PaperTube ABM Email Strategy — A/B Testing Secondary Contacts
Overview
PaperTube's ABM email campaign is halfway through its initial send (522 of 1,046 emails delivered to primary contacts at 250 target accounts). Engagement metrics are strong for a cold outreach campaign, but no meetings have been booked yet. The agreed next step is to add secondary contacts from the same accounts into a separate, industry-focused email sequence — creating a natural A/B test between the personalized primary approach and a more generic industry-focused approach.
Related client: [1]
Related meeting: [2]
Current Campaign Performance
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Emails sent | 522 of 1,046 |
| Open rate | ~46% |
| Calendly scheduling clicks | 3 |
| Meetings booked | 0 |
| Notable engaged accounts | Breckenridge Distillery, Casa Dragones |
A 46% open rate on a cold list is strong. The gap between Calendly clicks and booked meetings suggests interest exists but prospects are not yet converting — likely a matter of insufficient touches rather than a messaging failure. The campaign is only halfway complete.
The A/B Test Plan
Why A/B Test?
Parag raised a legitimate concern: sending the same (or near-identical) personalized email to multiple contacts at the same company undermines the personalization effect. If a founder and a brand director at the same company both receive what reads as a tailored message, the illusion of individual attention collapses.
The solution is to use a fundamentally different email sequence for secondary contacts — one that is industry-focused and more generic in tone — so the two sequences are clearly distinct in the recipient's inbox.
Sequence A — Personalized (Primary Contacts, Already Running)
- Targeted to the primary decision-maker at each of the 250 ABM accounts
- Highly personalized by job title and inferred interest
- Sent from Parag's
.proemail address - Mid-campaign: 522 sent, 524 remaining
Sequence B — Industry-Focused (Secondary Contacts, To Be Launched)
- Targeted to secondary contacts at the same 250 accounts
- More generic in tone; organized around industry verticals (food & beverage, supplements, beauty/wellness)
- Also sent from Parag's
.proemail address (not a generic persona — the "Sam" approach was reconsidered) - Emails are already built in Salesforce Account Engagement; landing page links need to be updated before launch
What We're Testing
Which approach drives more conversions among cold contacts at the same target accounts: hyper-personalized outreach to the primary contact, or industry-relevant messaging to a secondary contact?
Implementation Steps
- [ ] Karly: Pull secondary contacts from the 250 ABM account docs
- [ ] Karly: Update landing page links in the existing industry-focused email sequence (links point to old pages)
- [ ] Karly: Enroll secondary contacts into Sequence B and launch
- [ ] Karly: Set up Salesforce email notifications to Parag when accounts show high engagement (3+ opens, Calendly click, or website visit) — Parag prefers email notifications over tasks
- [ ] Parag: Work the "Today's Actions" tab in Salesforce daily — target 5–6 LinkedIn connection requests/messages per day (pinned in Sales Console)
Salesforce Workflow Notes
Lead Identification
Leads generated through the ABM and LinkedIn campaigns are identifiable by:
- Domain: .pro (all Asymmetric-built landing pages use this domain)
- UTM source: includes the campaign vertical and channel code (e.g., food-and-beverage-LI for LinkedIn; ABM-sourced leads will have a distinct UTM when Sequence B launches)
High-Engagement Follow-Up
Parag manually followed up with Casa Dragones (LinkedIn connection request) after noticing repeated opens. This should be systematized: Karly will configure Salesforce to send Parag an email notification when an account crosses an engagement threshold, prompting a personal outreach action.
LinkedIn Actions
LinkedIn automation is not viable — the platform will lock accounts flagged for bulk activity. The "Today's Actions" view in the ABM Salesforce app contains pre-written connection request messages and is limited to ~5–6 actions per day. Parag needs to work this tab consistently; it has been underutilized (only one LinkedIn request sent to date).
Key Decision: Sender Identity for Sequence B
The industry-focused sequence was originally drafted to send from a generic persona ("Sam"). After discussion, the team decided to send from Parag's name and .pro email instead. Rationale: no prospect has ever followed up asking about "Sam," and sending from a real named person maintains credibility without the risk of persona confusion.
Broader Context
This ABM campaign sits within a larger outbound push that also includes:
- LinkedIn Ads — launched concurrently; leads route to the sales team round-robin via Salesforce ([3])
- Trade show geofencing — proposed for upcoming McCormick Place show ([4])
- Nurture campaign refresh — the 30k+ contact database is on a 50-email drip that is 3–4 years old and needs a full strategy overhaul ([5])