One of the most tedious processes of the sales funnel is to turning an targeted demographic audience into prospects that are ready to purchase something. This process of lead generation requires numerous emails, follow-up conversations, and even some old fashioned wining and dining. What if all of that tedious work could be completely automated?
The end result would be a more effective sales funnel. It would give you time to work on even more projects that can lead to more profitability. That’s the core of an effective drip marketing campaign. Here are some tips to help you get your next campaign setup so that it can be as effective as possible.
1. You Must Always Be Relevant
What you’ve got to do is deliver the perfect information to people at the perfect time. When you can drip information to people when they need it the most, you’ll be more likely to progress that person through your sales funnel. A great drip marketing campaign is designed not on time of day or what you think will be a great product to sell, but how a user is engaging itself with your branding.
2. Nurturing Is Much Better Than The Natural Process
What a drip marketing campaign does well is nurture leads so that they’re ready for a sale when the time is right. Using the natural sales process, the average marketing campaign is going to drive home a hard sell and move to the next customer if that doesn’t work. When nurturing is involved with a drip campaign, prospects get a steady flow of value that will slowly build until their cup overflows and they decide to make a purchase.
3. You Still Need To Close The Deal
Automatic campaigns are good for those steady drips of data that are needed for the modern consumer, but don’t make the mistake of allowing a drip campaign to manage your closing. People need to have that personal touch today to feel like they’re actually engaging with a business. There are a few people who will close on automated functions, believing they’re coming from a real person, but the average prospect in a sales funnel can smell automation a mile away.
4. The Type Of Your Drip Campaign Matters
You can do everything right with a drip marketing campaign and still wind up failing because you used the wrong type of campaign. Sometimes an educational drip is most effective because it will provide your targeted demographics with the research and product information they need.
Competitive drips can target customers who are loyal to your competition, while training drips can be used for people who are new to your industry. Put the right campaign onto the right sales funnel to have the best results.
5. Have Multiple Options Available Within Your Sales Funnel
The nurturing process is going to be different for every person that engages with your marketing campaign. Let’s say that you are engaging people with a white paper about a specific service you are providing. If someone reads that white paper, then you could funnel them to an ebook. If not, you could funnel them to a video overview of your product so that they can get a visual perspective.
For those that you sent an ebook link, did they open it? If they did, then the next step would be to offer a product demonstration because they’re showing significant interest in what you’ve got. If not, then a video overview of the content from the ebook might be more their style and it will still keep them engaged.
For those that weren’t responsive to the white paper, did they engage with the video link you sent them? If they did, then now would be the time to send them the ebook opportunity because they have engaged with the brand. If they still aren’t interested, then you can end the drip.
6. The End Of The Drip Can Be The Beginning Of A New Opportunity
Just because someone hasn’t initially engaged with a brand doesn’t mean that they aren’t interested. It may just mean that the time isn’t right for them to engage at that very moment. By setting up a re-engagement campaign as part of your drip marketing process, you’ll be able to bring more people back into the fold and start the dripping process all over again.
7. Design Your Drip For Your Audience
The whole goal of a drip marketing campaign is to make sure that your prospects can express their preferences in a simple, easy manner. Allow them to choose the type of content that they receive, how often they get messages from you, and in what form they’d like to receive content. By offering these choices, you’re taking all of the guesswork out of the sales development process. You’re also accomplishing a second needed item: you’re showing the prospect that you care about meeting their needs.
8. Keep Testing All Of The Time
The effectiveness of a campaign can ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean. It is important to make sure that you’re consistently testing each drip campaign that is active to make sure that it is working well. You can do this by designing custom metrics that will measure the specific sales goals that you have. Make sure that you’re analyzing the bounce rates, KPIs, and CTRs in addition to your opens to make sure that you’re staying on track.
9. Use All Of Your Tools
When you’ve tailored your targeted demographics into specific segments, then you’re ready to begin using all of the tools that are in your marketing toolbox. Social media, CRM integration, and analytics will all assist your segmentation tools so that your campaigns are easy to setup, yet still massively effective.
An effective drip marketing campaign is the best way to enhance the passive nature of sales funnel progression you have. Use these tips to get your next campaign tailored perfectly and you’ll be able to close like never before.
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