5 Min. Reading

Drip campaigns are powerful B2B & B2C tools when implemented correctly. But what are the principles that make them run smoothly?

Do you remember the last time you met someone you liked and engaged in the dynamic of sending text messages back and forth? And, when that happened, do you remember how many times you asked yourself whether it was the right moment to answer, what to write, and if it would be better just to wait for a while?

Whenever that happened to you, you were doing on a personal level what companies do through drip campaigns as part of their strategy.

Just as it happens in the flirting dynamic, drip campaigns aim to contact the target several times without becoming overwhelming. If you become too pushy with someone you have just met, that person will block you. If a business sends too many emails, the potential customer is going to erase them, unsubscribe from their email list, and forget about it—two things you want to avoid.

Drip campaigns get their name from the agriculture industry. It’s about irrigating, nurturing something slowly but steadily, so it may grow. As it happens with plants and personal relationships, so it does with B2B & B2C connections. The big difference, of course, is that while in a personal context you are trying to connect with only one person, businesses are trying to engage with dozens, sometimes even thousands, so strategy and automation are fundamental.

The basic definition of drip campaigns is that they are a set of marketing emails automatically sent on a schedule or in response to customer’s actions. Whether it is one option or the other will depend on your audience segmentation because that is the best tool you have to guarantee your messages are pertinent. The better you know your audience, the better will be your chances of sending the correct information at the right time, in the most suited tone.

Audience segmentation can be done in several ways and should be dynamic. Once again, every action on the customer side should bring a reaction on the business end. You can segment your audience depending on their actions or demographic classifications you define. Here are some examples:

Actions:

• A potential customer subscribed to your newsletter
• A customer downloaded your app
• A customer sent you a review on a product

Demographics:

• Customers living in a specific region who probably celebrate a particular date (Día de los Muertos or Thanksgiving, for example)
• Users who have not used your app for a month or more
• Newsletter subscribers that opened your previous email but didn’t click on the CTA

The beauty of these segmentations is that if you do them correctly, you will tap on your customers’ or leads’ interests and needs without overloading your customer care team with daily tasks like writing personalized emails because everything happens automatically.

The trick, then, is writing a set of compelling messages for a group of circumstances broad enough that you may anticipate all the turns a lead might have in your customer funnel. Automation is a fascinating tool, but it will only be as good as the analysis you do and the content you prepare. This is what will enable you to nurture your prospects –whether they are five or a thousand– until they convert.

Drip campaigns usually don’t convert on the first interaction and are not designed to do so. Their aim, rather, is to build a relationship between the brand and the customer so, like plants and love, they take time.

What makes a good drip campaign?

All drip campaigns are pre-written and automated, but the successful ones are natural-sounding, personalized, precise, and timely.

Avoid stiff language. Include the user’s name when possible. Don’t wonder about how amazing the natural world is if you are sending a thank-you email to someone who downloaded a delivery app. Be clear and quick in saying what you are sharing or what you expect the user to do. And automate; hand-sent emails run the risk of getting too late to the right inbox and fall into oblivion.

How has been your experience using drip campaigns? How has been your experience receiving drip campaigns? Drop a comment below.

Business Trends – GOOD DRIP CAMPAIGNS CONVERT INTO A SALES STREAM, SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? 
By: Ana Maria Enciso, May 20221
Edited by: Isabela Rosa