Why Drip Marketing Is A
Critical Sales Strategy
By Glenn Fallavollita, President - Drip Marketing, Inc.

• Word count: 615
• Time to read: 2.5 minutes @ 250 words per minute

Since no one can predict the exact moment in time when someone will be ready to buy what you sell, you need to maintain CONSISTENT contact with EVERYONE in your marketing databases. That being said, drip marketing is a great short- AND long-term strategy for any size business. Plus, it will go a long way to building trust, credibility, and brand recognition for you in the marketplace. 

Why Is Drip Marketing A Critical Sales Strategy?

Here are a number of solid reasons:

• 50% of all salespeople stop calling a prospect after their first unsuccessful attempt at moving the sales process forward - a number that skyrockets to 95% to 98% after a salesperson's third unsuccessful attempt. 
• It takes anywhere from 7 to 21 personal touches before someone makes a buying/referral decision. 
• 80% of what you tell a prospective buyer or client in a face-to-face meeting is forgotten within 24- to 48 hours; over the phone, it takes less than 60-minutes for someone to forget 80% of what they were told.
• People make buying decisions when they are ready; not when you or your salespeople want them to.

Types Of Drip Marketing Tactics/Campaigns.

• Phone call blitz sessions.
• e-Mail Marketing Campaigns (e.g., sales intro letter, product or service spotlights, newsletters, press releases, sales promotions, etc.).
• Direct mail campaigns (e.g. postcards, letters, and lumpy mail campaigns).
• Prospect drop-off kits (e.g., sales literature, samples, etc.).

Sample Drip Marketing Calendar (For A Database Of Prospects):

• Day 1:  e-Mail a press release on an upgraded feature, new hire, security upgrade, or service/product promotion.
• Day 3: e-Mail an educational newsletter.
• Day 4: A follow-up call is made to gauge interest/set appointments (use a 2/4 call strategy).
• Day 10: e-Mail an introductory letter.
• Day 10: Mail a postcard with a special offer.
• Day 17:  e-Mail newsletter.
• Day 28: e-Mail a product or service spotlight campaign.
• Day 42: e-Mail a newsletter.
• Day 49: e-Mail a product or service spotlight campaign.
• Day 56: e-Mail e-newsletter.
• Day 63: A follow-up call is made to gauge interest/set appointments.

The Pros Of A Drip Marketing System:

• A continuous cycle of well-written marketing messages will go a long way in building trust, credibility, and brand recognition in the marketplace. 
• It is a great way to position yourself/your business as a thought leader in the industry. 
• "Situations" change all the time; from your competition falling short with their customer service efforts, product or service performance or taking their business for granted to price increases. 
• New decision-makers enter into the buying cycle.

The Cons Of A Drip Marketing System:

• It requires a disciplined person/business to engage in a long-term drip marketing strategy.
• Your content needs to be written by a skilled copywriter (so your messages resonate with a reader).
• It requires a salesperson (or you) to formally follow up a campaign with an "oh by the way" call.  
• Your marketing databases need to be constantly updated to maximize open rates and reduce postage costs when a direct mail campaign is released; however, the ROI is substantial should these steps be taken correctly.

Now The Good News.

A significant percentage of your competitors, even your largest ones, do not have a drip marketing system installed at their business; a mistake that represents a huge sales and marketing opportunity for YOU and YOUR business. Best of all, you don't need to spend a fortune to install one for your business.  

Executive Summary: Sending a consistent series of marketing campaigns will show a client, past client, prospect, and referral partner that you/your business still has an interest in them even when you and your salespeople no longer do.