We’ve all heard the saying “slow and steady wins the race”. It’s a lesson that reminds us of the value in taking the time and care to do things properly. In marketing, we can use this life lesson to lead our prospects to the finish line of their buyer journey by slowly and strategically providing them with the right content using what is called “drip marketing”.

It’s a common misconception that blasting out the same message to our entire audience is what converts sales conversations. In this article we’ll take a look at how to leverage drip campaigns to strategically activate narrow audience segments to achieve real results.

What is a Drip Campaign?

A drip campaign (sometimes called a lead nurturing sequence, or an automation campaign) consists of a chain of automated emails that are sent out based on pre-determined triggers.  Each email is designed to “nurture” marketing qualified leads (MQL) and prepare them for a sales discussion by providing educational material that is relevant based on their previous behavior that trigged their entry into the drip campaign.

Inclusion triggers can be based off of a variety of interactions that potential customers will have with your business. For example, if a prospective customer downloads a piece of content from your website such as a white paper or case study, you can craft an automated drip campaign that will immediately begin sending out personalized emails with synergistic content about the topic the engaged with. In this case, the download would be the drip campaign trigger.

Campaigns can also be trigged based upon webpage visits of known visitors, demographic criteria on their lead record, engagement with social media advertisements, their stage of a deal in the sales pipeline…and really…anything else you can dream up.

Why Do Marketers Use Drip Campaigns

Drip campaigns allow you to be in the “right place at the right time”, without having a to lift a finger—sounds good right? These emails optimize your sales cycle by automatically providing engaged prospects with right content at the right time that will help convert them into a customer.

Automated email sequences can also maximize efficiency for your sales and marketing team by automating redundant tasks. This allows your team to refocus effort into other areas of your business to give them more time to innovate and achieve.

Building Your Drip Campaign

Now that we’ve covered some of the benefits of adding a drip campaign to your marketing strategy, it’s time to look some examples of drip campaigns and how you can use them to connect with your audience.

• Educational Lead-Generating Campaign

Educational campaigns are pretty self-explanatory—the prospect engages—and you educate! These sequences provide your audience with highly targeted information that progresses them along their buying journey FASTER, and set the scene for a sales discussion.

It is important to remember, however, that your content should be “informational” and not an “infomercial”. Try nesting your specific product/service information within a larger educational topic. For instance, if you are selling a surgical product to veterinarians, your content should be focused on surgery in general, with your particular product discussed as one option (positioned in a beneficial way, of course).

At the conclusion of your educational sequence provide the prospect with a synergistic value-add such as a free lunch and learn presentation on the topic to convert sales meetings. After a series of educational nurturing emails you’ve earned the right to ask for something.

• Customer On-Boarding Campaign

In addition to nurturing leads, drip campaigns can also be used for customer on-boarding, to gradually provide new customers with implementation tips. This is especially important for complex products or products of a consumable nature. This tactic usually starts with a welcome email, followed by a series of emails filled with helpful “did you know” type information. These emails should be designed to help customers get the most out of their recently purchased products.

Some on-boarding sequences are short, others can run over a 90-day time period based on the implementation needs of your customer.

• Customer Engagement Campaign

 Once your customers have been on-boarded, it’s time to shift your focus to inspiring loyalty. Engagement email campaigns help you foster a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with your customers. These campaigns should include a mix of educational and product related information sent at a slower pace, to keep your business top of mind without bombarding your customer’s inboxes and encouraging opt-outs.

An educational strategy can help with keeping customers activated. Consider customer-only webinars and resources to continue to provide value after the sale.

Still Need Help?

If you’re ready to make drip marketing work for you, but need some support creating campaigns or managing automated emails, we are here to help! Whether you’re just getting started or want to build onto your existing email marketing, Red Brick Partners can work with you the get the results you want. Red Brick Partners is a HubSpot Solutions Partner and can get you up-and-running with a full-scale marketing automation solution that includes drip campaigns—and beyond!

Schedule your free consultation here and find out what we can do for you. 

References:

1.     “3 Drip Campaign Emails With An Above 40% Open Rate.” HubSpot Blog, 18 Apr. 2018, https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/drip-emails-opens

2.     “What Is Drip Marketing? The Complete Guide to Drip Campaigns, Lifecycle Emails, and More.” Zapier, Zapier, 16 Feb. 2015, zapier.com/learn/email-marketing/drip-marketing-campaign/

3.     “What Is Drip Marketing? A Guide to Drip Campaigns.” Mailchimp, mailchimp.com/marketing-glossary/drip-campaign/