You receive a personalized postcard from a local office supply company, glance at it and put it aside. A couple of weeks later, you receive an email from that same company notifying you of special pricing on copy paper. You just purchased enough paper for six months so you forget about it. A personalized brochure arrives in the mail the following month inviting you to view additional information on the office supply company Web site via a Personalized URL. You decide to check it out. After you view the site, a representative of the company calls you to thank you for visiting the site and leaves her contact information should you decide you’d like to purchase office supplies from them. An informative electronic newsletter arrives from the office supply company two months later, followed by another postcard with a coupon for a 25 percent discount on copy paper. Your paper supply is running low and so you purchase from the office supply company that has been continually touching base with you over the past dozen or so weeks.
This method of sending out planned and sequenced marketing messages over an extended period of time is affectionately known as “drip” marketing. The theory behind drip marketing is that repetition and a slow building of brand awareness is a powerful way to build sales.
A prospect might not be considering purchasing life insurance on the day he receives your first postcard. But if a second, fourth or tenth communication happens to hit at a time when the prospect is planning for his financial future, chances are good that he will take action and call you. A combination of direct mail, emails, newsletters, telephone calls, blogs, podcasts and video clips can effectively reach a prospect in a meaningful way about a product or service they need at any particular point in time.
Planning a drip campaign requires understanding your audience and how to best reach it. Decide who will receive communications, which communications channels you will use, in what sequence and frequency as well as specific messaging for each communication.
Be creative and deliver value. Relevant messages delivered in a creative way will work best to capture the attention of your audience. Varying your offers and messaging will also spur interest but be sure your brand is consistent throughout the drip campaign.
Stick with it! Drip marketing works when you use consistent messages distributed on a regular schedule. Consider using an automated marketing system that is simple to execute to ensure the drip continues regardless of how busy you get.
Tracking response to your communications is critical. Be sure to invest in appropriate customer relationship management (CRM) and Web site traffic tracking programs or engage an external marketing services firm to track and report on results.
Scott Nowokunski is president of commercial printing and marketing services firm Integraphx - A Really Cool Printing Company. He can be reached at 704-731-0654 or visit www.integraphx.com
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