Once upon a time...

I made the mistake of clicking on an interesting topic online. The next thing I knew I was being tsunami’d with a wave of emails! While I was trying to come up for air, this company seemed insistent on forcing every single product that they’d ever conceived of down my throat in a desperate attempt to get me to part with my hard-earned money.

Unfortunately, this is ops normal in email marketing these days. People still don’t get it (or are ignoring the fact) that marketing done duck foie gras style, is irritating. More than that - the chances of it working are slim, to say the least.

But everybody does it!

That is true because the principle behind this very sales-pushy approach is sound - maintain contact with your target audience.

There was a reason why I clicked on the link in the first place. It piqued my interest. The reason for not becoming one of the converted are legion. I may have needed more information, had questions about the credibility of the company, been checking out competitors in the industry, been distracted by someone else wanting my eyeball-time. There is a list as long as my arm, of possible reasons why someone does not take up an offer online.

The trick is to take that micro-second of attention someone afforded you and turning it into genuine interest. You do that by communicating in a more strategic way.

Generating genuine interest

When I click on a link, it is definitely not because I want to know how great the company is or need a run-down of their entire product catalogue. Like all other online users, I am selfish - clicking is all about ME. And if someone tells me how they are able to serve ME, I am all ears. If they tell me more about the topic, educate and enlighten me, take me by the hand and guide me to a solution to my problem and ease MY pain - then please, take my money!

A drip-feed email journey breaks down this process into manageable, easy to digest chunks. It informs. It does not sell. It tracks engagement throughout the process by giving titbits of information to keep a potential customer interested and then measures how they react to it.

A strategic email journey gently guides people to come to the decision to choose your product or service all by themselves.

And that my friends, is how you do drip-feed differently!