Drip feed marketing

How ‘Drip Feed’ Campaigns Boost Small Businesses

Learn how, why and when 'drip feed' marketing punches above it's weight for small businesses.

Here at FreshOnline we are constantly seeking out the best ways to promote and market small businesses, whilst keeping a firm eye on cost, deliverability and the most measurable outcomes for our clients.

With this in mind, we thought we’d take some time out to explain the value and benefits of some of our favourite marketing techniques. Today we are talking about ‘drip feed’ marketing and how, why and when, this low-cost marketing tool punches well above its weight for small businesses like yours.

What is drip marketing?

This is when a series of emails are automatically scheduled and delivered to your customers, or preferred audience, over a specific timeframe. These pre-written emails are designed to land in your customer’s inbox at the right time and be specific to their needs and interests at that moment.

Drip marketing is a great way to stay in regular contact with customers and keep them updated on your key business activities or promotions. Best of all, these emails are completely automated, targeted and measurable – but more about this later.

Why use drip marketing?

Its main purpose is to promote sales. By sending customised and personalised business promotions directly into email inboxes you are increasing your visibility and the likelihood of them buying your products and services. This has several key benefits linked to increased sale potential, drip marketing can:

• Re-engage with dormant customers from your database
• Reach new clients interested in your specific products and services
• Create a targeted buzz around promotions

The goal is to build an ongoing relationship with your audience, giving them promotions and content, along with relevant information that delivers them value.

When should small businesses use a drip campaign?

As a small business, drip campaigns are brilliant because they build relationships and run completely autonomously once set up, saving time – the most valued commodity of any small business owner.

Plus, bespoke drip feed emails are proven to get results. According to Mailchimp’s research: ‘More than 90% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy from companies that recognise and remember them.’

Here are a few ideas on how you could use a drip campaign to promote your small business:

• To welcome new customers
• To inform about new training courses or events
• Product promotions or new ranges
• Engagement and newsletters
• To get feedback

This list could go on and on as the possibilities of drip marketing are endless. With a bit of creativity, these types of campaigns can really separate you from the competition and get you noticed. It is this personal approach that the big players struggle with – which is why the nimble drip feed is so ideal for small businesses.

What are the pitfalls of drip marketing?

Don’t overdo it:

It is, as with most marketing techniques, all about balance. You don’t want to be overzealous with the number of emails you send to any given customer. No one wants their inboxes inundated or to be made to feel spammed. Keep the number of scheduled emails realistic and manageable.

Don’t be boring:

Dull emails are the quickest way to get customers clicking ‘unsubscribe’.
Make sure your emails add value and contain something the recipient wants. This might be interesting or educational content. Promotions and special offers or content that is humorous and fun to read. Whatever your chosen approach is, your emails need to get opened and become a welcome addition to their inbox.

Don’t scattergun:

Annoying people with your emails when they are not your target audience, on the off chance they may convert, is not the kind of marketing plan FreshOnline endorses. This could get you noticed for all the wrong reasons! Instead, carefully select your desired or existing audience base who have an existing interest in what you do. When executed correctly the results of drip feed marketing speak for themselves and provide solid data to evaluate your campaign’s success. Always target your market.

How to implement a drip marketing campaign for my small business:

There are several different online providers, such as Mailchimp, who supply drip feed services should you wish to undertake a campaign yourself. But if time and ideas are short alongside everything else a small business has to balance – FreshOnline is here to take the pressure off and help.

Here at FreshOnline we are real advocates of drip marketing, one of the aspects we most value is being able to measure the results for our clients. Enabling them to see exactly what is working and why. By running diagnostics we can evaluate the success of all our dip-marketing campaigns. We report who is opening your emails and clicking on the links and offer guidance on ways to improve your campaign to get the most out of it.

FreshOnline prides itself in offering exceptional drip marketing campaigns to small businesses with exceptional results and we are here to answer any questions to help you along the way. For more information, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

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