Automate Drip Campaigns and Closed Loop Marketing Campaigns
Drip campaigns are automated email messages sent to subscribers on a scheduled basis. It can be as simple as sending a welcome message upon subscription and then sending periodic updates. These campaigns are delivered consistently until the recipient unsubscribes.
Figure 2 - Example of an automated renewal notice email conversation in Listrak Conductor™
Automated drip campaigns work best when you have one clear objective. Campaigns can be sent daily, weekly, or monthly and can be used to keep your brand top of mind when the subscribers are ready to take action. B2B companies can set up drip campaigns for white paper delivery, quarterly release updates, specialized holiday campaigns, monthly invoices or annual subscription notices, or anything that keeps their subscribers informed and interested in their organization.
But the real power lies in the ability to create closed loop marketing messages. The concept is simple - communicate a message to a group of subscribers and then send your next message based on their reactions and responses. Subscribers who click on a specific link in the message get one email, the ones who click on a different link get another, and the ones who do nothing get yet another. This takes drip campaigns to the next level as it goes beyond branding and moves into the sales realm. Instead of just pushing content out you design specific paths to lead subscribers through the sales cycle based on their behavior and needs. This concept might be new to email marketers but everything needs to be done differently in 2010. Consumers are more sophisticated and if you don't nurture each lead effectively, you'll lose the sale.
According to Forrester Research's US Interactive Marketing Forecast 2009-2014, marketers are taking on a more strategic leadership role in organizations because of their close connection to customers and prospects. Transactional emails are on the rise as email marketers are finding ways to boost sluggish sales. Automated closed loop marketing campaigns are helping them accomplish this goal. These campaigns are event triggered messages that allow you to communicate with each subscriber individually based on his or her behavior and response. Because the messages are related to a specific action taken by the recipient, the conversations are natural and progressive, not sporadic and interruptive.
For example, a retailer can launch an ecommerce campaign offering 10% off orders purchased online that includes links to its men's, women's, and kid's departments. If the recipient clicks on the link to view women's items, she will be sent a follow up email featuring work wear, weekend wear, and accessories. The emails get more targeted to her specific needs as she moves through the cycle. You can even include links to product reviews, shopping cart abandonment messages, sales confirmations, value-added cross selling promotions, etc.
Figure 3 - Automated response path email campaign diagram in Listrak Conductor™
B2B companies can use the same approach for their sales funnels. For example, if a website visitor downloads a white paper, you can send an email with an article on the same topic, then an invite to a webinar, case studies on how your organization helped other clients with the same business issues, and you can even schedule a product demonstration. At this point, the sales team receives a highly qualified lead that is interested and ready to buy.