Are you planning your marketing campaigns on a drip?

12.06.10 10:45 PM By S.Swaminathan

I had blogged sometime back about Dripvertising in 2007 and recently it was interesting to read an article on Drip Marketing Campaigns by Peppers & Rogers. They shared many of the views that I had shared in that post. I certainly believe the future of marketing is doing more and more of drip marketing campaigns. Consumers are definitely tired of " too-much-marketing" in the face and therefore nurturing your prospects and customers is becoming more and more important.

Here are some salient " How-to-do" list from their post which I believe is how next-generation marketing campaigns will evolve.:

  • Attitude adjustment: Will you make a decision to become a truly nurturing company? Begin with a well thought out philosophy of actually helping customers succeed, not just helping them buy more.
  • Database cleansing and prioritizing: Identify and profile A-, B-, C-level customers, prospects, and centers of influence. Do you have their explicit permission to touch them, especially via email?
  • Unique value proposition: Can you articulate and dimensionalize a statement that correctly and rapidly positions and differentiates your company from others?
  • Hone your elevator pitch: Your elevator pitch has the potential to be the most profitable 60 "selling" seconds you will have with a prospect. Tell a story and keep it simple, defining the problem or challenge your product and service addresses.
  • Campaigns -- not blasts: Relationships grow from trust. Trust grows from a feeling of authentic helping in all interactions. To ensure enduring interest, keep the law of deposits and withdrawals always top of mind. Nourish and cultivate a relationship with messages that matter and content that really counts to people you care about.
  • Create, test, automate, delegate, and nurture it (or ditch it!): Persistence, professionalism, and authenticity keep your touches real, fresh, and always helpful in some way. Automate and replicate your efforts with the best of CRM refinements and email marketing tools that make nurturing a breeze.
  • Good things come to those who wait: The frequency with which you touch your clients and prospects will vary based on your relationship with them and the nature of your business. However, your touches should be spread out (five to six weeks) so as to not be intrusive, yet frequent enough to remain top-of-mind. The payoff will come to those who practice patience. Not many marketers and salespeople are patient enough to communicate with a client or prospect for one or two years before making a sale.

S.Swaminathan

©All Rights Reserved 2024