Mastering Cold Outreach Part 2. Finding Great Data.

In our previous article, we talked about how to define your Ideal Client Profile. Now armed with this you need to find data on companies and people who look like your Ideal Client, Investor or Partner. This includes their Email, LinkedIn and other important contact data.

Here is what you will learn about in this Wolfcast article, our 2nd of 5 articles on Mastering Cold Outreach:

-  The Importance of Accurate Data:  Understand why high-quality data is crucial for the success of your B2B cold outreach campaigns 

-  Tools for Targeted Data Collection:  Learn about powerful tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Opps.ai, Apollo, ZoomInfo and more

-  Data Enrichment Strategies:  Discover how to enrich your data using platforms like Clay.run, including how to enhance your contact lists with valuable insights for more personalized communication.

-  Data Filtering and Web Scraping :  Using filters for precise targeting and explore the role of web scraping in collecting data.

- Need for Email List Verification before you send email campaigns to minimize domain reputation killing bounces + services you can use

and more…

 1. Understanding the Importance of Quality Data

Accurate data not only enhances the effectiveness of your cold outreach efforts but also ensures that your message reaches the right audience.

Before diving into the tools and techniques, it's crucial to understand why accurate data is paramount in B2B cold outreach.

High-quality data increases the relevancy of your communications, making sure you have the right person that will have a higher likelihood of being interested in your messaging. This also means having the current title and role of a person and the current company they are at.

Finally having the correct email, LinkedIn URL (these change sometimes strangely) and even phone number gives your outreach campaigns a higher likelihood of success.

Accurate business Email and contact data is critical to improve open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversions. It enables personalized messaging, which is key to breaking through the noise in today's saturated inboxes.

 2. Leveraging LinkedIn Sales Navigator for Targeted Data

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a powerful tool for B2B marketers aiming to target their outreach efforts more effectively. With its advanced search capabilities, you can filter potential leads by geography, industry, company size, and even job title.

Sales Navigator is a paid Sales feature (around $99/mo) is 100% critical for automated Cold Outreach campaigns on LinkedIn. Normal LinkedIn search is pretty bad. Sales Navigator allows you to use filters to find Accounts (companies) and people (Leads in LinkedIn terminology) at those companies in specific roles. LinkedIn represents the place to find the most up to date data on where people are working and what their role is. It only really is one level of information however.

To make Sales Navigator useful for Cold Email outreach, these searches typically need to be paired with either an outreach tool like Dripify, MeetAlfred or Waalaxy to automate invites and messaging to contacts. You can also cross reference and enrich this data to find these ultra accurate searches with their B2B contact information using various Chrome Plugins (see we talk about this later)

This ensures that your outreach is directed towards individuals who are most likely to benefit from your product or service. Moreover, Sales Navigator offers insights into lead and company changes, helping you keep your data up-to-date.

Sales Nav also allows the maximum amount of invites without getting put into LinkedIn Jail for being a bad ‘cold outreacher.’ This seems to cap at around 100 invites a week. We will talk in a future article around LinkedIn Cold Outreach Campaigns so check back for Part 5 of Mastering Cold Outreach

3. Discovering New Opportunities with marketplaces like Opps.ai

Opps.ai evolved out of our outreach efforts at Founders Pack. with over 30k investor records, and 130k startups including SaaS, e-commerce records, funded companies and bootstrapped, Opps.ai is a niche choice to sell to or find investors. In addition we added a premium API source of 174M records meaning monthly subscribers can always find data on their ICP.

This tool can be particularly useful for targeting funded and founder lead startups hat are not yet on everyone’s radar but have the budget and need for your offerings.

You can also find curated data sets like the top funded companies by VCs like a16z, Sequoia or Techstars. Companies using technology like Shopify or Inc 5000 winners

Check out our new Opps.ai Newsletter for ongoing articles and interviews with the Masters of Cold Outreach and Data Launching March 2024

Other platforms to consider

Here are five other platforms that are widely used for finding and leveraging data for B2B outreach campaigns:

Apollo.io:  Apollo.io is a comprehensive sales intelligence and engagement platform that offers a vast database of B2B contacts and companies. It allows users to find, engage, and connect with their ideal prospects through targeted search capabilities and integration with various CRM systems.

ZoomInfo:  ZoomInfo provides a wide range of B2B contact and company intelligence. With its deep data insights and advanced search features, ZoomInfo helps users identify high-quality leads and understand key details about their business operations and needs.

Leadfeeder:  Leadfeeder identifies companies that visit your website, providing valuable insights into potential leads that show an interest in your product or service. It tracks visitors' behavior, giving you actionable data to tailor your outreach effectively.

DiscoverOrg:  DiscoverOrg offers high-quality data on organizations and decision-makers, specializing in deep company insights, including technographic and firmographic data. It's designed to help sales and marketing professionals drive growth through direct access to key contacts and actionable company intelligence.

Hunter.io:  Hunter.io is a tool specifically designed for finding and verifying email addresses. It's particularly useful for outreach campaigns where direct contact with decision-makers is crucial. Hunter.io simplifies the process of finding email addresses associated with any domain, making it easier to reach out to potential leads.

These platforms provide a range of capabilities from direct contact information to in-depth company insights, making them invaluable resources for enhancing your B2B outreach efforts.

4. Enriching Data

Data enrichment is a critical step in preparing your outreach list, and Clay.run offers a versatile platform to do just that. By integrating with various data sources, Clay.run can enhance your existing contact lists with additional information such as company revenue, the technology used, and other relevant data points.

This enriched data allows for more segmented and personalized outreach campaigns, significantly increasing the chances of your message resonating with the recipient.

5. Utilizing Filters for Precise Targeting

The use of filters is essential in narrowing down your data to the most relevant contacts. Geography, title, industry, and revenue range are common filters that can help tailor your list to your ideal customer profile.

Additionally, considering the technology used by a company can be a game-changer, especially for B2B SaaS companies. Tools like BuiltWith and Technographic data providers help identify prospects using competitor products or technologies complementary to your offering, enabling highly targeted outreach.

6. The Role of Web Scraping in Data Collection

Web scraping is another technique that can be utilized to collect data for your B2B cold outreach campaigns. Although it requires more technical expertise, web scraping allows you to extract specific information from websites, directories, and social media platforms.

Platforms like Wiza have Google Chrome plugins that allow you to scrape LinkedIn Sales Navigator search results. TweetScraper allows you to scrape followers and likes on Twitter including pulling out publicly available business emails.

Clay has a nice Chrome plugin that allows you to scrape websites and pull these into you Clay enrichment projects. For example lets say a publicly visible list or membership directory is available on a website. Clay can help you pull that data into a project that you can then mix with data from other tools in it’s arsenal of APIs e.g. mix with Google Searches, LinkedIn data, Apollo data, Hunter data etc. etc.

7. Keeping Your Data Clean and Compliant

With all these tools and techniques at your disposal, maintaining data accuracy and compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA is crucial. Regularly cleaning your data to remove duplicates, outdated information, and inaccuracies not only enhances the effectiveness of your campaigns but also protects your company’s reputation.

8. Email Verification

Email verification tools are essential for cleaning your email list, improving deliverability rates, and protecting your email server’s reputation. Here’s a concise overview of eight top email verification tools for 2024, ensuring your list remains clean and your campaigns reach their intended audience effectively.

ZeroBounce  

A widely used tool offering comprehensive checks for spam traps, hard bounces, and aggressive spam markers. ZeroBounce also enriches valid email addresses with key customer data and integrates with numerous services.

-   Key Features:   Bulk and single email verification, real-time API, data enrichment.

-   Pricing:   Starts at $16 for 2,000 verifications; subscription plans available.

Mailfloss  

This tool emphasizes automation, integrating with various email marketing providers to streamline the verification process.

-   Key Features:   Bulk verification, automatic daily cleanups, whitelist/blacklist options.

-   Pricing:   Starts at $25/month for up to 10,000 verifications.

Clearout  

Clearout offers detailed checks and a lead finder feature, making it a versatile choice for email verification and lead generation.

-   Key Features:   Bulk verifications, instant checks, REST API.

-   Pricing:   Pay-as-you-go starts at $21; subscriptions start at $31.50/month.

MailerCheck 

From the creators of MailerLite, MailerCheck provides reliable verification services with a focus on simplicity.

-   Key Features:   Bulk verification, API integrations, individual checks.

-   Pricing:   Credits start at $10 for 1,000 email verifications.

EmailListVerify  

Known for its large-scale operations, EmailListVerify ensures a high deliverability rate through various checks.

-   Key Features:   Bulk verification, real-time API, extensive integrations.

-   Pricing:   Pay-as-you-go starts at $4 for 1,000 verifications.

Emailable 

Emailable boasts over 19 billion processed emails, offering features like real-time API and automated list cleaning.

-   Key Features:   Bulk list verification, ecommerce integration, real-time API.

-   Pricing:   5,000 credits for $30; monthly plans available.Hunter  

Hunter 

Ideal for email outreach, offering verification services alongside tools for finding business email addresses.

-   Key Features:   Bulk and single email verification, API for integration.

-   Pricing:   Starts at $49/month for 1,000 requests.

NeverBounce 

With a large client base, NeverBounce focuses on validating mail servers and removing problematic emails from your list.

-   Key Features:   Bulk list cleaning, email verification, instant bounce analysis.

-   Pricing:   Pay-as-you-go rates start at $0.003 per email.

Choosing the right email verification service depends on your specific needs, such as the size of your email list, the features you require, and how you integrate these tools into your current systems.

Tools like Mailfloss and ZeroBounce offer extensive features and integrations, making them suitable for a broad range of applications, from email marketing to outreach efforts.

The success of your B2B cold outreach campaigns significantly depends on the accuracy and relevance of your data. 

By leveraging tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Opps.ai, and Clay.run, and employing strategies such as data enrichment and precise targeting through filters, you can ensure that your messages reach the right audience. 

Remember, the goal is not just to reach as many people as possible but to reach the right people with a message that resonates.

 With the right approach to data collection and enrichment, your B2B cold outreach campaigns are set to achieve greater success.

We’d love for you to try https://app.opps.ai and the new Opps+ for Cold Outreach.

Use code WolfCast1kFree for a free month of our PRO plan that includes 1,000 free records to find data on your Ideal Client or Ideal Investor. We use this data in cold outreach email and LinkedIn campaigns.

Next week check back for Part 3 of the Cold Outreach Series

You can also join our live Cold Outreach Masterclass March 6, 2024 @ 12noon PST/3 pm EST. There will be no recording of this event.