive (AE): AEs are the “closers.” They are responsible for closing deals with SQLs, negotiating contracts, and communicating with account managers to onboard new customers. 

  
  
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  Sales team leader: The leader oversees the team, sets lead gen targets, facilitates enablement activities, conducts performance reviews, and tracks KPIs. They are also usually responsible for training programs, maintaining team morale, and looking after sales reps more broadly. 

  
  

One of the big changes to the structure of sales teams in recent years has been the introduction of AI BDRs. Virtual reps, like Ava on the Artisan platform, are capable of handling large portions of the early sales cycle, including prospecting, segmentation, personalized outreach, campaign optimization, and target tracking.

This has freed up human salespeople to focus on tasks like nurturing new leads, responding to objections, and, importantly, closing deals. 

Effective Strategies for Outbound Lead Generation

Research shows that marketers prioritize a handful of lead-generation methods based on their effectiveness. Email marketing leads the way, with social media marketing and events (especially webinars) also ranking in the top ten. 

The following outbound strategies have consistently proven effective at generating leads:

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   Personalized cold email outreach 

   
   
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   Cold calling (with a purpose)

   
   
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   LinkedIn networking and cold outreach

   
   
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   Email sequences

   
   
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   Industry events and conferences

   
   
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   Social media outreach

   
   
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   Referrals

   
   
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   Account-based marketing (ABM)

   
   

Let’s look at each of these strategies in depth. 

1. Personalized Cold Email Outreach (With AI Assistance)

Personalizing email outreach improves conversions by 37%, according to research by Backlinko. It helps you connect with prospects and escape the onslaught of generic, spammy sales emails they receive daily. 

In-depth research is vital for personalization. Yet one task with which businesses have traditionally struggled is scaling personalization for thousands, and sometimes even tens of thousands, of weekly cold emails. It’s not uncommon for businesses to hire a full-time copywriter dedicated exclusively to writing personalized subject lines and openings as part of the outbound workflow. 

However, AI is solving this problem. It’s now possible for AI virtual assistants like Ava, who runs campaigns for Artisan users, to research prospects and personalize messages at scale and with the same level of quality as humans. 

Here’s an example of a cold outreach email and follow-up based on successful campaigns we’ve run at Artisan:

First email:

Subject: Quick Question, Greg

Hi Greg,

I saw that you've recently become the CMO at Widgets Ltd. Congratulations!

Considering new marketing hires? Our full-package marketing service for B2B has driven a 200% average ROI for clients.

Would you like to learn more? 

Thanks,
Ava

Follow-up email:

Subject: Did you see my last message?

Hi Greg,

Sending you a quick follow-up message to make sure I didn’t get lost in your inbox. 

In case you missed it, we help CMOs like yourself in the widget space with full-service marketing. A recent Fortune 500 client called us “unmatched by anybody in the industry.”

Interested in hearing more?

Thanks,
Ava

2. Cold Calling with a Purpose

Cold calling still works. It’s a powerful, cost-effective way of engaging cold leads. 

A study by LinkedIn found that a measly 2% of phone calls result in appointments. However, there’s a strong argument that poor calling practices are to blame for this low figure. A separate study found that simply asking “How have you been?” can improve success rates by 10%.

Tested frameworks and scripts are the most effective means of avoiding appointment-killing cold calling practices. If you haven’t already, integrate them directly into your outbound lead generation processes. 

Here’s an example of a cold calling framework: 

3. Use LinkedIn for Networking and Outreach

LinkedIn stands as the premier B2B networking platform, with over 900 million professionals actively engaging in business discussions. Its specialized tools like Sales Navigator provide targeted access to decision makers, making it a cornerstone of modern outbound strategies.

The best outbound LinkedIn campaigns engage with potential customers across multiple touchpoints:

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  Commenting on posts

  
  
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  Sharing relevant content through their own channels

  
  
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  Liking and reposting  

  
  
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  Direct messaging and InMails

  
  

Sales Navigator has numerous advanced search filters to identify key decision makers in target industries. Subscriptions are relatively inexpensive and give you access to tens of millions of prospects. 

Here’s an example of an automated LinkedIn outreach campaign using direct messages:

First message:

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for connecting! Great to be part of your network and congrats on the recent job change. 

Are you building your outbound marketing team at the moment? We offer an outsourced service and average a 215% ROI for our clients. We’ve worked with multiple Fortune 500 companies. 

Would you like to learn more?

Follow-up message:

Hi Jessica,

Circling back on this quickly.

I imagine you’re super busy and settling into the new role! Your new diversity initiative looks incredible. 

If you’d like to talk about how we can help you hit your lead gen KPIs, it would be great to talk.

Want to schedule 15 mins in?

Second follow-up message:

Hi Jessica,

I know you’re busy, and I hate spam as much as you do, so I’ll be brief.

I wondered if you’d had a chance to see my previous messages. 

4. Leverage Email Sequences to Build Relationships

Email sequences should occupy a central place in both your inbound and outbound campaigns.

When a lead has signed up for your mailing list or newsletter, automated sequences build trust and engagement and introduce the prospect to your brand. They also act as a way to educate new subscribers about your product while providing value and establishing yourself as a trusted source of information. 

For cold outreach, follow-up sequences based on tested B2B playbooks are the way to go. Sending just one follow-up message increases responses by a whopping 65.8%, although three emails and above have the best results.

Here’s what to include in your initial outreach email and your follow-up emails:

5. Attending Industry Events and Conferences

Industry events and attendance at conferences and tradeshows are among the most underused lead gen strategies. Yet the data shows they’re highly effective, with 68% of B2B marketers saying they generate the most leads. 

People attend events expecting to network and form new partnerships. They’re also an excellent opportunity for smaller companies and startups to put themselves in front of influential leaders and decision makers in the industry. 

Here are some tips for making the most out of events: 

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  Perfect your elevator pitch to communicate your value proposition to attendees moving between stands. 

  
  
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  Collect phone numbers and email addresses and put together personalized messages when following up with prospects. 

  
  
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  Encourage attendees to promote your booth, presentation, or discussion on social media during the event. 

  
  
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  Create bold, attention-grabbing messaging if you’ve purchased a booth and run ads around that, especially locally. 

  
  
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  Use traditional print media, like business cards and flyers, to pass on your contact details during the event. 

  
  

Below is a snap from Artisan’s booth at Techcrunch Disrupt in October 2024. We purposely went bold with a controversial tagline to stand out and attract people. 

6. Create Referral Programs

Referral marketing sits on the boundary between outbound and inbound marketing. Some consider it inbound because it involves leads initiating contact with you. Others think it’s best described as an outbound strategy because you’re indirectly contacting cold prospects. 

In any case, referral marketing has a conversion rate over three times as high as other channels and results in highly loyal customers. It’s also a very cost-effective B2B lead generation strategy. 

Here are five tips for running a successful referral program: 

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  Offer rewards to both existing customers and new ones to incentivize participation. 

  
  
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  Use referral software to monitor performance and conduct A/B optimization tests. 

  
  
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  Reduce friction for referrers with shareable links and hands-off compensation (ideally straight to their bank accounts). 

  
  
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  Differentiate your incentives by offering original and attention-grabbing rewards like VIP experiences and personalized items. 

  
  
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  Promote broadly but focus on loyal existing customers and individuals with strong, large networks.

  
  

It’s also essential to promote your program across all your channels—social media, newsletters, organic content, and so on. It’s not just established customers who are able to refer their friends and colleagues. It’s an opportunity for your whole audience, and a multi-channel campaign helps you reach as many people as possible. 

7. Targeted Social Media Outreach

Platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook aren’t as filled with B2B buyers as LinkedIn. But they still provide valuable opportunities for social selling, in part because they’re often overlooked by sales and lead gen teams. 

Here are some tips for using social media platforms to connect with prospects:

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  Use social media listening tools to identify people talking about your niche or product. 

  
  
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  Automate outreach with third-party messaging tools. 

  
  
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  Maintain a public profile and grow your following to build credibility. 

  
  
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  Always personalize messages. The more personalization, the better. 

  
  
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  Avoid the hard sell. Unlike LinkedIn, most people don’t use these platforms for business.

  
  

Here are some example templates for the most popular social media platforms:

8. Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Lead Generation

Account-based marketing involves attempting to win one account with very specific advertising and outreach. It’s more common at the enterprise level, where single accounts can justify the budget of an entire campaign. 

ABM lead gen campaigns are holistic in nature, targeting companies through advertising, outreach, referral marketing, and events. 

Here’s an overview of the main ABM strategies:

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  Cold email: This involves identifying key decision makers at a company and sending personalized messages until a connection is made. Traditional direct mail is also often used alongside email campaigns. 

  
  
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  Cold calling: Best done in conjunction with email, cold calling aims to reach key decision makers at target accounts. 

  
  
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  Paid ads: Specialized ad platforms are capable of targeting ads at individuals at specific companies. 

  
  
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  Retargeting: Retargeting tools identify which companies have visited your site. You can then target them with outreach and ads. 

  
  
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  Events: Events are often the easiest way of connecting directly with representatives of a target account. Many will expect to receive pitches at events. 

  
  

ABM is often sidelined because it isn’t a strategy that results in large quantities of new leads. However, it’s worth remembering that one high-value account can be worth hundreds of smaller ones. 

Boost Your Meetings Booked and Sales With AI Artisans 

Lead generation is a tough job. It places significant strain on marketing and sales teams and takes up time that could be spent on the human aspects of nurturing and converting.

Forward-thinking sales organizations are embracing AI not as a replacement but as an enabler of more effective human interactions. By automating routine tasks and providing deeper insights, AI tools allow sales teams to focus on what they do best: building relationships and solving complex business challenges.

The immediate future of sales teams is hybrid. AI workers can free reps up to focus on the essential human tasks that convert marketing qualified leads (MQL) to sales qualified leads (SQLs) and SQLs to closed-won deals. 

Artisan’s virtual SDR is called Ava, and she offers the following functionality: 

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  A database of 300 million B2B leads for lead prospecting 

  
  
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  Lead filtering based on your ideal customer profile (ICP) and market criteria

  
  
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  Access to up-to-date, enriched lead phone numbers and email addresses

  
  
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  Advanced AI scraping from a wide range of online sources

  
  
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  Scalable messaging personalization based on a unique “waterfall” methodology

  
  
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  Automated cold email and LinkedIn outreach messaging

  
  
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  Ongoing enrichment, verification, and removal of lead data

  
  
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  Behind-the-scenes optimization and A/B testing of campaigns. 

  
  
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  Integration with third-party lead generation tools and CRMs 

  
  
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  Advanced reporting and tracking of lead-gen KPIs like email responses 

  
  

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Author:

Dan Mowinski