There are two types of automated email campaigns that radio stations can use to engage their listeners. The first is a campaign to send out their latest content. For example, at Jacobs Media, you can sign up to receive our blog on a daily basis. This is done using an RSS-to-Email feature.
I want to talk about the other type of automated email campaign.
This type of automated email campaign sends outs evergreen content. It is often called a “drip” campaign because we are dripping out content over time.
These Drip Campaigns have a “trigger,” or event that causes the campaign to start. Usually, that trigger is simply that a person signs up for the email list. Once they do this, the emails start to drip out. The first one might go out a day after the signup, followed by another email two weeks later, and a third a month after that. Note that everybody gets an email at a different time depending on when they triggered the campaign.
There are at least two places your radio stations should use Drip Campaigns:
1. On the Programming Side.
Drip Campaigns are a great way to get more life out of your station’s best content. We have a habit of constantly moving on to the next thing in radio, but there’s a lot of listeners who would love to hear the interview with Linkin Park from last Spring, or the hilarious stunt your morning show pulled last year. You can use a Drip Campaign to resurface some of this older material.
2. On the Sales Side.
When a prospective client fills out a form on the website requesting information about advertising, that can trigger a Drip Campaign. We’re going to use this campaign for “lead nurturing.” In other words, we’re going to periodically send the leads an email containing helpful content to build a relationship with them as they move through the ad-buying process.
For example, a week after the campaign is triggered, we may send them an email with a link to a white paper on “Understanding the Nielsen Ratings.” A month after the campaign is triggered, we may send them an email with a link to a webinar recording titled, “How to Figure Out Which Radio Station Reaches Your Customers.” If the content you send to customers is helpful and relevant, they are more likely to reach out to you when they are ready to advertise.
Planning Your Drip Campaign
You can plan out a Drip Campaign using a simple spreadsheet. Label the columns with these headers:
- Trigger (What caused this email to be sent?)
- Delay (How long after the trigger is this email going out?)
- Audience (Which groups is the email going to?)
- Subject Line (What is the email about?)
- Call to Action (What is the email asking people to do?)
- Link (What does the call to action link to?)
Sample Drip Campaign for Programming
Sample Drip Campaign for Sales
A spreadsheet like this makes it easy to plan out your Drip Campaigns. If you would like a Drip Campaign template, please email me and I’ll send one to you.
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