Tips To Create Highly Effective Email Drip Campaigns

Drip Campaign is a focused communication strategy that calls for a set of triggered emails scheduled to be sent based on automatic pre-defined events/triggers. These are now becoming a necessary marketing tactic for small, medium and large-sized businesses. Drip campaigns can be configured and strategized based on the lead stage in the sales funnel or the customer segment they fall in.

We have seen effective drip campaigns with Amazon, Flipkart, Expedia and many successful businesses around us. These businesses realised the potential of drip campaigns and have created a business advantage by using it. Here are a few statistics to look at its benefits:

• According to the published automation stats by Emma, drip emails have 80% higher opening rates.
• Drip campaigns have 50% higher conversion rates against single sends
• These also have higher resultant ''click-through rate'' against single send, going even up to 3 times.

HubSpot Email Marketing

But how do we really get effective at this campaign and ensure that our efforts pay off?

Here are a top 10 things to consider while designing a drip-email campaign:

1. Triggers
2. User Behavior
3. List Segmentation
4. Nurture
5. Stay Optimal
6. Provide Appropriate Guidance To The Audience/User
7. Follow-Up
8. Make It Measurable
9. End It Well, As Needed
10. Thank You Is Still A Magic Word

Let us discuss them:

1. Triggers

An Email trigger on sign-up is usually the first interface as a part of the drip campaign. But what’s next? Defining right triggers thereon is the key to grab the interest of the user. The trigger can be based upon a search made by the user or a purchase made. The trigger can even be based on personal information entered, like birthday or anniversary. Recent research tells that Birthday emails have 60% more conversion rates.

2. User Behavior

This follows from the above point, where user behavior is the key input in defining the triggers. User behavior tracking helps personalize the campaign, and hence, there is a better chance of a conversion. It also helps modulate the content with the information that the customer may actually be looking at.

3. List Segmentation

Spending time on segmentation is like investing for guaranteed returns. Segment your audience based on parameters like activity, demographics, interest, behavior, etc., so as to ensure that the audience receives as relevant content as possible. Segmentation based upon the current stage of the user in the sales funnel is a great idea too.  

4. Nurture

Based on the stage in the funnel it's important that the user is nurtured. For example, at the early stage sending an introduction email; next stage can involve sending a little more information on your products and services, and in final stage detailing out how your products/services can bring advantage to the customer. Once the user becomes a customer, it’s important to keep up the momentum by sending updates on product/ services and even on checking how they have been. Nurturing helps the users take decisions based on the features that you are offering and also based on the relationship you are gradually building. Further, companies that excel at drip campaigns, and nurture well,  generate 80% more sales at 33% lesser cost.

Hubspot Email Marketing Best Practices

5. Stay Optimal

Don’t overdo email drip, to avoid your emails from going to the spam folder. How many emails a prospect should receive within a time frame depends on the length of the sales cycle. Longer the cycle more the gap you can have between two corresponding emails. Again segmentation can be of tremendous help in determining what is optimal.

6. Provide Appropriate Guidance To The Audience/User

One the user engages (opens emails, visits the website, searches product-related content, etc.) more product/service-related content can be sent to take it to the next level. You can also try to cross-sell to your customer depending on his/her interest level.

7. Follow-Up

As per research, 80% of sales are made somewhere between the 5th and 12th contact. The same thing applies here too. It takes time to get into the mind of a user, and follow-ups certainly let a user know that you are serious about business.

8. Make It Measurable

While the above points mentioned are all user-focused, this is something that applies to you as a business/marketer. Measuring success rates, which segment is generating the most business, and which segment needs more attention, will help you modulate and improvise your drip campaign on an ongoing basis.

9. End It Well, As Needed

A good end often makes new beginnings. When a user unsubscribes, ensure that it is taken well and communicate to the user that you still have something to offer and they can relook at unsubscribing. Facebook often lures with “a list of friends who will miss you", when you try to delete the account. WhatsApp gives you an option to change your number instead of deleting the account. Doesn't this make the user feel important when they do so?

And last but not least.

10. Thank You Is Still A Magic Word

Be sure to send them a drip thanking them at various occasions like signing up for the service, renewing the service or even when they end the engagement.