Cadences for Content Leads: Book Meetings With Warm Leads
At Cognism, we’ve pioneered a brand-new B2B sales role: the Marketing Development Representative (MDR).
It’s a step up from the normal SDR role. Instead of researching leads and cold calling prospects, the MDR actions leads generated by the marketing team. They include:
- Prospects who have completed a desired action, such as filling out a form or requesting a demo from a website page.
- Prospects who have engaged with the content produced by marketing, such as downloading a whitepaper or signing up for a webinar.
As the leads have already interacted with our content and are aware of our brand, they tend to be “warmer” than the cold leads generated from outbound sales.
Because of this, the sales cadences used by our MDRs have a slightly different emphasis and style. They’re more about sharing knowledge and insight, rather than pushing product features and benefits.
Which isn’t to say that they’ve been any less successful than an ordinary B2B prospecting cadence - quite the opposite, in fact!
In Q3, closed-won deals from marketing content increased by nearly 8% compared to Q2; a lot of that success is down to the cadences our MDRs deploy.
But you don’t want to hear us rambling on! You want the cadences.
Well, here they are: 2 of the top cadences our MDRs use to connect with and nurture marketing leads.
Cadence for content downloads | Cadence for webinar registrations
Discover the ultimate B2B prospecting cadence - press ▶️ to watch Cognism’s sales training video.
1. Cadence for content downloads
Cadence timeline
Day 1
Start with a polite email, thanking the prospect for downloading the content - and then give them something extra.
Make sure the “extra something” is related to the content the prospect has just downloaded. It could be a blog you’ve read or a podcast you’ve listened to.
Here’s an example:
Hi (first name),
Thanks for downloading our lead gen guide, hope it's been useful.
I wanted to send across this recent blog post our CMO published. It’s all about turning your hard-fought website traffic into leads. I thought there were some good tips in here - especially the ones around building a tool and compiling lists of software - I know these are hacks that are working well for us right now.
You can read the full post here:
https://www.cognism.com/blog/how-to-turn-website-traffic-into-leads
Thanks,
You should also send the prospect a LinkedIn message. Check if they managed to download the content and if they received your email.
Hi (first name),
Thanks for downloading our lead gen guide.
I’m just checking in to see if you received the guide? Also, I’ve sent you an email with a link to a blog we’ve just published, written by our CMO. I think you’ll find it very useful!
I’d be very happy to hear your feedback.
Kind regards,
The reason for sending 2 different messages on 2 different platforms?
You want to be initiating conversations on as many channels as possible. You want to make your outreach unmissable!
Also - be sure to ask the prospect for feedback on your content. This is a great way of starting a dialogue.
Day 3
After giving the prospect a day’s break (they’ll need the time to look over the content you’ve sent them), it’s time to re-engage.
Send them an email with another content link. Pick out something that’s relevant to their business or industry, but not necessarily something produced by your company.
Try not to be too “sales-y”; instead, give them things that they’ll find valuable.
Hi (first name),
I've been listening to a number of marketing podcasts recently. I’m always on the lookout for ones that provide actionable tips and tactics I can share with our marketing team and my network.
This one from The SaaS Marketing Show was a real winner for me, as it was stuffed full of actionable advice on Chargebee's current paid strategies:
Their use of intent data and some of their approaches to Google Ads really stood out. Hope you find it interesting.
Kind regards,
Day 4
The prospect has received some top content from you over the last couple of days. Now it’s time to pick up the phone!
Give them a call and ask them for their thoughts on the content you’ve been sharing. If they give you positive feedback, use it as a means of building rapport and deepening the relationship. Say that you have even more great content to share with them.
If they give you negative feedback - don’t panic! Say that you’ll follow up with some even more relevant content that’s better suited to their interests.
Here’s how you can word a follow-up email:
Hi (first name),
Thanks for speaking with me earlier. I just shared this with our marketing team, so I wanted to send it across to you as well:
[insert the LinkedIn post URL]
It's a comprehensive list of some of the best B2B content marketing resources out there. I’ve signed up to a few of the newsletters and have seen a lot of value there, so thought you might want to take a look too.
Kind regards,
Day 5 / Day 6
On these 2 days, keep the momentum going with a few calls to the prospect. Remember, the aim of this cadence isn’t to go in for the “hard sell” straight away; it’s to grow the relationship.
Here are some tips for building rapport on your SaaS sales calls:
- Research the prospect before you call. Look at their LinkedIn profile. Have they commented on an article or shared anything exciting to do with their career or business? If so, be sure to mention it!
- Ask the prospect for their permission to continue when they pick up the phone. People rarely want to say “no”!
- Mirror the way the prospect speaks. Listen out for the way they talk and the words they use - then match them! This makes the prospect more open and comfortable in talking to you.
Also on Day 6, you can bolster your calls by sending another content-focused email. Here’s an example from the Cognism archives:
Hi (first name),
I’ve been listening to Mailtastic’s Marketing Rebels webinar series and I thought you might find it interesting. They interview marketing leaders and share little-known hacks for topics like growth marketing, SEO, revenue and lead generation. Definitely worth a share! Here’s the link:
https://info.mailtastic.com/marketing_rebels_webinar_series
Kind regards,
Day 8
On this day, do something different. Go to the prospect’s LinkedIn feed and see if they’ve recently shared an article, or better yet, written one of their own. Like it or add your own comment.
Make sure you’re engaging with the prospect wherever they are. The more touchpoints you create, the more likely it is that they’ll interact with you.
Day 9
As well as calling again, send the prospect a LinkedIn message. Ask them what kind of content they enjoy. This gets the prospect to reveal more about themselves and what they want from you.
Also, sending them an ungated, actionable piece of content, such as a template or worksheet, can be a great value add.
Try something like this:
Hi (first name),
Did you get a chance to look at the content I’ve sent you? Let me know what you thought of it. It'd be great to hear what you’d like to see more of in your inbox.
We've been talking a lot in our team recently about attribution and tracking our marketing impact. One thing that came out of it was the importance of having a structured process around using UTM links and ensuring consistency with this.
Our team built a sheet for their own use, which saves them a lot of time and pain! I thought I would send it across, as it may be useful for you as well. Here’s the link:
[LINK]
Kind regards,
Day 12
It’s the final day of the cadence. This is where, instead of sending the prospect some content, it’s time to be more direct.
Has your company published any case studies? Pick out one that matches the prospect’s industry. Send it to the prospect via email or LinkedIn (whichever channel has been most successful thus far). Include the offer of a call so you can discuss further.
Here’s an example:
Hi (first name),
I thought I’d send you this - it’s a case study we published recently with a cyber-security analytics platform. We helped them save time and increase their opportunities - very impressive, don’t you think?
Check it out here:
(URL)
If you’d like to discuss our services in more detail, I’d be happy to jump on a quick call. When’s the best time for you?
Kind regards,
With any luck, you’ll get that call booked in and that demo arranged! If not - and this is the sad part - it’s time to go for the break-up.
2. Cadence for webinar registrations
Cadence timeline
Day 1
This cadence is targeted at leads who’ve registered to attend a webinar, so it takes place over a shorter time span - only 5 days. It’s designed to be fast and hard-hitting; webinar attendees need to be actioned quickly before their interest drops off.
It begins with an email on the day after the webinar broadcast. Thank the prospect for registering and provide them with the recording.
Hi (first name),
I'm (insert name) from Cognism. I wanted to personally reach out to thank you for registering for our webinar - Time Management Hacks for Outbound Sales.
If you made it - thanks for being there! If not, click the link below to see the full webinar recording and slides:
[LINK]
I hope you find it helpful, and if you do, please share it with your team!
Kind regards,
This email acts as an introduction; the prospect is now aware of who you are and where you’re from.
Sharing the webinar recording is best practice and maximises the chance of engagement. Even if the prospect replies with a simple “Thanks”, that’s still a good sign. Remember, this first touchpoint is about commencing a dialogue, not closing a sale.
Also, follow up on Day 1 with a phone call and a LinkedIn connection. Ensure you're engaging wherever the prospect is; this boosts the odds of a successful conversion.
Day 2
The next cold call of the cadence is to check if the prospect has watched the webinar recording. Use the webinar as a springboard to finding out more about the prospect and their company.
A word to the wise - make sure you’ve done your research!
- Listen to the webinar in full before your call.
- Look at the prospect’s personal LinkedIn page and their company page.
- Pick out 2-3 points from the webinar that are relevant to their prospect and their business.
Use these points to initiate the conversation. However the prospect responds, draw a link between their answers and your product.
For example, if the prospect talks about using technology to manage their time better, you can reply by explaining how your product has helped other companies in their sector to boost their productivity.
We recommend you don’t use a fixed cold calling script - it can make you sound robotic! Instead, just have a couple of notes next to you and let the conversation flow naturally.
Day 3
On the third day, send the prospect some more relevant content. Like this:
Hi (first name),
Having lots of sales conversations is great, but I think we'll both agree that in sales (and business in general) quality is way more important than quantity.
How do you make sure you’re speaking to the right people and booking better meetings at (company name)? That’s exactly what we asked our high performing SDRs Evie and Ash.
The answers? You can find them here.
Hope you find the blog helpful!
Kind regards,
Why does this email work?
- Notice the personalisation - both the prospect’s first name and company name are included.
- Notice the language - polite and involving (“I think we’ll both agree..”). From the start, it’s creating a sense of togetherness between yourself and the prospect.
- Notice the content - the blog that’s shared is hugely beneficial to this persona (sales team leaders). Always match the content you share to the prospect’s role.
Day 4
For this cadence, you want to be engaging every day. After sending the blog on Day 3, call the prospect and get their thoughts on it.
At this point, you also want to be introducing the idea of the prospect booking a meeting. A good way of doing this is to quote a case study from a satisfied customer.
Don’t just select any old case study, though - it must be from a customer who works at a similar business to the prospect.
Say something like:
“We’re actually working with a company in your industry right now - (company name). Working with us, they achieved (result) in (time frame).”
You can also say that you’ll send the prospect the case study straight after the call. Here’s an example email:
Hi (first name),
Did you get a chance to read the blog I sent over? Let me know what you thought of it, it'd be great to hear what you’d like to see more of in your inbox.
This time I wanted to send you a recent case study from a US client of ours - with us, they booked 4-5 meetings a week on average. You can access it here.
Kind regards,
Day 5
It’s the final day of the cadence! So far, you’ve given the prospect some great content and a case study. Now it’s time to hit them with a more direct appeal for a meeting.
Our MDRs use this message:
Hi (first name),
Do you think your team could benefit from getting directly in touch with the key decision-makers in (company name)’s industry?
We have a unique data asset of 400M B2B profiles. Using the Cognism platform, you can run searches to segment this down to find your ideal customer.
Would you be open to a conversation this week?
Kind regards,
You can afford to be more direct, as you’ve already spent some time building a relationship with the prospect and sharing insights with them.
You should also follow up this email with a phone call. Ask the prospect if they have time to see a demonstration of your product.
If they reply with something like, “Can you send me more information?”, you can say:
“Sure, I could send you that. But it would be a lot quicker for you to see the tool for yourself. Would you be totally against seeing a 15-minute demo?”
Always lead the prospect towards your ultimate goal - booking that meeting!
Fire up your sales with Cognism
Cognism is the world’s best B2B lead generation solution. We provide:
- Best-in-class, globally compliant business data.
- Pioneering sales prospecting tools to help you find and engage with your ideal buyers.
- A new Dialler function for faster and more effective cold calling.
- Seamless integrations with the tech you use every day.
Are you a sales team leader who wants to boost your team’s performance with intelligent data and powerful technology?
Sign up for your demo below.
