In a drip campaign, emails are sent « in dribs and drabs » to the recipients concerned. The messages follow one another, each time with new information on the services and products, in order to encourage sales.
What is drip marketing?
Drip marketing (also known as “drip campaign” or “drip email marketing”) is a mechanism for maintaining a systematic contact with potential buyers through an email marketing strategy. This consists of sending regularly and « drop by drop » (in English, the word » drip » means “drop”) automated emails to customers, whether potential or existing.
This marketing strategy aims to ensure a continuous flow of relevant information and quality newsletter content over a long period of time, for example by informing customers about new offers or special discounts. Drip newsletters are set up by service providers (e.g. online shops) who wish to improve engagement or interactions users with their information offers, the ultimate goal being to close sales.
THE intervals sending these emails are still determined in advance. They are most often chosen based on user actions or behavior: thus, each time a predefined action is performed, another element of the relevant information chain is directly triggered; a new action then generates the next step, and so on.
Drip campaign: what is it?
As part of a drip campaign, a marketing campaign that is carried out in dribs and drabs, it is important to define individual steps for communication contents, all linked to each other. At the same time, the campaign structure also provides for the actions or reactions of the recipients, which each time trigger the next step. For example, a simple drip campaign could look like this:
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Welcome Email : if a potential customer has subscribed to the drip newsletter or has created a profile in which he has entered his email address, then a welcome message is sent to him. This message aims to provide additional information, in particular on a possible welcome offer, to give further information on the services, etc.
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Follow-up email : after the welcome message, an email containing detailed information about the products or services offered by the company is in turn sent. Here, many providers use information that allows them to inspire trust, including reviews, case studies or even advice and other tips.
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“Activation” email : Once recipients are familiar with the different products and services offered, companies begin to better target the information communicated. Indeed, emails in which offers such as special discounts or new products are discussed should allow them to identify any potential commercial opportunities.
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Information email : If the message directly announcing the offers does not meet with the expected success, potential customers are then solicited with content presenting other services. The aim here is to generate more interest, but also to dispel any possible doubts.
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“Reactivation” email : This email is a new attempt at “activation”, which aims to act on existing interest in order to conclude a sale. The “reactivation” email can therefore offer even better conditions on an already existing offer, or constitute a new incentive to inquire for additional information.
In this type of drip campaign, providers use a workflow called « marketing automation » to automatically send the email sequence as it has been predefined. This is advantageous because no manual intervention is required in the campaign : in fact, all content is created in advance, and the information made available to potential customers builds on each other.
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Note
Discounts or special promotions can be tailored as needed as drip emails are sent, ensuring recipients always have access to the most up-to-date information.
Why use drip emails?
Drip marketing campaigns can be useful for a number of reasons. They can be very effective at gradually guiding recipients toward a purchase; they are structured very precisely and are timed to impact basic decision points.
- Personalized contact : in addition to generating more clicks, personalized newsletters also increase the chances of a real purchase of the services and products offered. This personalization, which involves offers based on users' preferences or previous interactions, helps improve the relevance of the offers sent to them.
- Better customer loyalty : a drip campaign to build a relationship with their customers, but also to improve the loyalty that comes from it. This strategy of regular contact works particularly well in areas where any purchasing decision requires time and research.
- High quality tracks : Lead nurturing, which refers to the attention given to prospects and their conversion into customers, can also benefit from drip marketing. The strategy is broken down into several stages, and users are therefore accompanied throughout the decision-making process, which allows the service provider to collect various information on their behavior.
- Best conversion rate : If recipients receive a continuous stream of highly relevant information, it becomes more likely that one of the emails sent will result in the desired reaction.
- Ease of use : Once drip campaigns are set up, they progress automatically, without consuming resources. It is easy to add or update content, without changing the structure of the campaign.
- Constant optimization possibilities : a multitude of key performance indicators (KPIs) allow you to optimize interdependent content and improve the performance of each element of the campaign, whether at the level of the campaign as a whole or within the framework of the individual examination of each email.
Advice
One of the aims of online marketing is to find new prospects and improve existing ones. You can consult our main articles on this subject:
Example of a drip campaign
We have already presented you with the structure of a « drip feed » marketing campaign in broad outline. The example below features an online sneaker store, and allows us to to illustrate the principle once againThe goal: to encourage new users to subscribe to the newsletter, generate enthusiasm for the products offered in the store, and promote sales indirectly.
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Welcome Email (Day 1): A subscriber signs up for the newsletter. She confirms her email address, then receives a first message offering her a welcome discount of up to 10%.
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Follow-up emails (Days 3 and 6): During the first week, his recent newsletter subscription is still fresh in his memory, and this information is reminded to him by two emails sent quickly one after the other. The first message first gives an overview of the new sneakers that have just been released, while the next email contains an introduction to the store team, with information about each member and an indication of their favorite sneakers.
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Offer email (after 2 weeks): At this stage, it is worth emphasizing offers on a selection of shoes, with attractive discounts for first-time buyers aimed at attracting customers. In such a case, the offer is specially reserved for subscribers and is only available for a limited time, which creates pressure at the decision-making level.
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Content Emails (after 3 and 4 weeks): in the following weeks, to ensure that the communication does not run out of steam, it is advisable to send this recipient information on current trends or to highlight certain sneakers, with different possible looks.
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Reminder email (after 5 weeks): if the customer has not yet made any purchases, this email generally marks the end of the campaign. The welcome discount (around 10%) is highlighted again, with a reminder that it remains limited in time.
In the context of a campaign, it is essential to prepare content and then modify it based on the possible reactions of the people who are the target audience. At the same time, email follow-up with users should be comprehensive. For example, it is not appropriate to refer to a specific product if it has already been purchased as a result of one of these incentives.
Note
Depending on the product or service offered, it may be necessary to wait longer before a sale can be concluded. Campaigns should therefore focus on a clear orientation, so that the people concerned gradually move from interest in the offer to the desire to buy.