With companies always striving to get their customers addicted, learn about potential customers and ultimately transform potential customers into purchases, one of the most effective means of communication is through email marketing. The most effective form of email marketing usage is found in drip campaigns and trigger email marketing. Both use an automated response system to create responses, but they operate differently and for different reasons. Drip campaigns happen on a predetermined schedule to place users in predetermined positions—even if the user does not respond to the previous email.
They are most effective for long-term educational endeavors for potential customers, onboarding series, and long-term engagement campaigns. Otherwise known as automated emails. Triggered emails occur when actions are taken. These are set in advance by the company and sent afterward to acknowledge the action taken. For example, if someone subscribes to a newsletter, a welcome email is sent triggered by the action of subscribing. If someone makes a purchase, a thank you email, a confirmation email, or both are sent triggered by the purchase. Usually, these are more customized and sent at a time when the user is seemingly the most engaged.
But which one is better? It’s a matter of what the company would hope to accomplish, what would engage the consumer at the best time, and what is relatively easy for the company and consumer based on their email opportunities. This article assesses the pros and cons of either to determine which would better benefit a company.
Drip Campaigns: A Structured Approach to Email Marketing
Drip campaigns are emails that are automated and sent based upon a predetermined schedule and will not change based upon whether a recipient engages (or fails to engage) with previous emails. A drip campaign essentially keeps the recipient on a set path and it is often associated with lead nurturing, onboarding, and education. For example, a SaaS company may have a drip campaign that is sent to anyone who signs up for the 30-day free trial.
The first email is a welcome email to the site. The second email is sent on day three to encourage them to explore a key feature. The third email is sent on day ten to encourage them to upgrade to the paid version. The cadence and content of the emails do not change based upon whether recipients engage (or not) with the emails. Drip campaigns work wonders with the masses. Once a business creates one and sends it out into the world, it operates in something like autopilot, requiring little human intervention for engagement frequency.
Therefore, these leads are properly cultivated at proper times over an extended period. But drip campaigns do not offer the same personalization as real-time effort. Since the emails are time-stamped and sent in advance, they do not respond to a user’s actions in the present and, therefore, could be considered a missed opportunity for engagement.
Trigger-Based Emails: Real-Time Personalization
Trigger-based emails are automated emails sent based on specific user actions. They feel more customized since they’re sent at the precise time someone is engaged enough to respond or wish to be assisted. For example, an abandoned cart trigger-based email from an online retailer goes to someone who places an item in their shopping cart and fails to check out. An email, sent days later, letting them know they’ve still got their shopping cart and perhaps offering a discount/free shipping can prompt a completed transaction.
Another example would be the welcome email for the newsletter signup. Instead of someone receiving a welcome email days later from a scheduled drip campaign, they receive a welcome email almost immediately (triggered) upon subscribing, which gets better open and click rates. The advantage of triggered emails as opposed to drip campaigns is that they are more topical and happen in the moment.
Triggered emails have better open rates and subsequent conversions because they arrive in the moment when an individual cares. At the same time, it’s more difficult to execute because brands have to monitor user behavior and create specific triggers for each eventuality.
Comparing the Engagement and Conversion Rates of Both Strategies
When it comes to increased engagement and conversion rates, trigger-based emails see a greater upsurge than drip campaigns because they feel more personal and urgent. Improve Email Deliverability by ensuring these timely emails reach the inbox instead of getting lost in spam filters, maximizing their effectiveness. Because they are sent in the moment based on activity, people are far more likely to open them, read them, and engage. For example, research shows that abandoned cart emails recover almost 30% of abandoned carts when they are sent a few hours after someone leaves their cart.
Furthermore, consumers are more likely to engage with post-purchase emails sent at that pivotal transaction moment than one sent according to a timed series. Ultimately, trigger-based emails create more of an immediacy. Essentially, drip campaigns keep the conversation going but without the pressing need.
Can Drip Campaigns and Trigger-Based Emails Work Together?
But instead of having to choose one or the other, companies can have both. Drip campaigns and trigger emails create an even more powerful email marketing experience. A consistent message not only builds branding but also improves customer communication with responses sent in a timely manner, increasing engagement, retention, and conversion. For instance, a SaaS company could employ a static drip campaign to onboard new users for training because their educational emails are sent slowly over time.
They could also use a triggered email campaign to thank users for finishing a tutorial, achieving a usage benchmark, or upgrading to the premium plan. These two campaigns complement one another because they rely on the structured process of usage and understanding but acknowledge customer achievements and, consequently, get the customer more invested in the service. Similarly, a brick-and-mortar shop could do a seasonal drip campaign to alert customers to new inventory, to ready them for expected sales or discounts. At the same time, trigger-based emails could be sent for specific events like an abandoned cart with a unique coupon, a few days later for a completed order with suggested extras, or a week later to check in on someone’s satisfaction with their bought item to encourage future purchases.
This enables the special offer option to solidify a brand in customers’ heads while also giving the opportunity for in-the-moment conversions. The use of such strategies suggests the most cohesive and advantageous path for email marketing. Whereas a drip campaign provides the framework for ongoing engagement and ongoing brand education on one end, the trigger-based emails provide situationally based engagement at the optimum time. Thus, those brands that can utilize both strategies will have greater success with any future email marketing efforts as well, resulting in happy customers, greater engagement with the brand and consistent revenue streams.
Choosing the Right Email Strategy for Your Business
Yet while one is preferred over the other, that is contingent upon business needs. Drip campaigns work better for extended project endeavors for follow-up of leads that require a planned, timed approach, and brand awareness. They work well for onboarding, content marketing, and big picture efforts where time is not of the essence. They are easier to manage as well since they require less effort to upkeep because they can be designed ahead of time for more specific needs.
Yet trigger emails work better for more immediate engagement because they are sent when a user is doing something at that exact time. Abandoned carts and welcome cards are good examples. They also have much better conversion rates based on being sent at a time when a user needs something. Inevitably, ineffective drip campaigns and single-shot email campaigns are required because, in the search for the best transformation to increase engagement and conversion, companies need both.
The flexible ability to deploy curated and time-sent material is just as beneficial as the fixed ability to deliver. The perfect message at the perfect time for a timely resonating customer issue will serve companies well. The results of both styles will provide enhanced customer goodwill and potential for revenue generation.
