Email marketing is a massive industry, with tons of different strategies and tactics available for eCommerce brands to reach their audiences. But, if you’re looking for a strategy that’s both efficient and effective… then drip campaigns are for you!
In this blog, we’ll explore what drip campaigns are, why they’re effective, and the 5 steps you need to implement them.
Let’s get started!
What Is a Drip Campaign?
A drip campaign is a series of automated emails sent to subscribers after they take a specific action on your website or storefront. Drip campaigns are prepared ahead of time and are sent after being triggered by certain actions. However, they are still highly personalized and can be tailored to a subscriber’s specific behaviors and preferences.
Here are a few examples of drip campaigns you’ve likely come across before:
Welcome Emails
■ Trigger → Someone new subscribes to your email list
■ Campaign content → Welcome them with a coupon or discount and share more about your brand/brand story
Abandoned Cart Emails
■ Trigger → Someone adds a product to their cart without checking out
■ Campaign content → Remind them they left items behind and offer a discount/incentive to finish their purchase
Product Recommendation Emails
■ Trigger → Someone purchases a specific product
■ Campaign content → Offer recommendations of products that complement/augment their previous purchase
Why Are Drip Campaigns Effective?
Drip campaigns are a tried-and-true way to improve your relationship with your existing subscribers while also fostering new relationships with prospects and leads.
The effectiveness of drip campaigns boils down to 3 things:
1. They’re highly personalized
Drip campaigns are extremely personalized, so the content you send to each recipient is guaranteed to resonate. Whether you’re focusing on the recipient’s interests, preferences, or stage in the buyer’s journey, drip campaigns let you send the perfect content at the perfect time
2. They’re timed well
Because drip campaigns are automated, it’s easy to ensure the recipient gets the email exactly when they need it most. It’s also easy to keep your brand top of mind with drip campaigns, especially with timed reminder emails or automatic discounts based on length of inactivity.
3. They’re data-driven
Finally, drip campaigns are effective because they’re intrinsically linked to real, up-to-date subscriber data. As soon as your first drip campaign is sent you’ll get data to work with, helping you identify areas of improvement, concepts to experiment with, and ways to optimize.
How to Send a Drip Campaign
Now that you know how great drip campaigns are, you’re probably looking to set one up as soon as possible. Good choice!
Here’s a high-level overview of the steps to set up a drip campaign.
1. Choose a trigger → Decide what action, date, or behavior will trigger the campaign
2. Segment your audience → Decide if you’ll send campaigns to everyone who took a certain action or if you’ll further segment your audience (i.e. Will a “First Purchase” campaign go to all first purchases? Or only those over a certain amount?)
3. Create your emails → Create copy and design that entices your audience while staying true to your brand guidelines
4. Review the data & adjust → Assess the performance of your drip campaigns to see what worked well and what might need to be changed
5. Update periodically → Check your drip campaigns occasionally to ensure things like contact information are still accurate
While drip campaign set-up might not be the most complicated thing in the world, there are still nuanced considerations to ensure it’s set up as efficiently and effectively as possible. This is where we recommend reaching out to email marketing experts (like the team at DIDO Agency!) to audit or even manage your drip campaign for you.
Wrap Up
Drip campaigns are a powerful tool in the arsenal of email marketers, offering a strategic approach to engaging, nurturing, and converting leads. By leveraging personalized communication, leaning into automation, and letting data guide your efforts, drip campaigns can help you build meaningful relationships and strong results.