Drip campaigns are the ice breakers of the email world – only way less cheesy. The process of getting to know someone can be unnatural sometimes, both in the real world and online, so it can be a huge relief to have a pre-scripted intro.
Like the trust fall or two truths and a lie, the drip campaign is meant to warm up conversation and build trust. These automated email series are scheduled to be triggered as a prospect or customer takes a certain set of actions. It could be used to move a prospect through the sales cycle or to onboard a new customer. According to DemandGen, nurtured leads (prospects that went through a drip campaign) drove an average 20% increase in sales.
Needless to say, it’s a very effective way to build up long lasting relationships. But just how do you get started with the meet-and-greet? This Flight School Friday, we’ve put together our top four tips for a perfect drip campaign.
1) Introduce yourself
The first handshake with your contact should be pretty straightforward. Be sure to clearly re-introduce yourself, remind them how they landed on your list and what value your emails will bring.
Headspace does a great job of this in their welcome email. They thank their customer and explain exactly what to expect in the coming weeks. We love that they suggest and offer 10 x 10-minute sessions of expert-guided meditation.
2) Timing is everything
Dig into your historical data to find the best cadence for your drip campaign. Check out how many interactions customers or users have before converting. Look out for the most common drop off points in engagement and help them through those pain points.
Unbounce got creative with one of their emails by having their Campaign Strategist personally check in and survey customers on why they weren’t upgrading their account. It’s short and to-the-point, the subject line draws you in with a hint of mystery and the fact that the email looks personally written, makes the customer more likely to reply with their feedback.
3) Keep it organized
You can (almost) never have too many lists. Segment your customers by acquisition channel, previous shopping habits, or if you want to get really technical – the number of previous touchpoints with your content.
Like in all email marketing, segmentation is at the heart of a well-delivered drip email. These lists can help you accurately pinpoint what call-to-action to deliver and how frequently to deliver. Where prospects might be more interested in case studies and guides, new customers might want to see tutorials or a free trial.
4) Present the ultimate call-to-action
Last but certainly not least, think about the overall goal of your drip series. Is it to drive conversion? What does conversion mean? Are you using a drip campaign for sales – to nurture leads?
Each email send should tease and build up to this master call-to-action, but also think about how to strategically place the last and final send. Here are some possible ideas:
- Onboarding: Point them to the right support channels and forums so that they can continue to get the help they need and to share their experience about using your product.
- Sales lead: Scheduling a call or sending a promotion for the customer to try your product.
- Re-engagement: For those who still haven’t responded, make it known that this is the last message you’ll be sending, or give them an option to change their subscription or unsubscribe.
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