When someone clicks through your ad and signs up for your free offer, what happens next? Does their contact information sit in a queue, waiting for a sales rep to reach out? How many days pass before they hear from you?
A lot of brands make the mistake of acquiring leads and then letting them go cold before they make contact. It’s understandable if your staff can’t manually contact every lead in a timely manner. But there’s a better way to keep your leads engaged—and it’s crucial if you want more of your leads to become customers.
Engage your new subscribers automatically
That’s where a drip campaign comes in. Drip campaigns are automated email series that ensure every new subscriber gets a steady stream of content. Usually between two and ten emails long, they help new subscribers get acquainted with your brand, product, or area of expertise.
It all happens automatically, but you can decide what triggers each email. You can send drip emails based on a set timeline or actions your subscribers take (such as using a feature of your app, ignoring your last email, or downloading a free resource).
You can use these emails to encourage people to take next steps based on where they’re at in your marketing funnel. Maybe you want them to read your best performing blog post. Or try a product feature all your best customers love.
But this isn’t just about identifying the appropriate next steps for your subscribers. In the long run, drip campaigns make your whole list more valuable.
Get more from the work you already do
A good drip campaign primes the pump and helps you get more out of every email you send in the future. People see your brand and remember who you are and why you’re in their inbox.
This is especially important for people who downloaded free content (like an ebook) or attended your webinar. They already got what they came for. If you throw them into your general list and don’t send them anything for weeks or months, they’ll have forgotten all about you by the time they see your next message. Your next email will feel like a stranger barging into their home, instead of an old friend checking in.
By providing context and keeping subscribers engaged, drip campaigns help you get the most from every call to action, and allow subscribers to get maximum value out of your list.
Let your drip campaign do the work for you
Some companies set up their drip campaigns one time, and don’t touch it for years. (Like Groove HQ.) Others constantly fiddle with each email to improve open and click-through rates. Either way, a drip campaign is one of the most worthwhile marketing tactics you can use.
Once you set up a campaign, it keeps on sending. Every time a new person triggers it, they get relevant content in their inbox. And that means you keep engaging your subscribers, even if you haven’t written a new email in months.
When you look at how much you get out of the time you put into a drip campaign, it’s almost harder to justify not having one.
