Using Ocean workflows to automate follow up tasks for b2b outreach

If you’re sending cold emails, LinkedIn messages, or DMs to businesses, you already know: follow-up is where deals actually happen. Forgetting to follow up—or doing it manually—means lost sales and wasted time. But most automation tools are either too complex, too rigid, or just add more noise. If you want to actually get replies without babysitting your CRM, this guide is for you.

Here’s how to use Ocean workflows to automate follow-up tasks for B2B outreach—without making a mess or annoying your prospects.

Why Bother Automating B2B Follow-Up in the First Place?

Let’s get real: Nobody closes B2B deals on the first email. The magic is in the follow-up. But:

  • Manually tracking every touchpoint is a pain.
  • Most CRMs have “task reminders” that clutter your inbox or get ignored.
  • Forgetting to follow up (or following up too much) kills opportunities.

Automating your follow-up doesn’t just save time—it keeps you consistent. Done right, it actually boosts response rates by making sure prospects hear from you at the right times, in the right way.

But it’s easy to overdo it. The goal is to automate the boring parts, not spray and pray.

Step 1: Map Out Your Outreach and Follow-Up Flow

Before you touch any tool, sketch out your ideal outreach process on paper (or a napkin, or a whiteboard—whatever works).

Ask: - How many follow-ups will you send, and how far apart? - What channels will you use? (Email, LinkedIn, phone?) - What triggers a follow-up? (No reply after X days, click but no response, etc.) - When do you stop? (After 3 attempts? After 10?)

Pro tip: Don’t build a 10-step sequence out of the gate. Start with 2–3 follow-ups max. You can always add more once you see what works.

Step 2: Set Up Your Outreach List in Ocean

Once you’ve got your process nailed down, it’s time to bring it into Ocean.

  1. Import Your Contacts:
  2. Start with a clean CSV or connect your CRM if you trust it to be accurate.
  3. Make sure fields like name, company, email, and LinkedIn URL are included.

  4. Tag contacts if you want to segment by industry, persona, or campaign.

  5. Check for Duplicates and Bad Data:

  6. Ocean’s import will try to catch duplicates, but don’t trust it blindly. Garbage in, garbage out.
  7. Fix obvious errors now to avoid headaches later.

What doesn’t work: Don’t dump your entire database in and hope automation will magically fix messy data. You’ll wind up spamming the wrong people or missing real opportunities.

Step 3: Build Your First Follow-Up Workflow

Ocean workflows let you automate actions based on triggers—think “if this, then that,” but for outreach.

A Simple Example Workflow

Let’s say you want to:

  • Send a first email.
  • If no reply in 3 days, send a LinkedIn message.
  • If still no reply in 5 more days, schedule a reminder to call.

Here’s how to set that up:

  1. Create a New Workflow:
  2. Go to the “Workflows” tab and hit “New Workflow.”

  3. Name it something obvious (e.g., “3-Touch Outreach”).

  4. Set the Trigger:

  5. Choose “Contact added to Outreach List” or “Email sent.”

  6. Add Actions:

  7. Action 1: Send Email (use a template, personalize with merge tags).
  8. Wait: Add a 3-day delay.
  9. Condition: Did they reply? If yes, end workflow.
  10. If No: Send LinkedIn message (manual or automated, depending what Ocean supports).
  11. Wait: 5 more days.
  12. Condition: Reply? If yes, end.

  13. If No: Create a “Call Reminder” task for yourself.

  14. Test It:

  15. Run the workflow on a test contact (use your own email or a colleague).
  16. Double-check that nothing fires off unexpectedly.

What works: Keeping your workflow dead simple at first. The fancier you get, the harder it is to debug when things break.

What to ignore: Don’t bother with “AI-powered dynamic branching” or any feature you don’t understand. You’ll only create more chaos.

Step 4: Write Outreach Templates That Don’t Suck

Automation can make follow-up easier, but it can also make your emails sound robotic. If your follow-ups feel like spam, your reply rates will actually drop.

Tips for writing templates:

  • Keep it short (3–5 sentences).
  • Reference your last email or touchpoint.
  • Don’t apologize for following up. Just be direct and polite.
  • Make it easy to say yes (“Would next Tuesday at 10am work for a quick call?”)
  • Personalize something—company name, recent news, etc.

Example follow-up:

Hi {{FirstName}},
Just checking in to see if you had a chance to review my previous note about {{YourOffer}}.
If this isn’t a fit, just let me know—I’ll stop bugging you!
Otherwise, happy to answer any questions or set up a quick call.

What doesn’t work: Overly formal language, fake urgency, or pretending you’re not automating (“I was just thinking about you…”).

Step 5: Monitor, Fix, and Improve

Once your workflow is live, don’t just set it and forget it.

  • Check reply rates: If nobody’s responding, it’s probably your message or timing, not the tool.
  • Audit your “stuck” contacts: Are people getting stuck in limbo? Did a trigger not fire?
  • Watch for bouncebacks: Too many undelivered emails will hurt your sender reputation.
  • Adjust timing: Maybe 3 days is too soon, or your LinkedIn message lands on weekends. Tweak and try again.

Pro tip: Resist the urge to add more steps just because you can. More automation ≠ better results. It’s about relevance, not volume.

Step 6: Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Too many follow-ups: You’re not a debt collector. Three to four touches is plenty for most B2B campaigns.
  • Ignoring opt-outs: Make it easy for people to say “no thanks.” Ocean should have a way to manage this.
  • Automating everything: Some actions—like personalized LinkedIn DMs or phone calls—work better when done manually.
  • Not testing: Always run workflows on test contacts before going live. It’s embarrassing to send “Hey {{FirstName}}” to a CEO.

Do’s and Don’ts of Automated Follow-Up

Do: - Start with one simple workflow. - Personalize wherever possible. - Track what’s working and kill what isn’t.

Don’t: - Assume automation will fix a bad list or a weak pitch. - Spam people across every channel at once. - Overcomplicate things with fancy logic you won’t maintain.

Wrapping Up

Automating your B2B follow-up with Ocean isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing the right things, consistently. Keep your workflows simple, your messages human, and your process flexible enough to adjust as you learn. The goal isn’t to impress anyone with complex setups; it’s to actually get replies and move deals forward.

Start small, iterate, and you’ll save time and close more deals. And if it ever feels like Ocean is just making things more complicated, cut back and simplify. That’s usually the right move anyway.