How Does a Email Drip Campaign Work?

Most drip email campaigns run based on the triggers that subscribers or customers activate. In this case, even a lack of action is a trigger. Based on the steps your email recipients take or don't take, a CRM such as HubSpot, can determine which content to send next or the call-to-action to incorporate within the content.

For example, suppose you sell budgeting software, and one of your subscribers downloads your product comparison guide that you sent via marketing email. In that case, the system will categorize that email recipient as being in the consideration stage of the buyer journey. Then, it will send a product demo video as the next piece of content to help them decide.

Categories of Email Drip Campaigns

Your objectives will determine the kind of email drip campaigns that you run. Below are some types of campaigns that you could launch.

Onboarding 

Studies show that welcome emails have a 91.43 percent open rate and read rates, 42 percent higher than regular emails. So, it makes sense to onboard new or potential customers as soon as they subscribe. What your system does will depend on the new email recipient's actions. However, the end goal is to keep the new subscribers engaged by providing valuable content so they can purchase products from you.

So, once you send your welcome email, you can also offer first-time buyer discounts, how-to blog articles, product checklists, and even case studies. Everything depends on what stage of the buying journey your new subscriber is at.

Retargeting 

Retargeting involves sending out more targeted email marketing content to subscribers who have previously taken actions that show an interest in your content and what you offer. 

They could have already watched a product demo, downloaded an e-book, or even placed items on their cart. But for some reason, they did not take that as an additional step to move to the next stage of the buying journey. 

For example, suppose potential clients placed items on their carts and abandoned them before paying. In that case, you can retarget them by sending them case studies showing how people benefited from your product. Then, you can send another email incorporating an abandoned cart ad with a CTA for them to pay for the product.

Post-Demonstration 

While 69 percent of buyers make purchasing decisions based on a product demo, the final decision may not work in your favor since six to ten decision-makers usually have a say in buying a business solution.

For that reason, a post-demo drip email campaign can help you boost sales. It could involve content such as informational guides on justifying purchases to decision-makers, product comparison guides, video testimonials from other satisfied clients, and a free trial offer.

Post-Purchase

Selling a product doesn't mean you should stop engaging your customers. An existing client is a huge asset since there is a 60 to 70 percent chance of reselling to that person compared to the 5 to 20 percent chance of selling to a new prospect. And that is where post-purchase drip marketing campaigns come in.

Once your client buys from you, their payment can trigger emails to keep them engaged for a long time. 

In addition, your emails can also incorporate special discount offers for existing customers, loyalty program invitations, and ads for a complimentary product that would boost their enjoyment of what they have already bought.

Qualities of Effective Drip Marketing Emails

You will need more than simply creating a series of emails to make you a successful marketer. That's because the emails you send must have specific characteristics. Below are tips on creating effective emails for drip marketing campaigns!

• The emails you send should address the specific pain points of the customer segments you communicate with
• Align your marketing emails to your marketing objectives
• The messages you send should be straightforward, with no room for confusion
• Ensure your content is always brand-relevant, including layout, colors, tone, and subject lines
• Every marketing message should be timely and sent when the specified triggers are activated
  

How to Run A Successful Email Drip Campaign

There’s a process to running a drip marketing campaign via email. Below are some of the tips you can implement to improve your success.

• With 83 percent of consumers willing to share their data in exchange for a more personalized experience, your first order of business is to segment your audience.
• You can then select an excellent tool to help you manage your drip marketing campaigns. HubSpot is a good example since it can segment your audience and help you create and automate personalized marketing emails. 
• Ensure you know what your goal is before you launch your marketing campaign. For example, do you intend to nurture prospects at the beginning of their buying journey or retarget dormant customers so you can convince them to buy additional products? Be clear about what you intend to achieve!
• Define the triggers that will activate the different sequences of automated emails. To do that effectively, you must understand the pain points people have, their actions so far, and what kind of information they need to address their needs and desires.
• Determine the most effective number of touchpoints you should opt for. That will help you know how often you should send emails and for how long. It's important not to overwhelm your audience. However, the period between emails shouldn't be short so your email recipients can remain engaged. 
• Create enough personalized content suitable for the various buying stages of the different audience segments. 
• Pay attention to the actions and refine your campaign to align with what the recipients are doing. If you have robust drip marketing software, you can use available real-time data and A/B testing to make adjustments. And you'll also be in an excellent position to know when it's time to remove some recipients from the drip marketing campaigns.

It’s important to note that sometimes drip email campaigns fail, and your subscribers opt-out. If that happens to you, send them a survey and see what went wrong. Then, use that knowledge to create better drip marketing campaigns in the future so you can convert better.

Happy Marketing!