Understanding Email Drip Campaigns

There are many forms of communication you may have as an affiliate, but the one form of communication that is still standard is email. In fact, while many have written off email and are predicting its demise, others say email is here for the long haul.

We’re of the opinion that if email is currently flourishing – which it is – it’s best to take advantage of it as best as you can. It’s imperative to keep consumers and/or readers engaged through the written word and it’s equally key that you “nurture” your relationships with your users. That’s where email drip campaigns come into play.

If you haven’t heard of email drip campaigns, you may be familiar with the concept from one of its many other names: drip marketing, automated email campaign, lifecycle emails, autoresponders and marketing automation. In short, email drip campaigns are a “set of marketing emails that are sent out automatically on a schedule.”

We use drip campaigns more often than we think. The length and sophistication of drip campaigns depend highly on the platform we use and the nature of the marketing campaign; regardless of how short, long, automated, or manual your email campaign may be, this is the typical structure of a successful email drip:

Nurture

The purpose of a “nurturing email” is that it helps ease your users into knowing your company better. It’s one way of establishing a sense of trust between the company and its consumers. This is especially key when you’re a new business and consumers don’t have many resources to gauge the quality of experience they might receive from you. In sending personal, string-less nurturing emails, you can help shape the way your consumers receive your emails. Drip.co notes that brands get as much as 50% more “sale-ready” customers when they nurture their leads. These types of emails also have the following characteristics:

• Welcoming
• Personal
• Consumer-focused
• Helpful/Supportive
• Educational
• Onboarding

The next step is, once your users have engaged with your nurturing emails by either opening, clicking, or even replying to them, you can get them to climb on board with the services you offer. Please note that unless you’re absolutely sure that your services or products will sell at this stage, your sales pitch should not be too aggressive.

The best “onboarding emails” will wrap the sale within a beneficial offer, like a webinar course, newsletter, or app download invite. You should remember that you still want to steer the focus on benefitting your customers, not your company and your products. You want your users to like what you offer because they think that you have their best interests in mind.

Engagement

You now have a captive audience. You can engage them full-force by pitching your exact products or services. You could even throw in more eye-catching incentives at this stage, like a special sale or an offer that would help you seal the deal with your sale-ready users. The best engagement emails always have a call to action. This means no open-ended language! These are some powerful verbs you may find yourself using in this call-to-action:

• Get [the loan you need, etc.]
• Apply [for our service today, etc.]
• Upgrade [your workplace, etc.]
• Save [time, etc.]

You may want to stick to just one (maybe two) call-to-action(s) at a time. The more you demand from your consumers, the less effective your campaign could turn out. Your call-to-actions should captivate, not overwhelm.

Reengagement

The last and crucial portion of drip campaigns is the part that many effective companies can’t get enough of: reengagement. This doesn’t mean that you abuse your influence by exhausting your contacts. In fact, 53% of consumers reportedly received too many emails for their liking. So, be sparing with reengagement emails, but never fail to keep nurturing your previous leads.

We hope that these guidelines will steer you towards a smooth and successful drip campaign!

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