An autoresponder series, also referred to as a drip campaign, is a selection of pre-set email campaigns that are sent on a delay based on any given criteria, most commonly, the day the person joined your list. We highly recommend setting up this type of sequence for any new lead generated on our platform, but it's important to do it right. With that being said, we've created our take on The Perfect 10 Email Autoresponder Series. Enjoy...
Before we get started, let's be straight-forward with our goals. Ultimately, every marketer's goal is to sell or "convert". But, there are secondary goals as well; to educate, and to learn. Often times the most realistic goals within the first week or so are these secondary ones. Therefore, utilize the autoresponder sequence to educate the consumer in bite-sized pieces about your product or service, while in turn, learning from their behaviors to optimize marketing further down the line.
Don't fret over this. Keep in mind that first impressions go a long way, but that doesn't mean that this email needs to contain all but the kitchen sink. We recommend a general, non-personalized, good looking email that quickly explains your business and how you do it. You can include a call to action but it's not necessary. The reason we recommend that this correspondence not be personalized is because it will be pretty obvious to the user that this email is automated. Personalizing this communication may devalue other personalized communications down the road.
A proven approach. List the 3 most basic and essential things your subscriber can do in order to get the most value out of your product or service. This tactic allows for you to highlight and simplify the most important acclimation steps to your product.
This is where you start learning. Showcase some products or services and include multiple calls to action. Analyze the behavior of this email closely as it will give you a good indication of what your new subscribers/leads are interested in most.
Now you really impress. Change the format of this email entirely; it should look like a basic email. Start with the person's first name, and send them a short but powerful note. Take a different tone than your previous messages and don't include copy used previously. Sign the email personally, and be sure to respond to any replies!
Find a creative way to include some testimonials from your actual clients. Use pictures if you can, as they go a long way!
This time, you can be a little more "salesy". Try replicating your product email but in a more traditional email style using a bulleted list this time instead. No crazy images etc.
Again, showcase your products or services and include multiple calls to action. This time, present your products in a different order, and use different text and images when possible. Analyze the user behavior for this email and determine any inconsistencies between behavior in your previous product email. Learn from any inconsistencies, and cater marketing efforts towards your most popular product features.
Introduce your subscribers to either to your Twitter account, LinkedIn or Facebook pages. Highlight one of your latest posts in the email itself and provide a very easy "Follow" button directly below.
No matter how good your subject lines, a high percentage of all emails will go unopened. Resend, that's right, one of your previous emails from this series (not your first one), to any and all subscribers who have not opened that particular email. Simply, change the subject line. You can do this for more than just one email if you're feeling nuts!
We're getting down to the wire here. By now, your new subscribers have learned a lot about you, and hopefully you've learned about them. It's time to start a one-to-one dialogue if you have not already. Make a quick and interesting point that you feel strongly about, preferably one that ties into your product or service. Ask your subscriber to share their thoughts.