Email Drip vs. Email Nurture Programs: What’s the Difference?

If you are a business manager or chief marketing officer, the chances are that you have, at some point, heard of email drip vs. lead nurture programs. These terms are often confused, especially among starters, who tend to use them interchangeably.

While email drip and lead nurturing follow similar concepts, they are different marketing tools. If you wish to incorporate any of these in your marketing campaign, but you are not sure of where to start, here is everything you need to know about email drip vs. email nurture.

What is Email Drip?

This marketing strategy involves sending automated emails to targeted contacts. To achieve this, you should have a planning tool to help you schedule the emails in advance, and once the set time comes, they are forwarded to the selected contacts automatically. However, while these emails are automated, you can personalize them for each contact so that they are marked as spam. You may add each contact's name and other essential details to make them appear as if you took your time to craft an email for your recipients.

Other than saving your time, email drip campaigns are an effective way to increase brand awareness and retain existing customers.

When Would You Use Email Drip vs. Email Nurture?

You recently started a beauty product line, and you wish to create brand awareness and reach as many people regarding the new business.

The first step is to identify your target audience. In this case, you may choose to target young ladies. You should then send a welcome email, informing them of your new company. On the second day, you may send another set of detailed emails on all the available products. On the third day, you can send an email informing them of your discount offers and then later send a follow-up email to check how many of the recipients are interested in your products.

In this case, you can use a drip program to introduce a new business or product.

The Goals of an Email Drip Program

Drip email programs come with a range of benefits, including:

Increase Engagement With Minimum Effort

One of the reasons why email drip is preferred to email campaigns is that it brings more engagement. In the example stated above, you will realize that through the sequence of emails sent within a particular timeline, you are able to interact with your audience. You have a chance to inform them of every step in improving your brand, and they can give you feedback on the same.

Maintain a Continuous Conversation

When it comes to email drip vs. email nurture programs, email drip allows you to keep the conversation between you and your subscribers going. You can inform them of a new product launch, discounts, or any other changes in your business. This helps you create a relationship based on trust, not to forget that it keeps your company at the top of the subscribers' minds.

What Are the Best Practices in Implementing Drip?

Determine Your Audience

The first step is to define your campaign audience based on triggers such as new subscriptions. Moreover, be careful when sending automated emails to avoid confusion and to ensure that you only send emails to registered customers with an updated profile. Avoid sending too many emails, as that can be irritating to your prospects.

Pay Attention to the Email Content

The content of the email will significantly determine the conversion rate. You should not just create random emails and then forward them to all your contacts without personalizing them. Target the emails and make them relevant to the specific recipients.

Plan Your Campaign

Determine your goals and establish how many emails you wish to send throughout the campaign. Come up with a creative way to personalize the messages and know when and how to remove a particular set of recipients from a drip series.

Evaluate the Campaign

You should assess the campaign regularly to establish if you are on the right path or if you need to make some changes.

What is an Email Nurture Program?

This marketing campaign involves cultivating leads and creating stronger relationships with leads from an existing pool to encourage conversions. Once you identify your target group, you should try to nurture them and lead them down your sales funnel until they convert from prospects to real customers.

When Would You use an Email Nurture Program vs. Email Drip?

Unlike drip email, email nurture campaigns are more personalized based on consumers' segmentation. The segmentation is done depending on the user's activity, and with this, you can create customized content for specific segments at a specific time.

Nurture email work best when the target audience has already made up their mind or were thinking of trying your products. The emails are only meant to trigger emotions and convince them to click the purchase button. Nurture campaigns are highly recommended for established brands looking to increase sales.

What Are the Goals of Email Nurture Campaigns?

Bring Cold Leads to Life

The program can detect cold leads in your database. You can use email nurture programs to re-engage them and convince them to try your products.

Increase Conversion Rate

You can use this program to convert leads to buyers. The program works best when the leads have already made up their mind that they will soon try your products. Email nurture will convince them to try them sooner.

Retain Existing Customers

One of the secrets to a successful marketing campaign is attracting new leads while maintaining the existing ones. An email nurture program allows you to engage buyers and convince them to keep coming back.

Best Practices in Implementing an Email Nurture Program

Map Out the Flow of the Program

This stage involves planning how many emails you wish to send per program and how to funnel down your leads to the next level.

Define Your Goals

You should determine what you wish to gain from the program. This could either be to bring dormant leads to life or to convert existing leads to buyers. Defining your goals will help you craft relevant emails.

Create Clear Content

The message should be clear and concise. Ensure that it is engaging and relevant to your target audience and go straight to the point.

Timing is Everything

Be careful when sending the emails to ensure that you send them at an ideal time.

Track Your Campaign

You can incorporate tracking tools to check the performance of your campaign. This will also help you determine user interest and help you come up with relevant content.

Take Away

From this information on email drip vs. email nurture, it is evident that both programs come with their distinct goals and benefits. You should establish what you wish to achieve from the campaign to determine which one is more relevant to your business. You may also incorporate both at different stages.

If you are still unsure about this, you can contact us for further guidance. We are experts in email marketing automation, and you can trust that we will help you incorporate this for maximum results.