Drip Marketing: Everything You Need to Know [+ 3 Examples]

Consumers in every market are constantly receiving a barrage of texts, emails, and ads from different companies trying to get their attention — so how can your brand stand out and stay top-of-mind? One way is via drip marketing.

Drip marketing helps marketers maintain constant contact with both current and prospective customers by constantly reminding them of available products, services, and special offers. But what is drip marketing, and how can it benefit your business? Here's all you need to know plus a few examples.

What is drip marketing?

Drip marketing is a type of communication strategy in which a constant flow — or 'drip' — of pre-written marketing materials is sent to customers or potential leads over time. While these messages can be in the form of various media, email marketing is the most common.

In the early days of drip marketing, paper mail and flyers were mailed to recipients on a marketing list or after they made initial contact with the business. Of course, as marketing adapted to the digital age, drip marketing in the form of social media and email marketing became more popular.

Now you know what drip marketing is, but how does it work? Furthermore, how can you company use it to its advantage? Here's what you need to know.

How does drip marketing work?

The way drip marketing works depends on the medium being used. The three most common mediums are email, social media, and direct mail.

Email Drip Marketing

Email drip marketing typically begins with an online form a prospect or customer fills out. Once the form is completed, that person is entered into an autoresponder program that will send automated emails from that point forward.

The emails can be personalized with the contact's name and specific mentions of the action they took. For example, "Hi Jane! Thank you for signing up to receive our weekly marketing newsletter."

Social Media Drip Marketing

Social media's role in drip marketing is becoming more and more common in a digital world. With this form of drip marketing, social media accounts are consistently updated with texts, photos, or videos surrounding a particular marketing effort.

For example, a social media account for a TV network might market for a particular show premiere by releasing behind the scenes clips, photos, or graphics to build audience excitement.

Direct Mail Drip Marketing

Direct mail has long been used in drip marketing efforts, and has seen many updates over the years in the form of software and digital printing. These advancements have made direct mail more automated, personalized, and easier to manage.

No matter the method used, a common trend in drip marketing is the "Law of 29." This unwritten rule in marketing says most prospective customers will not buy something until they have seen an ad for it at least 29 times. While 29 may be a bit too specific, the point remains that a key to generating lead generation is staying top-of-mind for potential customers by continuously creating points of connection.

Examples of Drip Marketing

Now that you know how drip marketing works, here are a few examples to help inspire your next campaign.

Disney+ Email Campaign

To keep subscribers in the loop of the latest releases on the streaming app, Disney+ releases frequent email updates — including a weekly "What to watch this week" message. In this email, Disney+ reminds fans that its latest Marvel series, "Ms. Marvel," is currently streaming and that its season finally is airing that week. It also highlights behind-the-scenes content of the show.

Many companies and networks are dabbling in the world of streaming services. So this method of drip marketing is especially useful for Disney+ because it helps the service stay top-of-mind ahead of competitors like Hulu and Netflix.

Stranger Things' Twitter Updates

Ahead of the premiere of the second part of Stranger Things' fourth season on Netflix, the show's Twitter account regularly shared posts to remind fans. Finally, on the day of the premiere, the account shared a clip of one of the character's, fan favorite Eddie Munson, performing an epic guitar solo with the words "Now Streaming" in bold letters.

The video clip was compelling enough to go viral with more than 30,000 retweets and 120,000 likes.

New York Times Email to Win Back Customers

Not only is drip marketing effective for generating new leads, it can also win back old ones. Sometimes customers may invest in a product or service only to stop returning later.

In my case, I was subscribed to the New York Times, but I eventually ended my subscription to cut down on my monthly fees. However, I still get updates from the New York Times, including the special offer below to subscribe for just $1 a week.

Drip marketing is an excellent tactic to keep current customers in the know of your business' products and services. It can also convince new prospects to commit to buying from your company. Finally, you can also win back old customers by keeping in constant contact with them. Now that you have a solid grasp of drip marketing and its uses, you're ready to plan your next campaign.