Drip marketing uses emails to stay in touch with your audience. You can create a campaign for prospective members, current ones, new members, or any segmented group you want to stay top of mind. The email campaign is automated so once you create the emails, it can be used again and again. Here’s a great example of one I came across recently:
A week or so ago, I downloaded Dave Ramsey’s EveryDollar budgeting app. It follows his envelope idea where you take every dollar you make and give it a job. You pay your bills with some of them, save some, pay debt with some (if you have any), and give back. But this isn’t a review of the app. It’s their drip marketing campaign that I’m excited about.
Tips from an Excellent Drip Marketing Campaign
There’s a slight learning curve to the app so the company uses a drip marketing campaign to ensure you not only get the most out of the app but also that you understand budgeting. For many using the app, this is probably their first time on a specified budget. This may be true of new members of yours as well. Their membership may be the first time they’ve joined a chamber and they might not know exactly how to get the most out of membership.
While the app component doesn’t directly apply to your chamber, the value and adoption part does. Here’s what you can take away from what EveryDollar is implementing:
- They are consistent with their message. Every morning I get a 3 sentence blurb on a topic about budgeting with an invitation to read more. I know to expect these tips because of their consistent daily, a.m. delivery.
- Since the topics vary, they can track my interest by what I click on. Am I clicking on savings and retirement? Maybe I’m more interested in tips on slashing my grocery budget. My activity tells them my needs. You can learn the same thing from your members or prospects by tracking the content they interact with and thus learning more about what they want.
- They mix how-to tips on their app with general budgeting tips. It’s not always about them. They give their users tips on general budgeting interests as well. You can do the same at your chamber by providing best ways to make the most of your chamber membership and general business tips.
- The emails are brief and visual. The daily email features a bold image and provides bite-sized info with the option of learning more. They don’t give me everything in one long email. That way I don’t feel overwhelmed by information.
- At the end, they invited me to be more social. At the end of the drip marketing onboarding campaign, they sent an email encouraging me to connect with them socially and share my “wins” with the community. Inviting your members to do the same can give them a next step. It can even help you gain referrals while the member’s in the honeymoon period.
Some best practices are chamber specific, but when it comes to marketing and the membership economy, there’s a lot to be learned from other businesses.
