Planning your first drip campaign? Or maybe you’re looking to improve upon your email marketing strategy? We can help with that. Email is one of those rare internet technologies that has lasted the test of time. On average people will check their inbox at least 1-to-3 times a day. That makes email campaigns a great way to keep your brand top-of-mind, but it also means you’re competing with hundreds of other emails that flood inboxes on a daily basis.
So, how do you make sure that your emails stand out from the crowd? Last week, we wrote about what drip campaigns are and how you can use them to nurture and ultimately convert leads. Today, we’re expanding on that topic to cover best practices for crafting email sequences that drive conversions.
Drip campaigns are a type of email automation triggered by events or when users complete a desired action on your website like signing up for your email list or making a purchase. These email sequences are written ahead of time and typically include 4-to-10 emails.
The content in these campaigns is usually:
Importantly, drip campaigns are designed to communicate with your audience at a steady cadence that won’t overwhelm recipients with emails. Generally, emails should be sent at least 3 days apart.
Before you start planning out your next drip campaign, here are some best practices to help create campaigns that resonate with your audience.
Proper segmentation is crucial for tailoring your message and offering to specific groups of recipients. Consider factors such as:
Before launching your campaign, define your goals and establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success. This will help you track progress and optimize your efforts.
Be sure your messages are:
Space out your emails to create a smooth flow without overwhelming recipients. The ideal drip campaign typically consists of 4-10 emails sent 4-14 days apart.
Each email should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that guides recipients towards the next step in their journey. Make CTAs visible and aligned with your campaign objectives.
Set up action-based and demographic-based triggers to ensure timely and relevant communication. Examples include:
Make sure that all elements of your emails, including layout, imagery, and tone, align with your brand identity.
Continuously track your campaign’s performance and be prepared to make adjustments. Analyze metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to refine your approach.
Focus on delivering valuable information that addresses your audience’s needs and challenges. This could include educational content, exclusive offers, or relevant product recommendations.
As is always the case with marketing efforts, tracking performance is key to succeeding. That’s why you should outline the metrics you’ll use to measure performance well before you launch a campaign. Below, we’ve put together a list of the most commonly used metrics.
Common metrics for tracking drip campaign performance:
The metrics you choose will depend on the specific objectives and goals you’ve outlined for your campaign.
We would be remiss if we didn’t talk about CRMs and how they make drip campaigns and other marketing automation possible. CRMs like HubSpot have a wealth of features not just for collecting data about your audience, but for using that data to supercharge your marketing efforts through advanced automation, segmentation, and personalization.
Here are the key features that make drip campaigns most effective:
Drip campaigns are incredibly useful for building lasting relationships, nurturing leads, and driving conversions—so long as they’re well crafted and optimized. The most successful campaigns rely on understanding your audience, setting clear goals, and using the right tools to automate, personalize, and track your campaigns.
By following the best practices we’ve outlined here, you’ll be well equipped to create campaigns that stand out in crowded inboxes and deliver measurable results.