Which marketing technique works better? Communicating everything to your prospects all at once, or feeding them pieces of your message over time? It depends on your marketing goals, but in many cases, the latter (called “drip marketing”) can be highly effective. Let’s look at an example of how a drip marketing campaign works.
Three-Phase Campaign
A company wanted to increase sales to affluent customers so they devised a three-phase cross-channel marketing campaign in order to maximize response.
Phase 1: The first piece was an eye-catching, high-gloss trifold mailer that would grab attention inside the mailbox. Once recipients opened the mailer, they were greeted with name personalization, relevant text, and a personalized URL that allowed them to enter an email address and download a free, high-value white paper and fill out an optional survey.
Phase 2: To the people who did not respond to the first mailing, the company sent out a follow-up mailing. This phase capitalized upon the name recognition built by the initial contact, but the design was tweaked to try to entice the recipient. Like the first mailing, the piece included a personalized URL that allowed recipients to download a white paper and fill out an optional survey.
Phase 3: For the third mailing, the company removed the names of those who responded to the first two mailings. Then it used an invitation-style A7 envelope with full-color brochure insert, personalized note, and personalized URL. This more resistant group of respondents was offered the chance to win a sporting package or high-end coffee brewing system.
The results? The company exceeded its sales goals by 400% and achieved more than 1400% ROI!
