Whether your goal is to sell additional services and solutions to existing clients, bolster your prospecting opportunities, or simply keep your name front and center, thanks to the explosion of personalized marketing and social media, drip campaign marketing is a concept that might just be the answer to your needs!

Common knowledge remains that it can take upwards of 10-12 “touches” to elicit a response from a potential customer. Why so many? Consider that especially with the advent of the Internet, your competitors are hitting the exact same prospects — as often and with the same vigor as you. Information overload makes it that much more imperative that it’s your message (or messages in this case) that gets and keeps their attention…whether they’re ready to buy today or two months from now.

Luckily, setting up and executing a successful drip marketing campaign is not brain surgery. It just takes some planning and forethought…and maybe a little convincing of your sales team.

Sales people tend to stop calling or sending marketing materials to prospects if they have not garnered a sale, or at least a solid conversation with the prospect, after a certain amount of time. Much of this stems from the fact that sales is, and remains, a numbers game. Conventional wisdom says that if you’ve tried and failed after multiple attempts, it’s time to move on to the next opportunity. But is that really the case?

Most sales people honestly can’t predict when a sale will close, even when a “hot” prospect has indicated strong interest in their product or service. Why? Because so many factors come into play—budgets, timing, economic uncertainty, and restructuring within the prospect’s own organization. All of these reasons further bolster the drip campaign approach to marketing.

Cost effective and creative when executed properly, drip campaigns are a subtle and effective way to stay top of mind when that prospect is finally ready to pull the trigger. A combination of personalized print, email, and phone calls, the most successful drip campaign leaves your prospects feeling educated, interested, and understood…NOT annoyed!

As is the case with any marketing effort, there are good approaches and bad approaches. If you’re ready to embark on your first drip marketing campaign, here are just a few things to keep in mind that will help ensure your success and reduce the likelihood that your prospects will end up feeling “pestered”, instead of enamored, by your efforts:

• Don’t continue to “drip” prospects who have indicated interest. Instead engage them in direct, personal conversation as you would any other potential customer

• Don’t send multiple drip campaigns to the same prospects. Have a clear plan, list, and schedule for each campaign and stick to it

• Don’t overdo it! All recipients of drip material must have a chance to “opt out” or unsubscribe. You should respect their choice to do so. Not every prospect will become a customer

• Don’t repeat messages/themes in multiple drip campaigns. Once a campaign has run its course, it’s time to start brainstorming a new concept

• Make sure your drip marketing content is educational and interesting, not overly sales oriented. Remember, you are going to be touching the same people over and over. They do not want to feel as if they are simply on the hot seat to “buy”

• Make sure your target list is thoroughly researched and “clean”. Do not prospect to the masses. Prospect to your true target audience and make sure all of their contact information is up to date, especially current titles within their organization

• Make it personal! Whether print or emails, you are reaching out to a specific person by name…not blindly hoping your message gets to the decision maker

• Make sure your target list is not too big to manage. Remember that throughout the campaign, you will be following up personally with each prospect. Don’t overwhelm yourself all at once. You can always reach additional prospects on the next drip. Think quality, not quantity.

• Include a “call to action” with every drip. This engages the prospect and always leaves the door open for your next attempt. Never end a drip — or even an entire drip campaign — with just a “thank you”

By following the simple rules above, you should be well on your way to understanding the purpose and potential impact a well-executed and creative drip campaign could have on your future sales success.

Many marketing and advertising companies engage in drip campaigns to sell their own services. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your agency to see examples of their own campaigns before you ask that they help you create your own. In addition to discussing the creative concepts themselves, be sure to engage your agency in conversation about their specific response rates. If their internal drip campaigns garnered only the typical 1-2% response that an old-school direct mail campaign might, it may be time to see what other agencies have to offer.