Let’s Netflix and Chill.
This phrase appeared back in 2009 when Netflix was growing out to become more popular among home movie-streamers. Initially tweeted out by the brand, the phrase (regardless of the connotations, we don’t judge here) points out a marketing phenomenon that’s not just brilliant at subtlety but even better at conversions and growing fanbases.
In walks, drip marketing – is a marketing tactic that revolves around nurturing customers with various marketing tools and materials by ensuring those materials or messages are consistent over a period of time. Consistency doesn’t just matter when it comes to drip marketing – to pull off a drip campaign successfully, a brand has to engage with its consumers through a cohesive story.
That one phrase made Netflix the talk of all movie-lovers, creeping in subtly into people’s everyday conversations. For most people, Netflix and Chill define how one should spend one’s evenings after work.
That punchy catchphrase brought fame to Netflix and here’s how drip marketing can do the same for your business too.
What is drip marketing?
Originally coined from the agriculture concept of drip irrigation – where crops are watered in sustained, steady, and balanced amounts of water to promote growth, drip marketing has many names – automation campaigns, marketing automation, automated life cycles, autoresponders, and many more.
Although drip marketing can involve various marketing tools just like how miHoYo, the brand behind its popular video-game brainchild, Genshin Impact, utilizes its own social media accounts for drip marketing through new character drops, drip marketing is most oftentimes seen in emails as it is efficient and cost-effective.
Here’s a fun fact for you
Did you know that Netflix sends out 1.76 emails/week and somehow… it works to their advantage?
More emails don’t necessarily mean you might scare off your customers, it all boils down to how you utilize that form of the communication channel to foster the shared story of your products/services in exchange for their loyalty and purchase.
So, what’s a drip campaign?
As portrayed in the figure above (Marketing automation company, Pardot’s drip campaigns), drip campaigns represent automated emails that are triggered by a customer’s reaction and are sent directly to the customer at specific times.
This marketing technique enables a brand to foster consistent communication that coaxes a customer from one part of the customer journey to where you’d like them to be (oftentimes, lead generation).
These automated emails take it one step further – each automated email is customized to the customer’s name, details, and even what they’re looking for – whether it’s a specific product or service.
Do drip emails really work?
Yup. Drip campaigns have an open rate of 80% higher than those of single-send emails, plus an inclination to generate 50% more sales-ready leads than mass email blasts.
If that’s not enough to blow your mind, companies that excel in drip marketing are able to generate at least 80% more sales at 33% lower costs!
Simply put, the benefits of drip marketing are just too great to ignore.
When to drip market?
Although drip marketing is a blanket term that can feature a variety of marketing tools (including emails!), the goal remains the same – keep consumers engaged with your brand and offerings at any stage of their customer journey.
Nurturing leads
It’s no surprise that leads generation is the main focus for most companies – which is why drip marketing can become an asset to promote lead generation for leads at any stage of the customer journey.
Research shows that each customer needs at least 7-13 “touches” or interactions to close each sale. With each “touch” of the emails automated to your customer’s inboxes, you’re closer to making the sale!
Here’s an example of how Grammarly automates its lead-generation emails.
What works here:
- Personalize each email, especially at this stage – to show how your brand is dedicated to providing a newer upgrade/solution to each customer’s needs. Notice how the brand mentioned, “moving up the ranks”? That shows that the customer has been engaged with the brand at a lower level of commitment prior to this.
- Dangle that carrot and convince your customers they’re getting more out of their money if they act now – similar to this email above, the brand offers customers a chance to save 60% off if they purchase the product.
Mini-courses or engagement-focused emails
Before your drip campaigns hand-hold your customers to the finish line, give your subscribers a chance to get to know you, the brand, and what it stands for.
Don’t forget to show them the value of what benefits them to get to know you in the first place.
What works here:
- Be consistent with what you offered on the table. When you produce incredible content that people want to engage with overtime, you win. Send stuff out at random, and your subscribers might just hit that unsubscribe button!
- Create a cohesive look and feel. Use a color scheme that represents your brand and ensure all emails have the same look and feel that enables your subscribers to recognize you easily.
- Break your words down into digestible, bite-sized portions. Nobody wants an essay, especially your subscribers, who’ve already got 150+ other emails sitting in their inbox. Keep headlines short and sweet!
Setting up drip campaigns with elfo
Are you ready to embark on your automation journey at elfo?
We’ve got all the right people, tools, and solutions to help you get started. Tell us what you need and your digital goals are just a click away!
