Case Study: Cold Email Lead Generation
Overview
HBS needed a scalable way to reach potential buyers and generate qualified leads for its commercial bus inventory. Traditional outreach was manual and inconsistent, limiting sales opportunities.
My goal: design and launch a data-driven email marketing system that could reliably generate leads, track performance, and directly tie marketing efforts to revenue.
Problem
Manual outreach by the sales team was time-consuming and unscalable.
No clear system existed to track open rates, clicks, or conversions.
Marketing activities didn’t clearly tie back to qualified leads or revenue.
Research & Strategy
Audited current sales outreach process.
Defined ideal customer segments: schools, churches, transportation companies.
Selected Apollo for lead sourcing, sequencing, and CRM integration.
Process
Design & Build
Designed email templates in Constant Contact with clear CTAs and professional branding. Build Landing pages that emails lead to to capture leads and qualify.
Built segmented outreach sequences in Apollo based on lead source and buyer intent.
Integrated tracking and analytics to monitor campaign KPIs in real-time.
Automation & Testing
Automated follow-ups and drip sequences for better lead nurturing.
A/B tested subject lines and call-to-action wording for optimal engagement.
Strategy & Execution
Audience Targeting
Segmented commercial operators, schools, and shuttle companies with buying intent filtersin Apollo.
Premium Inspired Design
Designed clean, minimalist email templates with clear CTAs to boost click-through rates.
Compelling Email Cadence
Created a 5-touch sequence emphasizing problem-solving and value rather than direct sales pitches.
CRM Retargeting
Synced Apollo leads with Hudson’s CRM for real-time lead status tracking and re-engagement campaigns.
Testing & Optimization
A/B tested subject lines, delivery times, and CTAs to maximize open rates and engagement.
Campaign KPIs
1,124
Emails Sent
24.6%
Click-Through Rate
(5× industry average of 3–5%)
246
Qualified Clicks/Leads
20.3%
Click-Through Rate
(4× industry average of 3–5%)
768
Emails Sent
144
Qualified Clicks/Leads
My Campaign Design Work (Sample)
Solution
A fully automated email lead generation system where
Leads enter via landing page form.
Segmented email sequences run automatically.
Sales receives warm, pre-qualified leads ready for follow-up.
Engineered email sequences that drove 20–25%+ CTR, where most campaigns struggle to hit 5%.
Results
Achieved 3–4x higher open rates and 5x click-through rates compared to industry benchmarks on cold email campaigns.
Built a predictable B2B lead pipeline delivering leads at a fraction of the typical cost per lead.