The traditional way of increasing conversions is flawed, and by this I mean solely focusing on optimizing and testing web pages. It so happens this is 98% of what conversion experts do, in my own experience.
Chances are it’s going to result in mediocre steady growth - because you’re only focusing on one part of the buyer’s process. Often, we need to nurture leads for a while prior to even showing them a sales page.
In this blog post, I’ll explain what drip marketing is, how I use it as part of my revenue optimization process with SaaS companies, and how to get results like the 240% growth experienced by my latest client.
Not a believer yet? According to Forrester Research, drip marketing reduces cost per customer acquisition by an average of 33%. Keep reading, and you will learn the methodology, will be able to scale your company, and of course get closer to the sale.
Ever hear people say that marketing “is all about your list”?
I’ll bet this is the #1 piece of advice being given in the digital marketing world today. You are constantly being told to build your list.
When marketers say “build your list”, they are referring to building an audience. By building your audience through the collection of email addresses, you have constant contact to people to promote your product, when you need to.
Sounds fantastic, and it’s great advice, but then what? What comes next? How do you make money once you’ve got all these email addresses? Whether they came from a free trial or a free download you offered… what do you do to turn opt-ins into customers?
Turn your “list” into paying users - with drip marketing
In its simplest form, drip marketing is automated marketing.
The goal of a drip marketing campaign is to capture leads, and then to nurture those leads through a series of specific events - via email for example…
Then, drip marketing allows you to actually shift the mindset of your leads, and provide them with an unprecedented understanding of how your software is key to solving their problems. It works, because you get to educate your leads further on their problem and its impact, and later sell them an appropriate solution based on their buying stage.
So at the end of the day, you can nurture and land paid users automatically, without lifting a finger (after having done the initial work, of course).
With the methodology, a SaaS company I helped implement drip marketing now sees 80% of all leads to respond to at least one of their emails, which in return increased engagement and email deliverability, and best of all, signups.
A drip marketing campaign built for specific goals, in specific ways, simply works. Now here’s how to build one for your company...
Integrating Drip Marketing into your digital marketing mix
Drip marketing by itself can work, but the secret is within execution and how you chose to integrate it with your other marketing strategies.
An effective drip marketing strategy starts with persuasive, conversational copywriting. Then, by combining landing pages, educating leads and creating value for your audience, you will build trust and a relationship with your audience.
Lead nurturing or conversion optimization aren’t stand alone processes, together, they should form one process that allows you to increase conversions further than only executing on one.
And finally, all of this is wrapped into email sequences, and combined with conversion optimization. You’re unleashing a true growth engine that allows to convert visitors into trial users, and trial users into paid customer like you never thought possible.
3 steps to increasing ARR & MRR with drip marketing
1. Implement drip marketing at the weakest points in your funnel
Research and analytics will identify exactly where your funnel is leaking the most. Then, you’ll have to do qualitative research to understand your audience’s problems and objections even deeper. You want to know:
Where are leads dropping off?
Where are you leaving the most money on the table? During onboarding? At sign up? Where?
Where are your visitors having the most doubts?
Where on the site do people make the biggest decision?
Pin-point these funnel weak spots, and use drip emails where your audience needs to know more in order to proceed to the next step.
2. Implement drip marketing campaigns when your website visitors and leads need a MINDSET shift to move forward
If you want to build a highly-converting campaign that, for your users, feels like your are able to read their minds, you need to do qualitative research. Through methods like user testing, surveys, and customer interviews you’ll be able to discover the information and beliefs your visitors or users are missing in order to secure them as paying clients.
Start by mapping out the needs of your leads in order to convert, determine your conversion goals, and split each of the missing pieces of information into individual drip emails.
The focus of your emails shouldn't be about selling. They should provide education and value first so you can establish a relationship. This is what famous marketer Jay Abraham calls the Strategy of Preeminence.
“The Strategy of Preeminence is a powerful, yet simple strategy that can transform your business or career. It draws people to work with you instead of your competitors. It gives you uncanny insight into what people want and why they act and react the way they do. it turns clients into friends for life. It strengthens your passion and connection with everyone in your life, inside and outside of business.” - Jay Abraham
Now here’s what you want to achieve with your emails: each email you send should tie-in with the next, and one after another the goal for your teachings to “stack” and build the mindset your prospect requires to become a paying customer.
3. Focus on getting leads on your list to engage
What is it worth to have a list of people, and send drip emails to that same list if they don’t take action?
If people don’t open your emails, click on your links, or respond to questions you ask them, you’ve got a dormant list -and that’s a problem. Don’t be surprised if no one on that list buys from you when you try to sell them something.
Remember, your goal is to foster a relationship with your leads through the drip emails, but also to monetize that list. For this to happen, you need people to be engaged and willing to take action.
3 steps to getting more engagement
Step 1: Keep reminding your list about their problem, and how you’re helping them make progress towards solving it. What big goal are you helping them achieve? How are you speeding up their success?
It only takes a few seconds for someone to sign up to an email list and your audience probably receive dozens a day (or much more) from other companies competing for their attention, so remind your leads what ultimate goal they’ll achieve by continuing to read your emails.
Elite performance coach Todd Herman sent an email not too long ago with a part that is the perfect example of reminding people WHAT they want to achieve, and WHY they follow you (in this case, progress further in their businesses):
Step 2: Get people to take action in every single email you send. Ask people to click on links, ask questions and ask them to reply. By giving them something to do in each email you send, you’re “training” them to take action when it’s going to be critical for them to do so (e.g. when you want them to sign up for a paid account).
In this screenshot of a drip email I received from Jeremy, the founder of LeadQuizzes, he ask you to hit reply and respond with feedback, which creates engagement.
Step 3: Make sure they get quick wins, and by doing so your leads will quickly see the value in opening, reading, and taking action when receiving your drip emails.
Quick wins don’t need to be whole systems or methodologies that will provide your audience results, they should be small tips or tricks that people can utilize within a few minutes, and instantly get a result.
For example, Evernote sends this email to their users that gives them a small tip that can enhance their experience of using the product:
Do this once every few emails and people will be starving to get more of your content.
Wrapping up
Drip marketing combined with conversions optimization allows you grow further than most traditional “tactics” would ever allow you to achieve.
Using conversational, educational emails sent automatically to your leads, you’re able to build trust and a relationship based on Jay Abraham’s strategy of preeminence. You will in turn get more visitors to convert into trial users, and more trial users to convert into real, paid customers.
Although thousands of factors can influence the results of your drip marketing campaigns, begin by following the 3 main steps:
Implement drip campaigns at weak spots in your funnel where you’re leaking users and money;
Focus on the weak spots where users needs more education, and a “mindset shift” in order to convert; and
Get your users to continuously engage in order to be able to see results from your list when you ask for the sale.