Guest post by Monika Jansen of Jansen Communications.
For some reason, there is an air of mystery about how to create an email drip campaign. They’re really easy to create, so here’s how to set up your first one.
How to create an email drip campaign
Before you get started, it’s important to understand the process. An email drip campaign is typically three to five emails that are triggered by an event.
For your organization, “the event” might happen when someone provides their email address when registering for their first event or in exchange for a free webinar.
Now that someone has shown interest in your organization, you want to stay in front of them. The email drip campaign allows you to do that. By continuing to share more valuable information, you will also create trust and build credibility.
Outline three emails
Start with three emails; if you want to add a few more, you can. For simplicity’s sake, we’re going to pretend that the drip campaign is triggered when someone downloads your organization’s guide to gardening with native plants.
Here’s a rough outline of what each email should contain:
First email – thank them for downloading the checklist, remind them what’s in the checklist, and provide them with something else of value, like an extra tip that’s not in the checklist.
Second email – send them a testimonial from someone who has used and benefitted from the checklist. The goal here is to inspire a little FOMO (don’t you want to be like this person who now has a beautiful low-maintenance garden that attracts butterflies?).
Third email – remind them of the challenge they are facing when sourcing native plants. Provide an offer they can’t refuse, like registration for your upcoming webinar series on building, nurturing and maintaining a native wildflower meadow.
Write your copy
Now, write the actual copy for each email. Remember to keep it short. It shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds to read each email.
Set it up in your email marketing platform
Every email marketing platform has a way to set up automated emails, and every platform will walk you through the process. Remember to space out the emails. I typically send emails two or three days apart.
It’s OK to use a designed template, but I prefer plain text emails. They look more personal and less sales-y. If your platform allows it, definitely use “buttons” for your final call-to-action.
If you’d like feedback on your email drip campaign, shoot us a note. We’re happy to take a look and provide some tweaks.
