DRIP MARKETING STRATEGY TACTICS is a communications strategy that sends, or “drips,” a pre-written set of messages to customers or prospects over time. These messages often take the form of an email direct marketing tool although other media can also be used. Drip marketing is distinct from other database marketing in two ways: (1) the timing of the messages follows a pre-determined course; (2) the messages are dripped in a series applicable to a specific behavior or status of the recipient.
–Email: Most commonly used because of low cost associated with sending multiple messages over time and is often used with a method called an autoresponder. In this method, a lead completes the form on a company’s website and is then enrolled in a drip marketing campaign with messaging appropriate to the form’s context.
–Direct mail: Direct mail software has been developed that enables drip marketing techniques using standard postal mail. This technology relies on digital printing, where low-volume print runs are cost justifiable, and the variable data can be merged to personalize each drip message.
–Social media. Applied in social media marketing tools to schedule a series of updates.
Drip marketing can be used as a function of the lead generation and qualification process. It is an automated follow-up method that can augment or replace personal lead follow-up. Often called Autoresponders new leads are automatically enrolled into a drip marketing campaign with messaging relevant to the call-to-action from which the lead came.
Advantages include the automation and efficiency, as well as the continued ability for direct response. Intelligent e-commerce sites use it for un-purchased shopping cart items. The continued messaging is relevant to the contents that the shopper stopped short of purchasing, and continues to include direct response actions. Drip marketing is popularly applied as a sales tool, particularly in long sales-cycles such as large ticket items or enterprise-level sales. Whereas persistent follow-up can become a deterrent to closing the sale, Drip Marketing methods offer the ability to remain top-of-mind, and even prompt action, without jeopardizing the relationship.
Disadvantages include the impersonal manner of the automated follow-up method, this automated follow-up has a lower response rate than do personal sales. The lowered response rate is often justified by the volume and efficiency with which leads can be generated and converted.
The management of IRM data needs the use of an IRM platform.
IRM Systems empower marketers to manage relationships, manage content, and manage value exchange. (Pages 10)
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Manage the influencer relationship and enable the communication. Brands need must own relationships, not rent from Klout. Measure, rank and filter data over time. This needs to be dynamic list based on response & updated based on new additions to the fan base.
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Manage content by distributing with control and tracking, while allowing for authenticity.
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Manage the value exchange across a spectrum of options. During the length of a brand-influencer relationship, and especially during marketing program activations, there is a value proposition for each party involved and an exchange that takes place. The values involved here are a subject for another post, the currency can be $money, content, credibility, validation, product or access.
Broad marketing (mass) vs. direct (personalized)
Are you looking for earned media mentions of your brand on an influential blog or people to share your brand with all their friends/connections? Is the influencer expecting or will receive something in return to motivate them? Think about the types of influencers you want to work with as defined above. Have a mix and think about how you are going to connect with each to build a relationship. Think about the action you want to motivate them to do and the bandwidth you are willing to allocate for each.
Brands can’t invest in one-to-one marketing– that’s why they’ve stuck to marketing to the masses for so long. At the same time, there’s a reason marketing automation has become such a big space in recent memory. However, there’s surely a fine line to automation. Customizing and personalizing messages to individuals is time-consuming as they do not also always optimize conversions depending on what conversions you are talking about: sales, traffic, engagement, etc.
Many mass marketing tactics fail because they are seen as spam and not personalized, but most of the time to just promote a business or brand. Marketing to the masses is great for brand awareness, but marketing to the individual level sparks desired actions. Brands know that automating the processes can reduce the resources required and make the process run more efficiently. Yet, when it comes to proactive marketing solutions on Twitter, there are certain pieces that can be automated to scale. Initial direct marketing examples of communications and follow-ups based on sentiment analysis are just two examples. There’s a fine line between over-automation and just the right amount. As is, we’re striving to help brands identify that grey area and make sure they can ‘touch’ as many customers as possible while also not raising any red flags. All of these customers (or fans) have opted-in for the brand to market with them. Whether they absolutely adore the product or are just chasing the next best deal, these followers have chosen to be marketed to on their own accord. Take advantage.
The minds behind influencer platforms realize that it is not just about accurately scoring influence, but more importantly to allow brands to determine the influencer in their market space AND to make it easier to connect with these people. When both of these functions become easier for brand marketers to execute, then we will see the true value of digital influence tools come to fruition.
Klout, Kred, and Appinions pretty much provide you a list of emerging digital influencers. If you want to know who are the people talking about your brand and having a strong influence on their connections, you can use a social media monitoring tool such as Radian6, Sysomos, and others to 1) find who mentions your brand, and then 2) evaluate their influence or authority level.
SocialChorus is in the right direction for DRIP MARKETING STRATEGY TACTICS. They offer a way to identify “influencer by connections” and reach out to them to attempt to create brand ambassadors. This is often done on a rewards basis, so I throw some caution there. Sometimes your actions might be perceived a “bought influence” and if that is the perception, your influence marketing can backfire on you. Moving forward, all of these platforms are opening up their APIs. This means that one company can do the influence scoring and provide another platform the data. Going forward power-combined integrated solutions among platform providers will emerge such that some will do the scoring and other will handle the engagement activities. None of these tools cross-correlate an individual on all the channels well. For instance, blogging can have no contribution to an influence score. There is no correlation between the SocialSteve Blog and the @SocialSteve twitter account. This does not play into the algorithm of the influence tool.