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Drip Email Campaigns: Knowing Your Ideal Client's Trigger Point
If you've heard the phrase "drip email" and felt instantly intimidated, I completely understand. To me, those words go hand-in-hand with things like "strategy" and "thinking ahead" - both of which sometimes scare me as well.
But I think we're over thinking it. Yes, there are some really advanced drip email campaigns out there that are like ginormous never-ending flow charts. But, as with all marketing, email campaigns come down to one thing:
Figuring out what your ideal client needs and giving to them.
When it comes to selling a product or service, it's really quite simple; the purchaser has a trigger point when they realize they need what you're offering and then they go looking for it. And the smart business owner is prepared, waiting to hand it to them.
In my case, I work with financial advisors and that means that we should certainly be able to identify some trigger points:
First job
New job
Marriage
Children
Divorce
Death
Those are just a few. At any point, when something like the above happens, someone might think, "I really need to find some help with my finances."
Now, as with a lot of services out there, someone isn't going to just employ you because they saw your post on Facebook. It takes time to cultivate that digital relationship before someone feels comfortable enough to contact you and schedule an appointment.
What you might consider is offering something for free to them that has to do with one of these specific issues - an online course, a checklist, an eBook - that you then develop a drip email campaign to follow up with them.
How many touchpoints should you have?
Let's first talk about what a touchpoint is.
A touchpoint is any time a potential customer or customer comes in contact with your brand–before, during, or after they purchase something from you. (SurveyMonkey)
This could be a phone call, an advertisement, or - yes - an email.
Drip email makes this simple because once it's set up, you're done. If a person opts into whatever you're offering, those emails are automatically sending and you don't have to think about it
So, how many should you have?
The average runs from 6 - 8 in order to convert a lead into a sale or client.
And WHAT should you have?
This goes back to my overall philosophy when it comes to marketing.
THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD OFFER SHOULD BE HELPFUL TO THE CLIENT.
Do not sell. Do not pitch. If the "trigger" is someone getting a divorce, send them the initial email that contains what they opted in for and then provide them with other things they might need while going through this process in the follow up emails.
Articles and tips on single parenting.
Maybe fun things about getting back into the dating world.
Talk about self-care and stress solutions.
And guess what? You can mix in a little bit about what you do along with some of the tips.
How about reworking beneficiaries?
Looking at benefit options?
College planning tools?
Helping them with retirement planning in a FUN way? ("Now YOU get to decide how you want to retire. I can help you with that.")
However you choose to do it, identifying your ideal client's trigger point could be a great opportunity to get yourself top-of-mind as someone who can help them solve whatever issue they're having. If you do it in a thoughtful way, that "possibility" might just become a lifelong client.
