So you want to reach people across email, social, and maybe even SMS—without losing your mind or drowning in half-finished spreadsheets. If you’re already using tools for cold outreach or sales, you know how messy things get once you add more than one channel. This guide is for anyone who’s tired of siloed conversations, wasted follow-ups, and campaign “dashboards” that just give you a headache.
I’m going to show you how to actually manage multi channel outreach campaigns in Serper.dev—without the fluff or empty promises. I’ll walk through what works, what to skip, and some hard lessons I learned the annoying way.
Why Bother With Multi Channel Outreach?
Let’s be honest: single-channel outreach is easier, but it rarely gets results anymore. Most people ignore cold emails. LinkedIn DMs get lost. SMS can feel intrusive if you don’t do it right. But put them together, and you’ve got a much better shot at getting noticed—if you can keep it all straight.
The catch: Multi channel campaigns can turn into a mess fast. Think duplicated messages, awkward timing, and leads falling through the cracks. If you don’t centralize everything, you’re basically asking for chaos.
Step 1: Get Your Channels in One Place
Serper.dev tries to solve this headache by pulling multiple outreach channels into a single dashboard. Right now, it supports email, LinkedIn, and SMS (with some caveats—more on that later).
What to do: - Connect your accounts: Start by syncing your email (usually Gmail or Outlook), your LinkedIn profile, and your SMS provider (Serperdev works with Twilio, but don’t expect miracles from SMS delivery). - Set up permissions: Make sure you’re not about to blast messages from the wrong account. Double-check which inboxes or numbers you’re connecting.
Reality check:
The integrations aren’t always perfect. Sometimes LinkedIn will rate-limit you, or your SMS provider will mark cold messages as spam. Don’t expect zero hiccups—just fewer of them.
Step 2: Build a Unified Outreach List
Here’s where most campaigns go sideways. If you treat each channel separately, you’ll end up messaging the same person three times—or forgetting to follow up altogether.
Serperdev helps by: - Letting you upload CSVs, import from your CRM, or manually add contacts. - Deduplicating based on email, phone, or LinkedIn URL (but always double-check—automatic deduping can be hit or miss). - Tagging contacts with the channels they’re reachable on.
Tips: - Don’t trust auto-mapping. Always spot-check a few records after import. It’s faster than cleaning up a mess later. - Start small. Run a test batch of 20-30 leads before going all-in. It’ll expose any weird mapping issues or formatting glitches.
Step 3: Set Up Outreach Sequences (Without Annoying Everyone)
Multi channel outreach isn’t just about blasting messages everywhere. It’s about timing, relevance, and not coming across as a spam bot.
In Serperdev, a “sequence” lets you: - Set the order and timing of messages (e.g., Email > LinkedIn DM > SMS follow-up). - Personalize each step. Use merge tags, but write like a human. - Pause or skip steps if someone replies on any channel.
What works: - Stagger your messages. Don’t hit all channels in one day. Give people time to respond. - Make each touch unique. Don’t copy-paste the same pitch. Reference their LinkedIn activity, or mention a recent news item in your email. - Respect opt-outs. If someone says “not interested” on one channel, Serperdev can automatically stop the sequence everywhere (assuming you set it up right).
Don’t bother: - With generic message templates. They’re obvious and easy to ignore. - With more than three channels. Beyond that, response rates drop and opt-out rates go up.
Step 4: Track Responses and Stay Sane
Here’s the real test: Can you actually keep track of who replied where—and what you said last?
Serperdev’s strengths: - Central inbox: See replies from email, LinkedIn, and SMS in one place. - Threaded conversations: Responses are grouped by contact, not channel. - Snooze/follow-up: Set reminders if someone goes dark.
But… - Sometimes replies slip through if they come from a different email or LinkedIn alias. - SMS replies can be delayed or filtered depending on the carrier. Don’t rely on instant feedback.
Pro tip:
Always add notes to a contact after any meaningful reply. Don’t trust your memory or Serperdev’s auto-logging to catch every nuance.
Step 5: Measure What Matters (And Ignore Vanity Metrics)
It’s tempting to obsess over open rates, clicks, or how many “connections” you made. But those numbers rarely translate into real conversations.
Focus on: - Replies: Actual human responses, not autoresponders. - Meaningful conversations: Did you get a meeting or a clear “no”? - Sequence drop-off: Where are people ghosting you? Maybe your LinkedIn message is too pushy, or your SMS feels off.
Serperdev’s reporting is decent, but don’t expect magic: - You get basic stats by channel and sequence. - Filtering by tags or custom fields is possible, but a bit clunky. - Export your data if you want deeper analysis—sometimes a spreadsheet is still your friend.
Step 6: Keep Your Outreach Legal and Respectful
This isn’t the fun part, but it’ll save you headaches (and legal trouble).
- Email: Use opt-out language, and don’t scrape addresses at scale.
- LinkedIn: Don’t automate connection requests—LinkedIn will catch you eventually.
- SMS: Only text people who’ve opted in. Carriers are cracking down on spam hard.
Serperdev does some compliance checks, but you’re still on the hook for following the rules. If in doubt, ask yourself: “Would I be annoyed to get this message?”
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Skip
What works: - Combining 2-3 channels, not more. - Short, personal messages tailored by channel. - Tracking all replies in one dashboard.
What doesn’t: - Over-automating. If your outreach feels like a robot, people will ignore you. - Ignoring channel norms. SMS is not the place for a sales pitch. - Relying on default templates.
What to skip: - Fancy A/B testing tools unless you’re running campaigns at serious scale. - Overly detailed lead scoring. Keep it simple unless you have a large sales team.
A Few Real-World Lessons
- Don’t set and forget. Even with automation, you need to review sequences and tweak as you go.
- Watch for platform changes. LinkedIn especially is always updating its anti-spam rules.
- Be ready for manual work. No tool will fully automate the human part of outreach. You’ll still have to write, review, and adjust.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Running multi channel outreach in Serperdev isn’t magic, but it does save you from a lot of the mess. Start small, focus on real conversations, and don’t get lost in the dashboards. The best campaigns are the ones you actually finish—so keep things simple, watch what works, and tweak as you go.
If you’re looking for a silver bullet, you won’t find it here. But if you want a real system for reaching people across channels—without losing your mind—Serperdev is a solid place to start.