How to Create a Successful Email Drip Campaign to Sell Your Services

Whatever industry you’re sales team is operating in, email campaigns probably make up a significant portion of their marketing strategy. That’s because email marketing still presents an appealing option of sales professionals; they’re super quick, relatively cheap, and easy to send in bulk. In fact, the average open rate for marketing emails is a considerable 24%, much higher than other outreach methods.

But are you leveraging drip campaigns to the max? Leveraging drip campaigns allows you to automate and personalize your outreach, increasing customer engagement and improving conversion rates by sending the right message at the right time based on user behavior and triggers. Chances are, you could be missing out on the incredible advantages that email drip campaigns have to offer your email marketing strategy.

Woah, woah, woah, what’s an ‘email drip campaign’? How’s it different from other email campaigns? And what are these ‘advantages’ we’re talking about?

If you’re new to drip campaigns (or want to deepen your understanding of them), don’t panic: we’re here to clear up everything there is to know about drip marketing campaigns, from definitions and planning to automated drip campaigns and drip campaign optimization. An email drip campaign is a series of automated emails triggered by specific user actions, such as signing up, subscribing, or abandoning a cart. These automated emails are designed to nurture leads and engage new subscribers, who are often the first to benefit from a well-structured drip campaign.

So if you’re looking for more leads, more sales, and better ROI on your email drip campaigns, stick around - you’re in the right place.

Email drip campaigns: the basics

Before you can achieve drip email campaign mastery, you’ll have to brush up on the basics. Let’s take a look!

An email drip campaign is an automated email sequence designed to send a series of marketing emails to subscribers based on specific triggers or timing. These triggers are often tied to user behavior, such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or abandoning a shopping cart. The strategic flow and timing of the email sequence help nurture leads, re-engage customers, or guide prospects through your sales funnel.

For example, if a prospect puts an item in their cart but doesn’t check out, a drip campaign can automatically send them a reminder email. User behavior such as downloads, clicks, or purchases can trigger different emails in the sequence, allowing you to personalize your messaging and better engage your audience.

What is an email drip campaign?

Email marketing should be nothing new; it’s the ‘drip’ part we need to explore.

When we talk about ‘drip campaigns’, we’re referring to the process of slowly and steadily feeding a lead an automated sequence of pre-written emails sent over time (e.g., once every three days for two weeks).

Such emails are usually triggered by some kind of action taken by prospective customers. For example, if the prospect puts an item in their cart but doesn’t complete the purchase, or if they download relevant content from your website. A welcome email or a series of welcome messages is often the first touchpoint in a drip campaign, setting the tone for future communication.

What are the benefits of email drip campaigns?

So why should you invest time and money crafting tailored, automated email campaigns when you could just send batch emails instead?

• Get better ROI

Simply put, a successful drip campaign is much more powerful than a batch-email campaign. Some studies suggest that they’re 180% more effective, in fact, and generate 320% more revenue.

• Build customer relationships

By maintaining regular contact, you’re demonstrating to your target customers that you’re serious about meeting their needs and providing solutions. Understanding your target audience and targeting customers based on their preferences and behaviors allows you to tailor your messaging and build stronger relationships. Plus, they’ll be more likely to give all-important customer feedback.

• Stay top-of-mind

If your potential customer is seeing your company name in their inbox every few days, they’re likely to start to associate you with the particular product or service you offer. So when the time to buy comes, you’re their go-to solution.

• Provide consistent value

Don’t forget, drip campaign emails aren’t all about pushing products; drip emails can also provide helpful tips and valuable resources that new and existing customers will love. Email marketing automation enables you to deliver personalized recommendations and content to each subscriber, increasing brand awareness.

• Gain better insights

Email drip campaigns both good and bad can be learned from. By analyzing which email drip campaigns work and why, you’ll be better able to optimize future drip marketing for better results.

Set clear goals for your drip marketing campaigns

In order for your drip marketing campaign to really pack a punch, you need to set clear goals. After all, not all drip campaigns are the same: you may be focussing on a lead nurturing campaign or onboarding emails, or instead be creating a drip sequence aimed at converting leads into customers.

Either way, defining the goal of a drip campaign strategy as ‘making more sales’ just won’t cut it - you need to set clear goals that are easy to measure. Maybe you want to increase conversion rates by X amount, or reduce your churn rate, or achieve a higher click through rate, or boost engagement - whatever it is, numbers are your best friend! Tracking analytics and performance metrics is essential for evaluating your campaign's success and guiding future improvements.

Planning your email content

Now for the tricky part: what to actually say in your drip campaign emails. How should each drip email be different from the last?

Here’s a trick any seasoned email marketer knows: align your email drip campaign with the customer journey. The stages of the customer journey are as follows:

1. Awareness
2. Consideration
3. Decision
4. Retention
5. Loyalty

You see, if you can pinpoint where your prospect is on their journey, you can better brainstorm what to say to them (because you know what action you want them to take).

To help you get started, here are a few drip campaign examples, email drip campaign examples, and campaign examples from different industries. For instance, an e-commerce brand might send a welcome series introducing products, followed by educational content and exclusive offers. A SaaS company could use a sequence to onboard new users, share feature tips, and encourage upgrades. These real-life campaign examples illustrate best practices like personalizing content, timing emails over a few weeks, and aligning each message with a specific stage of the customer journey. Drawing inspiration from these drip campaign examples can help you design more effective and engaging email sequences.

Types of marketing emails to include

In general, there are a few common types of emails most drip campaigns use. For example:

• Welcome emails: introduce your brand and set expectations
• Educational content: provide value through tips, how-tos, industry insights, or deliver an online course to build authority and offer exclusive value
• Case studies/testimonials: share social proof and success stories
• Service highlight emails: focus on the benefits and features of your services
• Limited-time offers: use urgency to prompt action
• Promotional emails: announce new products, re-engage customers, or encourage repeat purchases—these often include a coupon code to incentivize purchases or offer discounts
• Reminder emails: gently nudge prospects who haven’t taken action, such as those with abandoned shopping carts, to help recover lost sales
• Follow up email: sent after a previous email to re-engage recipients or provide additional information

By knowing exactly when to use specific email types, and how to word them, you’re gaining a huge advantage.

Craft the perfect subject line

No article on email marketing strategy would be complete without the obligatory 'subject line' section. And although we hate to harp on, it's true: 64% of consumers purportedly open or delete an email bases on its subject line. So mastering them is key.

We can't give you a full masterclass here, but we can tell you that when writing your subject lines, you need to consider:

• Personalization
• Curiosity
• Urgency
• Length
• Tone
• Truthfulness

No tall order then, right?

Automating and scheduling your drip campaigns

Establishing your goals and crafting your drip email campaign is only half the work. Now, you have to figure the perfect schedule to 'drip feed' your marketing emails and to automate that process.

Luckily, we live in an age when marketing automation and drip campaign software is everywhere. Salespeople can't move for new solutions - especially in the age of AI.

This software, such as Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Zoho make it easier than ever to create drip email campaigns and integrate everything they entail (e.g., email triggers and schedules). Although it differs by platform, in most cases the automation process is more or less the same: simply build a segmented email list and set up a drip trigger.

So what's the ideal drip campaign schedule? Experts don't all agree, but most concur that four to ten emails spaced between four and fourteen days apart is the sweet spot.

Re-engagement campaigns: winning back inactive leads

Even the best drip campaigns can lose a few leads along the way. That’s where re-engagement campaigns come in—a powerful way to re engage inactive leads and bring them back into your sales funnel. These specialized drip campaigns are designed to win back subscribers who haven’t interacted with your emails or services in a while, giving you a second chance to boost user engagement and drive conversions.

Start by identifying which leads have gone cold—look for subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked your marketing emails in a set period, such as the last three or six months. Segment these users based on their previous activity or interests to tailor your messaging. Next, craft a series of drip campaign emails that reignite their interest. Offer exclusive content, a special promotion, or a personalized recommendation based on their past behavior. Use attention-grabbing subject lines and compelling copy to remind customers why they signed up in the first place.

Don’t forget to track the performance of your re-engagement drip campaign. Monitor open rates, click through rates, and reactivation rates to see what’s working. Adjust your approach as needed to maximize results. By leveraging re-engagement campaigns, you can rescue dormant leads, increase user engagement, and give your sales funnel a healthy boost.

Survey and feedback campaigns: gathering insights and improving engagement

If you want to take your email marketing strategy to the next level, don’t overlook the power of survey and feedback campaigns. These drip marketing campaigns are all about listening to your audience—gathering valuable insights, opinions, and feedback that can shape your marketing strategy and improve your services.

To launch an effective survey or feedback drip campaign, keep your emails short, clear, and focused. Ask simple, direct questions that are easy for subscribers to answer, and consider offering a small incentive—like a discount or exclusive content—to encourage participation. Make sure your survey is relevant to the recipient, whether you’re asking about a recent purchase, their experience with your brand, or what kind of content they’d like to see in future marketing emails.

Once you’ve collected responses, analyze the feedback to spot trends and areas for improvement. Use these insights to refine your drip marketing campaigns, enhance your products or services, and deliver more relevant content to your audience. By making survey and feedback campaigns a regular part of your email marketing, you’ll build stronger customer relationships, foster trust, and drive long-term growth.

Advanced strategies for high-performing drip campaigns

Ready to supercharge your drip campaigns? Advanced strategies can help you create high-performing drip marketing campaigns that drive engagement, conversions, and customer loyalty.

Start with personalization. Use marketing automation tools to tailor your drip campaign emails to each subscriber’s preferences, behaviors, and demographics. Dynamic content—like personalized subject lines, greetings, and product recommendations—can make your emails feel more relevant and boost open and click through rates.

Next, leverage behavioral triggers to automatically send targeted emails based on user actions or inactions. For example, if a customer abandons their shopping cart, trigger a drip email with a reminder or a special offer. If a user hasn’t logged in for a while, send a friendly nudge to re engage them. These automated drip campaigns ensure your messages reach the right people at the right time.

Finally, don’t forget to use A/B testing and analytics to optimize your drip marketing. Test different subject lines, content, and send times to see what resonates best with your audience. Analyze the results and refine your approach for even better performance. By incorporating these advanced strategies, you’ll create drip campaigns that not only increase sales but also build lasting customer relationships.

Common mistakes to avoid in email drip campaigns

Even the most well-intentioned drip campaigns can fall flat if you’re not careful. To ensure your email marketing strategy delivers effective drip campaigns, watch out for these common pitfalls:

• Sending too many emails: Bombarding your subscribers can lead to fatigue, higher unsubscribe rates, and lower engagement. Find the right balance in your drip sequence.
• Lack of personalization: Generic, one-size-fits-all emails are easy to ignore. Use segmentation and dynamic content to make your drip campaign emails relevant to each recipient.
• Poor list segmentation: Failing to segment your email list can result in irrelevant content reaching the wrong audience, reducing your campaign’s success.
• Not tracking performance: Without monitoring key metrics like open rates, click through rates, and conversions, it’s impossible to know what’s working and what needs improvement.
• Ignoring compliance: Overlooking anti-spam laws and regulations can damage your reputation and result in penalties. Always follow best practices for email marketing compliance.

By steering clear of these mistakes, you’ll set your drip campaigns up for success—delivering marketing emails that engage, convert, and support your long-term marketing strategy.

Optimize your email drip campaign

No email drip campaign is ever perfect. In order for your sales team to continue to nurture leads, shorten the sales cycle, and nab new customers, you need to be willing to practice continuous improvement.

Again, state-of-the-art CRM and marketing automation platforms are your best friend; using the data insights they offer, you can:

• Monitor key metrics‍

Keep an eye on open rates, click through rates, conversion rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, and many others.

• Use A/B testing‍

Many platforms enable you to try out two versions of a drip email (i.e., two welcome emails with slightly different wording) to establish which is more effective.

• Iterate based on performance

Details like timing (for B2B sales, email marketing between 9am and 12pm sees the best results) and wording can be gradually refined to enhance your drip marketing campaign for maximum impact.

Learn more about drip campaigns and email marketing with Leadium

From goal-setting and content creation to scheduling and optimization, there's a lot that goes into effective drip campaigns. We've given a foundational overview of the essentials, but there's much more to learn.

To see how you can improve your own campaign and nail your email marketing strategy, head over to the Leadium blog. There, you'll find a ton of expert insights and professional advice on everything from lead generation and appointment setting to tech guides and strategy theory. Oh, and it's totally free, too.

Leadium has over a decade of experience gaining qualified leads for industry-leading companies with multi-channel outreach campaigns. To learn more about what we do, and to see how we can fill your pipeline with top-quality leads, take a look at our homepage, or reach out to the team today. A better way to sell is waiting.