The Power of Email Automation for Nurture Campaigns

Love at first click. Wouldn’t it be great if prospects converted into customers the moment that they laid eyes on an ad? That’s the dream, but, in real life, it takes some wooing to nab that coveted lifetime customer. This is the importance of lead nurturing.

Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at a 33% lower cost.

As the name implies, lead nurturing is the process of cultivating a relationship to build trust and gently walk your lead down the sales funnel to conversion. Marketo reports that “Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at a 33% lower cost”.

Don’t be deterred thinking that all this nurturing is going to cost you hundreds of hours. Thanks to automated drip emails, lead nurturing couldn’t be any easier.

What is Drip Email Marketing?

Drip email marketing is based on the concept of drip irrigation used in agriculture, hence the name.

The idea is to provide nurturing through a slow, steady supply of communication in the form of emails. These hyper-personalised emails strategically deliver relevant, timely information to your target. It sounds like a ton of work, but this is where drip marketing proves its superiority. You’re hardly doing any work. The emails are pre-written and automatically sent based on specific triggers.

• Time-based: scheduled go out at a specific date and time. 
• Action-based: set to go out when a specific action is taken. 

That’s just the start. Drip email campaigns get way more intricate, which is even better! 

You can write a series of emails planned around numerous if-then scenarios, called email sequencing.

A Date with Destiny

When a drip lead nurturing campaign is executed well, customers will feel like finding your brand was simply meant to be. They will feel secure and trust your brand because, well, you just get them!

How an Email Nurture Sequence Works

With email sequencing, you can escort prospects through the entire user journey, from entry into the sales funnel and then into the customer lifecycle, entirely via automated emails. 

• A lead indicates interest by responding to a lead magnet.
• As the new email address hits the CRM database, it triggers a welcome email to auto-send.
• Based on the recipient’s response (or lack thereof) another email—perhaps containing some
  educational content—is sent.

Source: Pardot

Why it Works

Right from the start, you are delivering unprecedented value. 

• You intuitively answer the target’s questions and even their objections at each stage of the buyer journey. 
• Everything is designed around the target and their experience. This customer-centric approach creates stronger loyalty because, these days, people scrutinise brands—they want to make informed purchasing decisions.  
• By always being there at the right time with the right information, you etch a place into your target’s heart. 

The Benefits of Nurturing Leads through Marketing Automation

• Cost-effective. Emails are notoriously low-cost.
• Measurable. Everything on an email is trackable. For example, delivery rate, open rate, and links clicked. 
• Hyper-targeted. You can segment your database on a granular level, enabling hyper-personalisation. 
• Captive Audience. Direct, personalised emails demand attention, gaining much higher read and engagement rates. 
• Improved lead qualification. Smart email sequencing helps you distinguish between lukewarm, hot; qualified or unqualified leads and serve each according to where they are in the buyer journey. 
• Shorter sales cycle. Targets receive the information they need timeously to move through the funnel and convert. 
• Drastically reduced Cost per Acquisition (CPA). Cost-effective, laser-sharp targeting and a shorter sales cycle means less waste and more quality conversions. Most customers that are acquired via lead nurturing have a higher lifetime value, too.
• Highest Return on Investment (ROI) than any other inbound marketing tactics.

Sounds Great. What do I need to implement email lead nurturing in my business?

There are four essential ingredients to set up automated email lead nurturing:

1. A top-notch digital marketing strategy, which includes the customer journey mapping
2. Masterfully eloquent copywriting 
3. Feature-rich customer relationship management (CRM) software
4. A reliable, proficient digital marketing agency—Famous Digital Media—to do it all! 

Enjoy the handsome returns of drip email nurturing without delay.