The number one question we get when it comes to building an email drip campaign is "what do I put in my campaign?" It's a valid question and comes down to what kind of drip campaign you're creating. Below I breakdown the three most common types of drip campaigns–new subscriber, canceled subscriptions, and a general sales campaign. Each one is a little bit different but they are all built in a simple fashion of just emails and time delays. We show these examples through Customer.io, the software that integrates with Union. However, the same principles will work for any email newsletter software, they just won't be automated to go out based on a trigger or specific purchase in Union–that only works with the Customer.io integration. 

 

 

For this drip campaign, you can choose to set the trigger (the audience it will go to based on the action they take in Union) to a specific subscription or to all your subscriptions. I always suggest going more specific to ensure that you’re giving your customers exactly what they need but I also understand that it takes time to build out that many campaigns so you might start with a general new subscriber campaign.

In this campaign, we start with a welcome email. As soon as someone signs up they’ll get branded email from you saying hello and thank you for the purchase. You might have a small paragraph that mentions your mission and then highlight some of the benefits of being a subscriber. I always finish this email up by clicking a button to find a class. 

After 1-3 days I then send another email that makes sure they know the specific benefits that come with their subscription. You’d be amazed by the number of people that cancel a subscription because they don’t think they have access to things that they actually do. So make sure you are very clear on what they get and why it’s of value!

You could choose to stop here if you wanted but I have a couple of other emails that I like to add to the mix to make sure they have all the information they need to be an active subscriber with your Org. The next emails talk more about what offerings you have in your Org. What are the different classes like and why would I choose one over the other. You might choose instead to highlight different teachers and their areas of expertise. If you’ve created any programs you could also choose to highlight a specific program or direct students to your website page that highlights all your programs. Lastly, if you offer short-format classes you could choose to highlight the styles or specific replays that are only 20-30 minutes long so students can get a workout in no matter their schedule. 

One of my favorite emails to include in these campaigns is a “Leave a Review” email. I make sure that this email is timed to be about 3-months after they subscribe to make sure they’re really loving the offerings. Then I ask for them to leave a Google review and direct them to the Google page or I create a Google form with 2-3 quick questions they can answer and I link that to the email. Both allow me to collect feedback and testimonials that I can use in other areas of marketing.

Finally, in this example, I finish the funnel with a large purchase offering. When a student has been a part of your Org for a while they’re more likely to look into big-ticket offerings. So here I might mention our regular retreats or training. I don’t give any dates but would link it to a landing page on your website where you can go into all the details about your next retreat/training.

This campaign is a lot shorter than the previous one. Mostly, because your audience has said they aren’t interested so we want to be respectful of their decision and give them a little space.

The first email I send is to figure out why someone is leaving. Again, a short Google Forms survey works perfectly here. I ask 3 questions– Why are you leaving (and give multiple choice reasons), Do you have any feedback, Can we reach out to you with more questions (and leave a spot for their email).

I don’t go any more in-depth than those. And I only ask if they can be contacted so you can choose to email them and give them a special offer personally if they fill this out. If you don’t plan on doing that, leave that question out. The shorter the better.

The second email in this campaign is a special offer. Now if you are creating campaigns for each type of subscription cancelation then you can get really specific in your offer here. Say someone is canceling your highest-tier subscription, you could simply offer them a lower-tier subscription. However, if you’re doing this campaign for all your cancelations, think of a purchase and price point that everyone would be excited about. Maybe that the first month of online-only at half the price and then it goes into a regular subscription? Or maybe it’s just offering a 10-pack at a discounted price.

The last email is a last-ditch effort to get them to buy something. Choose a pricing option that is less expensive or less of a commitment than the email before. It could even be as simple as a drop-in. 

A sales funnel could be used in any campaign that isn’t a subscription. So you might have one for drop-ins, class packages, free events, etc. The goal of the sales funnel is to make a sale. So with this funnel, we start by welcoming the student to your Org. Thank them for their purchase, say a few words about what makes you different and then give them a button to take them to your schedule so they can find a class. A week or 2 later you can then start selling to them (we assume they’ve used your pass in that time).

In email 2 we focus on what your Org does for people. As a wellness brand, you most likely keep students’ medical costs down so I found an article that speaks to this, included a small blurb and linked to the rest of the article if students want to read further. I highlight how an ongoing practice will save them money in the long run. Now this email doesn’t have to be about money it could be about what stress does to the body, or how we find community throughout fitness studios. Think about the biggest pain point your customer is facing and speak to that in this email with articles and facts to back you up.

Email 3, then, focuses on why others are loving your Org. This email will have 2-3 longer format testimonials that speak about how your Org changed your student's life. Show the world the difference you make and then have testimonials that specifically speak to that in this email. A good thing to note here, is we don’t just want testimonials that say “I love their classes” or “Great studio”, instead they need to speak to a specific way your Org changed their life. This usually means the testimonials are 2-4 sentences long.

Finally, we end the sales campaign with a recap of the other emails and an offer your students can’t refuse. You’ll mention what makes your Org different from the rest (email 1), how you solve their pain point (email 2), another short testimonial (email 3), and then give them an intro offer like 50% off their first month that leads into an auto-subscription. 

These three drip campaigns will help you to meet your student’s needs and retain subscribers for longer. Remember, the more specific you can get with your triggers (the audience each campaign is going to) the better the user’s experience will be. You might start by building these more generally but when you have the time and space copy your campaigns and then edit them to match the specific needs of each subscription or pass type. We like to have our needs spoken to directly, and this will ensure that your students are getting the right message and lead through the right customer journey.

Katie Leigh is a Marketing Strategist for small businesses. She helps Union Orgs + other small businesses simplify their marketing, connect with their audience, and create work-life balance. Download her free guide to work-life balance here.