Drip, Drip, Drip Marketing – A Key to Creating A Steady Revenue Stream One Drip at a Time
Your marketing is more important than your mastery. You can be the best accountant, dog groomer, life coach, fitness trainer, wedding planner – whatever your business is – but if you don’t know how to get the word out about your business and generate response, you will never create the income you truly desire.’ – Ali Brown, Entrepreneurial Guru for Women
How true this statement is! We have worked with many businesses over the past 24 years and have watched some really good companies close their doors because not enough people knew about their product or services.
Many had great websites, high quality printed material, nice looking offices, great service but when it came to marketing and spreading the word, they either didn’t want to do it, know how to do it or didn’t have time to do it. In the end, it cost them their business and their dream.
I am very thankful that four years into my business I learned some very valuable lessons in marketing, however, one stands out from them all. One I still use today in my own business. It was in 1996, I had moved my business from part time to full time and shortly thereafter, I became a single mother and panic set in. I was now the sole bread winner in the family and I needed to make more money FAST. That’s when I was referred to a highly sought after marketing coach, Norma Rist – Norma Rist CEO Consulting. Inc. / Women Owners Daily.
The Lesson Is This:
It takes an average of 7 – 15 contacts or ‘touches” with a prospect before they will try your service or buy your product and once they become a customer, you need to continue touching them if you want repeat business. The practice of “Drip Marketing” will provide those “touches” while getting your prospects and clients to know, like and trust you.
I started my drip marketing program with a quarterly hard copy newsletter. When I received a call or an email from a prospect, I would send them my newsletter, a business card and a writing pen with the Total Office Logo and contact information. From there, they were on my “List” and would receive my quarterly newsletter along with other material in various forms throughout the year. The rest is history.
Drip marketing can be a powerful tactic for just about any business that requires a “right time” to buy. For example, realtors and financial services companies are good candidates for drip marketing. A prospect might not be considering buying a new house or starting an investment plan when they first see an advertisement, website or email about your business. But, if you can get them on your “list” so that you can send them information on a regular basis, the day may come when they receive the latest mailing, tweet or post, just as they received news that their family will be growing and now they need a bigger house and it’s time to start investing in the future.
At that moment, the drip marketer has scored. Drip marketing works because you have built awareness and recognition over time and they now , “know, like and trust” you enough to pick up the phone, send an email or drop by your office.
Today, Drip Marketing is even easier if you have a website with an Opt-in block so prospects visiting your website and get on your “list” and learn more about you. I’ll talk about that in my next article. Until then, if you have questions or need help with your drip marketing, feel free to us!
PS The same day I posted this, Financial Industry Guru, Michael Kitces, Nerd’s Eye View, just posted an article that discusses the importance of drip marketing for the financial advisor. You can read it here: How To Turn Your Financial Advisor Website Visitors Into Prospect Leads
Copyright 2016 Sherry Carnahan
