The average ROI of an email marketing platform is 3600%. Translation? Email marketing is still one of the most powerful ways to nurture prospects. Part of developing a successful email marketing campaign is architecting drip email sequences that automate next touchpoints with your prospects and customers.
So what even is a drip email sequence? And what are the 10 email sequences you should implement today that drive conversions? Read on to find out.
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What is a drip email sequence?
A drip email sequence is a series of automated emails that are sent to a predetermined list of recipients with an overarching goal in mind. A few examples of these goals include:
- Increasing the number of downloads of your latest whitepaper
- Promoting a new product launch and encouraging sales appointments
- Maximizing renewals as you go into the new year
- Improving order status transparency through order confirmations and shipment tracking
- Enhancing the customer onboarding process through consistent check-ins
You may have noticed that a drip email series should cover your entire buyer’s journey. While not every email needs to convince the subscriber to purchase your product, every email should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that pushes email recipients to an action — whether that’s visiting your site, scheduling an appointment, or calling for more information.
As a best practice, these emails should be sent to a segmented list of your audience for better messaging personalization. After all, personalized call-to-actions typically perform 202% better than generic messaging.
These lists can be split by the most relevant factors that relate to your campaigns, such as:
- Lead scores
- Product interest
- Date of when the recipient last purchased from you
- Date of when the recipient last opened your email
- Geographic location
Now that you have a general understanding of what a drip email sequence should be, let’s dive into 10 email marketing examples.
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1. Welcome series
A welcome series introduces the brand to new subscribers with a goal of a low-friction conversion, such as scheduling a sales appointment or downloading a resource. You should be targeting those at the top of your sales funnel.
A few recommended audience lists include:
- People who have recently signed up for your newsletters
- First-time webinar registrants
- People who have just inquired about your product or service
- First-time content downloaders
EBQ Tip
You should follow these 10 email content best practices to set the best first impression, since welcome emails are generally your contacts’ first exposure to your marketing materials.
2. Nurture series
As the name suggests, a nurture series is built to nurture leads, slowly building upon your existing relationships with your contacts to convince them to book a sales appointment.
Therefore, you should send these emails to those in the middle of your sales funnel, such as warm inbound leads with lower purchasing intent or even cold outbound leads that showed some initial interest.
A few emails within your nurture series can include:
- Encouraging the recipient to download a guide that addresses your prospects’ pain points
- Showcasing a few relevant case studies
- An invitation to a conversation with a rep to learn how the recipient is managing a pain point you can resolve
3. Newsletter series
A newsletter series offers a consistent set of touchpoints to maintain an ongoing engagement and brand presence within your email subscribers’ inboxes.
As you are typically sending newsletter emails on a more aggressive cadence, we recommend reviewing these 40+ email marketing tips to avoid spam filters.
A few emails you can send within your newsletter series include:
- Daily, weekly, or even monthly insights into your industry’s current trends
- A summary of the latest resources you have recently published
- Case study spotlights
4. Pre-event series
If you plan to host a webinar or attend a trade show event, consider creating a pre-event drip email series to promote your event or event appearance.
Regardless of whether you are hosting the event, you should be driving excitement for the big day. Here are a few emails you can consider sending:
- An event announcement
- Speaker/panelist highlight
- What to expect from your trade show booth
- An event reminder the day before the event
5. Post-event series
As expected, you’re sending a post-event series after the event has ended to follow up with event attendees and registrants, aiming to convert them into marketing-qualified (MQL) or sales-qualified leads (SQL).
Since these contacts had already interacted with your brand, they are typically in the Consideration stage of the buyer’s journey. Instead of repositioning your brand as a thought leader, focus on maintaining momentum and try to push for a sales appointment.
2 emails you should immediately send are:
A thank you email with a webinar replay option
A “Sorry, we missed you” email with a few shared resources from the event
Both emails should have an open invitation to continue your conversation with a rep. You can then continue sending them related resources or even case studies to maintain your position as a thought leader.
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6. Sales meeting follow-up series
Congratulations! Your prospect just attended a sales meeting. Your goal is to continue striking while the iron is hot to convert them into an SQL.
At EBQ, we typically do not automate these follow-up emails. That’s because different sales meeting has different outcomes that require different approaches to maintaining momentum. For example, one prospect might say they’re evaluating their budget in three months — while another says they simply can not afford your solution.
Instead, create email templates for a follow-up series that provides opportunities for further personalization. A few emails your sales rep should send are:
- A meeting recap with a list of agreed-upon next steps
- A few relevant case studies
- A proposal overview
- A quick check-in
7. Customer onboarding series
A well-planned onboarding process can increase customer retention by more than 50%. And part of creating a positive customer onboarding experience is performing regular check-ins.
You can automate part of the onboarding process by sending an automated series of emails, including:
A welcome email with team introductions
A kickoff prep and agenda
A few tools and resources (for after the kickoff meeting)
By setting expectations, you minimize the learning curve friction and ensure a smooth start to their customer relationship.
EBQ Tip
For a comprehensive overview of how to create a strong customer onboarding process, download our Ultimate Guide to B2B Customer Service Strategy. We cover everything from how to build a customer service team to how to build brand advocates.
8. Renewal series
If you sell software or have contractual agreements with your customers, consider implementing a renewal reminder drip email series as soon as possible. Not only does it promote customer transparency, but it also increases your renewal rates and average customer lifetime value (CLV).
We recommend kicking off your renewal series around 60-90 days before the customer’s renewal date. From there, send emails that summarize their current ROI, a few future recommendations, and even a reminder to connect with their designated account executive.
9. Upsell/Cross-sell series
Did you know that you are 3x more likely to sell to an existing customer than you are to a new prospect? By implementing an upsell or cross-sell strategy, you expand your account value based on demonstrated fit or new needs.
We recommend sending highly engaged existing customers because they’ve shown clear indicators of expansion readiness. They are the most primed to see immediate value from an upsell or cross-sell offer.
A few emails you can consider creating for this series include:
- An introduction to the upsell/cross-sell services
- A case study for the upsell solution
- A bundle or pilot offer
10. Past customers series (aka win-back series)
Finally, consider leveraging a win-back drip email sequence to win them back. Your goal is to reacquire their business by showcasing how your offering has improved since they last interacted with you.
Because they would be considered cold leads, adjust your outreach cadence to make sure you are not overexposing them to your marketing messages.
Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- A new case study or success story
- An exclusive return offer
- An overview of improvements and advancements since they last worked with you
Download the B2B Guide to Marketing Automation
Don’t have time to read the whole guide right now? Download the PDF version of the guide.
How to master developing email sequences
Our biggest advice is to keep your drip email sequence’s goal at the forefront of your mind as you write and send these emails. By keeping your CTA focused, your recipients will understand what next steps they should take.
Developing a compelling email sequence takes more than just professional writing. It also takes responsive email designs and strategic segmentation to amplify the impact of your email marketing. Consider partnering with our email marketing agency to ensure your campaigns reach the right audience, at the right time, with the right message.
About the Author:
Ben is a Business Consultant at EBQ with over 13 years of experience in Demand Generation. He has played an active role in hundreds of projects consulting companies across different industries, maturities, and tech stacks to increase brand visibility.