Drip ... Drip ... Drip : Does It Work?

Does email drip marketing work? Or is it just another web annoyance, ie. pop-ups.

Drip Marketing: Works Great For Some Companies

Auto-scheduled, pre-written emails sent to customers or prospects over some period of time (aka drips) have been touted as generating 18x more revenue vs. running other types of database marketing campaigns. Let's explore.

The real benefit of drips is that they (should) build trust. Rather than blast you can run personalized and relevant campaigns that are welcoming, educational, product or content specific. Drips must be succinct yet sincere. Touting your value without sounding pretentious.

Lead Nurturing Drips are the most successful. These are personalized campaigns that 'hand-hold' prospects or current customers - focusing on listening to needs and desires and then sharing information and solutions until they are ready to buy.

Here are some tips to running a positive results campaign:

- Determine the goal.  Are you trying to nurture new leads? Push a new product/service to existing customers? Enhancing brand awareness?  What CTA are you targeting?

- How many drips will be included in the campaign. Determine how many drips or 'touches' your campaign will have - most  consist of  between 4 and 12 emails spaced between 5, 7, or 14 days apart.

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- Create and personalize the content. Your drips cannot be construed as irrelevant or non-specific to your audience. Your content should be personalized and friendly. What's in it for the recipient should be your mantra.

- Know who to omit from the drip and who to include. Are the right people getting the right message at the right time? What are their pain points? Their        goals? Why do business with you? What will get their attention? On the flip-side, know when to take someone out of the drip. There must be a trigger              mechanism that will un-enroll a recipient the moment they've completed the desired action the drip intended.

Composing a drip campaign.

The intro drip in the campaign should be short and honest. A few sentences explaining what you do and the reason for the email. Conclude with a simple CTA , a yes/no response will do.

The second drip should refer to the first drip. Use new messaging that addresses your reader's pain. Conclude with a request for information regarding some aspect of the recipient's company.

The third drip should be the shortest. Zero-in on the key reason for your email and conclude with an outright ask for a purchase.

Each drip can be sent anywhere from two days to a week apart. Drip marketing isn't for everyone. But it can be of great benefit for many companies, especially start-ups. KEY: It must be used properly and be customer-centric.


Jim Lavorato
Founder 4M Performance